"No, no, please stay," Darlington says, pulling the door open wider. For a moment, it sounds more like a plea than a reassurance. "You've already come all this way, and once she has a bottle in her, we'll be able to hear ourselves think." Despite everything, he manages to crack a quick half-smile. "And you can't dangle the idea of new wards in front of me only to take them away a minute later, Sextus. You're not that cruel."

Once the door is shut, he lets go of Kirby's collar, adding a stern stay down when the large Lethe-esque hound immediately starts forth to sniff at Pal's hands. Edie's cries have reduced as well, down to cranky, grumbling whimpers, and Darlington feels a little awful at being relieved by it.

"Just five minutes more," he promises, to her and Pal both.