Rex thought about what the streets they walked through showed him.
The creatures they passed moved with a certain caution upon seeing him. It was a studied way of avoiding direct acknowledgment, distinct from the way people on the street often overlook things.
They knew who had been in the yard. News of the fight with Gelion had spread, and the sight of Rex walking through the Underlayer's central district with Lilith by his side—his Lustful Villain's mask glinting in the fungal light—had circulated through the Underlayer's social network at a speed typical for significant events.
A cluster of voices started up behind him, at a distance calculated to be respectful.
"That's him."
"I know that's him. I was there. I watched him throw Gelion through the courtyard wall."
"Which wall."
"The outer one."
A pause.
"...the stone one."
"Yes, the stone one."
Another voice, which was lower in tone, belonged to a creature with a wider chest than the first two. "He's surface-trained..."
