Can I borrow your calm again?

Having made up her mind to turn herself into the authorities, a day or two after her visit with Pol, Gen approached August between sets at the Cabaret. "Hi August. Do you have a few minutes to spare?"

"Certainly," August told her. "Do you want to take a short walk outside? I could use the fresh air," he added, glancing around the smoke-filled green room.

"Sure, sounds good. I'll just grab my jacket and be right back. You got some warm clothes?" Gen didn't think she'd ever get used to the cold winter temperatures in Diablotin. After bundling herself up, she headed back to the green room and out into the alley with August.

"So, how have you been?"

"Same as always," he said, drawing his heavily darned and patched cardigan closer about him. "How about you?"

"Pretty good, thanks. Pretty good for me, anyway." Gen paused before barrelling onwards, acutely conscious of the fact that she was supposed to be inside the Cabaret clearing tables, not chatting with performers in the back alley. "You know how Patience mentioned whatever divine power has claimed me could be something old and forgotten?" Gen related what the researcher Sanadhil Orecalo had suggested: that it could be one of the ancient powers of Psyra, since that is where everything had happened to her. "I gave him permission to make some inquiries on my behalf.  He has a friend in Psyra who studies their pre-colonial and pre-conversion history.

"And I also found Polly, who was in my squadron in the war." Gen described what Polly had related to her about what happened the night of the boy and the fire.  "She... also confirmed that there may be truth to the allegations of war crimes.  They let her off if she would agree to work for them at an experimental farm near the city.  She is probably the most innocent of wrongdoing out of all of us, so I'm glad for her. Anyway... they might not know where I am, and I don't want to be a fugitive from justice.  So I am planning to turn myself in so I can find out what I might be charged with.  But I know that is going to be stressful for me, so I was hoping you might be able to accompany me.  I'm going to need a friend.  Dorien doesn't think it's a good idea for me to turn myself in, or I'd have asked him.

"Would you be willing and able to do this for me?  I don't expect you to defend me.  I just need your calm."

August looked pensive. "I think it would be good to deal with this promptly, so it's not hanging over your head any longer. At the worst, at least you'll know, and that's something. And I would be honoured to come with you, at least as far as I'm able - I don't know whether it's the kind of thing where they'd allow someone who isn't directly involved in the situation to be present for ... interrogations or the like."

Gen felt an immediate sense of relief. "Thank you, M. Merrion. I wouldn't expect you to come into interrogations with me. I would need a lawyer for that. I really just want them to know I take responsibility for my actions."

"That's a good first step," August said, patting her on the back. "I can't promise that the outcome will be easy, but I hope that, whatever happens, you can take comfort in that."