Surface Tension
Aboard the Beauty
77 Spring
Both serpents are defeated (with a little difficulty), Savrealizing she forgot the poison and getting downed twice in her attempt to retrieve the vial and make up for it. The crew returns to the ship.
Talith awakens and finds Vanja, who gets aggressive with him. Astarael interrupts. Things get heated as Talith says he vaguely remembers what he—but not really him—said to Vanja. Vanja says nobody wants her there, that they all hate her and if it weren’t for the River she’d be off the ship, but Talith says he wants her there. Astarael threatens to kill Vanja if she hurts Talith; the latter unhelpfully says Vanja can kill him if she wants. Vanja lets him go, and Ethan comes in on the tail of the conversation and attempts to talk her down. She says she doesn’t need him to fight her battles, and he is confused at this before going off to see how the crew have fared hunting down the grubs.
Vivian shows up to taunt Vanja and lure her to the Dark Side.
Talith and Astarael leave. They kiss, and talk a bit about what’s been going on. They go to talk to Ethan, and Roux joins them. Talith tells them how Vanja is in danger from The Suffering, and how it’s a danger to them all.
Roux and Athelia speak of their mothers and the lullaby they were singing.
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