He smiled and lowered his head in anticipation of the kiss.

Frank groaned. Leila gave him a quizzical look, but he shooed her with a wave of his hand.

Tansy stood on tiptoes, gazing into Elio's mesmerizing black eyes. She placed her hand on Elio's rugged, unshaven cheek. And was it just his imagination, or was she actively caressing the man?

Fucking hell.

"Elio," Tansy said, their lips nearly touching. Her voice was unexpectedly sultry. Frank imagined the tantalizing flavor of their shared breath and mingled scents—her wildflower spice and his manly fucking man-musk, or whatever.

With both hands on his face, she tilted his head slightly to one side. Elio locked eyes with her, radiating smoldering intensity. Then Rivera—the smiling, sadistic son of a bitch—looked at Frank and gave him a playful wink.

"Will you stop that?" Tansy said as Elio leaned in again. "Let me do this."

"But you said—"

"Hush and hold still. It's like this." She moved in and brushed Elio's bare, defenseless neck with her dark eyelashes. "Do you feel it? That is a butterfly kiss."

"Oh, yes, I feel it. That is lovely. Though, to be honest, not nearly as lovely as what I imagined."

Tansy stepped back and looked at him for a moment. "Oh. Oh, I—"

Elio took a step forward, closing the distance between them. "May I try?"

She nodded and offered her hand. Rivera turned it over and stroked her wrist lightly with his thumb before bringing it to his face. "Like this?"

"Yes," she said, her breathy voice tinged with a hint of longing. Maybe. Frank couldn't even tell anymore. Hell, he could hardly remember his own damn name.

"Oh, geez. Can you please be done now?" Leila said. "I'm starving."

Frank sighed. "Kid, you took the words right outta my mouth."

They sat around a workbench and shared a common plate of poached fish—courtesy of Leila's traps—cooked expertly by Frank, and Tansy's braised greens with wild onion and foraged mushrooms, which they trusted her enough to eat despite her long ability cooldown.

It was late afternoon, and warm, golden light cast long shadows across Leila's cluttered workbenches. Except for the occasional SDO sirens, the sounds of a city in turmoil faded into the background, replaced by a quiet camaraderie that settled over the group and seasoned their meal.

"I think I was just hungry," Frank said, more to himself than anyone in particular.

"Mmm," Elio said, licking his fingers. "Even the leaves are divine."

"Ha."

Frank said, "You know what would make this meal even better?"

"A glass of wine." Elio replied.

"A glass of cold sweet tea," Tansy corrected.

"Actually," Frank said, "I was thinking maybe some of that moonshine."

"Nah, I know what you need," Leila said with a grin. "I got you." She crossed the room and put a kettle on the burner. From a locked cupboard, she extracted a battered old wooden box, which she set on the counter. She pulled out a large green tin and popped off the rusting lid, then lifted a rough-woven drawstring sack. She held it to her face and inhaled. Finally, she opened the bag and smiled, waiting.

A few seconds later, Tansy caught the scent and gasped. "No you do not! You do not have what I think you have."

"Maybe," Leila said, barely containing a laugh.

"What is—" Frank said, then the smell hit him. "What? Really?"

Tansy got up and went over to see for herself. She turned to look at the guys, her face half buried in the sack of aromatic—

"Coffee beans!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, baby!"

Elio smiled. "What is it? What is so special about your coffee beans?"

They all turned to look at him.

"I feel like I'm getting to know you right now," Leila said, deadpan.

Tansy struck a seductive pose and, in her best Elio voice, said, "Mmm, what is so special about your caviar?"

"What is so special about your coin?" Leila mimicked.

Frank snorted. "Only a Rivera, Elio."

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Elio hung his head in mock defeat.

"What do you mean?” Tansy said, giggling. “What is so special about a Rivera?"

"Ha! Well done," Frank said. "But maybe you're not from Philly after all."

Elio lifted his head and gave Frank a look. It was fleeting, but it held a razor's edge.

"I live here, and I don't know," Leila said with a shrug.

"Oh, it's nothing," Frank said, recovering. "I'm just giving him a hard time."

"Okay, well," Tansy said, "I don't know about you, but I haven't had a decent cup of coffee in, oh..." she trailed off. "I don't actually know. Maybe ten years?"

"Well, you're getting some tonight!"

Leila brewed strong, smooth coffee and served it black with hot water on the side. Tansy watered hers down to make it last a little longer.

They fell silent, savoring both the coffee and the peace in equal measure.

"We probably need to talk," Tansy said.

Frank sighed. "I wouldn't even know where to begin."

Elio nodded.

Tansy cupped her steaming mug and brought it closer to her chest. She had washed her clothes and changed into some Leila had on hand while hers dried. She pulled her feet up onto the seat and tucked her knees inside an oversized tee shirt, like a little kid.

"Look," she said. She held up a hand, the back of which was breaking out in scales.

"Does it itch?" Leila asked.

Tansy shook her head. She reached into her bag and pulled out a little jar, shoving it to the center of the table. "Not since I put that on it."

"What is it?"

"Mystery goods," she replied. Tansy sighed. "Okay, I guess I'll go first."

She told them about the strangers at Scarborough Co-op. About the mystery lanolin and the disturbing phone call. She left out some details, like about her work, and about Ma. Especially about Ma. By the time she was done, they knew about her past few days.

"Wow, thank you." Frank said. "So, you live alone?"

She nodded.

"Earlier you said you were alone before. You mean after X?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah," he said. "Me too. I lost everyone."

"Me too."

"But are you from Philly?"

She looked at him for a long time before nodding.

"Why'd you leave?"

She rubbed the back of her hand absentmindedly. When she answered, her voice was low. "It's a long story. I thought I had friends here. It turned out they weren't my friends. So I left."

He had so many questions and the good sense not to ask.

"Wait, but this stuff actually helps?" Leila said.

"It appears to," Tansy said. "I don't know why. I almost gave it away. Now I'm glad I didn't."

"Can I have some?"

"Sure. Take it."

"Thanks. Mine are spreading. I'm actually gonna go put some on," Leila said. She grabbed the jar and went out into the hall.

Frank chugged the last of his coffee. "Damn, that was satisfying."

"Mmm," Elio said in agreement.

"So what's your story, Elio?" Tansy asked.

"Oh, I would much rather hear about Frank first. Mine is not so tragic or exciting."

"Somehow, I doubt that," she said.

He shrugged.

"I could talk," Frank said. "Might have to loosen my lips with a little of that—"

"Oh gods, the moonshine again!" Tansy said, rolling her eyes as hard as she could. She set the flask on the table. "You can't just swig it, Frank. It's medicinal."

"Medicinal," Frank said, using air quotes.

"I mean it! It's a tincture."

"Oh yeah? What kind?"

"Cannabis, mostly."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yes. It helps me sleep, among other things.”

"I also need help to sleep," Elio said, reaching for the flask. Frank was quicker.

"What is so special about your sleep?" Frank said, removing the cork.

Tansy laughed out loud. It was Frank’s first time hearing it that way, and he liked it. He liked how she put her whole self into it, body and soul. He wanted more.

"I'll take that ability," he said under his breath.

"Sorry, what?"

"No, nothing. So, what do you think?" he said, holding the flask to the light "Two fingers, three tops?"

"Depends," Tansy said. "Do you want to be a functional human being?"

"Eh, it may be too late for that, my darling," Elio joked.

"I'll settle for taking the edge off," Frank said.

They took turns tipping the flask and holding a splash of the tincture under their tongues. Frank went for seconds.

"Ease up," Tansy said.

"Nah."

Thirty minutes later, Frank wielded pen and paper, meticulously documenting the symptoms, stats, and miraculous abilities of the assembled group. Tansy sat next to him, while Elio and Leila played a lively game of 5000 at the opposite end of the table. They kept their voices low near the open window, enjoying the cool evening breeze.

"Urban Fucking Bard," Frank said, nodding with his whole body. "You're goddamn right, I am."

"Does a bard not sing?" Elio asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I am a man of many talents, Elio Rivera."

"Of that, I have no doubt."

Tansy perked up. "Give us a song!"

Frank shook his head. "Noooo."

"Aww, please?" Leila begged.

"Yeah!" Tansy insisted. "Cards on the table, Frank Chaplin. Entertain us."

"Ahh, I don't think so," Frank said, still writing.

"Come on," Tansy said with a mischievous grin. She leaned in and whispered, "You show me yours and I'll show you mine."

He paused mid-sentence, his pen hovering above the paper. He gave her such a look, her heart skipped a beat.

"Promise?"

His sudden intensity caught her off guard. She went still and counted her breaths. Whatever answer she wanted to give, on three, she whispered, "No."

He held her gaze for a long moment before nodding—ever so slightly—and putting pen to paper again.

"What are you even working on?" Leila said, breaking the spell.

Frank closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Okay, this is some pretty cool shit. Reminds me of an RPG I used to play." He stood and cleared his throat.

Sheepishly, he said, "I'm making character sheets for each of us."