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“I can always orderdown the end of her nose at Herald “You Why have you seen fit to consort with – with that thing?” She folded her ararashi? Then we share common roots Where do your loyalties lie?”

“I,” Herald started “Um”

I put up my hands in placation “Whoa Hey It’s the twenty-first century So not progressive It’s not about that”

“You don’t get to talk about progress, shadow beast As much as your master vouched for you, you’ve inevitably proven yourself a force for destruction An agent for chaos”

Ah Yes That old story The last I’d seen of A him around as a supernatural social buffer meant that she was at least a littleto chop my head off There was also this unfortunate incident, that time when I’d accidentally shattered one of her enchanted mirrors Shush It was totally accidental It slipped out of ers, and Bastion broke it You were there, you saw

“Look,” I said “Is this about the h it technically wasn’t my fault”

Herald cleared his throat noisily “Um Dust”

“Arasp Bastion was the one who s A it

“The point here,” she said slowly, “is that you destroyed soiven for you to use for the sake of good”

“But you can always ht?”

My teeth claue just as soon as I’d said the words Herald groaned Carver could teach me to make fire, to nuke planets and move the stars, but fuck if he could teach me any kind of impulse control

“You enter my domicile unbidden, uninvited, and think to insultwarmer by the second The salohite-hot, then burst into flames

“Good job, Dust,” Herald esture, sure, but I had a feeling Aain

“And worse still,” A your tainted blade”

Vanitas Oh shit I lifted hi wildly “This? It’s nothing Just bronze”