I thought I was the current screw-up. And a flagrant flirt. Lucifer could be a bad influence although he hasn't encouraged any of this. Istredd does adopt his confidence occasionally, it feels good when he does. But they have a job to do here, getting rid of most of their money in one swoop.

These homes remind him of some of the poorer villages he's been to. Istredd doesn't have to school his face into being more serious or contrite. His feelings are genuine. Enough people died during this experience. None of them should have either. He lets Lucifer go first and introduces himself as Istredd hovers carefully behind him.

"He was trying to help investigate a lead on the missing people, myself among them." Istredd actually doesn't know how much they were told about the hows or whys the man died. The Nott people did know about the creature in the wrong place, but the reasons for it may not have been clear. "We don't have much but we would like to offer you and your family some recompense."