The police were informed of the corpse on the premises and generally filled in on the entire debacle. Arthur knew it would be a headache unpacking all this nonsense, and the paperwork was going to be hell to get through, but that was a problem for tomorrow. Perhaps it would be best to hold John in some motel nearby until they can bring him back to the office and find a suitable way to manage him. For now, the issue was getting outside.

With Judith leaning on his shoulder, the pair walked down the hall to the back door. John quietly followed, the Eurydice to their Orpheus, both hesitant to look behind and force too much of an idea onto his entirety.

Judith exhaled through her nose. "I can't believe we're doing this. I hate feeling his eyes on me."

Arthur sighed. "Remember, he's just an ordinary man."

Judith groaned. "Right, right, I know."

Finally, the three stepped outside. The evening sky was dark and all-encompassing, only contrasted by the red and blue police lights flashing. As soon as they'd walked out, a few officers stumbled into the building past them. Arthur grumbled a bit at being ignored, but considering who he was with, the less attention, the better.

John smiled at the cool breeze of the night. “I missed the fresh air.”

An older officer approached. He gave them the same tired, vaguely disappointed glare that cops usually gave Pin employees. "So, this is the former hostage, correct?"

Judith pulled out a cigarette. "Yes. He's coming with us since his... current state falls under our jurisdiction. You and your boys can handle the corpse."

"Uh huh," The officer looked at John, and Arthur knew that the other man could see so much in those wondrous, terrifying eyes. John was as unreadable as ever, subtly shifting to suit whatever idea this officer had of him in his mind. Arthur knew that the second any words were exchanged between them, John would transform into something else, and the officer would have no idea that he was anything different.

The officer nodded as if he'd seen enough of what he wanted. John technically fell under the Pin's jurisdiction, which made him exempt from police questioning. "Alright, I'll let you be on your way."

As far as this officer, and every other officer on the property knew, John was just a mundane guy, albeit one who had been in an awful situation and was probably tired and traumatized. To them, nothing had indicated he was anything other than that, and it was certainly for the best.

The trio walked past the police cars and back to Judith's van. Judith looked back at John, who trailed behind silently. "Funny, I'd have thought you would run off by now. It's not like either of us could stop you."

John smiled, a coy expression reflecting Judith's own distrust. "And where would I run off to? If you can't think of any place I would rather be than here, neither can I."

"Fair enough." Judith sighed, blowing out her cigarette smoke away from Arthur's face. "Arthur, you're driving, right? I would, but my sprained hip isn't helping."

"I guess I am."

After helping Judith into the passenger seat and ordering John into the back, which he did with little fuss, Arthur drove his partner and their strange new acquaintance into the night. Arthur looked back through the rearview mirror, and caught a glimpse of John smiling as he watched buildings and trees pass.