6

“So Corpulo is dead. He was a greedy man but incredibly easy to manipulate. This just goes to show that Kelshinha wants his six disciples dead, by hook or by crook.”

Raskeni seemed unshaken by the death of her former partner, placing the captured cylindrical jar containing the Scripture in front of her guests.

“Ooohhh, so this is the Scripture! I can’t believe it’s literally an organ…!”

“Even you, Ms. Tirol, as speaker of the Gilded Elephants, were unaware of its true nature?”

“Well, yeah, the Speaker’s basically just the high priest’s bi— Ew, gross, it’s moving!”

The cylindrical jar was filled with a cold fluorescent liquid. Through the curved glass, Tirol could see something suspended, dark and red, and pulsating. She let out a sound of both disgust and curiosity.

“Can you see the sutras tattooed all along the side of this spleen?” Raskeni asked her, squinting at the noxious-looking green liquid. “These are the secret to Kelshinha’s power. They form a mantra that absorbs the power of his followers.”

“H-he tattooed his own organs?! Ewww…what a freak.”

“He was obsessed with becoming a god. He did what no one else dared.”

Raskeni examined the Scripture closely, letting her face bathe in the bright green glow, before emitting a long, fascinated sigh.

“…”

Tirol felt a little put off by Raskeni’s sudden transformation from her usual imposing self, but she continued looking at the Scripture, pretending not to notice.

A little later, after Raskeni had calmed down, she looked over at Bisco, who was standing, arms folded, in front of Milo’s hospital curtain. Each time his partner’s twisted cries rose from the other side, Bisco clenched his teeth in pain.

“Bisco, Amli’s taking care of your friend, so don’t worry. You should go rest. Your wounds are pretty deep, too…”

“Raskeni! What the hell is going on in there?! He’s only just gotten back! Is it the rust in his eyes? Then, use my blood to—”

“Calm down, Bisco. We think Kelshinha might have tried to enter Milo’s mind. Fortunately, he didn’t get too deep.” Raskeni took a short breath and continued, “It’s a minor issue; he’s not going to die, like you are. It’s just…” She paused.

“Just what?!”

“Kelshinha is in his brain. Probably because he was after Milo’s knowledge of mushroom techniques. Just a little, but he’s there, and I’m not sure we can fully dislodge him.”

“How the hell is that ‘minor’?!”

Even Raskeni flinched a little at Bisco’s beastly rage. Until now, she had been a little disappointed meeting the Man-Eating Redcap in person. Looks aside, his personality didn’t seem to match his reputation. It was only when his partner’s life was on the line that Raskeni could see he indeed lived up to his name.

Suddenly, as Raskeni tried to calm him, there was another scream from Milo behind the curtain.

“Uuurgh! Aaagh! Shut up! Go away!”

“Mr. Milo, sir! Please stay still, or the rust will spread!”

“Get off me! Don’t touch me!!”

“Eeek!!”

All of a sudden, Amli came flying through the curtain and landed on her butt. She sat there in shock at Milo’s unprecedented foul mood.

“Mr. Bisco, sir…,” she pleaded, looking up at him from the floor.

But Bisco was already striding into the hospital room. He tore aside the curtain and looked down at Milo, tied to the bed. His signature panda-eye birthmark was coated in rust, and as he squirmed in discomfort, thick blood dripped from his eye.

“Wraargh! Stay back! Stay back!”

Milo swung wildly, scratching Bisco’s face with his nails, drawing blood. Bisco paid it no heed and simply placed his hand on Milo’s rusted-up skin. Eventually, Milo’s rage began to die down until he lay still, panting.

“…”

“…”

“…Bis…co…?”

“You recognize me now?”

“…I’m sorry… I…”

“Go to sleep, idiot… Does it hurt anywhere?”

“…Ye…ah… No… I’m fine…”

“Are you fine or not? What made you lash out like that?”

“…Something…inside me. I can hear it chanting…like a mantra… It’s trying to get into my head… I have to stop it…”

“It’s trying to take over your mind,” said Bisco. He looked back at Amli, who was peeping through the curtain. She nodded and turned back to Raskeni for something. “Amli says it’s still treatable. She’ll help us. You’ll be cured in no time.”

“Bisco!”

As Bisco stood to leave, Milo grabbed on to his sleeve. Bisco stopped for a moment before sitting back down by Milo’s side and placing his hand on his rusted mark. Milo seemed embarrassed by what he had just done and began to sob gently, shaking in his bed.

“I’m sorry, Bisco. I’m…I’m…I’m supposed to be protecting you.”

“No, you’re not. We’re equals, remember?”

“…”

“Everything’s going to be fine. You’re smart. You’ll figure this out. Soon you’ll have one of your usual flashes of inspiration and unravel the whole thing. Then we’ll make Kelshinha pay for trying to get inside your head.”

“…”

“…The first thing is to look closely, and the second…”

“…is to believe.”

“Can you?”

“Yeah. I’m looking. And I believe… In you…and in me.”

Milo sniffled and shook away his tears before taking a deep breath to dispel his fear. Then he took a sleepshroom concoction from the vial pouch at his hip and injected it into his own neck.

“I’m sorry for holding you back. I’m fine now. You can go…”

Bisco nodded and rose to his feet. He parted the curtain…and paused, started to take one last look back at Milo, but thought better of it. As Milo watched him leave, the sedative quickly worked its way through his veins, dragging him down into a deep slumber.

“I believe Mr. Milo hates me now,” muttered Amli, looking down at her feet as she walked. The commercial district in the lower reaches of the tower was bathed in neon. Her usual bright smile was nowhere to be found, and she seemed distracted, as though she wasn’t all there.

“I’ve acted shamefully,” she continued. “Even if it was for medical purposes, I’ve been too friendly with you, Mr. Bisco, sir, and that has angered Mr. Milo.”

“Listen. He was just having his mind hijacked by that old freak; it’s got nothin’ to do with you.”

“But Mr. Bisco, sir, when you touched him, it was like the demon left him. He calmed down so fast… How did you do it?”

“Well…,” Bisco said, half paying attention as he looked around at the weird and wonderful market stalls, “I guess it’s just ’cause we’re partners, right?”

“Partners…?”

“You want me to explain? I guess…would you understand if I said it’s like family? Imagine how you’d feel if you had to take care of your mom or dad. It’s kinda like that.”

Amli looked back down at the ground. “…That doesn’t help me understand…”

“…? Amli, you mean…?”

“I’ve forgotten them. My family…”

Amli stopped short, and Bisco wasn’t sure if he should say anything, when…

“Come, one and all! Everybody wants someone dead, right? My beautiful bugs’ll do the trick! Watch ’em squirm!”

The merchant’s questionable sales pitch seemed to break Amli out of her stupor, and she grabbed Bisco’s hand and waddled over in that direction.

“Oh, dear, I mustn’t dawdle,” she said. “We have to get the ingredients for Milo’s medicine and hurry back.”

Amli reached the stall and began scrutinizing the merchandise. Bisco peeked over her shoulder and turned his nose up at the unsettling goods on offer.

“What the hell are these? They’re alive! Centipedes, snakes… These things are dangerous!”

“Of course they are. Otherwise they wouldn’t be effective.”

“What kinda shop is this anyway?”

“A poison shop,” Amli replied simply.

Bisco was left speechless, watching the venomous bugs squirming in their glass tanks. Although he was used to seeing such creatures as a Mushroom Keeper, never had he seen them for sale at a market like this.

“You buyin’, my friend?” said the shopkeeper. “You look like you could kill someone easy enough without my help.”

“Can it. We’re here to cure someone, not kill ’em. We need…uhh…”

“We require a selection of white poisons,” Amli interjected. “Quickly.”

“Sure thing. Grade?”

“The highest. Here’s the money.”

“Well, now, ain’t that something? I dunno who pissed you two off… but I hope they get what’s comin’ to ’em. All right…how about this fella here? I’ll give you a discount if you carry him home yourself.”

“You tryin’ to get me killed, asshole?”

“Wah-ha-ha-ha! You got guts, kid! I like you. All right, elbow beetle…great dung beetle…ball centipede… I’m cuttin’ you a special deal here.”

The shopkeeper let out a laugh and began sorting out the good bugs with practiced ease, placing them in a partitioned glass cage so they couldn’t fight among themselves. His fingers were all metal prosthetics, the originals presumably lost to the hazards of the job.

“We have more to buy. Carry the insects for me,” said Amli.

“What?! Didn’t ya say we could get all we needed in one place?!”

“If all we want to do is keep him alive, then yes. That is what Master asked me to do, but I disagree. I shall not compromise.” Amli puffed out her meager chest. “I will cure Milo completely and join you as his partner.”

“?? I don’t think you quite get it… Ah! Hey, wait!”

Amli hopped down the street like a bunny, scaring off the goldfish lanterns as she went. Bisco took after her as best he could despite the hole in his stomach.

“Now we have all we need!”

Amli seemed way more excitable than usual without her master’s oversight to rein her in. She skipped happily through the streets, gathering all the odds and ends she needed for Milo’s treatment. Meanwhile, Bisco was unamused, carrying an enormous pot and incense burner on his back and the cage of wriggling insects hung around his neck.

“Hey! Is all of this really gonna help Milo?”

“It doesn’t hurt to be too careful. Even if it doesn’t cure him completely, this should at least make him sane.”

The number of mortal pleasures on display in the city put even Imihama to shame. Besides the shady sorts of shops already mentioned, the rich scent of hippo meat slowly roasting on an open fire gently wafted through the streets. With great pains, Bisco suppressed his hunger. He couldn’t digest anything more complex than baby food right now anyway.

“I was going to suggest we get lunch together…but I suppose there’s not much you can eat in that state. I was so looking forward to it, too.”

“You think I can just leave Milo alone and eat at a time like this?”

“I understand how you feel, but we must wait for the insects to be ready anyway,” said Amli, pointing at the labyrinth-like cage swinging from Bisco’s neck. Inside, the centipedes and beetles were literally tearing each other to pieces despite the partitions.

“…Also…I am envious. Mr. Bisco and Mr. Milo always have such pleasant chats… I wanted to be a part of it, too…,” she muttered, her pale cheeks turning ever so slightly pink. She furtively glanced at Bisco…who was enthralled watching the fighting match in the glass tank below.

“Mr. Bisco, sir!” she shouted, her eye twitching. “Are you listening?!”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

“I do not believe you. Do you know how much courage it took me to say that?”

“What’s gotten into you? You angry?”

“No. Not even a little bit.”

“Dunno what I did, but sorry. I don’t think you gotta do anything special, though. You’ve helped us a lot already. I’d say we’re already friends.”

“…Friends…?”

Amli stared back in wonder before hiding her joy and looking away from Bisco once more.

“Friends is not good enough. You’ll be gone before I know it.”

“Well, whaddaya want, then?”

“…Can you make me your partner?”

“Huuuh?!”

“I wish to be your partner, like Mr. Milo! That way I’ll become Mr. Milo’s partner, too, and the three of us will be together forever!”

Amli smiled as bright as a flower and turned to Bisco with glittering eyes, but her face suddenly fell when she saw his serious expression, tinged with pity.

“…I have said too much,” she said. “Let us go.”

“Amli, Mushroom Keepers have only one partner. It’s nothin’ like what you’re imagining.”

“We must make haste before your mushroom strikes again. There is no time for chatter…,” Amli began when Bisco picked her up by the waist and lifted her off the ground. He carried her over to a bench by the side of the road and sat her down.

“M-Mr. Bisco, sir…?”

Bisco kneeled and looked her straight in the eye. He didn’t say a single word, but Amli felt as though he were looking right through her with his jade-green eyes.

“…I’m sorry,” she said, averting her gaze. “I got carried away. I was just so happy when you two showed up, because it was like I’d gotten two new big brothers. My family is not with me, you know…”

“Isn’t Raskeni your family?”

“…It is not me she loves. It is my talent for mantra. She shut me away in that place for years so that I could train. I was so…”

Lonely? Whatever she was about to say, she swallowed it and looked up at Bisco with a nervous smile. Then, as if to dispel the dark mood she had created, she tried to put on a brave face.

“But I wasn’t completely alone. And soon my father will come to pick me up.”

“Your father?”

“I do not remember his face. But I hear he is a very respected priest. When I grow strong, stronger than anyone else in Six Towers, then I know he will come for me. My mother, too. Master told me so…”

“…”

“I do not care if he is respected or not. He could just as well be an ordinary man. I just… I just want to have a family again… I know such a wish is rather selfish these days.”

Bisco watched as she clutched her chest. He searched his limited vocabulary for anything that might cheer her up even a little, and…

“If there is a god…”

“…”

“…then I’m sure he’s got something good in store for people who have faith and patience like you. Your family’ll be back before you know it.”

“…Do you really think so?”

“Milo says he can tell when I lie, because I stutter three times.”

Amli wiped away a tear from her eye and gave Bisco a warm smile.

“Thank you. You are very kind, Mr. Bisco, sir. I wouldn’t know it from looking at you.”

“Ha! I really ain’t. You’ve been puttin’ your life on the line for us; it’s the least I can do. If there’s anything we can do to help you, you just let us know, okay?”

Amli just stared in silence and blinked. Then, realizing the meaning of Bisco’s words, she came so close to him their noses touched, a devilish grin spread across her face.

“If there’s anything you can do, you’ll do it?”

“Yeah… Hmm?! Hold up, I can’t make you my partner. I already said, I can only have one…”

“In that case, Mr. Bisco, sir, make me your family!” she declared, wrapping her thin arms around Bisco’s neck, squeezing him with such strength, it was hard to imagine where in her small body it was coming from.

“My big brother! I’m so glad…this is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me! You are the best brother ever! Strong, like a hawk, but kind…”

“You idiot, do you even hear what you’re saying—? Gwaaaagh! Ow! G-get off me!! Okay, okay, I get it!!”

“Let’s go home, big brother. I want to make Milo my brother, too. I’ll have a strong one and a nice one. How wonderful! Two brothers in one day!!”

A glittering sunshine of smiles, Amli dragged the helpless Bisco through the streets with uncanny strength. Bisco almost felt he could see the stars circling his head as he followed behind her.

“…Ugh… Grr…!”

“Milo!” cried Bisco.

“Do not try to move him,” said Amli. “Mr. Milo, sir, can you hear me?”

Milo’s mind was a blur. A paper amulet of some kind covered his left eye and sealed it shut, while a dull pain ached in the back of his head.

“Bis…co…? Where are you…?”

“I’m right here, Milo. Amli, are you sure this’ll cure him?!”

“Probably not, but it should keep it from getting any worse. Can you stand, Mr. Milo, sir?”

Milo did as instructed and climbed out of bed. Though his head seemed heavy, his movements were otherwise natural.

“Can you walk?” Bisco asked. “Nah, on second thought, don’t force yourself. Go back to bed.”

“It’s okay, I can move…but I can hear someone in my head…!”

“It seems we must beat Kelshinha after all if we are to cure him… Well, that does not change what we must do. First we must retrieve your stomach.”

“Bisco’s…stomach.”

Milo teetered over to Bisco and clung to his chest. His face was pale from the constant headaches, and he looked very sick indeed.

“Bisco…you don’t have your stomach back yet? What are you still doing here…?!”

“Calm down! How am I supposed to go off and leave you like this?!”

“Who cares about me?! Bisco, you need to get your stomach back…!”

“My brother has been very active for your sake,” said Amli, putting on her best smile even though Milo’s sudden change in personality scared her a little. “He helped me with the shopping. Look at the large incense burner he helped carry…”

“Your brother…?” Milo’s sapphire eyes burned with darkness as he rushed over to Amli and pulled her up by the throat.

“Gh…gack?! Mr.…Milo…sir!”

“You leave Bisco alone…! What are you after…? Is it Bisco’s Rust-Eater powers? Is that what you’ve been after…this whole time?!”

“What are you doing, asshole?!”

Bisco slapped Milo across the face, sending him reeling back into bed, and Amli fell to the floor, coughing.

“…No… I’m not… That’s not… I just…,” she cried, huddled up on the floor. Raskeni ran up to her, turned to Bisco, and nodded.

“Milo’s body may have fully escaped Kelshinha’s grasp,” she said, “but his mind has not. He is still prone to bouts of extreme paranoia.”

“All right. Let me talk to him.”

“Please do. I expect you’re the only one he’ll listen to right now.”

Bisco nodded and waited until the other two had left the room, leaving him alone with Milo.

“…”

“…”

“…Milo.”

“…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be acting up at a time like this…”

“It’s not you. You’d never hit a child. It’s that damn geezer taking control of you. I’m gonna beat him to a bloody pulp while I get my stomach back, so you just sit tight.”

“No, Bisco, I want to go with you…!”

“Milo!”

“I’m not crazy! The noises, the headaches… They’re rough, but I still don’t trust Amli! She’s trying to take advantage of you, and you’re just too kind…”

“Amli’s just a kid. And she’s been trying to help you get better. Why do you think that?”

“I can’t explain,” said Milo, staring off into space. “It’s like her wavelength… Her aura, if I can call it that… It feels just like what’s coming from Kelshinha.” Milo clenched his teeth. “He’s pure evil. It’s not hard to think that he might take advantage of someone’s kindness…”

Milo seemed to be struggling to put his thoughts in order. Bisco had always made his decisions without hesitation, but now, for the first time, he crossed his arms and snarled.

Bisco himself had borne witness to Amli’s true nature just moments ago, and he knew she was nothing but an innocent child. However, if there was one thing he could trust more than his own judgment, it was that of his partner. But could he? Milo’s mind had been taken over by Kelshinha. What if some part of the old man still exerted control, and this was all his ploy?

“Now, that’s the face of a man in a pickle if ever I’ve seen one.”

Rudely pulling open the hospital curtain was the jellyfish girl, Tirol.

“Of course I am. My partner’s losing his mind.”

“No I’m not!!!”

“Okay, okay. Look, Milo needs his head back, and Bisco needs his stomach.” Tirol played with one of her trademark braids and continued, “And we need to come up with a plan soon, ’cuz Kelshinha’s only gettin’ stronger by the minute. You Mushroom Keepers are all about speed, right? So what’re y’all sittin’ around here on yer butts for?”

Tirol’s scathing words were nonetheless insightful, and even Milo seemed to calm slightly as he slowly rose from his bed and made his way unsteadily over to the table, where Raskeni and Amli were sitting. With a glare, sharp like an arrow, he sat down with them.

“My partner’s gone rogue. Tirol, what do I do?”

“Yer a trusting soul, Bisco. Too trusting. I don’t think Milo’s lost it at all.”

“Not you, too. You think Amli’s gonna betray us?”

She lowered her voice to a whisper so only Bisco could hear. “Not so much her as that woman, Raskeni, or whatever her name is. Well, just leave the thinking to us, muscle man. It never was your forte.”

“Hmph!”

Bisco didn’t like what she was saying, but he had to admit she was right. Grumbling curses under his breath, he and Tirol sat down where the others were waiting for them.

Though the air around the table was tense, all gathered to discuss their next steps. Raskeni, with her map of the Six Towers; Milo, exuding a prickly air like a porcupine; and Amli, still cowering slightly in her seat.

“I’m sorry to send you out again so soon, but we can’t do anything without you guys in the field. We need to come up with our next plan.”

Raskeni looked up from the map and surveyed the faces around the table, scratching her chin thoughtfully.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect Kelshinha to regain so much of his power so soon. He’s taken out half my men already.”

“What were those zombie guys in the Metal Tower? Did the old guy make ’em with his magic?” asked Tirol.

“Kelshinha has always been very skilled at the necromantic arts, but I’ve never seen him summon such a huge number before. It’s like he’s stronger than ever before, and we still don’t know how strong he’ll get.”

“I ain’t here to listen to you whine,” said Bisco. “You got a way to beat him or what?!”

“I do,” said Raskeni, who looked at Bisco and smiled. “It’s not just Kelshinha who’s defied expectations, but the Mushroom Keepers, too. I have to admit, I didn’t think your arts would be strong enough to drive him off.”

She turned to Amli, who pulled out several tiny statues, like chess pieces, from her pocket placed them on the map. Raskeni took two, a monkey god wreathed in flame and a blue mermaid, and placed them on the Earth Tower.

“First, the two Mushroom Keepers will…”

“No, Raskeni. I’ll go alone. Milo has to stay here.”

“Bisco!”

Finally blowing his lid, Milo stood up from his chair and wrapped his fingers around Bisco’s throat.

“Why…! Why do you keep saying that?! Haven’t I always watched your back?!”

“I told you, didn’t I?! If one partner dies, the other dies with them. Your head’s not right; I can’t trust you to stay safe out there. It’s better if you stay here.”

“So you’re saying…” Milo’s teeth clenched. The dark flames of jealousy and humiliation swirled within his sapphire eyes. “You’re saying you trust those two strange women? More than your own partner…?!”

“You asshole, you know that’s—!”

“Drop it, you two!”

Just as they were about to come to blows, Raskeni stepped in between them. Milo swatted her away in anger and sat himself back down in his chair.

“…Bisco, I’m sorry, but we can’t afford to send any less than our full power. You two Mushroom Keepers are the best we have. You’re going to split up. There are three Scriptures left, and we have to take two of them this turn, or we lose.”

“I’ll go alone,” said Milo in a shaky voice. “I don’t trust any of you… But I’ll cooperate if it’s the only way to help Bisco recover. I’ll go anywhere; just point me in the right direction.”

As Bisco opened his mouth to object, Tirol whispered in his ear.

“Let him go; he’s all right physically, ain’t he? If nobody goes with him, it don’t matter how paranoid he is.”

“…”

“…Then first, the Earth Tower.”

Raskeni cleared her throat, picked up two statuettes of the red monkey god and a jellyfish god, and placed them on the Earth Tower.

“What is that? A monkey…?”

“It’s the monkey god, Agnan. I’m using it to represent you; is that a problem? And over here we have…”

“The jellyfish god, Upa. S’posed to be me, I guess.”

“What?!” Bisco bellowed in outrage. “I have to go with you?!”

“What’s wrong with me?! Well, you can just starve to death if that’s what you want!”

“The Wizened of the Earth Tower value knowledge above all. And let’s be honest, Akaboshi’s not the brightest apple of the bunch…” Seeing Bisco’s rotten glare, she smiled. “Apologies. But we need someone smart on the team…,” she said before leaning in and whispering, “And I don’t think Milo is going to let us accompany you. By combining brains and brawn, we should be able to take that tower down.”

“Brains, huh? The only thing she knows is how to swindle people. That still count?”

“Still better than a monkey who can only shoot a bow,” retorted Tirol with polished wit. Then she asked Raskeni a question. “Okay, so we’re going to the Earth Tower. What about the other two?”

“I think we’re going to have to give up on one of them. We have to stay here and protect the Scripture we’ve already obtained from Kelshinha. The question, then, is which of the Wood and Fire Towers will we send Milo into…”

“…My, Master. I would think the answer to that is obvious,” said Amli, taking the panda statuette and placing it on the Fire Tower. She turned and shot Milo a smile but faltered upon meeting his piercing gaze. “At the High Hall, seniority is determined by length of service. It will, therefore, be difficult for us to infiltrate the ranks. The Flamebound, by contrast, value beauty and power. It is perfect for Mr. Milo, wouldn’t you say?”

“Ha-ha, I see…,” said Tirol.

But Raskeni was still unconvinced. “You misunderstand. While Amli is correct, the Flamebound are…how do I say this…”

“They’re led by the notorious womanizer, the head priestess Kyurumon, right?” Tirol cleanly finished what Raskeni was hesitant to say. “And that means only female priests get anywhere in that cult. I’ve been workin’ as Corpulo’s mistress, so I picked up that much.”

“Does that mean you have ideas about how we can smuggle Milo in?” Raskeni asked.

“Ideas?” Tirol grinned at Milo’s straight-faced glare and whispered to Raskeni, “You look at that pretty little face and tell me you don’t have any ideas.”

Milo looked into her impish grin and gleaming amber eyes and, more or less understanding what she was getting at, stood up and left the table.

“Wait, Milo!” Bisco shouted after him.

At his voice, Milo stopped, dead-eyed. He didn’t even turn around. His silky blue hair caressed his paling lips. His eyes were sunken and hollow from the ceaseless headaches, and there was no trace of his usual innocent, happy smile.

“You really gonna go by yourself, with your head in that state?”

“Better than your stomach. Right now I’m more competent than you are.”

His words were cold and distant. Words Bisco never would have expected to hear him say.

“Stay with Tirol. I don’t know what those two are going to try, but it would be easy for them to trick you. Because you never think about anything…”

Each of Milo’s words dripped with poison, and his eyes grew darker and darker.

“No… I can’t give them the chance… I have to do it right now…!”

Milo turned, and Bisco saw the murder in his eyes.

“Have you lost your mind?!” he shouted, grabbing Milo and restraining him.

“Let go of me!” yelled Milo, shaking free of his grip. He stood there, panting, sweat dripping down his face, as though even he realized he’d gone too far. Then he turned. “…Sorry. I’m leaving. Don’t try to stop me.”

“Milo, if you run into Kelshinha, don’t fight him alone! He’s too dangerous!”

“Don’t tell me what to do. If you’re always going to do as you please, then so will I.”

Milo leaped off the balcony without leaving Bisco time to argue. Bisco watched him go, biting his lip so hard it bled.

Tirol appeared at his side. “Ya trust Milo, don’t ya?”

“…Yeah, but…”

“He trusts ya, even now. And I’m sure he’s feeling the same way you are. Think ya understand his feelings a bit more?”

“…”

“Think he’ll screw up?”

“No, he won’t. Never…”

“Then what’s the problem? Seriously, you two are like a couple of kids.”

Tirol patted Bisco gently on the back as she looked up at the night sky. Then, turning back and seeing the worry on Amli’s face, she gave a bright, reassuring smile.