And there's Rhea! Food of the day is shortbread cookies. She's not talking to the pigeons right now, although she does look expectantly at new ones that cycle in.

"Hi! Which one is it?"

<One of the ones close enough to hear you. You haven't told anyone about the talking pigeon, have you?>

"Nuh-uh, not a soul."

Aww. Trouble flutters into her lap and coos again.

She beams and snuggles him.

<And you're not going to, right? You already know enough to make our lives miserable. Or short.>

"I won't," agrees Rhea. "I don't want the cult to get you. I don't even know anybody in the Sharing, far as I know."

<I love you,> says Trouble, stealing a cookie out of her hand. It is much too big for him.

<Do you want to help go after the evil cult?> inquires Bella.

"Well... help how? What do you guys do?"

<We're still gathering information. I'd rather avoid toe-to-toe fighting if possible. We can turn into animals, but they have all kinds of resources that make the risk of casualties very high even if we're lions and tigers and bears.>

<Tigers are fluffy,> Trouble contributes.

<Yes,> sighs Bella. <They are. Anyway. Right now one of us is observing the entrance to a cult hideout to see if there's anything worth overhearing. When we know enough to formulate a plan, we can go in, do some damage, go out.>

Coo coo. Trouble is halfway through his stolen cookie.

"So - what would I do? I'm not a ninja or anything."

<I don't know yet. I don't know what I'm going to need. But you already know a lot, and I don't want you getting curious and starting to ask random possible cult members ->

"I would not!"

<Don't interrupt me. You might know that, Iago here might believe you, I need to balance risks as best I can and I don't know you. Right now you know too much and the only benefit is that Iago gets snuggles. You could be an asset, instead of walking disaster potential.>

Trouble coos and snuggles up to Rhea's nearest arm.

Rhea hugs him. "I'm not gonna hurt you guys."

<I'm not thrilled about betting my life on it. But since I don't have a choice about that, I'm trying to see if I can salvage anything useful out of the situation.>

"If you want me to, like, tell you if I notice the Sharing doing... stuff... I can do that."

Snuggle snuggle.