Beyari leaned back, ready to rehash how she usually explained Mind-sense to other people. "I can sense nearby people's emotions that are on the surface passively. I can sense them more acutely if I focus, but it's got a high risk of those emotions sweeping me away and throwing me off-balance, so I avoid doing that. Conversely, I can also block my Mind-sense out if I focus in the opposite direction."

Beyari laughed so hard when QWERTY explained what ae and Commander Urrang (and a bunch of other mechs, including the two cute Infini'Tech Labs Courier-series 'bots she had met the other day) had been working on. "So diabolical!"

Sifting through the data the mechs gathered was easier to arrange; Steirdrar was already visiting the Afterglow fairly often, after all. Agent Ket noticed him working with QWERTY immediately but when her inquiry got responded only with him helping with one of QWERTY's projects, she backed off with a smile and a "glad to see you two're getting along."

Steirdrar tried not to think that he was being led into a trap as he followed QWERTY into one of the more secluded warehouses. There was a gathering of mechs, no organics, already there — including the two courier 'bots he had taken with him when he had defected. Cou-1 and Cou-2 both chirped greetings the moment they spotted him, their digital faceplates immediately smiling.

"You're frustrated." Steirdrar startled. "Oh, QWERTY. Sorry, when did you get here?" QWERTY's face remained blank. "The warehouse: five minutes ago. Your vicinity: one minute and counting ago."

The first sun had already risen by the time Beyari emerged from the plant room. QWERTY eyed her and the harvested lemongrass she carried to the galley. "One of those dreams again?" "Yeah." Beyari set up the kettle to boil water. "Rough enough to make Yak-Dayn cry."