A man Stanley didn't know ran up to the trailer and dumped a pile of Cores on the floor inside the door. "Jacob's," was all he said before running away.

Jacob's group had acquiesced to Stanley's demands without drama. The restored leader did exactly as he should for his people and ordered compliance, an order which they obeyed without protest. Jacob was a bit more on top of things. Everyone in Manhattan saw the Raid notification, but Jacob had correctly deduced the cause of the abrupt end moments later.

It was an unexpectedly easy capitulation but a welcome one. Mostly. Stanley was still looking for someone to experiment on, and someone attacking him would work just fine… but that could wait. Eventually, someone would start shit.

The extra Cores coming in were nice but negligible compared to what Stanley was collecting already. So Stanley gave all of them to Walter; the man's class was severely limiting when it came to hunting, though Walter claimed that he gained attributes passively based on his domain and who or what was inside it. It was better than nothing, but still slow as hell, hence the Cores.

Stanley would have shared some with the wolves, but they had started splitting off for their own hunts.

Eve was spying on everyone again… or maybe still, primarily by way of keeping an eye on Zeke, who spent a lot of time moving among the people.

She sat at the center of a growing web that, so far, only Stanley could detect. A net made up of strands of her Soul that stretched out to each of her machines loose in the city. Our very own spider queen.

"Don't call me that," Eve said without looking up.

Stanley would have suspected her of having her own split mind skill with how many machines were running around, but he had figured out when she was or wasn't directly controlling them. They had a very rudimentary autonomous mode that she used for travel and the slow Soul leeching, but catching or fighting the targets required some input from her.

Caffeine bounded into the trailer, jumped into Stanley's lap for licks and pets, sniffed the furniture, and then scrambled out the door, presumably back to Sara.

The pug was still wearing his new collar, which Stanley still had no idea where he had gotten it from, but Caffeine liked it and resisted its removal. Stanley just hoped the pug wouldn't get upset if he got big and broke it. He was surprised it hadn't happened already…

Stanley turned his attention back to the two chairs before him. One was a Mimic. The right one… probably. He had been following the mimic when it passed a single chair. Then there were two chairs, and no more mimic.

I know you're a mimic. Come out already! Stanley crushed both chairs with his Soul.

They reacted like chairs. Which was to say they didn't react at all.

"Just destroy them already!" Eve said.

"I don’t want to kill it. I want to know how the little fucker is hiding from me!" He had already tried slightly breaking one of the legs on each chair but got no reaction. The damn things were identical, down to the smallest scale he could detect with his domain, yet they both refused to be anything other than a chair: no Soul, no twisted space, nothing.

He was also now more reluctant to kill the thing, if he even could, after Caffeine’s reaction or, rather, lack of one. Caffeine could probably tell which one was a mimic, he had only sniffed the right one after all, but he hadn’t seemed bothered…

******

Angelina thrust her spear into the spider, pinning it to the wall before it could reach her. Outside, rain poured down in sheets, but it was dry and warm inside. She pulled the spear free with a grunt of effort, and goo burst from the spider, spraying across her. Well, it was warm inside…

"Not bad," Bartholomew said, walking through the wall.

Angelina flinched at the sight of him. "What are you doing here?" She glanced behind and found Sara with both hands stretched toward an unmoving spider. Grateful for the excuse, she turned away from him and ran the arachnid through while it was immobilized.

"Zeke wanted me to keep an eye out," Bartholomew said, following behind as Sara flew down the hall looking for another spider.

"Where did he go?" The golden glow was notably absent. She hadn’t seen it leave…

"Some building down the street was causing too many injuries. So he went to clear it out."

"Okay…" This was the last person she wanted watching her back.

"Don’t worry, Angie. I’ll keep you…"

She stiffened and spun on him. "Don’t call me that!"

Bartholomew held up his hands defensively. "I didn’t mean…"

"Just go." She turned away, the sight of him turning her stomach. "I don’t need you watching out for me." Sara was getting too far ahead, and Angelina hurried to catch up.

"What’s wrong?" Bartholomew didn’t leave. "Look, I’m just making sure you’re safe while Zeke’s away. I’m not trying to…"

Angelina couldn’t help it; she spun on him, and he stumbled at the sudden stop. "Keep me safe? Like you kept Andrew safe!?"

He backed off a step. "I told you…" Something in her expression must have tipped him off because he stopped talking and studied her face. "Stanley told you."

His words twisted a knife in her heart, but she kept it from her face. "Go away."

That was all she could say. If she tried to say anything more… she might break. All this time, she’d hoped Stanley was wrong. He talked so much random nonsense all the time… she had hoped this was only more of the same.

Bartholomew’s expression hardened. "He was a bastard, and he deserved it. The way he treated you…"

"It wasn’t your decision to make!" she screamed, tears filling her eyes despite her best efforts.

"I had to…"

"Go away!" Angelina swung her spear, and it phased right through him.

Bartholomew stepped closer and grabbed her arm before she could swing again. "I did what I had to!" he growled. She yanked her arm, but he didn’t let go. "You should be thanking me! I…"

"Mommy?" Sara was peeking around a corner, that same timid look on her face…

Angelina pulled again, but Bartholomew’s hand was a vise on her arm. He was too strong! If he wanted to…

Caffeine trotted into view next to Sara and stopped, looking between them as his tail drooped. He stepped toward Bartholomew, and the man released her, stepping back quickly. Caffeine stopped, head tilting.

"Go away," Angelina said quietly, brushing a filthy sleeve over her eyes. "We don’t need your Protection."

Bartholomew opened his mouth but then glanced at the staring pug and closed it again. He left.

Sara approached timidly. "Mommy, are you okay?"

"I’m fine, baby. Let’s find some more spiders, okay?"

"I’m not a baby..." Sara grumbled.

Angelina forced a smile. "That’s right, Sara. You’re my big girl! My big, monster-hunting girl!"

"Yes!" Sara jumped into the air and stayed there. "Let’s hunt the monsters!"

Angelina couldn’t help the flinch when the abruptly horse-sized dog licked her face. She felt terrible about it immediately as the dog shrank and backed off. "You’re a good boy, Caffeine." She crouched and held her hand out invitingly. Caffeine did startle her sometimes, but it was only his sudden size changes rather than any actual fear of him. Angelina had seen enough to know Sara could be in no better hands… or paws.

"Good boy!" Sara agreed as she swooped through the air to chase him.

Caffeine grew again, this time to catch Sara before she crashed into the wall. She squealed in delight and clambered onto his back. "Go, doggy!" He cast a look back at Angelina before trotting down the hall with Sara riding him like a pony.

Angelina wiped her face again and followed.

…

They got back to the trailer well before dark, but Sara was flagging, and Angelina had enough spider guts on her to make a whole new spider. That’s not to say Sara was clean; how the girl could get so much on her without ever physically having to touch them…

"Stanley!" Sara exclaimed, her energy magically restored by excitement. "I killed a spider while flying!" That wasn’t precisely accurate, but Angelina wouldn’t contradict her. It was close enough.

Stanley was studying two chairs intently when they came in. Caffeine crashed into his lap, and Stanley looked up from the chairs at Sara, smiled, and opened his mouth…

"Mommy killed lots of spiders too!" Sara said.

Stanley looked at Angelina and opened his mouth again…

"With her spear!" Sara said.

"Great…" Stanley got out.

"Stab, stab!" Sara shouted, miming a spear thrust.

Stanley rolled his eyes and then glared at the chairs before him. At least, Angelina hoped he was glaring at the chairs… It was hard to tell sometimes, what with his weird eyes and mercurial moods. She tried to run a hand through her hair and came back with a chunk of something wet…

Caffeine jumped off Stanley’s lap and sniffed the chairs curiously, then chased after Sara as she careened around the trailer while talking excitedly about the day of hunting.

Walter was cooking something, and Angelina wanted to hug him when she smelled it. His blinking Sara from mid-flight to the shower, where he studiously blocked the door until Angelina arrived, was just a cherry on top. "Let’s wash up before dinner, Sara," Angelina said, locking the door and trapping her inside.

The water was hot! So wonderfully hot, and the pressure felt like it might take a layer of skin off. It was perfect! Unfortunately, cleaning Sara up took priority and prevented her from fully luxuriating in the experience.

Their dirty clothes vanished from the floor, and clean ones were waiting on the counter when they emerged. Angelina was seriously starting to wonder if all the terror of joining up with Stanley might have been worth it if only for Walter and his fantastic yet wonderfully mundane magic.

She managed to get Sara dressed before the girl escaped out the door, and then Walter blinked her right into the bench seat at the table as he set a couple of plates down. Angelina seriously considered asking Walter about learning his class until she remembered that he couldn’t leave the trailer. The thought of watching Sara fly away every day, unable to follow, at least, more unable than currently… Yet he had to watch Daryl leave.

"I don’t know how to thank you, Walter. Everything is just… so…"

"Nonsense, Miss. It is purely my pleasure to assist. However, if you insist, I would ask you to try this and tell me your honest opinion." He pushed the plate closer, cloth napkin and silverware appearing as he did.

"Walter, simply smelling it tells me it will be delicious." Her stomach chose that moment to growl. Walter smiled slightly and bowed before turning back to the stove.

Caffeine assisted as well, intentionally or not, by sitting next to Sara and blocking her into the bench seat so he could stare at her plate.

Sara ate slowly and with lots of story-telling, but she ate most of her food. Caffeine got handed a few bites before Stanley lured him away with his own plate. Then she passed out asleep on the table.

Angelina sighed in the silence. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy and revel in her daughter's happiness, but she was tired and full. "It was the best meal I’ve ever had, Walter. Especially the vegetables! Where did you get those?"

"I am delighted to hear it," Walter said. "As for the zucchini, Master Daryl found a wonderful man growing it right here in the city. Granted, it wasn’t precisely the zucchini I recall from before, but I would go so far as to say it was better."

"Definitely!" Angelina said.

Walter glanced toward Stanley. "I am pleased someone appreciates a spot of green in our meals."

Stanley was feeding the zucchini to Caffeine, and he looked up at Walter’s words. "I told you, I hate zucchini! I can’t believe you traded bacon for it… who does that!? Zucchini for bacon!"

His voice sounded odd, but it didn’t rattle her teeth like it did when they were outside the trailer. Walter was probably responsible for that.

"Die!" Stanley abruptly said at the ceiling, and something landed on the roof with a thud.

Angelina shivered. That was the voice.

"Don’t do that inside!" Eve yelled at a much louder volume, yet somehow still sounded quieter than Stanley. Angelina didn’t know where this girl got the courage to talk the way she did to Stanley.

"You let it get too close!" This time his voice sounded more like his normal weird, though Angelina couldn’t tell if he was actually angry or not.

"I would of fucking had it if…" Then they devolved into the usual bickering, and Walter touched her arm, bringing her from her tired daze.

"If you would like to retire…" She followed his gaze and saw that Sara was already tucked into bed.

"Thank you, Walter…" she hesitated upon hearing something from the squabbling pair. "Did she say that chair is a mimic?" And they brought it inside? Was he insane!?

"So Stanley has said. Though, I am afraid I too am unable to discern whether it truly is or is not."

"Is it…" She glanced back to the bed and her sleeping daughter. "Is it safe?"

"Do not fear, Miss. I am sure you are quite safe."

Caffeine was sitting next to the table, staring up and hoping for scraps, and he chose that moment to stand up with his little front paws on the edge of the table. His big eyes roved between the clean plates and her face as his tail wagged rapidly.

"I think you might be right."