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‘By the way,’ said Garovel privately as they waited for Zeff to finish drilling through, ‘I saw what you did earlier.’

‘What are you talking about?’ said Hector.

‘The way you tried to pat Diego on the shoulder and then gave up.’

Aw, shit.

‘I’ll give you points for trying, at least,’ said Garovel. ‘A solid B for effort.’

‘The saying is “A for effort,” Garovel.’

‘I know, but you didn’t do that well.’

‘Shut--fuck--you...’

The reaper laughed, still privately. ‘Say what? Shut fuck me? What does that mean?’

‘You--I--it means shut up and fuck you, that’s what it means.’

‘Oh, okay.’

As the time drew out, Voreese in particular seemed to grow impatient and began scouting around the warehouses. Hector would have preferred she not do that, as they didn’t know what other sorts of surprises or traps they might encounter, but when Garovel gave voice to Hector’s concerns for him, she was unsurprisingly flippant about it.

‘A girl needs her space, Garovel,’ she said from around the farther warehouses. ‘You can’t expect to get in my pants by smothering me.’

Garovel didn’t miss a step, however. ‘Getting in your pants, eh? That would be a fascinating trick, considering you’re not wearing any.’

‘Hoho!’ she laughed.

Hector was uncomfortable. Though, at the same time, it did make him wonder how Garovel viewed reapers.

Now there was a question he probably should have asked a while ago.

‘Wow,’ said Axiolis, sounding equal parts surprised and disgusted. ‘How long has it been since I last heard two reapers flirting with one another?’

‘Jealous?’ said Voreese.

‘Irritated,’ said Axiolis. ‘This is hardly the time or the place for such behavior, no?’

‘And what, pray tell, would be the correct time and place, exactly?’ said Voreese.

‘When we are no longer in mortal danger, perhaps,’ offered Yangéra.

‘I’m not so sure we ever will be,’ said Voreese. ‘It’s a mad and dangerous world, you know.’

‘Yes, and it is not made any safer by the carelessness brought on by poorly timed humor,’ said Axiolis.

‘Oof!’ said Voreese. ‘What a stick-in-the-mud!’ She broke for a snorting laugh, which Hector found interesting, considering she didn’t even have a nose. ‘Look, buddy, I know the world is a horrible place ‘n all, but that horribleness ain’t goin’ anywhere, either. It’ll still be there after every little vacation away from it that we decide to take. So you won’t have to worry about your fucking dourness going out of style.’

‘And you continue to make history,’ said Axiolis. ‘It has been many years since I have heard anyone say something so utterly nonsensical.’

‘Oh, so there IS some sharpness to that tongue!’ said Voreese. ‘I was beginning to wonder if you were just a fucking simpleton!’

‘Voreese,’ said Garovel. ‘Please don’t be so rude to our new friends.’

‘Hey, he started it, not me.’

‘You needn’t worry about my feelings,’ said Axiolis. ‘I know better than to take the reckless words of an unruly child to heart.’

Voreese let out a laugh that sounded like it could’ve come from a horse. ‘Wow! Where the hell did you find this guy, Garovel?! I like him! He’s a real piece of shit! But like an upper class piece of shit!’

‘I suppose I will take that as a compliment,’ said Axiolis.

‘Yeah, why wouldn’t you?! I meant it as one!’

Hector wasn’t sure he understood this conversation anymore.