Max walked alongside Malloy and started to chuckle at the entire situation. The Doctor knew what was going to come next and braced himself for the impact.

“You're too busy trying to keep Pendleson happy so he doesn't drown you in the Hudson.”

Malloy didn't answer this as they walked onward. So Max elaborated:

“Your walking on a fine line, and I think that, overall, we find you appealing in your own little weird way...even Lady Wren seems attached to you sometimes. When she isn't awake, that is.”

“Between Scylla and Charybdis...” Malloy whispered between his teeth, his eyes straining to find the floor in the weak light. Max paused for a second and continued where he left off.

“...I just think you're walking a fine line and it wouldn't really hurt you to slip a little bit of something into his oatmeal. Steal a little from the old lady. Just stop being such a...good doctor. Even with that Cheery Bus breathing down your neck—what are you talking about, Scyllas and Cherry Blossoms?”

“Scylla and Charybdis, you read Homer's Odyssey, didn't you? They were monsters that lived on either side of a river and you could either deal with one or the other.” Malloy lectured. At this remark, max paused, trying to remember, but then burst out laughing wholeheartedly.

“I cheated all of school.” Max smiled, “You were there, remember?”

“I gave you good notes.”

“And I sold them.”

Ferdinand sighed and looked at the faint light in the distance. In it, figures were assembling together. Some of them were carrying guns. “I don't need your confessions, Max. It will be a long enough night without them.”

“...It will be sad to loose you, Ferdy.” Max sighed and his light colored eyes seemed to fall heavily on Ferdinand's shoes. Even so, it was really hard for Ferdinand to feel sorry for him.

“Then you should have changed the lock in the door or not sent me the invite.” Ferdinand replied stubbornly, pulling the key out of his pocket and scratching some lint out of the eyes of the swallow.

“It wasn't an invite. It was a threat!” Max groaned.

Malloy gave him a glare.

“Well...no one expected you to show. It's going to be awkward in there and I don't think I can save a Boothe's Grandson gone good.” Max continued, stroking his dimpled chin.

It was incredible how lightly Peck talked about the sinister ways of the Brim; the result from years of neglect and the first signs of madness. It was hard for Ferdinand to admit that one day Max would be just like Sophie, and it was harder to admit that once they were all three the same.

“I've got something to keep me alive.”

“You've got something?” Max guffawed. “Something we don't know about?” He arched his broad shoulders closer to Malloy and whispered very carefully. “Ferdinand, my boy, what else will really surprise us now?”

“A hunch.”

Max reacted by putting his mint tin back in his pocket with an audible sigh.

“Oh. Oh yeah. Your unfortunately accurate hunches. Did you know that you're a walking oxymoron? Doctor?”

“I don't know what I am, Peck.” Ferdinand stated simply, his black eyes blending into the background; Malloy's body crawled naturally into darkness wherever he was. In contrast, Peck looked so much brighter and kinder than inky Malloy ever would.

“You will be soon enough. Ferdy, you'll be dead.”

Ferdinand again didn't answer Max.

“Considering your particular finickiness for order and clean...living—I guess now we can rephrase that to clean dying—it will be best to die here and now. It'll be quick. Now Willt's got a lot of distractions, but later he won't and will think way too much about the whole thing.” Max suggested.

Ferdinand knew that none of this was true—Malloy was very messy, and for some reason took offense that Max thought he was clean.