“I don’t need a good complexion,” says the six-armed cambion.

“You don’t?”

“Do you?”

“I think that I do. Heather, do you?”

“I need a fucking break.”

“From what?”

“... streams.”

“What are you oozing about?”

“I don’t ooze much. Try seeing dead people for a living and see how chipper you are, devilspawn.”

“I see dead people all the time, clapperclaw.”

“I’m skepticaaaaaaal.”

“You’re inane.”

“I’m Taylor.”

“... so you are, buddy, so you are.”

“It’s nice, being Taylor. I don’t see dead people at all, and I like streams. I have everything.”

“I have nothing.”

“You have lots of things.”

“Arms, for one. I like your arms. They remind me of a very deadly flower, or a menacing insect, if flowers and insects could kill people and build gemblades and kill people with gemblades.” 

“I am an insignificant speck of dust in a vast cosmology that will grind me to dust and take away everything I love.”

“I thought I was the one being depressing.”

“You were!”

“Thaaaanks.”

“It’s no trouble. I like being honest, when it suits me. And dishonest, when it suits me. I like lots of things and I’m very happy.”

“Do you like me?”

“I do! I like you and Heather and streams and sunsets and the world. Why are you two upset?”

“... Heather first.”

“The last few days have been really quiet and the wayfarer ghost I hired won’t shut the fuck up. Now you.”

“Everyone I’ve ever loved has abandoned me.”

“- aww! Veronica, we’re not going to leave.”

“What a shame?”

“It’s very nice, actually. Unless you’d rather we flutter away, in which case of course we can?”

“I’m not moving.”

“You just said that you didn’t like the stream, Heather.”

“I don’t like -“ she gestures inarticulately “- sitting around, waiting for something to happen.”

“Anxiety leads to expectation, expectation leads to misery, misery leads to conflict, conflict leads to anxiety.”

“Planning on becoming a paladin?”

“Plans are for people who don’t know themselves.”

“Plans are for people who know themselves too well.”

“Plans are for people who aren’t going to stop existing when they die.”

“- Veronica, you’re not formless, you’re going through a brief depressive episode. You pinged neutral just a few weeks ago and you haven’t learned any secrets since then. Is this about Jason?”

“It’s always about Jason.”

“It’s about Jason.”

“Your former co-conspirator clings to your conscience so very tightly for such an unmitigated basic bitch.”