The group split outside Gray Hand without ceremony. No promises to meet tomorrow, no awkward attempt to pretend they had become lifelong friends in the space of two trials and one contract.
They had all been wrung out too hard for that. Cale gave them a lazy two-finger salute and drifted off first, hands in his pockets again as if the last few hours had only mildly inconvenienced him. Helena left with even less than that. One nod, one turn, and she was gone into the evening with the same hard-backed stride she carried everywhere.
Snot lingered a little longer, mostly because Snot always lingered when he had the chance to fill air with noise, but even he ran out of fuel in the end. Alice left quietly after him. Neo watched them go, said nothing, and took a taxi home.
