"I admit I wasn't expecting this cold a welcome, but maybe I should've been."

"How did you find me," he whispers.

"Pure coincidence. Ran into the old lady on the street, just like she said."

Spider glances back fearfully. "Dao! Go back inside—he's dangerous—"

- At that Beila steps around the corner of Meng's bean trellis.

Spider catches sight of her and freezes again.

"He's—is he? Are you? What is going on?" says Dao. He doesn't have clear line-of-sight to Beila, so he doesn't notice her stepping into view of the door.

"Beila?"

"You know the Avatar?"

"I - I'm - what - okay," says Dao. "One thing at a time. Can we please not have this conversation shouting through a doorway."

"Is it really that much safer at this point for us all to stand around confusing each other in public?" he asks. "Come on. I know these people. Beila's my girlfriend," he emphasizes, hoping Spider will remember that Dao's girlfriend knows things about him, hoping this will be at least a tiny bit reassuring. "Please?"

Jun tries to look nonthreatening.

Jun steps inside. More curious than dubious, really.

"Spirits, what a clusterfuck," Dao mutters, as Spider retreats to the kitchen to put the kettle on. "Look. Can I. Can I just. Everyone here is an okay person that I know and like, please stop looking like you're expecting each other to start shit at any moment, I think that is the kind of thing that ends up being self-fulfilling?"

Dubiousness. So much of it. "When exactly did you make friends?"

"Thiiiiis morning look it's complicated."

"I'm getting that. So, explain, and maybe if the explanation is super good I can calm down."

"I'm not sure I'm that good at explanations!"

"Then you might have to settle for me being kind of on edge, but I'm not attacking anyone or glowing, see?"