Reverie had seen his homeland at all hours of the night. He had seen it bustling with people ready to go home to their families or favorite TV shows. He had seen it in the later hours when only drunkards and insominics could be caught wandering around. He had seen it in the really dark parts when criminals would accumulate in the shadows of the alleys to plot their next target. He had seen it early in the morning, at the time when barely anyone considered it morning. He had seen when the sun began to peek above the horizon hesitantly like a small child making sure their parents were awake before they started playing. He had seen when the early birds came out of their homes to catch that slippery worm of opportunity. He had seen the city come to life, slowly at first then all at once. By far, though, his favorite time of night to see the city is right in the middle ground of it's too late to go out and too early to get up. The world was snuggled into a bubble of silence, any sign of life going cold with the sharp winds that whistled a lullaby as they passed. Everyone was asleep, or at least pretending to be asleep in the hopes that they eventually would be. It was those moments that made someone like Reverie feel at peace. Despite what one would assume, it didn't intensify his loneliness. In fact, being out there when no one else was made him feel connected to everything. Like, he was part of something greater than himself, a cog in a very large machine. Sometimes, Reverie could convince himself that even if he wasn't a big cog, he was an important one. He could pretend that everyone was important, and that everyone knew that so they didn't hurt each other or themselves. It was naive, but in those precious moments, Reverie couldn't find himself to care.

This time around, Reverie wasn't completely alone. A warm, steady breath was pressed into his neck as a body lazily clung to him. Reverie's arms began to stiffen as he continued walking, traveling from one district to another. HoneyBee had not woken up since they had been with the Egg, but his breathing remained even. Reverie could feel the faint rise and fall of HoneyBee's chest against his back, almost like the sidekick was urging him forwards. Reverie didn't need the urging, though it was appreciated. Reverie was going to bring HoneyBee home no matter what. He was the one that had dragged his friend all the way to the Badlands District for a stupid Egg that may have something to do with their case at an ungodly hour. HoneyBee chose to do that, but Reverie still felt a small sense of guilt like it was his fault HoneyBee was unconscious. It wouldn't be the first time he wondered what HoneyBee had seen when his fingers touched the Egg on that trip. What sent HoneyBee over the edge into oblivion? Would he wake up soon, or was this more like a coma?

Minotaur's mansion came quickly, mainly because Reverie had left his feet on autopilot when he started thinking. Reverie looked around the gate that guarded the fortress. It would have been easy to vault over with his powers, even with HoneyBee on his back, but he couldn't risk someone or a camera seeing him. He rounded the perimeter of the gate, looking for a back entrance that was left unguarded. Reverie didn't find an actual entrance, but he did find a hole in the wall that was easily big enough to fit HoneyBee comfortably. Reverie pushed his friend over to the other side before getting down on his hands and knees to do the same. Now, the hole was a little tight for him, and he was sure that he had torn some part of his outfit, but he managed to get through without hurting himself. Reverie raised back up to his feet. He looked around several times before pulling HoneyBee back onto his back. He stayed low to the ground as he made a run for the door in the back. Reverie tried the doorknob, but it was locked shut. Reverie prepared to use his powers to break a nearby window, but the door was swiftly opened by an older woman in a maid's uniform, her brown hair dotted with strands of grayish silver.

"You must hurry. The Master is drunk in his office, but not all the other servants are as sympathetic as I," The woman said, looking into Reverie's eyes hidden beneath his hood before ducking back into the house. Reverie smiled despite himself. Of course HoneyBee had made friends with his father's servants. Reverie went into the mansion with HoneyBee still on his back, kicking the door shut with his heel once he was all the way in. Warmth enveloped him as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. The room they were in was probably some sort of mudroom, even though it was the size of Tommy's room in Dream's apartment. The maid was leaning against the doorframe that led deeper into the house. Her hair bobbed as she looked back and forth. She sighed in relief before turning around to wave Reverie forwards. "Follow me. You shall take the Young Master to his private quarters before someone sees any of us."

Reverie did as he was told. The woman's hands were pressed tightly together against her chest as she continued looking around to see if anyone was coming. She led Reverie to a staircase tucked to the side of the mansion. She must have been leading him through the servant's passageways. Reverie was grateful. If there was something that he wanted to avoid at all costs, it would be interacting with Minotaur, especially if the man was drunk since alcohol made him violent. Before they entered another hallway, the woman turned to Reverie with a tight frown that brought worry lines onto her face. Looking at her head on in better lighting, Reverie was surprised to see that she was pretty young, way younger than he had pegged her. The worries that accompanied working in this household had aged this woman. Reverie knew that Minotaur was horrible, but he wondered what he did with the servants. What had the supposed hero done to this woman? What made all these people stay? What made the woman stay? "T- I mean... HoneyBee, yes? Is he your... friend?"

Reverie kept his gaze steady, but he felt his breath rush away from him. He should say no. He didn't want to admit that HoneyBee- Tubbo, really- had any sway over his heart. If Dream found out, if Dream somehow got his hands on Tubbo, Reverie knew that he would be more than compliant to whatever Dream wanted. Reverie would have destroyed the world for certain people, but it didn't do him any good to admit it. Sometimes Reverie was sure that if he didn't say it, it wouldn't be true. If he pretended with all his heart that he didn't care about Tubbo, Drista, Wilbur, Ranboo, Purpled, Hannah, and Sam, he would actually not care about them. He wouldn't bat an eye if Dream knew about them. His stomach wouldn't drop any time Dream uttered their names. Reverie couldn't let Dream know that he was wrapped around anyone's finger other than his. If Dream learned, it would be hell for everyone involved, and Reverie knew it would be especially hard for me to know that it was all his fault that these people in his life were hurting because of him. Because he cared about them and wasn't strong enough to hide it. He had built all these walls around his heart. He had succeeded with keeping Drista at arm's length, forcing arguments to spark to keep them both too angry at each other to want to be friends. Reverie had tried at first to stay away from the sidekick gang, and he had spent a fair amount of time away from the cafe. He refrained from rescuing Hannah when he could have. Reverie told himself that he pushed Ranboo away because the boy was with the Syndicate. And while part of that was true, the larger part was using it as an excuse. Reverie should have said no.

"My best friend," Reverie whispered instead, voice quivering ever so slightly. The maid smiled briefly at him, the motion unfamiliar on her face. Reverie looked away as she led him to a large pair of doors. She opened them for him, and Reverie went inside the room without her. He deposited HoneyBee on the huge bed that dominated one of the walls. Reverie sighed as he stretched his muscles, glad to rid himself of the weight. He turned back around to tuck HoneyBee in. He took the boy's shoes and goggles off, but he left the rest of his hazmat suit on. He didn't want to cross any lines while his friend was unconscious. Reverie had meant what he said even if he didn't want to. HoneyBee was his best friend.

Reverie went towards the window to exit the mansion, but something caught his eye as his hands touched the window frame. Someone was lying on the couch, a pillow under their head with hands folded over their chest. Reverie wondered for a moment if it was the Minotaur waiting for his son, but Minotaur wouldn't do that and the maid had told Reverie the hero was in his office. Reverie would have guessed more, but his vision finally let him see the signature mask over the face, the soft gleam of light beneath the skin. HoneyBee had told everyone that Blaze was staying with him until they could find an escape route that didn't involve HoneyBee getting beat to death and Blaze hunted for eternity. Reverie wondered if he should say something. Nemesis had given him advice and helped him after his attempted assassination with the building collapse. Maybe Blaze had seen the treatment of the sidekicks and forgiven Reverie for whatever he had done to him? Reverie wondered if Blaze would want an update on Nemesis' condition. The last the two had met, she seemed fine. The Syndicate was probably treating her well.

"I'm quite surprised that you're alive, Reverie," Blaze said during the time that Reverie had been thinking. The vigilante had his eyes cracked open slightly to look at Reverie, his gaze seeming disinterested but a spark in his eyes showing genuine intrigue.

"What the fuck does that mean?" Reverie snapped. Why would Blaze think he was dead? What had happened that implied Reverie was six feet under? Did Blaze overhear Minotaur planning something, or had Dream been over to discuss it? Or... Reverie stared into Blaze's slowly opening eyes as an idea sprung to life in his head like a venomous snake coiling in a garden to snag the life of unsuspecting prey. Blaze... he couldn't be part of the attempt on Reverie's life. He had been under Minotaur's capture during the time. HoneyBee had been watching him at the time if Reverie's timeline of events was accurate.

"Nothing, really. I just heard from some people around the mansion that you had bit the bullet. Well, more like, you had bit the fire, but that is nearly as catchy," Blaze said with a tired smirk pulling at his lips as he sat up. The pillow fell from his stomach onto the ground, landing in between Blaze's legs and the coffee table. Reverie's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Although, from the looks of it, you are alive and kicking. How unfortunate for whoever planned your death. They must be so disappointed."

"Why you little-"

"Sir, it would do you well to leave immediately. The Master will not stand for an intruder, and I fear that another servant more loyal to him than to the Young Master will find you here. I do not wish for the young one's best friend to be eliminated by the Master when dawn ascends on us," The maid from earlier said, her head peeking into the room with her worried face and sorrowful frown. Reverie nodded in agreement for her sake. He was a hero's sidekick, after all. He was concerned about the safety of every person he meets. He didn't want to hurt this poor maid more than her Master already did.

"This isn't over, Blaze," Reverie said, a pointed glare at the former vigilante. Blaze gave him a lazy smirk before leaning back. Reverie opened the window, ducking beneath it to step onto a part of the roof. Before he closed the window back, he swore that he heard Blaze reply. "This isn't over until you're dead."

----

Reverie rubbed the side of his face as he tried to figure out what had happened back there. He went over all the memories in his head for why someone like Blaze would hate him. Despite everything, Dream was a really good hero that had saved many lives over the course of his career. Reverie and Fantasy were in the same way. They had both joined Dream to make him better. Without them, Dream would have been forced to lose even more lives that simply couldn't be saved by one man. Between the three of them, they had a wide array of powers and skills that could solve any problem that came their way. Had they let someone down in the past that would drive Blaze's anger? Reverie couldn't recall doing anything directly to Blaze.

"Oh, excuse me," Someone said after they had bumped into Reverie's shoulder. Reverie was about to excuse the person like they asked, but he recognized the face of the person. Reverie grabbed onto Integrity's arm, throwing him into the alleyway. Integrity stumbled back, annoyance in his eyes until they met Reverie's eyes. Integrity looked away with a harsh sigh falling from his lips. Reverie was seething with anger, ready to berate his friend for abandoning the group. Integrity put his hands up to stop Reverie, his eyes downcast in a way that made Reverie's heart pang with unearned sympathy. "I know you're angry. You have every right to be, but you can't blame me. Punz sold me to Croupier. I'm working in Las Nevadas district right now."

"I'll kill the bastard," Reverie said, his anger shifting to Punz once he knew the reasoning for Integrity mostly abandoning the group. Reverie had been told by Dream that he was quick to anger, and Fantasy lamented that he really only did it when someone he cared about (that he shouldn't care about) was getting hurt.

"Calm down. It isn't as bad as you're thinking. Croupier may not be a hero, but he isn't really considered a villain. I'm learning a lot of valuable information in the position that I'm in now, so it isn't worth fighting against the powers that be. You can't take on Punz and Croupier, along with Croupier's minions, all by yourself, especially if you don't want Dream finding out," Integrity said with a half smile rising to his lips as he leaned against the wall. He looked up towards the sky where the darkness was brightening into a light purple with touches of blue and pink. Integrity's eyes flicked back to Reverie. "I won't compromise my morals. I know what I'm willing to do, and I won't let Croupier force me to do more than that. I could also learn some things in Las Nevadas."

"You are on a slippery slope, my good friend. One wrong move, and you'll be branded as a fucking traitor, a bad guy. Or worse yet, you could be killed," Reverie said, pacing a short distance in front of Integrity. Reverie had spent so much of his life pretending that he didn't care, but now he was showing this care left and right. He would have to rein it in before he saw Dream again. He was being emotional, and Dream would deal with that accordingly if Reverie didn't.

"We're all on slippery slopes as sidekicks. I'm just getting a better reward for my risk," Integrity said with a smirk. It wasn't malicious like Blaze's. It was oddly comforting, though Reverie would never admit that. Integrity pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "In fact, I have already received a good reward. This is the contact information for a man that resides in the Hypixel dome. He's an info broker that will locate and retrieve Michael, the hybrid who witnessed the happenings at the church. Either you, Tubbo, or Ranboo need to check it out. Preferably all of you since Hypixel isn't the safest place to be."

"Thank you, Integrity. We'll look into it. This might be the key to solving all of this," Reverie said softly, taking the paper between his fingers. Before he walked away, he pulled Integrity into a tight hug. Integrity hesitated before he returned the hug. Reverie released a shaky breath. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"