Rattleskin Redoubt I'll cry at the end of the day. Not with fresh makeup.

Caligula hadn't expected a friendly greeting, but nor had he anticipated something this chilly. He resisted a shiver as the older boy stared him down, willing himself not to cower and instead asking—

Wait, he was speaking first. Whew.

No, he said simply, shaking his head. He'd certainly remember seeing someone with only one eye. Not that. Others. But not that.

He cut himself off, feeling a word-loop coming on. Sometimes, when he actually found the right things to say, they'd come out in a repetitive torrent, as if his brain had made many copies and his mouth was just then catching up.

Why? Caligula asked instead. Seemed a reasonable question, anyway.