Sister Waletta begins praying. She's still considering prying Mr. Aarons away, but she hesitates to do that if it might result in an even greater shock to Ayers.

"Are you doing alright?" he calls to Ayers. Not that this is a sensible question or one Ayers can necessarily answer beyond head movements.

"Come inside," he croaks.

Lev is going to do this WHILE CONTINUING TO HOLD AYERS' HAND.

He follows.

He... also follows. What else is he going to do.

George Ayers takes them to a place inside the canyon. He gives them water in a little hand-carved cup; there is only one, so they have to share it.

Fresh water has never tasted as good as it does right now.

Ayers moves with deliberation, never stumbling when he steps, never rushing to move, never distracted from the focus of his attention, rarely blinking. He wastes no motion.

He does his best to take small sips and not drink all their water in one gulp.

There's something odd about Ayers. A good odd. Almost like those Eastern mystics Lacie used to read about who reached enlightenment.

"What did you have to talk to me about?"

MORDRED should handle the cult questions and LEV should handle the emotions. Is there anything an Oswald is qualified to say. "We found the epitaph you left. At Dallol. We didn't know what had happened to you."

Flop flop flop flop on the shoulder of✨HIS LOVER ✨

Who does not seem to be suffering from any novel mouth-related problems.

"I buried the dead. Before I had... not seen them as who they are. I regretted that. The nuns found me and taught me. They could have killed me. Thought about it. Didn't. Thought I still had... a role to play in the divine plan."

These are the most sentences he has said at one time in eight years.

"...Because everyone does, or a specific role, or... I'm sorry. I know talking must be difficult."

"Both."

✨george ✨ george ✨ george ✨

Does Sister Waletta know what the specifics are there? He doesn't want to drag it out of Ayers.

"I'm glad that... in the end, both of you... were able to..." gesture. Survive? Leave the cult? See each other again? Who knows.

"Me too."

Hesitantly and uncertainly he begins to pet Lev's hair. Not as if he expects this to be rejected, but as if this is a gesture he has not really performed for several years and is not sure if he's doing it right.

happy happy happy happy happy

That's. Good. Mordred is absolutely not going to think about whether it is going to kill Ayers because he doesn't want to jinx himself even though that's not how anything works.

"Do you know what the divine plan... was?"

"Bullshit."

Ayers is going to DIE SUDDENLY in LEV'S ARMS and Lev will be INCONSOLABLE FOREVER. Oswald is not avoiding this thought at all.

Okay that's not helpful. "A kind of bullshit with specific actions and people and timeframes involved, though?"

"Their god is not real."

Maybe not the most politic thing to say in front of a nun but whatever, at least it's been said now. "Well, yes," Mordred agrees, "but they've still had knowledge that helped in the past?"

Hmph.

Is the overt atheism really conducive to not dying you guys. Not that he knows how not dying works.