“This isn’t what you signed up for when you decided to join us, huh?” Callum’s face was open, earnest, and she almost caught herself calling him charming.

He was also, currently, covered in an oddly pink shade of goo that was dripping from the ceiling. His goose seemed to be enjoying itself, trying to convince Cajsa’s pup to slide through the well-fogged floor.

“This is a bit grimier than our other little ‘adventures,’ that’s true,” she responded evenly, barely acknowledging Whisper trying to clean the guck from her candy-colored coat. She had tried to thank the quiet creature before, but it would just wave its skeletal hands and hide. “And I don’t remember really signing up - your sister asked me to join, and I cannot say no when someone needs help.”

Callum nodded, as though wise. “Elegy and Eulogy were going to come with us this time, but Effigy told me that I should come, and Eulogy didn’t want to come without Elegy, and it was just a rather right mess.” His grin brightened further, a dangerous twinkle reminding her that he wasn’t actually as young as she had originally thought he seemed. “Maybe not as messy as it is now, though.” He glanced back at his “sister” (whether the were truly related was anybody’s guess - Diarin didn’t know and didn’t think it was his right to ask her) and the constantly cross Cajsa, but they weren’t paying any attention and - oh. They were gone. “Wait - wait, no wait - where did they go?” And Callum rushed to the place they vanished, disappearing with only the smallest of screams.

Diarin paused for a moment, truly debating if she needed to go and try to rescue them. If she didn’t, who would know? But it would likely hurt her rating, and she needed the reviews… Huh. Well, she probably couldn’t get slimier.

(She was wrong.)