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Back at the grove…

She ended up somewhere in the outskirts of Hobbyhoo. Patty ducked behind an old tree trunk and crumpled, curling in a ball on the ground and sobbing.

They were going to the Drain. They were all going to the Drain. Patty had assumed they were going somewhere so unremarkable it didn't bear mentioning, because why wouldn't Pokey tell her if they were doing something dangerous? Why would they keep that from her? They had been dating for over a month!

She really, really thought they were serious about her.

The sun slowly moved across the sky. Patty cried until she didn't have any tears left, and then she lay in the dirt feeling miserable and glaring at nothing. So what? she thought. Maybe Vib had been right! They weren't good enough for her after all! If they didn't want to be serious, if they didn't want to have the hard conversations, if they didn't want to put any effort into their relationship with her…

…why wasn't she worth the effort?

"Patty? Patty! Are you over here?"

She sat up and peered over the tree trunk. Ban was looking around, his hands cupped to his mouth as he called her name. "Patty! Everyone's looking for you!"

"Great," she grumbled, and got to her feet.

Ban spotted her and ran over. "Patty! Are you okay? Click Clack told us what happened."

"Told you everything, huh?" She sniffed and wiped her nose on her shirt.

"Yeah. Said where Pokey and the others went, too." Ban shifted back and forth on his feet. "I'm really sorry, Patty. It sucks."

"It's whatever," she said. "I'll get back to the mail."

"Actually, you kind of need to do something else, if that's okay?"

Patty groaned. "What now?"

Ban shrugged. "Dunno, but King wants to talk to us. Once she heard about what happened, she kind of insisted? So it's probably important."

Her gut twisted. Thinking about King after everything that happened made her feel sick. She had been though so much, and Patty and the Bizzyboys had just blindly followed the big boss' orders for so long without considering the pain they caused her.

But that just meant she couldn't say no. "Okay," she said, and followed Ban back on the road to the Cove.

---

Ban took her to Miss Mitternacht's god realm. She wiped her eyes and braced herself before entering.

Upon arriving in the Midnight, Patty realized all the Bizzyboys must have been called, because everyone else was there. Alexei waved at her and Ban, while Vibiano was weeping quietly in a chair with Grujaja patting their back. Vib looked up when Patty walked towards them. "Oh, Patty!" they said, and they stood up to rush over and hug her.

"Hi," Patty mumbled, returning the hug. She looked over Vib's shoulder at the gods behind them.

"Hey, Patty," King said. She was sitting in one of the chairs a short distance from them; she was larger than she had been in mortal life, but wasn't looming in the distance the way Mitternacht usually was. Patty didn't see Mitternacht around, even though it was her domain.

Patty separated from Vib. "You wanted to talk to us," she said, looking at the ground.

"Yes," King said. "I know Godpoke upset you. I'm sorry, Patty."

Fresh tears threatened to spill. "Not your fault," she said.

"Cappy didn't tell us neither!" Vib exclaimed. "Not him, not Pokey, not the big boss–"

They shook their head and threw themself into Grujaja's arms. He stumbled, but managed to stay upright, holding them while they sobbed. Ban and Alexei exchanged uncomfortable looks.

"I don't know if us gods are entirely blameless."

Patty looked up. "Huh?"

King was frowning, the expression repeated across her veil, and as Patty watched, she stood up and started pacing. "We didn't ask Hector to go to the Drain," she said. "We weren't sure about letting him go, even after he volunteered… and seeing your reactions, I'm wondering if there was something he wasn't telling us."

Grujaja spoke. "Like what?"

He shrank in on himself when King turned to him. "I've never been to the Drain," she said. "Not for lack of trying, but the end result is I don't truly know what it's like down there. If you're comfortable, I'd appreciate it if you told me."

"Um…" Patty looked back down. "I don't know," she said. "I was just a kid when we left. I don't remember much."

"Same here," Alexei said. Grujaja shrugged and wrung his hands.

Vib wiped their eyes and sat down.

"It's not a good place to live," they said. "Floods all the time. People would drown in them, or they'd get sick, or just go missing." They paused. "There's a lot of faceless names on tombstones down there. Sometimes people made memorials, sometimes you'd be remembered for a little while… but eventually, everyone who died down there would be forgotten."

Patty sniffed and looked away, rubbing her nose.

"Hector was afraid of that," King said quietly.

"He was terrified," said Vib. "He told me it didn't have to happen. Not to him, and not to me, either. That we could get out and make a name for ourselves. I mean, you've seen the documentaries."

"I suspect they don't tell the full story."

"'Course not, but it's part of it, at least." They rubbed their eyes again. "I get why he went back," they said. "It's dangerous, and he would know how to keep everyone safe. He got all the Bizzyboys out, y'know? Everyone who joined him made it to the Grove."

"Everyone?" King tilted her head.

Ban spoke up. "Everyone who joined him, yeah," he said. "The later groups weren't as lucky. When I left, we had to sneak across the border, and my uncle got caught and sent back. He's still there now."

Alexei looked up. "Is he okay? I heard the Rift flooding this year was really bad."

"He's probably fine? He doesn't live super deep, so–"

"Wait," said King. "What flooding?"

Ban looked at her in confusion. "You know, the Rift flooding. Whenever the Rift opens, the Drain floods real bad. No one knows why."

"People don't really talk about it on the outside," Vib said. "Floods there for all sorts of other reasons, too. At least the Rift floods are predictable."

King put a hand to her chin. "I didn't know that," she said. "Why didn't I know that? If it's connected to the Rift…"

Alexei spoke up. "It could be a coincidence, right?"

"I doubt that." She started pacing again. "This is something we should have known. And with all the flooding the Cove had this year… do any of the others know?"

Patty and the others stayed quiet. It wasn't a question for them.

King stopped in her tracks. "Bauhauzzo must know," she said. "I need to talk to him."

"You need anything else from us?" Vib asked.

"No," said King. "I know what my next steps are. Thank you for everything you've told me. You're free to leave."

Patty nodded and stood up, about leave with the others, but King stopped her. "Wait, Patty. Can I speak to you about Godpoke?"

"Oh," she said quietly. "Okay."

Vib gave her another hug before they left. Patty sat in a chair and stayed quiet.

King sat down again, facing her. "Godpoke cares about you a lot," she said.

Her eyes welled up with tears. "Then why didn't they tell me where they were going?"

"I don't know," said King. "They should've told you, and it was a mistake that they didn't… but it was a mistake. They didn't do it to be cruel."

She clutched her skirt, her nails digging into the fabric. "Then… what am I supposed to do?"

"It'll be a while before they come back. When they do, you tell Pokey how their mistake made you feel, and what you want them to do to make up for it."

Patty couldn't imagine wanting Pokey to do anything for her. Wasn't it enough that they wanted to be around her?

She rubbed her eyes. "They really like me?"

King smiled. "Yes. They've told me all about how brave and strong you are, how much they like your laugh…"

Oh. Patty felt herself blushing.

"…and they've also told me that this is their first real relationship." King paused. "So they're gonna make a few mistakes, I bet. Keep that in mind, alright?"

"Okay," Patty said. "I'll–I'll try."

"You're a wonderful woman, Patty. It's up to you both, but I hope you and Godpoke work things out."

She nodded. "Thank you, King. I think… I just need time to think."

"That's fine. You're welcome to talk to me whenever you need." King straightened up, her expression serious again. "But right now, I need to talk to Bauhauzzo."

---

Chapter Three: A Stranger Comes to Town

They finally reached the border when the sun was going down.

The crossing was marked by a building standing between two sides of a barbed wire fence, surrounded by a mostly empty parking lot. Capochin sped up the last few steps to slam the door open, making the officer at the front desk jump. "I need to sit down," he announced, and promptly collapsed in a nearby chair. Hector couldn't blame him. It had been a long walk.

There were a few scattered groups of people inside, most of them drainfolk. It was more than Hector expected, really. He went to the desk with Godpoke and Thespius, where the officer eyed them suspiciously. He was earthfolk, Hector noted, not drainfolk.

"Which way are you heading?" he asked.

"In," Hector said tiredly, "not out."

"You're going into the Drain on foot?"

"Our car broke down," Thespius said. "We didn't have a lot of options. Do we show you our passports, or someone else?"

"I can take them, sure."

Capochin dragged himself off the chair and walked over to hand his passport over with the others. The officer flipped through them. "So we have…" His brow furrowed. "…Hector, Capochin, Pokey, and Styella?"

Hector struggled to keep his composure at Godpoke and Thespius' fake names. He had expected Godpoke to choose something real, not the nickname based off their title–and then Thespius had just chosen the name of a character in his plays. They were never getting across the border, he thought.

The officer scanned each passport one by one. "You're good," he said, handing the first passport back to Godpoke. "Go through that turnstile to security."

"Wait until we're all ready," Capochin said quickly. "Don't want you t' get separated."

Godpoke nodded and went to stand by the turnstile. Thespius was next to be cleared and given the same directions. Hector held his breath for a moment when Capochin's was scanned, but he didn't face any problems. Hector was last. The officer scanned his passport, looked at Hector, and looked back at the passport, like he was trying to compare the two.

"So," he said. "Hector, huh?"

Maybe he should've asked for a fake first name, too. "A coincidence," Hector said. "It's not that uncommon for a name."

"Sure," the officer said. "Not that uncommon to see drainfolk as tall as you, either, but…"

Hector shot a desperate look at the others. Capochin had grabbed Godpoke's arm and was whispering something urgently, while Thespius met his eyes and swiftly walked back over.

"It was a good name up until a few months ago," Thespius said brightly, clasping a hand on Hector's shoulder. "Especially in the Grove. We're all dealing with the fallout, but Tory here–" Hector did his best not to react to the invented nickname. His eye twitched. "–has had it pretty bad. I hope there's no other problems?"

The officer looked at Thespius, his brow furrowed. "Alright, then," he said, handing the passport back. "Probably won't be much better in the Drain, either. Good luck."

"Thanks," Hector managed to say. He shrugged off Thespius' hand and went to the turnstile.

The others followed him shortly. "I am so sorry," Thespius whispered.

"It's fine," Hector grumbled. "What can yew do, right?"

Capochin pushed through the turnstile just in front of Godpoke. "Could've gone a lot worse," he said. "Had to stop Pokey from wandering off–ow!"

Godpoke kicked the back of Capochin's leg and crossed their arms. Hector looked back at them. "Sorry yew had to see that," he said. "This whole process is miserable."

They shook their head and picked up Megapon, but stopped short of using it. Instead, they marched forward to the security station and placed it on the conveyor belt. Something was clearly bothering them, but they couldn't or wouldn't communicate what. Hector put his luggage on the conveyor belt with everyone else and figured he'd ask once they were out.

After being sent through the x-ray scanner, Megapon was plucked off the belt and held by the officers. "What is this?" one of them said.

Godpoke froze, their hands opening and closing. Thespius stepped in again. "A disability aid," he said. "They're mute, this is what they use to speak."

The officers exchanged a glance. "How does a megaphone help someone who's mute?"

"It's not only a megaphone," Thespius said calmly. "It can record and play back what people say. They can show you what it does."

The officer with Megapon frowned. "Alright," he said. "Over here."

Pokey went as directed and took Megapon when it was handed to them. "Can you make it say something?" the other officer said.

They pointed Megapon up and pulled the trigger, twice. The officer's words played back. "Can you make it say something?"

"Huh," they said. "Guess that's fine. Go on, then."

The group grabbed their luggage and hauled it away.

The next official–he was drainfolk this time–gave them entry forms. Hector filled his out, then held his breath as Thespius handed them back.

The official carefully tore off the top half of the forms and returned them. "All good," he said.

They all let out a relieved sigh.

"Elevator's that way." The official gestured down the hall. "Make sure you've got everything with you–it's a one-way trip, y'know."

"Thanks," Thespius said, sounding far too cheerful in contrast with the dread that spiked in Hector's gut.

The elevator had a single button marked "down". A pair of signs on the walls repeated the same warning; no passengers would be permitted to return to the surface. There was a number to call in case of issues, but the digits all blurred together the longer Hector stared, his head swimming.

Godpoke pressed the elevator button. The doors opened.

"I've never seen a cave ecosystem before," Thespius said as they descended.

Hector's heart threatened to burst out of his chest. "It's not much," he said.

"Are you alright?"

Why did Thespius have to ask him that? He inhaled, exhaled, and tried to decide on a convincing answer that wasn't entirely a lie.

The elevator stopped. The doors opened. Hector lingered with Thespius while Capochin and Godpoke stepped out. "What happened back there shook me up," he said. "I'll be good in a minute."

Thespius smiled at him. "I'm grateful you came with us," he said. "You had no obligation to, you know." His smile faded. "Are you sure you'll be alright? If there's anything I can do to make it easier…"

He was developing a headache on top of everything else. Hector rubbed his temples. "I'll manage," was all he said, and he forced himself to move.

The moment he left the elevator, he was hit with a wave of humid air. They were in a manmade tunnel, with hard concrete walls and vents placed in the ceiling every few meters. Dull yellow lights did little to illuminate the area, the damp walls receding endlessly into darkness. Hector tried not to look into the depths. Instead, he followed Capochin and Godpoke to a faded sign informing them how to reach various streets and landmarks.

Capochin ran his finger down the sign. "Haven Street's our best bet for lodging," he said. "That was where the major hotels were, last I remember. Not that there's many."

"How far of a walk is it?" Thespius asked.

"Says there's a train." Capochin squinted at the sign. "Hopefully it's running. The transit down here's crap."

Their footsteps echoed loudly down the passage. The concrete walls were followed by more natural cave rock, uneven and worn. Thespius made a small "oh!" noise and crouched down to look at a smooth piece of stone that reflected the light. "What kind of rock is this?" he asked.

Capochin frowned. "The kind in caves?"

"Broken glass, probably," Hector grumbled. After years of the wide open sky, he could feel the suffocating pressure of the dirt and stone above him.

"I mean, it's in the wall, so–"

Hector shook his head. "Let's keep moving."

Thespius gave him an odd look, but didn't argue.

The tunnel curved to the side and sloped down. Hector took deep breaths and tried not to think about how far the air had to travel to reach them.

They passed a thick vine with pale, stringy leafs growing out of a crevice in the wall, hanging down to the floor. Thespius paused to run his hand over it. "These are the kinds of plants down here?" he said.

"One of them, sure," said Hector. "They're all about that pretty, too."

He meant it sarcastically, but Thespius still looked amazed. He lingered by the vine until Godpoke tugged at his sleeve and gestured to Hector and Capochin having walked ahead.

The passage opened out into a larger cavern. They were near its roof, a railing helpfully placed at the edge of the drop so they wouldn't fall to their deaths. Nearby stairs would take them down to a flat lot carved out of the earth. The air smelled damp; Hector could hear the distant sound of running water.

He put a hand on the railing. It still didn't feel real, being back in the Drain. Maybe it would start to sink in once he started recognizing old streets and neighborhoods.

Hector leaned over the edge. The railing creaked under his weight.

"That's probably where the station is," Capochin said. "Really hope it's close. I don't feel like walking another mile today."

"It's so far down!" Thespius said in wonder. "How deep does it go?"

Capochin shrugged. "Who knows? Deeper than this, at least."

Thespius went to the edge, running his fingers over the railing. "I didn't know what to expect when I was sent on this trip," he said, "but it's beautiful down here."

Hector's last nerve was frayed. His tail lashed. "Yeah," he said, looking further over the drop, "it's sure pretty after it floods and yew have to pull bloated bodies out of the canal."

Silence descended. Pokey stared at him. Capochin tensed. Hector barely glanced at Thespius' shocked expression.

"Get back from there before you fall," Capochin said. "C'mon."

Hector rolled his eyes, but did as instructed.

---

The train station was in another narrow, poorly-lit tunnel off of the larger cavern. There were other people there, two drainfolk men sitting on a bench. They both stared at the group.

Hector felt an old anxiety creep over him. His height always made him stand out, and it was something he had leaned into, making himself the center of attention… but there was, on occasion, the fear of becoming a target.

Oh. They were looking at Thespius, not him.

They stood there in tense silence, waiting for the train. A look at the posted schedule said that a train would arrive every half hour, but the sign was old and rusty, and Hector wasn't sure how accurate it would be. A clock on the wall quietly ticked the minutes away.

"Won't be surprised if we're waiting until morning," Capochin muttered.

One of the people on the bench spoke up. "Where you coming from?"

"The Grove," Thespius said.

"Huh," the man said. "All of you?"

Capochin huffed. "Obviously not all of us were born there."

Thespius glanced at him. "I don't think any of us were born there. I'm from Earth, and I'm pretty sure Pokey is, too…?"

Pokey gave an affirmative nod. "I knew that," Capochin grumbled.

The other man spoke. "What brings you back here?" he said.

Hector quickly cut in before Thespius could say anything. "Seeing family," he said, the same lie they had put on their entry paperwork. "Been a few years. Yew here visiting, or…?"

"Nah, we work at the border crossing. Just tryin' to get home."

"Government job, huh?" said Capochin. "Least that has benefits."

"You would think, but they outsource the janitorial work to our employers." The man shrugged. "I spend five hours a day cleaning toilets and don't even get a lunch break."

"Seriously? Damn."

Hector looked at the sign again. "D'yew know when the train's coming?" he asked. "I lived here long enough to know yew can't trust the schedules."

"It won't be on time, but it always shows up eventually." He glanced at the clock. "Never had to wait more than two hours."

Thespius nodded. "Have you been waiting a while?"

"I'unno, thirty minutes? Should be here soon."

It took another twenty minutes before a loudspeaker sputtered to life and announced that the train was approaching.

Thespius hit his head while boarding the train. The other passengers turned to stare at him. They found a clear area to stand in, staring at the subway map.

Haven Street was only two stops away, but with everyone's eyes on them, to Hector it felt much longer. As soon as the speaker announced their arrival, the four of them hurried off the train.

The street was dark. It was laid out like a canyon, with several levels of buildings and businesses. The train dropped them at the top, with stairs they could take connecting them to the lower tiers. A slow-moving canal flowed at the bottom, the water reflecting the dim lights.

There weren't a lot of people around, and the few there were avoided them. The businesses lining the street had dark windows. Hopefully the hotels would be open, Hector thought.

The first one wasn't. Capochin tugged on the doors and confirmed they were locked. "Should be another one somewhere," he muttered, looking around at the darkened buildings. They kept walking.

The next hotel had lights on inside, and the doors opened when they tried them. There were even people inside; someone at the front desk chatting with another woman. They broke off their conversation when they entered. "Oh, no," said the receptionist. "Do you need a room?"

Hector had no idea what answer she expected. "Yes?"

She shook her head. "You're going to have a hard time finding one. All the hotels in the area are hosting people displaced by the flood."

"The flood?" Hector said. "Was there a bad one?"

"Do you not know?" She leaned on the desk. "It should've been the same as every other Rift flooding–"

Thespius started to open his mouth. Hector raised a hand to signal "quiet" and kept listening.

"–but the governor for the past couple years approved a bunch of new developments, and it screwed up the water table. The flooding had nowhere to go."

"No," Capochin said in horror.

The receptionist nodded. "Combine that with a communications blackout, add in whatever was going on at the Grove, and we had the worst flooding in hundreds of years."

A shiver ran through him. Hector lowered his eyes to the desk, his hands shaking. Whatever was going on at the Grove, huh?

The other woman spoke. "We don't know the Grove had anything to do with it," she said. "No one's ever found out why it floods so bad when the Rift opens."

"Maybe that's something they should look into!" The receptionist huffed, her tail lashing. "Not like we've got the time or money down here. Grove doesn't care until it effects them."

Capochin slapped the counter, making them all jump. "That's what I've been saying!" he said. "You'll never guess why they sent us."

"Oh, shoot, you're from the Grove?" Her tail drooped. "Here I am, running my mouth!"

"Don't even worry, it's all true, isn't it?" Capochin shrugged. "We're only here 'cause some weird radio signals reached the Grove from here. It's screwing with our communications. That what caused your blackout?"

"Sure is," she said. "Least someone's doing something. Our government's still trying to put itself back together. How many new governors have we burned through, Kerstin?"

"Melodie's only the second," the other woman said.

"Really? Thought there was another before her."

"Sounds like it's been rough down here," Capochin said. "I'd love to keep talking, but if we can't stay the night here, where can we?"

The receptionist hissed air through her teeth. "Maybe if you talk to one of the aid groups? There's one a few blocks away, but I don't know if they have any beds open…"

Hector took a deep breath and raised his head. He caught the other woman looking at him; had the receptionist called her Kerstin? She appeared to be studying him, a faint frown on her face. He turned away.

"How much room do you need?" Kerstin said.

"Dunno," said Capochin. "Enough for all of us to sleep, I guess."

She furrowed her brow. "I have a spare room," she said. "Only two beds, but I'm sure I have enough bedding to make the floor comfortable."

Capochin hesitated. "Well…"

"We can't intrude on yew like that," Hector said.

"I've done it before. It's no trouble."

"You sure, Kerstin?" the receptionist said. "I mean, no offense, but they are strangers."

"So were the others I've hosted," Kerstin said. "I'm sure enough to offer, especially if they'll be out on the streets otherwise."

Capochin looked up at Hector. "Give us a minute," he said, and he grabbed Hector and Thespius' arms to pull them a short distance away, Godpoke joining them in the huddle.

"What do we think?" Capochin said, keeping his voice low.

"I think it's very nice of her to offer," Thespius said.

Hector frowned. "A little too nice. She's a stranger, too."

"I'm just not sure we have any other options," said Capochin. "If what they're saying is true, we could spend all night looking for somewhere else. Pokey, what do you think?"

Godpoke shrugged.

"Not really an answer. You want a pen and paper?"

They shook their head and yawned behind their mask.

"Pokey's got a point," Hector said. "We've been walking for a long time. I ain't awake enough to think of anything better."

They separated. "We'll take yew up on that," Hector said to Kerstin. "Any ground rules we should know about?"

She nodded. "No drugs, no alcohol, no weapons. I have kids."

"Oh, sure. Not a problem."

Kerstin smiled. "If you're all set," she said, "I'm about finished up here. My home's not too far–close enough to walk, anyway.

Thespius beamed at her and picked up his suitcase. "Thank you again, Kerstin. My name is Styella."

Capochin picked up his suitcase again. "Mine's Capochin," he said. "Just Capo is fine. That's Pokey over there, they're…" He glanced at them. "You're mute, right? That accurate?"

Godpoke gave him a nod. Capochin nodded back.

Kerstin's eyes fell on Hector. "And you are…?"

He was too tired to make something up. "Hector," he said. "Thank yew for this."

"Like I said, it's no trouble." She motioned for them to follow her. "Easiest to go out the back. It's this way."

To the receptionist, she said, "I'll see you next week."

The receptionist waved goodbye. Hector didn't miss how her eyes lingered a little too long on him. He kept his head down and followed Kerstin out.

Thespius struck up a conversation once they were behind the hotel.

Kerstin nodded. "Lina and Landen. Their schools are shut down, so you'll see a lot of them." She glanced at him. "They've never met anyone from the Grove before. I'm sorry if they ask a lot of questions."

"I don't mind, as long as they're prepared for a lot of answers!"

They both laughed. Kerstin took them through a narrow passage to a larger street, the path sloping down. Hector took in their surroundings while they talked.

Half the streetlights were dim, flickering, or outright broken. They passed one with its bulb cracked open, still giving off a faint light. There were more people than Hector expected for how late it was. They passed a few others, all greeting Kerstin warmly. One of them tried to stop her for a conversation, but Kerstin politely refused. "We've got to get going," she said. "I'll see you later, alright?"

He glanced behind him to see Godpoke tap Capochin's shoulder. Capochin grimaced. "Not now, Pokey," he hissed. He had his tail in his trembling hands, wrapping and unwrapping the same bandage over and over.

Hector turned away again. He told Cappy not to come.

"It's not too much farther," Kerstin said. "I'm on Upper Prospector Street, which probably doesn't mean anything to you…"

The street jogged a memory. Hector had known someone who lived on Lower Prospector, though he hadn't known them well. They had some conspiracy theory about secret government entrances and exits to the Drain, which intrigued Hector until he realized it was nonsense, and they spent most of their free time exploring unmapped tunnels. One day they didn't come back. Another face he'd never see again.

He couldn't dwell on that. Hector hadn't been responsible for them–and the people he had been responsible for, the Bizzyboys, he fought tooth and nail to keep them all safe, from the depths of the Drain all the way to the Grove. Not one of them would be left behind, even if he had to drag them out himself.

And what had he done, almost forty years later? He'd broken his promise, and Capochin had followed him back.

"Here we are."

He stopped walking. Kerstin pointed to a doorway. "It's that one," she said. "Let's get your stuff in."

As Hector entered, he saw Kerstin glancing back at him, her brow furrowed. She looked away when he made eye contact. Had she been looking at him the whole walk?

The house was warm. Kerstin kicked off her shoes at the door and put them on a bench alongside many others of varying sizes. Hector and the others followed suit and looked around.

Most of the room was taken up by a large table and a mismatched collection of chairs. Various children's toys were strewn around the floor. To their left, a staircase led to a higher floor, with a kitchen visible in a room behind it.

"That's the spare room," Kerstin said, pointing at a door just next to the kitchen. "Kids should be asleep, but–"

"I'm not," a young voice announced. A young boy poked his head from the top of the stairs. "Mom, who are these people?"

Kerstin sighed. "Landen, it's past midnight," she said sternly. "I told your sister to make sure you were in bed by ten."

Landen crept downstairs, the tip of his tail twitching. "Lina's not the boss of me," he said, his eyes darting from Capochin, Godpoke, and settling on Hector. "Why's that guy so tall?"

Hector sighed. Kerstin shot him an apologetic look, but before she could admonish her son, Landen saw Thespius, with his head nearly touching the ceiling. "Whoa! Why's she so tall?"

Thespius laughed. "He," he corrected gently. "Nice to meet you, kiddo."

The boy froze, his eyes wide, then darted back upstairs. Kerstin shook her head. "I'll talk to him later," she said. "Here, let me help get the room set up…"

The room had two beds and not a lot of space. Kerstin helped them put sheets on the beds and found one mat and one old sleeping bag for the two of them who would be on the floor. "I'll get some blankets, too," she said. "Are you hungry at all?"

"I just need t' sleep," Capochin said. He dropped his suitcase on the floor and threw himself on one of the beds.

Kerstin nodded. "Been a long day, huh?"

"Yew don't know the half of it," Hector said. "Thanks again for th' room."

"Oh, don't mention it. I wasn't going to leave you out on the streets." Kerstin smiled at him. "I'll get the blankets, and then I'll leave you be."

"Sounds good."

Once she had left, Thespius frowned at the remaining bed. "I'll take the floor," he said. "The bed's gonna be too short for my bod."

Hector sized it up. "I should fit, if it's okay with Pokey," he said. "What d'yew think?"

Godpoke nodded and picked up the sleeping bag.

With that decided, they received the blankets from Kerstin and settled down for the night. Capochin was already fast asleep, curled up on top of the sheets and snoring quietly. Hector lay in the other bed and stared across the room at him.

The night dragged on. Hector tossed and turned, trying to stay quiet while the others slept. Eventually, he got up, put his glasses back on, and stepped over Thespius to go to the door.

Thespius stirred. "Hector?"

"I'm just goin' for a walk," he said quietly. "I'll be back."

He slipped out and closed the door behind him. The house was quiet; Kerstin must have gone to bed. Hector took a deep breath and went outside, walking in the damp air of the Drain.