Cricket looks up at Tim.

"I don't think you're a murderer, I was trusting you not to do something stupid, and you didn't.  But I'm happy to help you catch as many knives as you want.  The looters are going to be stripping the area as soon as I'm ready, no reason you can't join us."

"All right. Sic Tess on it," sighs Cricket.

Typing noises come through the phone. "Yup. Shouldn't take any longer than the last one."

Tim sighs deeply.  "I'll tell them we'll start strip-mining the dungeon once the cage comes in, then.  Traceless, okay if I text you in a few minutes?  It sounds like you're, uh, literate right now?"

"Yup, texting will work fine."

"Cool.  I'll meet you at the portal when we have a cage then."  He's off to speak to to the CO again.  It's up to Summer whether she'd like to join him or head back to the tent for this fun little conversation.

She'll follow him, might as well get some guiding in.

Then the CO may have to restrain himself from laughing at the juxtaposition of Tim's resting bitch face and his hands all over Summer.  "Okay.  I'm good to help strip the place as soon as the replacement cage arrives.  Cricket is going to catch a knife to replace the one that's destroyed."

"Glad to hear it," says the CO phatically.

Tim glances around, checking to see whether they're being overheard.  Nobody nearby?  Good enough, at least.  "Look, I have no idea if that guy did the right thing or not.  I wasn't there.  I won't plan some stupid revenge scheme.  If there's a review and it says he did the right thing, I'll trust it."

"Great," says the CO, his voice level. "Do you need anything else from us, sir?"

"Just one thing.  Make sure everyone knows to not piss off the cat.  He's, uh.  Abrasive.  But everyone in that dungeon would be dead without him."  You'd think this would be in the briefing, but maybe you're not allowed to say 'the cat is a little shit but we have to suck it up' on official letterhead.

"If he wants to be a little bully just because he's got powers there's places that have to put up with that. Americans ought to be able to afford pros."

Tim shrugs.  "Yeah, he's not professional.  He's a monster cat.  He's not human.  But he's run a dungeon or two a day most days for the past ten years.  Run the math on how many lives he's saved doing it.  But if you can't work with him, turn down the assignment because your team can't be professional enough for two, and let someone else put up with him."  He's not wrong that Cricket's a little shit sometimes.

"Do you need anything else from us, sir."

"Nope.  I'll leave you to it."  He can't, actually, turn on his heel and storm off with Summer on his arm, but he sure wishes he could.  When he gets back to the tent, he flops on the couch in an incredibly frustrated heap.  "Uuuuggggghhhhhh."

"They use the 'but he saves so many lives' logic for people who, like, grope vics on the way out, too," Summer says after being quiet for a minute. "My last partner broke it off with her previous partner because he did that."

"People do that?!"  What the shit.  Why.  "What the - fucking.  Shit."

"At least that guy did! I didn't hear any vics complaining about Cricket besides that he's a monster at all, though, is he nicer to them?"

"I mean.  He's never really nice, but he's mostly keeping it under control.  I guess....I mean, I still stand by what I said, if you can't stand a few mean words you shouldn't be running dungeons anyway.  But.  Ugh."  I guess...if I had to choose, personally, between getting my ass grabbed and dying I'd fuckin' take my pants off for it, but what an awful thing to do to people.  He pauses, thinking.  "Was I out of line, do you think?"

"I don't think out of line but I dunno if it'll work."

He grumbles under his breath, "Oh, I know what'd work alright..."

"Huh?"

Tim mimes 'choking someone out', then flops back down in disgruntlement.  "I should let it go."  It won't do me any good to be mad about someone whose precious little feelings are more important than saving lives.  I'll chill out.

... any minute now.