She laughs a bit, and then they're on the road.

"It's not too long a drive from here - maybe ten minutes to town, then a few more to where we're gonna report the dunj closed."

"Is that where we have to tell people that I exist too?"

"Probably. They might make us go to the social security office or something for paperwork, dunno, I wasn't wielding Bridget when she woke."

She glances at Sasuke. He would probably know. But he didn't want to talk about it. So she won't ask.

"I was in a different area then, too. Bigger, had more dedicated offices. Stuff varies a lot place to place..."

"That seems... inconvenient."

"Humans aren't really good at getting along with each other, let alone agreeing on anything."

"They should try to be better."

"Hah. Is entertaining, though."

"I think we've established that your sense of humor and what is entertaining is strange."

"Delightfully so!"

"That part remains in question."

"I'll convince you, soon enough."

"How long have you been working on the others?"

"She's been trying with me close to a year. A bit less with Sasuke."

"How did you all meet?"

"I met Bridget the old fashioned way - someone had dropped her in a dunj, and my team found her. I was part of a bigger team back then - not as a wielder, as the radio intern. She pretty much synced only with me. Sasuke I met after I left that team, he actually approached me and offered a good deal for a team-up."

"'Radio intern'?"

"Interns are newbies in an organization. Sometimes paid, often not. Meant to be a sort of training experience, except usually they just have us do the boring and unpleasant tasks. I got stuck with the radio, trying to coordinate a bunch of quarreling dipshits."

"At least now you have fewer to manage?"

"Heh. I don't bother mediating too much now. It's a good change of pace."

"That's why you left?"

"Kind of? Didn't really like them much."