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Chapter Warnings: death; drowning.

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Back at the grove…

After talking to King, Patty went back home with Vib. She managed to eat dinner at Vib's insistence, then curled up in bed and waited to fall asleep.

She was awoken in the morning by the phone ringing. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and grimacing.

The ringing stopped. "Hello?" Vib said groggily. "Do you know what time it is?"

Patty sighed and lay back down–only to be jolted up again when Vib raised their voice. "Sorry, what? I'm talking to Huzzle Mug?"

She climbed out of bed and poked her head out of her bedroom door. "Why is a god calling us?" she said. Vib met her eyes for a moment and shook their head in confusion, focusing on the phone.

"Okay," they said, "okay. You need me to–what? Okay. We'll be there."

They hung up. "Huzzle Mug wants us in Bauhauzzo's realm," they said to Patty. "Wouldn't say why, just that it was really, really, 'bigimporturgentance.'"

Patty wrinkled her nose. "Big… important… urgent-ants?"

"Don't try to make too much sense out of it." Vib hissed air through their teeth. "Didn't know Huzzle's phone could call mortals. We should get ready to go."

Patty nodded and ducked back into the bedroom. She got dressed as quick as she could, pawing through her clean clothes to find something that still fit. She really needed to do laundry, but with everything going on–

Oh. Her Bizzyboy uniform was at the bottom of the pile.

"Patty! You want breakfast?"

She collected herself. "Do we have time?" she called back, reburying the uniform and pulling out an old shirt. Sure, it was a little tight around the chest, but it made her presentable enough. Huzzle Mug didn't even wear clothes.

"I'm not dealing with this crap on an empty stomach! I got these yogurt cups the other day, have one for the road!"

Patty met Vib in the kitchen and took the offered cup and spoon. "Thanks, Vibi," she said. "Are we leaving now?"

"If you're ready, yeah." Vib sighed. "Really not looking forward to this. Didn't King want to talk to Bauhauzzo yesterday?"

Patty nodded, dread prickling down her spine. "I don't have a good feeling," she confessed. "What if he remembered something bad?"

Vib patted her shoulder. "Whatever it is, we'll get through it."

She wasn't reassured, but she forced a smile anyway.

On the walk to Bauhauzzo's realm, they ran into Grujaja–or rather, Grujaja, with a traffic cone placed firmly over his head, nearly ran into them. "Whoa!" Vib said, dodging out of his way. "You good in there?"

"Mmph," said Grujaja, and took off the cone to tuck it under his arm. "Sorry," he said. "Huzzle called. Got nervous."

"It called you, too?" Patty said.

"From what I could tell, it called all of us," Vib said. "Ban and Alexei too, but they might be a minute if they're coming all the way from Hobbyhoo."

"Cool," said Patty. She took a shaky breath. "That definitely doesn't mean something bad happened, right?"

Grujaja put the cone back on. Vib grabbed his arm before he could run off. "Don't go charging blindly," they said. "Here, walk with us."

They weren't too far from Bauhauzzo's domain. Patty and Vib guided Grujaja to the stone arch entrance and paused just at the threshold. "Should we wait for Al and Ban?" Patty asked.

"We're here!"

She turned around at Alexei's voice, spotting him and Ban running up to them. "This better be good," Ban said, crossing his arms. "Channel four's playing a really good movie, and I'm missing it!"

"It probably wouldn't even come through," Alexei said. "Something's still screwing with the signals. And you have the Lego Movie on tape, anyway."

"Okay, first off, it's not a tape, it's a DVD, and second–"

"It's not like we could've said no to a god," Vib said. "C'mon, let's see what this is about."

They put a hand on Grujaja's back. "We're going in now," they said. "Three, two, one…"

Patty stepped through alongside the others.

Bauhauzzo's god realm was unsettling. It didn't have a solid ground, leaving Patty floating in an abstract void. She grimaced and closed her eyes, the weightless feeling sending a wave of nausea through her. She could hear voices, steadily growing louder as she fully crossed from the mortal to the god's realm.

"Horriwrong!" Huzzle screeched. "Did you ever thinkconsider your actiondoings? Lack of actiondoings?"

"It was difficult, yes, it was–"

"It may have been difficult," King said, her voice low and dangerous, "but by avoiding your shame, you have caused a lot of harm that could have been avoided. You lied to us, Bauhauzzo!"

Patty's eyes snapped open.

Bauhauzzo was weeping, his eyes wet and trembling as King towered over him, her arms crossed over the heart in her open chest. Huzzle Mug flew in circles around its sibling, shouting out nonsense words. "Falseliar!" it cried. "Shamefulacktions! Betrauelty–real not buzzbait!"

Miss Mitternacht loomed in the distance, her hands pressed together and her eyes closed. If Patty focused, she could just make out what she was whispering, over and over: "…forgive always, and encourage forgiveness always. Forgive always, and encourage forgiveness always. Forgive always…"

"Uh," said Vib. "What did we walk in on?"

King turned to look at them. A chill ran down Patty's spine when she saw the furious expressions on her veil, even if they weren't directed at her.

"Excuseamoiment," Huzzle Mug said to Bauhauzzo, and it darted to where Vib, Patty, and Grujaja floated. "Bizzyandpattys! You need to know what Baubuzz has wrongdonebad!"

Patty swallowed hard. "Did something bad happen to Pokey?"

"Pokey is fine," King said. "That's not what this is about." She paused for a moment. "We've discovered that Bauhauzzo has been keeping information from the Grove for centuries."

"Huh?" Patty glanced at Bauhauzzo, who was weeping quietly. "Information about what?"

Huzzle puffed up its feathers. "Information of great importplications," it said.

"What implications?" Alexei said in confusion.

"No," Ban said, "it said importance. I think?"

King shook her head. "Are you familiar with the existence of gods outside the Grove?"

Patty exchanged confused looks with the Bizzyboys. "Um," she said, "not really?"

"There's a couple, right?" said Vib. "I mean, I've heard some stories, and I think there's truth to some of them, but…"

"There's one that causes storms, I think," Ban said. "He's, like, on Earth somewhere? Did he ascend here?"

Grujaja wrung his hands together. "There was one in the Drain," they said.

Everyone turned to look at him. "Like, a real one?" Alexei said in surprise. "Did you see it?"

He shook his head. "My gramma did. She said…" He hesitated. "…they were supposed to protect us, a long time ago. I dunno if they're still there."

"They might be," King said. "Missy, you know this part better than I do."

Miss Mitternacht opened her eyes. "Excuse me," she said. "Yes, there are other gods outside our borders, and we received a signal from one in the Drain."

Patty's eyes widened. "That's why Pokey and the others were sent there?" she said. "To meet a god?"

"And to help them," Mitternacht said. "The poor dear was in a lot of pain. Perhaps they are the same one your grandmother knew, moondrop."

Patty frowned. "So they're going to help a god," she repeated to herself. She couldn't fully process that there was a god in the Drain–had they been there the whole time? Even when she had lived there?–but it made sense that they were suffering.

Vib frowned. "What does this have to do with Bauhauzzo?" they said. "Why are you so angry at him?"

King turned back to Bauhauzzo and gestured towards him. "Well?"

Bauhauzzo hesitated. "It was centuries ago, it was," he said. "I did not think–"

"Clearly no thinkingsense!" Huzzle Mug shouted.

"Huzzle, enough," Mitternacht said. "Allow Bauhauzzo to explain himself to those he has wronged."

She raised her bony hand towards the Bizzyboys and Patty.

"Us?" said Ban. "But…"

He trailed off. Patty felt sick to her stomach. She stayed quiet and waited for Bauhauzzo to speak.

Huzzle Mug backed off from its sibling and busied itself with smoothing down its feathers. Bauhauzzo clasped his hands together and approached Patty and the others, his eyes damp.

"Yes," he said. "Long, long centuries ago… I committed an error that has harmed you since, it has."

He looked at Miss Mitternacht, who sternly stared back. Bauhauzzo continued. "You see," he said, "the Grove and the Drain used to speak to each other, to communicate. There were old traditions, rituals performed in the Grove for the Drain's benefit. There was the Rift flooding, yes, every thirty-three years. The Grove knew how to lessen it."

Vib took a sharp breath. "You mean, they could've stopped it?"

"Not as such, no. The cycle repeats, it does, no one can prevent it. But the Grove took the steps to dam the flow, and so when the Drain ceased functioning, the water did not rise as high."

"That sure sounds like stopping it to me!" Ban said loudly. "Why doesn't that happen anymore? This year was really bad!"

"It was a different time," Bauhauzzo said. "Before Huzzle Mug's ascension, it was. There are many things I regret, back then, many traditions that should not have been upheld. Communication had deteriorated, and mortals did not remember why we performed these acts every thirty-three years."

"And who wasandis the God of Rememory?!" Huzzle Mug blurted out. "You! Your doingwrong made Huzzleself–"

"Huzzle," Mitternacht said gently.

Huzzle Mug glared at Bauhauzzo. "Wasn't my blamefault," it grumbled. "Not everyallparts."

"You said this was before Huzzle Mug ascended," said Vib.

Bauhauzzo nodded. "It was when my sibling ascended that many traditions were changed," he said. "It was difficult to discern what ought to have been kept from what we could move on from. I gave little input, and the connection to the Drain was forgotten."

Patty couldn't think. "So… the reason the Drain floods so bad, every thirty-three years… it's because of you?"

"I am very sorry," Bauhauzzo said.

Silence fell over them before Ban sputtered.

"You–you better be!" he said, his fists clenched and tail lashing. "The floods kill people! If there was a way you could've stopped it–"

"Whoa," Alexei said. "You good, Ban?"

He whirled on Alexei. "No, I'm not! Everyone in the Drain has someone they lost in a flood! I know I do–and so do you!"

Alexei hesitated. "Well, yeah, but–"

"And now," Ban said, "we're being told that it didn't have to happen! Why aren't you angry?!"

"Maybe 'cause it's a lot to process." Vib shook their head. "I don't… I can't wrap my head around this."

"The blame does not only lie with Bauhauzzo," Mitternacht said. "I do not have a perfect memory, but there must have been times I could have intervened, before the knowledge was lost." She shook her head. "There are some things we must remember, and this was one of them."

Huzzle's feathers drooped. It said nothing.

"But–" Ban's voice shook. "What are you going to actually do? What's going to happen the next time the Rift opens?"

"The only thing we can do is learn from our past failings," King said. "We bring back these traditions, and we restore communications between us and the Drain. We know there's a god there–finding them is the first step."

"Oh, sure," said Ban. "Why would the Grove start caring now? Apparently, even the gods just want to forget it exists!"

Grujaja wrung his hands together. "We haven't said good things, either," they said. "It was our home, but…"

He didn't finish the thought. Ban didn't respond.

"Hey," said Vibiano. "What I know is that yelling at the gods is just making you feel worse. Let's go get something to eat, huh? Talk it out over some shaboingboings or something."

Alexei immediately perked up. "Yeah! I told Ban not to skip breakfast, but–"

Ban turned his back to them and floated away, towards the mortal world. Alexei yelped and followed him.

Patty stared down at her hands. She had talked crap about the Drain, too, even though she barely remembered it. What else was she supposed to do? Everyone in the Grove, even the Bizzyboys, all seemed to agree it was better off forgotten.

She didn't notice they were leaving until Grujaja tapped her shoulder and gestured at the others. "Oh," Patty said. "I, um…"

She looked back at the gods. Bauhauzzo was silent.

"It's okay, sweets," said Miss Mitternacht. "We'll handle our mess. You take care, alright?"

"Okay," Patty said quietly, and she followed Grujaja out of the god realm.

---

Chapter Four: An Act of God

A faraway siren roused them from sleep.

Godpoke stuck their head out of the sleeping bag, rubbing their eyes and squinting in the dark room. Thespius was sitting up and looking around, too. "What's going on?" he said.

Capochin mumbled something, face-down in a pillow.

"What?"

"Flood siren," he clarified, raising his head. "Doesn't sound close. We're fine"

Thespius looked at the bed next to him. "'Hector went out."

"…no." Capochin's eyes snapped open. "He didn't. No."

Pokey crawled out of the sleeping bag and picked up Megapon. While they ran through their recordings, Thespius kept talking. "He just said he was going for a walk. He'd come back here if he heard the sirens, right?"

"I don't know!" Capochin pushed himself up and got out of bed, grabbing his shoes. He had slept in his clothes, Pokey noted. Not that they could judge. "Maybe not! I don't know what's going on in that idiot's head!"

Outside the room, there was a hard knock on the front door. "Maybe that's him now?" Thespius offered, worry creeping into his voice.

Capochin nearly tripped over Pokey's sleeping bag in his rush out the door. By the time Pokey caught up, he and Kerstin were in the entryway, with another drainfolk at the door. Hector wasn't there.

"We don't think it's gonna reach here," they were saying, "but it's pretty bad. Vineyard Street's completely under. Thank the gods it's not a residential area, but there's some people stuck on roofs."

Kerstin looked back as Pokey and Thespius emerged from the room, her brow furrowed. "Your friend didn't go out, did he?" she asked them.

The other drainfolk peered around her. "Thought you were done hosting people, Kerrie. Who are they?"

"Never mind that," Capochin said. "Have you seen a tall guy with glasses?"

"What?"

He darted past them and out onto the street. Pokey didn't hesitate to follow. They heard Thespius say a quick apology to Kerstin as he went out after them. Capochin slowed down just enough to let the two of them catch up before he resumed running.

"He might not be out there," Thespius said, raising his voice to be heard above the sirens.

Capochin shook his head. "He better hope he's not, 'cause if he is–"

He broke off mid-sentence to cut through an alley. They emerged into a small plaza on the other side, where a cluster of people were huddled on a bench and wrapped in towels. They looked up with wide eyes as Capochin halted and gestured incoherently before managing to speak. "Tall guy! Glasses! Missing!"

Pokey swiftly raised Megapon and captured the shout.

The drainfolk shook their heads. "Rescue crew's that way," one of them said, pointing. "Maybe they've seen him?"

Capochin took off again. Pokey's legs hurt, but it wasn't like they could leave him alone. They kept running.

The passage they went down was blocked by a crowd. Capochin stopped at its edge. "Hey!" he shouted. "Need t' get through!"

"Whoa, whoa!" A young man ran up to him. "Slow down, what's–"

"Don't tell me–"

Pokey held out Megapon and replayed Capochin's shout. The man looked at them. "How tall?" he asked. "Saw a real tall guy with glasses talking to the medics. Red sweater?"

"Yes!" Capochin blurted out. "Where is he?!"

He pointed. "With the rescue. I'll show you."

As they were led through the crowd, Pokey heard a voice cutting through the commotion.

"Quickly! We only have one boat!"

Pokey felt a shiver down their spine. They knew that voice, but they had never heard it so commanding.

Capochin ran ahead of their guide, stopping at a staircase leading down to the flooded street. Pokey and Thespius ran a few steps to catch up.

The canal had risen dramatically, submerging the lowest tiers of the street in a swift-moving river. A cluster of people trapped on a rooftop were being helped by rescuers, guided down the fire escape to a boat tied next to the building. Other people were on higher ground, where they piled sandbags to redirect the flow of water.

In the center of the chaos, there was Hector. He stood knee-deep in the floodwater, shouting orders and waving his arms to direct people. Someone called out to him, pointing to a pile of sandbags the water was starting to spill over. Hector nodded and waded towards it, calling for people to hand him sandbags from the higher levels and hefting them onto the pile.

Pokey was captivated. Seeing Hector in action, his reputation, his ascension–it all made sense. Hector wasn't the goofy man hiding in his god complex, and neither was he the cruel man acting out of fear. The person Pokey saw in the flood, coordinating the rescue and keeping everyone's heads above water, that was who had proven himself to the Grove and the gods both. That was who had earned the title of the God of Leadership.

They looked at Capochin and Thespius. Both of them were staring with their mouths hanging open, struck speechless. Pokey glanced back at Hector, then tapped Capochin's shoulder, gesturing towards the scene with Megapon.

Capochin snapped out of it. "You are not going down there," he said sharply. "I hope he knows what he's doing, dammit…"

"I've never seen him this way," Thespius said in wonder. "Not even that fire in Milldread…"

"He hadn't dealt with a fire before. This is the kind of crisis he's used to." Capochin didn't look away from Hector, his hands shaking. "He better get out of there safely. Oh, Spek, 'Ekta…"

The last trapped civilian was carefully lowered into the boat. A young woman did a quick sweep of the rooftop, then leaned over the edge towards Hector. "Everyone's accounted for!" she said.

"Good!" Hector shouted back. "Now get outta there!"

The woman nodded and ran to the fire escape. Just as she reached the edge of the roof, she slipped.

Pokey watched in horror as the woman fell from the roof, cracked her head against a concrete outcropping, and fell into the canal. Cries rose from the gathered crowd. Hector dropped the sandbag he was holding and rushed to the deep water.

"No," Capochin said, and he pulled away from Pokey and Thespius, his eyes fixed on Hector. "No, no, don't you dare–"

He dove in.

"Hector!"

The scream tore out of Capochin's throat. He clambered down the stairs, nearly tripping over his own feet until he reached the flood, where he waded through the water alongside the rushing canal. Pokey shared a terrified look with Thespius, and they both followed him.

As they climbed down, Pokey heard voices–

"Wait, Hector?"

"That Hector?"

They tuned them out and kept their eyes on the canal. Hector hadn't surfaced yet–Pokey couldn't tell where he was beneath the murky water. They held tight to Megapon as the floodwater filled their boots.

Thespius put his hands on their waist and lifted them onto his shoulders. "Sorry," he said. "It's deep. I don't want anything to happen to you."

There was no time to protest. Pokey gestured at Capochin, who was struggling to stay upright.

Someone shouted. "There he is!"

Pokey looked back at the canal just in time to see Hector breach the surface, take a breathvand sink under again. He had been swept so far ahead of them. Capochin cried out wordlessly.

Thespius' height allowed him to move quickly through the water and reach Capochin. He let go of Pokey–they grabbed fistfuls of his hair to stay balanced–and scooped Capochin from the water. "What do we do?" he said. "We can't go in after him–"

Capochin pointed downstream. "There's a bridge! We need to get a rope to him!"

Thespius nodded and pressed onward.

Hector surfaced and managed to stay there for a few moments. One arm held the woman he was trying to save, lying limp against his shoulder. Pokey didn't think she was conscious. They could see the bridge, but Hector was closer to it than they were–and just beyond, there was a rock wall, the canal continuing down into the earth. If he was pulled under, they wouldn't be able to save him.

Pokey didn't know what to do. They searched the area for anything that could help them, anything Megapon could grab. Hector sank again.

"How strong are those vines?" Thespius asked suddenly.

They didn't know what he was talking about until Pokey saw the plants growing on the bridge, vines hanging down. They were too high up for Hector to reach.

Capochin shook his head. "They're not gonna help–"

"Could they hold his weight?"

"Maybe, but there's no way–"

Thespius put down Capochin and took Pokey off his shoulders. They almost stumbled in the water and clung to Capochin to stay upright, while Thespius ran ahead of them, throwing out his hand towards the bridge.

The vines twitched. Before their eyes, they rapidly thickened and grew down, reaching the water just as Hector's hand broke the surface.

Hector grabbed the vines and pulled himself up, gasping. The vines held strong.

Pokey felt relief for two seconds before Thespius toppled over.

Capochin caught him before he could slip underwater. He shot a terrified look at Pokey. "He's passed out!" he said. "I can't–"

"Are you alright?"

Pokey turned around. The rescue crew had caught up to them, and one of them had a rope coiled in their hands. "We'll have the boat in a minute," they said, gesturing behind them. "If he can hold on…"

Hector was clinging to the vines with one hand, fighting the current. Capochin had his hands full keeping Thespius' head above the surface. The water was nearly up to Pokey's chest. What could they do?

They had a rope. They just needed to get it to Hector.

Pokey grabbed the rope and pointed Megapon at it. It sucked in one end, leaving the rest of the rope trailing out of its mouth. The rescuer followed them as they waded towards the bridge, keeping Megapon above the water, until they were alongside Hector. Pokey aimed Megapon, fired–

The rope flew across the canal, sailing over Hector's head and landing within his reach. He looked up, met Pokey's gaze, and let go of the vines.

For a terrifying moment, he was submerged. Pokey held their breath.

The rope drew taut. "Pull!" the rescuer shouted.

Pokey tucked Megapon under their arm and pulled with the rest of the drainfolk. Hector surfaced with the rope wrapped around his hand. Bit by bit, he was dragged towards them, out of the canal, until his feet could touch the ground.

Hector kept his head turned away as he waded towards them, not looking at them. He only let go of the rope when he was right in front of them. "We need a medic," he said, adjusting his grip on the unconscious woman. "She's not breathing."

The rescuer pointed. "That way. We need to get her somewhere dry."

He spoke quickly to one of the others and they darted away, back towards the main rescue operation. Hector followed the rescuer to higher ground. Capochin opened his mouth, but only managed a faint noise.

Pokey went to help with Thespius. They and Capochin each took one of Thespius' arms and slung them over their shoulders, which at least kept his head above water. Thespius was still breathing, but despite all their jostling, he wasn't waking up.

The remainder of the rescue crew joined them, three drainfolk staring with wide eyes. "What happened?" one of them asked.

"I don't know!" Capochin's voice was pitched high in panic. "He just passed out!"

"Right. C'mon, let's get him out of the water."

While the three of them joined Pokey and Capochin to carry Thespius, one of them spoke up. "Hey," they said. "Is that guy really Inspek–"

Capochin practically snarled at them. "None of your business!"

"I mean, uh…"

"We don't need to know who he is," another said. "He saved lives today."

The other two shared a glance, but stayed silent. Capochin grumbled under his breath.

They dragged Thespius up a short staircase and onto relatively dry ground. Hector and the lead rescuer were crouched by the unconscious woman, while a medic tried to revive her. They kept trying for fifteen minutes before they declared her dead.

---

Pokey and Capochin approached Hector after Thespius was placed in the medics' hands. He was hunched over on a bench, alone, with a towel that someone had given him bunched up on his lap.

"Not now," Hector said before they reached him.

"You…" Capochin shook his head. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have done more."

"So? I didn't save her."

"Don't–" His voice caught. "You could've died, Hector! She was probably dead when she hit her head, and you–you–"

Hector stood up, leaving the towel on the bench, and walked away. Capochin took a few shaky steps after him, his hand outstretched.

Pokey ran past him, trailing after Hector. Capochin stayed behind.

Hector walked fast and made frequent turns. Pokey was barely able to keep up. Did he know they were behind him? Was he trying to lose them?

They reached the edge of the cavern. Hector put one hand on the rugged stone wall. "Go away, Pokey," he said, his back to them.

They took out Megapon, flipping through its stored messages for something they could say.

"I'm not really interested in what anyone has t' say to me," said Hector. "Just leave me alone."

A part of them still felt like Hector was in the canal, sinking out of sight. Pokey pointed Megapon at him with shaking hands and pulled the trigger.

"Can you make it say something?"

Hector looked back over his shoulder. "What?"

They fired again. "Tall guy! Glasses! Missing!"

"Pokey–"

Click. "Yes, actually! That's eck-zacked-lee what I want t' hear!" Click. "Bark bark bark!" Click. "Chicken sandwich with… oh, fried chicken." Click. Click. Click.

They got through nearly all of Thespius' diner menu recordings before Hector put a hand on Megapon and gently pushed it down. "Hey," he said. "That's enough. I get it."

Pokey's shoulders trembled. They realized they were crying. They took a step back and wiped their eyes on their soaked jacket sleeve.

Hector sighed. "I'm not in the mood t' talk to anyone," he said, "but yew can stay. Just…"

He trailed off. Pokey only nodded.

There were no benches nearby. Hector and Pokey sat on the cold ground instead. Pokey didn't know how long they would be there for. They idly traced letters and words with one finger in the dirt, glancing up at Hector every time he shifted slightly.

What would've happened, Pokey thought, if Megapon had never fallen into their lap? If there had been no world-ending plot, and Pokey had left the Grove after King's ascension to go back home?

They couldn't consider it.

---

They had been sitting for what felt like hours when an unfamiliar voice called out to them. "You're the ones staying with Kerstin, right?" the drainfolk youth said when they looked up. "She's looking for you."

Hector frowned. "You know her?"

"Everyone here knows Kerstin," they said, as if stating the obvious. "C'mon, your friends are back this way."

Pokey stood up, their legs shaky from sitting for so long. They waited for Hector to stand up before they walked after the youth, glancing back to make sure Hector followed.

Thespius was sitting on a bench with Capochin, hunched over with his head in his hands. Capochin nudged him when he saw Pokey and Hector approaching, and he looked up, his eyes damp.

"Oh, thank–" Thespius cut himself off and stood up. "Are you both alright?"

Pokey nodded. Hector looked away. "I'm fine," he said. "Yew're the one who passed out. Are yew…"

He trailed off. Thespius went right up to him and threw his arms around him. Hector went stiff, his hands raised partway, like he couldn't decide if he was pushing Thespius away or hugging him back.

"I was so scared," Thespius said quietly. "Don't do that again. You're…"

He didn't finish the thought. Hector let his arms fall to his side.

Pokey ran up to Capochin and motioned towards Thespius. Capochin tore his gaze away from him and Hector. "You want to know how he's doing?" he said, and continued once Pokey nodded. "He says he's fine. Medics couldn't find anything wrong. They said it was probably just stress, but…"

Obviously that wasn't what happened–they saw the vines–but better that no one suspected "Styella" was more than human. Pokey nodded back, and, after a moment's thought, dug around in their pockets.

Oh. The napkins they had kept from the diner had gotten soaked. Pokey stood with a pen in one hand and a fistful of soggy paper in the other.

Capochin sighed. "We'll see if Kerstin has paper," he said. "She should be around."

Pokey looked around. Sure enough, they spotted Kerstin in a conversation with the rescue crew. She saw them looking and waved, saying a few quick words to the crew before walking over.

"I'm glad to see you're alright," she said. "I've wrapped it up with the boys. We ought to get out of here."

They wanted to ask about paper, but Kerstin gestured at a nearby alley and motioned for them to follow. "Hurry," she said, her voice quiet but urgent.

Pokey decided they'd ask later.

Kerstin led them away from the flood zone and back towards dry ground. Pokey kept looking behind them to make sure Hector was following. He moved as if in a daze, staring blankly ahead and allowing Thespius to lead him by the hand.

"You're all getting a shower at the house," Kerstin informed them once they were on her street. "You're all soaked. You get the first go," she added to Hector, "'cause from what I'm hearing, you got the worst of it."

Hector blinked. His eyes focused. "I don't need t'…"

"Floodwater is disgusting. You're getting a shower before you get sick."

He frowned and stopped walking, pulling away from Thespius. "Why are yew doing this?" he said. "Yew don't know us."

Kerstin turned around and met his eyes. "I knew who you were when I offered the room," she said.

Hector's eyes widened. His mouth hung open. Kerstin shook her head. "How could I not?" she said. "You're all from the Grove, one of you is clearly the new Godpoke, complete with Megapon itself, and you told me your name. You weren't subtle."

Pokey put a hand on Megapon. Kerstin caught the movement and her expression softened.

"I'm just grateful I found you first," she said. "Let's go inside."

---

Kerstin ordered Hector into the bathroom with a clean towel and a change of clothes. Pokey took off their jacket and went to sit at the table.

Capochin joined them. "Here," he said, handing them a notepad. "You still need this?"

Pokey nodded and quickly took out their pen again. They hovered the point over the paper and hesitated, their hand shaking.

Capochin frowned. "You need me to leave?"

They shook their head and started writing.

Do you know why I came to the Grove?

They showed the message to Capochin. He hesitated, his eyes flicking to the side. "No," he said. "I mean… figured you were here for the Rift Festival, right? And then you got caught up in… our mess."

I was here for the Rift Festival, but that wasn't all of it.

Pokey breathed in, slowly. Their mask had been soaked, too, and smelled awful. They pulled it off their face and dropped it on the table.

Capochin stared. He hadn't seen their face before, had he? Maybe at the diner. Pokey's hand reflexively went to their throat, tracing an old scar. They stopped themself and kept writing.

When I lost my voice, it felt like my life was over. I couldn't finish my degree. I couldn't keep a job. I had to move back in with my family, and they treated me like a child. They barely did anything to help me communicate. Like I wasn't worth listening to.

They scribbled out the last sentence. Too melodramatic, they thought.

I heard about the Rift Festival. I thought the Eloquent God could help me.

They held up the notepad again. Capochin took a sharp breath. "…sorry," he said quietly.

Pokey quickly added another line.

I don't want you to apologize.

"Well, you deserve it." Capochin sighed. "What we did back then–"

They held up their hand to stop him. You don't get it, they wrote, and paused, tapping their pen on the table while they tried to put their feelings into words.

Finally, they picked up the notepad and tilted it towards them, so Capochin couldn't see what they were writing. They thought of Patty, King, all the new responsibilities they held, and finally, they showed Capochin the message.

Becoming godpoke was everything I could've wanted. With Megapon, I could finally communicate, and people actually listened. Even the gods respected me. Now I have a new home, a new name, and I'm happier than I've ever been.

I know those fake letters caused a lot of hurt. But they gave me a better life, too.

Capochin read their words in silence, his tail twitching. He turned his gaze up to Pokey, his mouth partly open as he searched for a response.

"You can't…" He shook his head. "You can't be saying that you're glad. Not for… not for that."

It's not like it was fun. I was scared. I thought the world was going to end. It is wrong that I'm glad it happened anyway?

"I don't know," Capochin said. "It sure doesn't feel right, but…"

He trailed off. I don't know, either, Pokey wrote.

The conversation lapsed. Capochin tapped his fingers on the table, looking away. They could hear the shower running.

"How's Patty doing?" Capochin said. "She doesn't talk to me."

Pokey flipped to a new page. She's alright. We're doing good.

"How'd she react to this trip?"

Their hand froze, hovering over the paper. Capochin looked back at them, studying their expression. "You didn't tell her?" he said in alarm.

I didn't want to upset her, Pokey wrote.

"And so she has to find out from someone else?" He shook his head. "She's going to be upset, Godpoke!"

Did you tell Vibiano?

"I–" Capochin grimaced. "Vib isn't my girlfriend–but Patty's yours. And you owe it to her to tell her things like this."

Pokey put down the pen and looked away.

"This conversation ain't over, Pokey." Capochin glared at them. "I know I never treated Patty the way she ought've been treated, but I want the best for her and the boys. You're going to apologize when we get back."

They silently opened and closed their mouth, then nodded.

"Good." He looked around. "Where did Thes–Styella go?"

Thespius was back in Kerstin's spare room, sleeping on the floor. He was still in his soaked clothes. Capochin shook him awake. "Hey," he said. "You alright?"

It took Thespius a moment to wake up enough and process the question. "I'm alright," he said, sitting up. "Being this far from the Grove is just…" He yawned into his hand. "…tiring."

"You need anything?" Capochin asked. "You're probably next for the shower once Hector's out."

Thespius shook his head. "I've gotta tell you something," he said. "What I did back there… that's not something I can do twice."

Capochin nodded. "Figured, after doing it once knocked you out."

"It's more than that." He took a slow breath. "Do you know anything about gods taking mortal forms?"

"No. If Inspekta did it, he never told me."

"Right," said Thespius. "See, in the Grove, if anything happened to this body, I'd just–" He spread out his hands. "–a little poof, and I'd be back in my domain. Nothing fancy or flashy."

Capochin narrowed his eyes. "And outside the Grove?"

"Wouldn't be a little poof," Thespius said. "It would be… bright. And hot. And pretty loud, too."

"Like an explosion."

Thespius nodded. Capochin took a sharp breath. "Does Hector know?"

"I don't know. Didn't really come up during his godhood." Thespius hesitated. "I'm telling you 'cause what happened back there… could've ended a lot worse. It wasn't a miracle, it was just luck. And I don't know if he'll be lucky twice."

Capochin looked away, running a hand over his face. Thespius watched him. "He's not doing good," he said.

"He's really not," Capochin said.

"What do we do?"

His voice shook. "If I knew…"

They heard the shower stop. Capochin fell quiet. Pokey fidgeted with Megapon, flipping through its stored messages without listening to them.

Thespius looked away. "We need to find the god's realm," he said. "If I can get there, I can show the others the way from the Grove, and the rest of you can go home."

"Sounds like a plan," Capochin said.

Pokey wanted nothing more than to go home, to see Patty again and to go back to ordinary Godpoke work–but the Drain still had a suffering god somewhere in its depths. They had to do what they promised and help them.

They clutched Megapon tight. It wouldn't be easy, would it?

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