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“She’s just joking,” said Roman. “She’s actually a huge softie who adores me.”

‘Ew, don’t try to downplay my words or embarrass me,’ said Voreese. ‘Just insult me back!’

“What? Why would I ever do that to someone I love?”

‘Oh, you high-road-taking bitch.’

“Have you ever learned the sacred art of deescalation, Voreese?”

‘Is that what you’re doing, right now? Because it’s not working. If anything, you’re pissing me off even more than usual.’

“Yeah, but deep down, I bet you’re enjoying yourself, right?”

‘Your mom’s a hoe.’

“Okay. Well, anyway. Loren and Rezolo. It’s good to meet you both.”

“Ah. Likewise...”

“I know these aren’t exactly ideal circumstances, but let’s just try and make the best of things, shall we?”

The party came to an abrupt halt as Hector stopped and pointed ahead of the troupe. “Some light, please.”

The group’s flashlights converged together, helping to pierce through the murk and reveal a tall building a short way into the distance. A tower? It didn’t look entirely stable, but considering that its probable age was over a millennia, Roman supposed it didn’t look too bad.

“Up through there,” said Hector. “I think we’ll find a way to the surface.”

Immediately, Roman was tempted to ask what made him think that, but he held his tongue. After hanging around the kid so much and experiencing so many battles by his side, Roman certainly knew that there was something quite advanced about Hector’s senses.

Voreese, of course, had already asked them about it directly--multiple times, even--but they’d told her that it was an important secret. And that they might share it one day but not just yet.

She hadn’t been terribly pleased by that, but oddly enough, she also seemed to understand more than Roman would’ve expected.

When he’d privately asked her later why that was, she’d given him quite the memorable answer.

‘They’re in a vortex, those two. And they’re navigating it as best they can. I won’t fault them for trying to prevent us from getting sucked in, too, even though it might just be inevitable, at this point.’

Those words had resonated with Roman. And as he watched Hector lead them closer to the half-crumbled tower, he couldn’t help being reminded of them.

A vortex.

Perhaps they were all caught in it now. Even these two newcomers.

Hmm.

Well, in any case, Roman already had a few ideas about how those crazy senses of Hector’s might work. There was little point in broaching the subject while other people were around to hear, anyway.