[ she smiles wryly at him, the inner corners of her eyebrows curving up. ]

Maybe. But it's not what it used to be... things are kind of a disaster right now, literally. But we wouldn't let anything happen to you. Promise.

[ then she scoffs, anger setting her jaw. ]

You know Jason Carver almost killed Lucas? And then Jason just-- died. Like, really gruesomely. One of the gates just melted him right in half.

[ she won't say good riddance because that's just on the wrong side of terrible to admit... but she's not not saying it either. after all the hell he gave eddie? the kids? making up some sick story about how they were all in it together, every death wrought by vecna twisted into some stupid satanic ritualist crap. the hawkins populace had slurped it right up, too, adults arming themselves to hunt down teenagers.

so no, she hadn't shed a single tear for carver when sinclair had explained what had happened with max in the old creel house. ]

There has to be literature on magic right? Libraries? I spent a whole afternoon with Nance combing microfilms, I'm talking hours, before we found one measly article in The Weekly Watcher of all places that gave us a clue.

[ she gently presses a finger to his chest, over his heart. ]

And we did that for you, dingus. For Max and for you. And I'll do it again. So, shut up about how you're not coming with us, because I'm not leaving without you either.