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It took every ounce of social grace you had left, but you somehow managed to navigate your way through the crowd of people filling up the palace. Some were being escorted out and back down into the Metropolis. Hopefully, the medical tents and shelters were still holding up during all this. You liked to imagine that Varnae didn't have some insane backup plan in place, but at this point, you wouldn’t put it past him. If he was as good a fighter as he was a schemer, you might have been in serious trouble.
With some careful maneuvering, and the bright idea of playing up the Goldblood's role in saving the king, you were able to divert the attention of some of your fans. The rest just got lost in the crowd, since they had no actual idea where you were going.
You nearly lost your balance after squeezing past a particularly bottom-heavy troll, and Deadhead turned to stare at you as you quickly spread your tails out to regain your balance.
“Got another one, huh?” he asked, pausing in his task of reattaching his fingers.
You frowned at him…and then realized that you could feel an additional tail sticking out of your backside.
“Ugh! Not another one!” you growled.
You hadn't even felt that one! Did this have anything to do with that Kumiho you saw? You had better tell Ben, just in case. For now, though, you were just gonna try your best to hide it by bundling them together.
“Does it hurt?”
“Nah. Mostly just itchy.” you said, reaching a hand back to feel around your tailbone. “Does that hurt?”
You pointed at his hand. He shrugged.
“Like a bitch.” he said, his casual tone betraying his words.
“Ehehe.” you chuckled. “Here let me.”
You stretched out a hand, and Mercy’s tendrils extended to snatch his fingers right out of his good hand. He hesitated for only a moment, but he relaxed when he realized what you were doing.
“Oh. Thanks. Again.” he amended.
“It's no problem.” you assured him, watching as Mercy rapidly knit his flesh together.
“You're a real sweetheart for stitching me up like this. I didn't even have to ask.”
“You don't have to.” you said, turning your eyes up at him. “Even if it was only for a paycheck, you helped save a lot of lives today. That means something.”
“And what's that?”
“It means that you're a hero, dummy.” you replied with a smile.
Deadhead froze, and you got the impression that the face he was making under that mask was one of puzzlement.
“People won't forget what you did here today. That includes me, and Khonshu.”
“The King of the Moon.” he said, nodding slowly.
“God.” you and Mercy uttered at the same time. Deadhead must have felt the vibrations of Mercy’s voice too, because his whole hand twitched.
“Oh, what was that?”
"Don't worry about it." you said quickly.
“Anyway,” you went on. “Like the Huntsman said, you didn't have to stick around. But you did. And that makes you a good guy–if not a decent one.”
(Cont.)
