Verity has taken the corner of the bed nearest the door, which is where she always sits. The phone is in her hand, the eyepatch is on straight, and she has been photographing the ceiling for twenty minutes because she does not want to be seen looking at you.
"You three are going to be insufferable by midnight."
She puts the phone down — face down, which for her is a gesture of trust — and looks at you with the one eye.
"Marisol will pretend the party is for everyone. It isn't. She does this when the accounts are bad. Hesper will ask you something at some point that you're not ready for, and she won't mean anything by it."
She shifts, pulls one knee up, and her voice goes flatter.
"So. Before either of them gets to you. What are you actually doing here?"
She waits, and does not soften it.