Crow was tired. He’d woken up less than two hours ago, brought from his bed and room by Xeno as she came knocking, yet the weariness had never fully left him. Worse, the mental exertion involved in his conversation had drained what little energy had been animating him.

He wanted to go back to bed and allow himself an hour or two more time sleeping, to compensate however much he could for the restless night the destruction in the city had brought him, and yet he had no choice but to remain awake.

With how Unity was, with what had happened, Crow had a feeling he ought to keep an eye on the boy.

“I’m starving,” Unity sighed, seemingly more to himself than Crow. He answered anyway.

“Do you want to go out and get something to eat? I’m quite peckish myself.”

The artificial shrugged.

“Sure. Any particular place you have in mind?”

“I really don’t know, I’m not familiar with Bermudan food at all so anywhere we go will be something new for me.”

Unity seemed to think intently for a moment, his face seeming almost perplexed. As the pair of them turned, heading away from their rooms and towards the staircase, he answered.

“In that case I know somewhere, makes this great stuff called rachum.”

“Sounds, uh… phlegmy.”

The artificial grinned.

“It’s basically just pigeon, except with this weird Olympian sauce slathered over it that makes your tongue feel like it’s burning.”

Crow’s impression of the dish was, apparently, clear on his face.

“Oh no it’s great,” Unity hurriedly insisted. “Just the aftertaste makes you want to, you know, kill yourself. Let’s go.”

He hurried to the stairs, not leaving any room for any cuisine-related objections.

Their journey, both through the Crux and most of the surrounding streets, was mostly punctuated by jokes and barbs. Though the mood was brought down as Unity steered them quite suddenly down an alley, muttering darkly that the street he’d been about to lead them down was in poor condition.

After that, Crow found himself noticing how empty the streets were. Before he’d been vaguely aware, but only so far as to be pleased with the relative ease of moving around. Looking around while knowing the cause sickened him to his stomach.

It was more than simply the after-effects. Crow’s goal was one he’d always had unwavering certainty in, even after growing up on stories of Balisphore and Shepherd’s Creek.

Seeing an entire city stunned into silence and terrorised into subjugation, however, made him realise just what a task he’d set for himself. Just how badly he needed the Eclipse’s Nectar.

Another wave of fear seized him at the thought that the Sieve may well be cancelled, his chance to win it pushed back by a year. A year’s delay for something he’d dawdled on for far too long already.

“So,” Unity began, giving Crow the perfect opportunity to bury his worries and focus on his words. “How are you feeling? About Astra, I mean.”

Crow found himself frowning at the boy, suspicion beginning to take a grip on him. Unity was many things, but the sort of friend who’d simply ask about people’s well-being was most certainly not one of them.

Cautiously, he answered.

“Not… good, I suppose. I know she’ll get better, but it’s still not nice to see her like this.”

He was expecting a punchline, but instead Unity simply nodded, then spoke once more in a quiet, soft voice.

“That’s completely understandable, I can’t imagine seeing my sister hurt like that. Just focus on the fact that you know she’ll be okay, and try not to let yourself dwell on your fears and worries.”

He smiled, and there was something incredibly unsettling about the expression. His teeth were mostly visible, wide as it was, but it seemed far more restrained than one Unity might usually give.

His eyes crinkled as they joined the rest of his face, and there seemed a sudden, genuine warmth emanating from him.

Crow realised what was so disturbing a moment later. Unity was smiling like a normal person.

“Okay, stop that.” He blurted out, taking a reflexive step back at the bizzarity of the boy’s behaviour. Unity’s smile dropped to a frown, yet even that showed nothing more erratic or wild than simple puzzlement.

“Stop what?” He asked, voice reeking of innocence.

“Stop… that. Acting all… normal, asking about how I’m feeling and smiling like you aren’t about to hunt me. It’s weird.”

The boy’s expression didn’t change, as Crow had half-expected and fully hoped it to, into amusement. He simply continued his gentle frown.

“I don’t know what you mean, Crow,” the boy prodded. “Isn’t it normal for someone to-”

“It’s not normal for you.” Crow snapped. “It’s weird and uncharacteristic and I assume it's part of some big practical joke where you trick me into thinking you have brain damage or something. I’m not in the mood, stop it.”

Slowly, Unity’s face fell to an expression of neutrality, his eyes hardening.

“Fine then,” he almost spat.

“Wait, why are you upset?”

Crow really hadn’t meant the question to sound as stupid as it had.

“It doesn’t matter,” the artificial answered. “Just pretend I didn’t say anything.”

Unity hurried up, his walk climbing until it was barely a hair short of a jog. Crow quickened his own pace to remain beside him as he talked.

“No seriously, Unity, tell me. What was that?”

The boy’s face, he saw now, had twisted into a look of abject fury. Previously delicate lines had become rough and coarse, edging through one another as they framed bulging eyes and curled back lips.

“Maybe I just wanted to try actually being decent for once? Nevermind, it doesn’t matter. Experiment concluded, drop it.”

The shaking in his voice was evident, as were Unity’s attempts to smother it. Crow found himself speaking quietly and hesitantly.

“I was going to give you space about this, but… uh, well it’s kind of hard to just ask something like this, but do you want to talk about what… happened? In your match, I mean.”

Unity continued in silence, his face turning away from Crow’s. They walked for some time without a word passing between them, and just as Crow was about to try and speak again, his friend spoke up at the turn of a corner.

“I’ll probably be dead soon.”

There was no emotion in his voice, certainly not the shaking misery that had riddled it just moments before. It was flat. Controlled, almost subdued. And entirely empty.

Such was the lack of expression behind his words, that Crow took a moment to register them for what they were. His first instinct was to tell Unity to stop joking, but for some reason he couldn’t quite bring himself to do so.

Apparently noting Crow’s silence, Unity continued.

“That boy I killed, Bim… well, I’d say it wasn’t an accident, but I honestly don’t know. All I remember is hating him more than I’ve ever hated anything else, more than I thought I could hate anything.”

He inhaled, licking his lips before continuing.

“And then he was dead.”

Crow stared at the boy, waiting for him to say more. To add information which cleared up what had happened, to reveal why everything would be okay.

Instead, Unity just turned and met his gaze.

“I’ve done a lot of “bad” things, you know that. You’ve seen me antagonise people and run around doing whatever amused me. Thing is, I’ve always been sort of protected by… well, by who I am.”

He swallowed before continuing.

“I think I’ve gone far enough now that that won’t cover it anymore.”

Crow opened his mouth to speak, then paused, unable to find words. He remained like that for several moments, finally turning away as he realised no sound would escape him.

They came out into another street, continuing in silence.