Tank had texted at noon with the specificity of someone who had already decided everything:
Will be at your door by 6pm. Be available.
No context. No explanation. Just the time and the implicit understanding that questions were not part of the invitation.
Tank met him at the door of his apartment building that evening.
Not to talk. He handed Zeph a storage ring and said "from the group" and left before Zeph could ask questions, which was Tank's preferred method of delivering things he didn't want to discuss emotionally.
-----
The storage ring contained more than Zeph was prepared for.
He sat on his bed and emptied it onto the desk in the specific way of someone who expected a modest contribution and was recalibrating in real time.
CV watched from the nest with compound eyes that communicated no surprise whatsoever.
Several items. Pooled from The Twelve's combined resources.
