Booker huffed out a laugh at the weak joke, patting the bond as if to check it was, indeed, still there, not broken again from Barnett's attack. Guess we're gonna be stuck together for a while, then, he mumbled. Barnett mimed puking in the background, but Booker had gotten pretty good at ignoring him. Yeah, I... I tried to... when you were dead. Well. I tried to move on? But Barn took over bigtime. And I'm sure you had some adventures of yer own. So we should probably go over what's 'appened, between the bond breakin' and now. The not-knowing was already making his metaphorical skin itch.

The mention of the fox made him flinch, slumping to rest his back against one side of the pink-black hallway. I... if you hurt him. I don't think ah could... or would... stop Barn. Said alter perked up at that, shooting him a triumphant grin. Louie is... he's...

Fucked up, Barnett offered from his corner.

Booker rolled his eyes, but nodded. Okay, yeah, he's fucked up. But so am I, and so are you, Bara. So maybe cut 'im some slack, yeah? I get that he hurt us, hurt you, and ya have a right to be angry, and a right to confront 'im about it. But I've hurt people. You have too. We aren't exactly paladins a' justice, here, the scribe added drily. More importantly... he's a dad, now. Can't take a dad from his kids. 's not right.

He thought of the deadly panic that had swamped him when he'd realized just what he'd tried to do to Diot, when he couldn't find Bee in his usual spots, when Diot almost fell into the Eyes. He wouldn't even wish that on Magdalena. For now, let's focus on everythin' we missed out on. Which, well, I'll start: so I have two sons, but one is missing, and 'e's a hummingbird. Real tiny. A smoky, wobbly mental structure of Bee appeared, flitting through their shared mindspace, bobbing in the air, no bigger than Booker's nose.

Dove - Dovefeather - she helped me. She's sick. Someone... hurt her. Tried to kill 'er. The sketch of the cat stepped out of the wall, trotted to curl up under Bee, short fur puffing up when the bird landed on her snout. Diot is okay. Better than. Helped me after the bond broke. Diot climbed after Dovefeather, sat next to Booker and grinned, herbs clutched in his hands. He gave me... plants. Painkillers. They worked. Really well. Hopefully the hint would be enough. His addiction made him feel bad enough as it was.