In the Shadows We Fight (for justice and ourselves)

What are you hiding?

Reverie had seen his homeland at all hours of the night. He had seen it bustling with people ready to go home to their families or favorite TV shows. He had seen it in the later hours when only drunkards and insominics could be caught wandering around. He had seen it in the really dark parts when criminals would accumulate in the shadows of the alleys to plot their next target. He had seen it early in the morning, at the time when barely anyone considered it morning. He had seen when the sun began to peek above the horizon hesitantly like a small child making sure their parents were awake before they started playing. He had seen when the early birds came out of their homes to catch that slippery worm of opportunity. He had seen the city come to life, slowly at first then all at once. By far, though, his favorite time of night to see the city is right in the middle ground of it's too late to go out and too early to get up. The world was snuggled into a bubble of silence, any sign of life going cold with the sharp winds that whistled a lullaby as they passed. Everyone was asleep, or at least pretending to be asleep in the hopes that they eventually would be. It was those moments that made someone like Reverie feel at peace. Despite what one would assume, it didn't intensify his loneliness. In fact, being out there when no one else was made him feel connected to everything. Like, he was part of something greater than himself, a cog in a very large machine. Sometimes, Reverie could convince himself that even if he wasn't a big cog, he was an important one. He could pretend that everyone was important, and that everyone knew that so they didn't hurt each other or themselves. It was naive, but in those precious moments, Reverie couldn't find himself to care.

This time around, Reverie wasn't completely alone. A warm, steady breath was pressed into his neck as a body lazily clung to him. Reverie's arms began to stiffen as he continued walking, traveling from one district to another. HoneyBee had not woken up since they had been with the Egg, but his breathing remained even. Reverie could feel the faint rise and fall of HoneyBee's chest against his back, almost like the sidekick was urging him forwards. Reverie didn't need the urging, though it was appreciated. Reverie was going to bring HoneyBee home no matter what. He was the one that had dragged his friend all the way to the Badlands District for a stupid Egg that may have something to do with their case at an ungodly hour. HoneyBee chose to do that, but Reverie still felt a small sense of guilt like it was his fault HoneyBee was unconscious. It wouldn't be the first time he wondered what HoneyBee had seen when his fingers touched the Egg on that trip. What sent HoneyBee over the edge into oblivion? Would he wake up soon, or was this more like a coma?

Minotaur's mansion came quickly, mainly because Reverie had left his feet on autopilot when he started thinking. Reverie looked around the gate that guarded the fortress. It would have been easy to vault over with his powers, even with HoneyBee on his back, but he couldn't risk someone or a camera seeing him. He rounded the perimeter of the gate, looking for a back entrance that was left unguarded. Reverie didn't find an actual entrance, but he did find a hole in the wall that was easily big enough to fit HoneyBee comfortably. Reverie pushed his friend over to the other side before getting down on his hands and knees to do the same. Now, the hole was a little tight for him, and he was sure that he had torn some part of his outfit, but he managed to get through without hurting himself. Reverie raised back up to his feet. He looked around several times before pulling HoneyBee back onto his back. He stayed low to the ground as he made a run for the door in the back. Reverie tried the doorknob, but it was locked shut. Reverie prepared to use his powers to break a nearby window, but the door was swiftly opened by an older woman in a maid's uniform, her brown hair dotted with strands of grayish silver.

"You must hurry. The Master is drunk in his office, but not all the other servants are as sympathetic as I," The woman said, looking into Reverie's eyes hidden beneath his hood before ducking back into the house. Reverie smiled despite himself. Of course HoneyBee had made friends with his father's servants. Reverie went into the mansion with HoneyBee still on his back, kicking the door shut with his heel once he was all the way in. Warmth enveloped him as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. The room they were in was probably some sort of mudroom, even though it was the size of Tommy's room in Dream's apartment. The maid was leaning against the doorframe that led deeper into the house. Her hair bobbed as she looked back and forth. She sighed in relief before turning around to wave Reverie forwards. "Follow me. You shall take the Young Master to his private quarters before someone sees any of us."