"That's right, I bet she does," Dan says softly, and the further they get from the mountain, the more the bone-deep tension seeps away. He's exhausted, and he doesn't really want to think; he wants a quiet, safe place like he's never wanted it before.

"They have all sorts of games for cats on those," he adds, and when it seems that he's allowed the comfort of staying exactly where he is, he lets his eyes close. "Used to try and get Azzie to play them at the hospice. We were a team, though I couldn't talk to him. He always let me know, though."

He shifts, his cheek rubbing a bit against Marcus's thigh. "Back in that-- the dungeon, I guess, if we're being technical, there were people dying. I couldn't have saved them, but I could have helped them."