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I stared back

The toast popped up and we both ju So you’ll understand my head space: loyalty is an issue" Hallie buttered the toast before offering me two pieces

I took the bread "I don’t blame you, and I’d feel the saically, you have to tell s you don’t know"

"And vice versa" Hallie sat doith her toast and got busy tearing off the crusts, focusing on them instead of me "Let’s start with basics Do you knohat Chronos does?"

"What the world thinks it does, or what it really does?" I asked

"The world doesn’t know about Chronos"

"Mine does"

"The Hourglass?"

I nodded "For a long time, we just referred to Chronos as The Powers That Be We thought you were like … an absentee-landlord governing body According to Liam, that’s what Chronos used to be Protectors of tied a lot after that"

"They changed eventhewas the last thing on his mind Even less so now"

"What is?" I flipped open the top of the honey to pour some on my toast and waited for her to continue

"Industry He locates artifacts, artwork, jewelry, etc, and we go get them Most often, they’re related to tiers "That’s how he knehat horology was"

"Dad belongs to at least three different horological societies Anonyets his tips on what to steal?"

"The things he sends you to steal How does that work?"

"First, I gather intel on the jobs I learn work schedules, security syste lar" A stray drop of honey landed on the edge of er over it and licked it off "And now I’"

Hallie didn’t respond I thought I’d offended her, so at my hand "Hallie?"

"What?" she asked, startled "Sorry What did you just say?"

"Uer on a napkin "The jobs Chronos I thought your dad didn’t like for you to leave the house"

"That’s where the tiuy who can teleport We do jobs together, or we used to Dad trusted hi him was a stupid choice for both of us"

I tamped down the desire to tell her about Poe "How?"

"He sided with h it’s a really weird arrange and fros used to be They were either really good actors or they were happy at one point So more than a phase to her"

"You and your alaxy"

Sadness or anger dren the corners of her rief

"She calleda bunch of hints, and that’s one reason why your revelation at Lafitte’s didn’t surprise et bedti we had in co for so that Chronos had retrieved But she used one of the few soft spots I have for her againstlass I wanted to call her a liar, but … things have changed for me Recently Another reason you didn’t surprise me"