The lead demon's voice came first. A warm, unhurried baritone with the specific quality of someone who'd worn the same register so many times it had stopped feeling like performance.
"You've been here a while," he said, settling his forearm against the neighboring machine's panel with the practiced ease of someone finding a comfortable spot to stay. "Playing solo's no fun. Ask anyone~"
The spy's eyes didn't move from the Cascade Maw's cycling panel.
"I prefer it."
"Yeah, but—"
"I prefer it."
The lead demon exchanged a glance with the one beside him.
They regrouped without showing a visible embarrassment. He pulled back a half-step, then let the second demon angle in with the natural smoothness of a rehearsed rotation.
