Arrow Lake — disappearances, after all, have explanations. usually.

He wasn't pregnant, but he was just several days removed from being totally fucked up, so the journey was just as arduous for Verx. Add that to the weight on his heart, the guilt, and well. . .yeah, not the world's best trip to the mountains. He watched Aure as she howled, then straight ahead, waiting for others to come. And they came, one by one.

Mostly faces he didn't know, save for Takiyok. Vercingetorix gave her a reserved nod--quite different from when they'd first met--before turning his gaze to the other woman. They'd better not, he rasped in response, lips lifting in a brief snarl before falling back over his teeth again.

Aure and Vonn made a good case for them, as did Blodreina (he was surprised she had come, honestly), so it was all up to whomever was in charge here, now. He shifted his weight a little, the thin air around them quiet and hollow. He could hear every beat of his heart.