At the Comitium, Hunt watches rooftop sparring with Isaiah while the heat and talk of possible war drag him back into memories of Sandriel's campaigns against human rebels. Hunt is exhausted from worrying about Tharion's request and about what helping to find Emile might trigger, and he also remembers how badly his faith in Shahar once cost him. Those thoughts make him wary when Baxian approaches, especially because Hunt still sees him as one of Sandriel's brutal enforcers.

Baxian needles Hunt about wanting an ordinary life, and their argument turns to the past. Hunt accuses Baxian of serving Sandriel willingly, but Baxian hints that his own service was coerced and suggests Hunt never looked deeper than appearances. Before Hunt can pursue that, Celestina messages with orders: Isaiah will escort her through the city, Naomi will help Pollux adjust, and Hunt must partner with Baxian and teach him both the 33rd and life in Lunathion.

Forced to accept the assignment, Hunt uses the conversation to gather information. Baxian reveals that Pollux is angry because he has been separated from the Hind, and that Lidia, Mordoc, and the others are currently in Forvos with Ephraim, while the Harpy is also there and the Hawk remains elsewhere pursuing his usual cruelty. That matters to Hunt because it means the Hind is not presently in Lunathion searching for Emile, so Hunt concludes that Ophion's agents are the more immediate threat to the missing boy. Hunt ends the exchange by asserting rank over Baxian and making it clear that if they must work together, he intends to control the terms.

Later, Tharion arrives early at Bryce's apartment and finds Ithan there alone. After joking about Bryce to get inside, Tharion presses Ithan for anything Danika might have hidden about Sofie, Ophion, or a safe place in the city. Ithan resists, warning that even discussing the matter puts Bryce in danger, but eventually offers one useful lead: Danika once said she was researching something for her history studies that would get her into serious trouble, then later claimed she had changed topics. Because Ithan does not believe Danika would abandon a subject without reason, Tharion takes this as evidence that Danika may have uncovered dangerous information long before her death, and he stays to watch sunball highlights with Ithan while they wait for Bryce and the others.