Madeline
Mattias tried to processes several things at once. Annika. The Angels. Frida. *Frida...*

"She seemed terrified. Desperate," They started, thinking out loud. "Why— if she really did come from. From a cult, they'd no doubt brainwash any possible out their members could see. To prevent them from leaving, or being rescued willingly." But... "If that did happen, though, why did Annika come to Newton's Cradle? A more outspoken personality *Could* Mean Frida was more comfortable with expressing herself: more integrated into the Angels. Still, it doesn't necessarily makes sense for one member to trust us enough to protect her and another to be as scared as Frida was. There's disconnect."

They could almost *Hear* The fans whirring in their mind, the brass cogs turning. Words came easier, as they always did in these times. Making connections. "How much do the Angels know about life outside of the group? And... What was Annika running from, that made her so desperate? Did she come willingly at all? Did Frida really come to locate her? If not, *Why was she there*?" There had to be some ulterior motive. If the Angels had sent Frida, why her? Margo had already noted that she wasn't exactly a master at stealth, and surely if Annika was important they would have sent someone more skilled. Frida had been completely caught off guard when the security officer saw her. Not to mention, what was Frida planning to do once she'd gotten inside? Wander aimlessly? As if Annika would be out in the open?

Annika's location was their strongest lead, but also the most dangerous. Even confirming she was inside would run the risk of exposing them to both the Newton's Cradle staff and to the Angels. That was, if they could find her. She was probably stowed somewhere safe and unassuming. Secret.

Luckily, finding secrets was their specialty.

Mattias relayed their thoughts to Margo, flipping through their handbook to see anything they could have missed.
Jeannie
◆ "Hm." Margo's brow furrowed in thought. "Those halos are likely how the Big Sister breaks the will and minds of the others, so maybe Annika's was broken, or otherwise dispelled. Otherwise I doubt she'd have even left; maybe an accident cracked it and as soon as her clarity came back she realized she was around a bunch of murderous strangers and ran. I just... Wonder. Did she run here? Or was she interred?"

□ Theories abound, but no solid answers. All Margo and Matti could do from each side of the couch was throw ideas at the metaphorical dartboard and hope one of them hit the bullseye, and it was what they were doing, but Margo also began to think more about the occasional oddities she'd noticed while passing by Valio's room in the small hours of the morning. According to the registry, she was in a double but had no roommate, and her rumbling voice was unmistakable, so why could she hear a second, fainter voice sometimes?

▪︎ She let out the mother of all sighs and fished out a crumpled pack of Marlboros.

◆ "Let's step outside for a few, then... Me and you. We're going to do a little investigating. I have a hunch about where Annika might be sequestered, and I think there'd be safety in numbers. You smoke?"
Madeline
It was nice. A warm and clear feeling, sunlight running through honey or something equally vague and poetic. To be taken seriously. Soon their analytical brain came back online and ran everything they'd come across before against— *If Big Sister's haloes are the way she breaks wills, unconfirmed, but specific as a wild guess, Margo can likely back it up or at least has something to indicate it's true, she at the very least is parahuman, but probably uses some mix of technology and normal brainwashing, probably a good degree of emotional manipulation, maybe blackmail— if she's calling herself 'Big Sister', she's probably selling the 'family' angle, might be holding members who have close relationships hostage*—

They tried to calm their thoughts slightly, holding out a better course of action like coaxing a dog with a bone. *Investigating*, they told themself. *We're going investigating*. They pulled their hair back and tied it in a neat ponytail at the base of their neck, freeing up their peripheral vision. They slid their glasses off their face and clipped them into a holster on their satchel, clutching their handbook and pen in their right hand. 

"No," They responded. "I don't smoke." In fact, they nearly couldn't stand the smell, but they weren't about to tell Margo that. It likely wouldn't bother them, so long as they could see it was *Margo* And not. Someone else. Matti stood abruptly and walked towards the door, hovering as they waited for Margo to lead the way.
Jeannie
◆ "Alright. Figured I'd offer. Anyways..."

□ She groaned stood up, and made her way to the door, slipping on her boots and popping it open.

• [Five Minutes Later...]

◆ "This is where I do my business past curfew." Margo explained as she turned a corner and fixed her sight on a trashcan. Insignificant as it seemed, this vessel of filth and refuse was the stepping stone that led over the wall set between two buildings, a small alleyway formed between them and apparently free of cameras or snoops. Hopping up onto the bin, she quickly leapt and hoisted herself over it, dropping the eight or so feet to the ground with a muffled *Thud* And a groan. Once Matti made his way over as well, Margo lit up her cigarette and leaned against the wall.

▪︎ "We're safe to talk here." If it was any other night, she'd have been talking at full volume, but Frida had *Just* Ran off; who knew how many other angels were lurking in the dark? "Valio is hiding Annika, and I'm fucking *Sure* Of it. The problem is, Valio tends to be aloof and distant, so knocking isn't guaranteed to get us anywhere. She also works as a bartender, and if she's there tonight then nothing's stopping us from simply... Hm. I don't know how else we'd get to look inside. It's either we knock, Val opens the door a crack, and I give it the mother of all boot kicks to slam it open, or we figure out how to bug the room from the outside. Either way, we're going there." She took a drag of her cigarette and let the smoke cascade from betwixt teeth stained by years of heavy tea drinking and a recent habit of eating lemons raw. "This might get dicey. If it goes south, *Split.* I'll take the fall, and any punishment, you just have to get the *Fuck* Out of Dodge if Val starts to swing, or if a guard stumbles on us effectively busting into someone else's room past curfew. We're in this mess now, and we've got to see it through to the end... No matter what happens to me. Any objections? Thoughts?"
Madeline
A small, intangible thrill ran through Matti as they quietly (or at least, as quiet as they could muster to be) hopped over the wall to join Margo. *Investigating*, it hummed. Content. *Investigating with an ally*. 

*Friend.* Matti told it. *Nobody uses the word 'ally'.*

As they landed on the other side they flipped open to their notes on Valio. There wasn't much and it rankled, as being uninformed always did. They flipped to another page and tried to focus on making a plan. 

"What can you do?" They asked blatantly. "We may not need to break in. I may be able to hear if someone's inside— but only if they're hiding." Explaining their abilities was difficult. They'd never had to do it before, at least not to someone who they thought would listen. *Margo would. Does,* They realized. *Listen.*

It made the slight anger in them burn brighter, as Margo detailed how she wanted Matti to essentially *Abandon* Her at the first hint of trouble. They knew they didn't look or even act like it most of the time, but they could take care of themself. They'd been doing it for ten years. They weren't a child. Yet however much their damaged pride hissed at being unintentionally wounded, the bigger part of their anger stemmed from the sheer *Assumption* Of it. That Matti would just. Leave Margo. To deal with being caught, or even *Hit*. By herself. "No matter what happens to me," She said, like Matti wouldn't tear down brick walls with their hands to follow her into danger. Well, this danger, at least. It had been twice now Margo had protected them. Kindness, many little times over. They knew Margo was used to protecting. To throwing herself in harm's way. It probably wasn't healthy. Still. She'd earned their loyalty. Whether she wanted it or not. Mattias wasn't letting her assume all the risk.

"I'm not leaving you behind," They said, voice unwavering. If they'd been a bit stronger, maybe they would have made eye contact. Instead, they shrugged. "Otherwise, we can improvise."
Jeannie
◆ "I mean, my left eye can see x-ray *And* Infrared, alongside ultraviolet, but... Infrared isn't very useful here, ultraviolet is *Useless,* And I don't actually know if I can see through the walls here. It's..." She let out a sigh. "It's mostly just a party trick right now. I can see through people's hands, or maybe through a strongbox, but it's always very diffuse; my eyes don't magically generate their own wavelengths, they simply pick them up, and it's much harder to find a portable x-ray source than a backlight or whatnot."

□ Speaking with a faint amount of shame, it was weakness showing itself right as she was plotting to bust down the door of a woman who could have screwed her head off of her shoulders and shit down her neck. Maybe this *Wasn't* The best time, but it also needed to be said; her powers, despite years of practice, were still heavily limited by their inability to generate their own sources, and this was proving to be a huge issue here. She didn't *Want* To have to barge into Valio's room, but she also wasn't prone to delusions.

▪︎ The facts were already known, and it was that despite Valio's pacifist nature she was still very secluded and shadowy, and unlikely to answer a random knock on the door past curfew.

◆ "Great, actually. If Annika *Is* In there, she's almost certainly consumed by the fear of being discovered, or of being handed back over to the angels. You'd likely be able to spot her out, then." She spoke through a cloud of cigarette smoke. "Also, this isn't a matter of you being weak, or whatever seems to be bothering you. It's a matter of it being better for only one of us to be caught than both. You could just slip away and keep fighting the battle while I'm stuck mopping the floors or whatever the punishment would be. I'll straight up throw you if I have to, you're not coming down with me if things go south. I'm not letting it happen."
Madeline
Matti paused, flipped to Margo's entry.

*X-ray.* They scribbled down. Then, glancing to make sure Margo wasn't looking, *Ultraviolet??? Infrared??? Similar sensing of wavelengths.*

They closed the book as more conflict ripped through them. On the one hand, Margo's logic *Did* Make sense. It was better for one of them to be caught, so that the other could continue investigating. 

"It's the principle," They argued. "I don't want to leave you alone to take all of the consequences for a situation we're in together. I could just as easily take the punishment— in fact, it might be better that way. Newton's Cradle has already dubbed me..." Well. "Mentally unstable" Wasn't exactly the best thing to tell the friend (friend!) you were about to commit minor crime with. "...To be in a *Delicate* State of mind. Horrors from the abyss and dead dogs, and all. They know that sometimes the pull from my abilities is overwhelming, if not unavoidable. That means they'll probably be more lenient." In fact, mentioning it seemed to pull their senses back to the forefront of their mind— it took deep, deliberate breaths, the fine-microscope-focusing of their thoughts to make the sudden crash of input fade into the background. The breaths also reminded them of the real question they were supposed to be answering, instead of dissuading Margo from effectively sacrificing herself. 

"Either way, if we don't get caught this conversation is irrelevant. I think our first step is to find a time where Valio is either out or we suspect she's talking to Annika, so that I can listen in."
Jeannie
◆ "Maybe." If it was on principle, she wasn't shaking Matti from his post. Figures she'd be stuck with someone who didn't know how to simply turn tail, run, and let a willing martyr take the fall. "But mentally unstable or not, you're better equipped to snoop than I am. All I can do is listen and observe, man, you've got so much more potential with your powers. All I am is just... Brawn, and a distraction."

□ She bit down on the filter of her cigarette, crushing it between the crowns of her teeth and looking up at a ledge built into the wall for some reason. A bird's nest lay upon it, branches and straw intertwined with determination and bird spit, and though she couldn't hear anything from it over the sounds of the various vents and fans whirring away on each wall she almost felt as if it was certainly inhabited. Maybe it was just her nerves going slightly haywire, but whatever the case she knew that time was ticking, and that every moment spent out in the dead Swedish chill was a moment that could have been spent snooping around and trying to figure out the best way to get the answers the pair sought.

▪︎ Back to the topic at hand.

◆ "Only an idiot commits a crime without an alibi and a contingency plan." She scoffed. "But, maybe we'll make it out unscathed and out of trouble. Who knows, man." The cigarette slipped loose from her lips and fell down to the earth, still smouldering two-thirds of the way down but seemingly cast away because she decided she was done wasting time. "The only person I can think of who would know if Valio is working is Esmeralda Baltimore, but it'd be foolish to approach her. We're flying solo; God keep us safe, huh?"

• How *Ironic;* They were going looking for angels on earth, and Margo was calling out to God for protection.
Madeline
Matti smiled, their eyes (metaphorically) lighting up. Though being called an idiot, even (maybe) jokingly, smarted (they *Knew* They didn't know things. Normal things that people learned in school. Ultraviolet and infrared), the feeling of shame was far outweighed by mounting excitement. It had been a while since they'd had a *Real* Investigation going, discounting— (discounting too many teeth and too many eyes and claws like mountains and the smear of red)— the woods. "God keep us safe," They echoed. *And guide us* They added in their head. *Let my eyes see what conceals itself, let my ears hear what hides. Let me witness that which I seek, in this moment.*

They could sense Margo's restlessness, no, maybe impatience, and gave her a small, barely restrained smile. "Where should we wait? Should we go to Valio's now, as a preliminary check? Or go back to your dorm?" *Or,* They belatedly realized. *Mine.* Matti's dorm was barren, the little supplies they had scattered and messy across the various surfaces. It would be more private than the room Margo shared with Uriel— *Uriel*, they thought suddenly. 

"What does Uriel know? I mean. What should and shouldn't I discuss in front of them. If it's nothing, it might be better to wait in my dorm room."
Jeannie
◆ "Uri won't tell me a fucking thing." Margo spat. "I've asked them several times, and it's always either been vague responses or they feign a text from Owen and then leave. They're a good friend, but my God, it's clear they know way more than they're letting on."

□ There was an undercurrent of angst and heartbreak beneath her suddenly vicious spiel. This, however, was not from a place of malice, but instead from a place of emotional turmoil. Over the past two months, they'd grown pretty close, or at least she thought so, yet every time she pressed the question Uri never budged, never divulged whatever they knew, never even gave her a *Whiff* Of a trail to follow. Perhaps, then, this wasn't simply for her own sake, but also because she knew she was being kept in the dark, and the knowledge had been eating her alive from the inside out like a writhing mass of worms.

▪︎ She pushed off the wall.

◆ "Who said we need a room?" Hypothetical rather than serious, she had clearly set her mind to getting to the bottom of this whole mystery amplified to ear-splitting intensity by Uriel's refusal to say anything and by the Angels showing up night after night. They *Knew* More than the general population of Newton's Cralde, it seemed, and something about that just didn't sit right. "Need help getting over the wall? There isn't exactly a stepping stone here like the outside; I'll boost you if you need."
Madeline
Matti looked at the wall, and then at Margo. They had to crane their neck slightly. They narrowed their eyes. *Fucking tall people. Being tall.* Matti it wasn't a slight, and that they probably couldn't get back up over the wall without Margo's help. It was only Margo's friendship, and the bribe of further investigation, that prevented them from being bitter. 

"I think I'll need a boost." They flipped their handbook closed and tucked it into the pocket of their jeans along with their pen. Meanwhile, they thought about what Margo had called "Contingency plans" And "Alibis". They knew about the concepts, mostly, but hadn't ever practiced either themself. It would probably be useful, when investigating in the future. Or stumbling on dead bodies. They shivered. Bad memories.
Jeannie
◆ "Alright."

□ Kneeling down, Margo's mind shifted into gear, moving the tendons and ligaments that controlled her arms and legs until, like a human piece of furniture, she was knelt down next to the wall with her hands offered out and her feet firmly planted into the dirt. She'd clearly done this before, but how many times? How many nights had she spent back home boosting her friends over walls and fences, chiseled physique put to work carrying her friends around and freeing herself from the gated shackles of her rich community.

▪︎ She looked up at Matti.

◆ "Well?" She broke the silence after a moment. "Step on, I'll help you over it."
Madeline
Matti hesitantly used Margo's foothold to boost themself up to the wall, before reaching and almost immediately retracting a hand to help her up, recalling the ease with which she had gotten over the wall in the first place. They slid themself over, fidgeting to wait until Margo had joined them and walking back to the dorms, trailing behind her. With each footstep, they worried. They hadn't exactly... *Told* Margo about the unpredictability of their powers, the fact that they could just as well focus on the ill-concealed sobbing from one of the upper floors (Matti was. Really concerned for the inhabitant of that room) rather than the sounds actually pertinent to the investigation. Proximity would probably help. Hopefully. The only other option would be Opening their Sight, which they *Really* Didn't want to do. If at all possible. As it was, their Sight was half-open, occasionally still malfunctioning and blurry, like when first waking up. Opening it, Opening their eyes, would allow them to see more. But it also. 

They shivered as they remembered opening their Sight to look at Gabe. They still didn't know *What* That reaction was, if it was only a result of their powers clashing or if it was something wrong with them. They prayed it wouldn't repeat again.
Jeannie
◇ And, so Margo boosted Matti up and then scaled the wall like it was nothing.

□ On the other side, Margo wasn't exactly chatty compared to before. A distinct shift had occurred in her demeanour, from speculation and conspiracy to action over words, a determined expression mixing with caution and an eye always over her shoulder. This, by definition, was Margo in the midst of one of her great teenage trespasses, gut feeling and dying gumshoe dreams making one last hurrah before they were ultimately replaced by a future full of reptiles, frogs, and languages dead for thousands of years.

▪︎ It was the truth or nothing at all, and she wasn't exactly willing to leave empty-handed.

○ [Back Inside...]

◆ "Remember." Margo spoke in hushed tones as the pair eclipsed the third floor landing, boots against tile floor and a hint of worry in her voice. "This goes south, get the fuck out. We'll... Listen in through the door, first. One as a lookout, one as an ear. Then, we either knock, or you can peek through. Like we established, Annika is definitely intentionally hiding, so that should help. Are you ready to do this?"
Madeline
*Are you ready, Mattias?*

They supposed it didn't really matter. They'd been feeling it ever since they'd gotten to the hallway— ever since they'd gotten up the stairs. The pull. Glasses off, earbuds out. Everything was *Loud*, and *Bright*. They fumbled for Margo's arm as they neared what must have been Valio's door. *Fuck*, their eyes *Hurt*, and they would have tried to blink away phantom tears if their gaze wasn't locked on the spyhole of the door. *Somethingistheresomethingishidingsomeoneishiding* Pulsed around their eye sockets. They took another step, their ears straining. Someone was talking.

Two people?

The voices were quiet, even to Matti's improved hearing. They were too focused to understand what the conversation was about— it wasn't what was hiding anyway. Everything in them tunneled onto a single heartbeat, feather light and rabbit quick with underlying fear. Breaths that forced calm, that only barely lost the edge of distrust. The rustling sound of fabric and fidgeting. Weight shifting on a chair. The startled *Swish* Of hair from a head gazing out a window towards some loud, sudden piece of ambient noise. They dug their nails into Margo's arm and forced their vision back, grueling as stopping a tsunami with a beach towel. 

Slowly, but surely, they sank back into their own skin, the amalgamation of sound and sight and burning eyes folding back into Mattias Gates. Their own breathing, labored, grew louder in their ears. The heartbeat and *Inhale* And shifting and *Exhale* Faded. With fumbling hands they slipped their sunglasses over their eyes, shoving in earbuds to block out the remaining cacophony.

*"They're both in there,"* They whispered to Margo voice sounding louder than they remembered it being. "*Talking about something— I couldn't tell. But Annika's in there, talking to someone else. Valio.*"
Jeannie
◇ Meanwhile...

□ Admittedly, Margo wasn't actually all that familiar with Matti's powerset. She knew the keywords, or at least thought she did – unveiling the truth, discovering the waterfront, screaming out into the void and getting answers – but as his arms fumbled for hers and his nails dug into her arm there was a very real discomfort that began to bubble in her stomach. Something about this seemed rather invasive, but at the same time she was the one whose first plan was to knock, wait for a crack, then put every ounce of strength into her right leg and completely send the door flying off of its hinges. Comparatively, this method was surreptitious and possessed the cloak and dagger element she'd failed to capture herself.

○ Then, the answer came back, and a breath hitched in her throat for a split second before being forced down.

◆ "Bingo." Margo grinned, wiry and self-assured. "I fucking knew it. I knew I was onto something." Taking a few steps towards the door, she knocked hard, three times, then a soft fourth, like a percussive signature.

• She cleared her throat. 

★ "Valio, Annika..." She began, her voice certain and firm. "Öppna er. En annan ängel var här." **[Open up. Another angel was here.]**

○ Moment of truth.
Lynn
Valio's eye flickers to the door lazily, she stands from her bed palms against her legs or leverage her ungloved hands pressing and sinking against fabric. She casts a look to Annika who's panicked movements wrinkle laid fabric against the other beds sheets. Annika presses herself up to a corner away from sight of the doorway. Valio, just bending slightly due to her height, watches the poor girl. The room is silent from the disturbance, from the girl that spoke their names. 

Valio sighs and takes one long stride to land herself perfectly in front of the door. She takes a moment to look at her horribly scarred hands which are taking on a charcoal tint at her fingers to her knuckles, her skin mangled and warped skin stretching to cover areas ripped and crushed by things she does. She takes her leather gloves which are conveniently placed on a dresser by the door sliding them on her wizened hands. 

She braces her right hand against the door and her left on the knob, her nerves unfeeling against anything and everything even the blissful touch of cold steel which warms to almost seemingly scalding temperatures due to Valio's hand. The heat of her form seemingly slipping out into the hallway which harbours the dastardly children housing curiosity which only paves a road to an unlikely end. She opens the door wide enough to see Valio's face but not open enough to really do Valio's size justice, only to show an intimidating form of height and size against the teenagers. 

"Another, you say?"

.

Valio questions Margo with a chilling stare, the middle of her eye seemingly pulsing with the blue that swirls silently in its own colours. If you looked close enough it looks like it was torn and ripped but that was for another time. The air was tense and Valio wore a heavy frown. Her trust was quickly betrayed by Uriel who promised her they wouldn't tell a soul, oh how quickly her fickle trust is thrown away... A shame. That's the conclusion she came to. Her body tensed and her left hand moved from the knob to in front of her in a clenched fist. 

The look she held was pure calm yet she couldn't push aside the small pang of sorrow that she'd been tossed aside so quickly. She noticed the other who was glued to the girls side like a parasite leeching off whatever they could. 

She wanted answers that didn't harm. 

"Why are you here considering who I'm holding has already been given away."

Her tone is low and slightly demanding, her smooth almost old sounding tone sliding off the walls for the hallway like water.
Jeannie
◆ "Yes, and you didn't give her away. She isn't an unwanted puppy, she's apparently the crown jewel of those cultists out in the industrial park, and due to my friend here's powers..." Margo confidently replied, the lilt of her voice showing that she *Knew* She wasn't just talking nonsense. "I know someone else is in here. I've heard you talking, and a voice talking back, in the small hours of the morning, when I roam the halls and plan out each day. I've... Been digging, Valio; mostly because Uri won't tell me a fucking thing, honestly..." 

□ The knife still twisted itself in her chest with each word. Uriel was someone who she believed was truthful with her when it mattered, so why was it that they refused to say anything, no matter how Margo approached the question? *Not important,* She decided, and thus the thought was cast away as if the knife had been pulled out and thrown down a sewer drain. Now, it was the comedically smaller yet clearly astute Margo against the defensive, leery Valio, bands of turquoise and periwinkle swaying in her eye like sheets on a clothesline, and it was the kind of standoff that, were it not for her sheer unwillingness to back down from causes that mattered to her, she'd have never initiated.

▪︎ After all, she had *No* Idea what Valio's powers actually were, and even if they were a non-factor the taller girl still towered a foot above and would have been at least three weight classes above her in the boxing ring.

◆ "I know you have someone. I'm... Not here to cause trouble. I'm not here for the purpose of spreading rumours, nor am I here to sell Annika out." Margo continued, fishing a lollipop out of her back pocket and popping it in her mouth. "I just want the truth. Uri hasn't given me a crumb, so I've done my own digging."

○ "And, Annika?" Margo called out. "You might be scared of me, of my partner, but we don't mean any harm. If anything, we want to help keep you safe, but goddammit, we can't do that if your mere existence is kept under so many locks, keys, and sewn lips that it makes a torture room look like IV drips full of heroin, endless blowjobs, and the world's most exquisite food on banquet."
Madeline
Mattias did not know what the fuck was going on. 

That was an overstatement. Still, there was clear, *Palpable* Tension, the kind so blatant it didn't register to their powers. Thick enough to cut with a knife, or, Matti thought eyeing the figure in the doorway, split like the skull of two people who'd stumbled into something they *Really* Shouldn't have. Most of their actual consciousness was still riding the mild high of relief after reigning in their powers (their ears were ringing, they registered vaguely), so they didn't get a chance to actually *Listen* To what Margo and probably-Valio were talking about. *My partner*, they registered Margo saying with a far-away, fuzzy sort of elation. *Like partners in crime. Or detectives.* 

As the ringing started to fade, they fumbled with the latch on their satchel, unwrapping a mint as quietly as they could. *Please just ignore me. Just let me fade into the background like always.* It probably wouldn't be difficult: Margo had the kind of drive and *Presence* That people tended to take note of, even without talking to her. Matti pushed their glasses further up onto their face, and hid behind Margo and a the curtain of their hair. 

Unfortunately with the return of their senses, their heart started to hammer again. *Fuck. She's going to kill us.* They could make out Margo promising— promising that they'd keep quiet, that they wouldn't tell anyone. Which was true. Probably. Weird metaphors and references aside. The figure in the doorway still looked murderous. *Valio threat update* They swore to themself internally. *If we don't get our lights knocked out here. At **Least** An 11. Maybe as far as a 13.* For now, they stayed quiet, letting Margo do the talking. As long as they didn't contribute, they figured they had no way to fuck up whatever hesitant truce had formed.