Mort is hanging out in his usual spot when he notices someone is in the room he haunts — Kat. He tries out a few different shapes while wondering what would scare her, eventually settling on a Big Red Devil — only to be scared back into his real form by Antimony, who came up behind him while he wasn't looking. Annie formally introduces Kat to Mort. Kat's thrilled to meet a real ghost, and Mort is apologetic because he didn't know Kat was Annie's friend. Annie wants to thank Mort for the gift of the blinker stone. He demurs, not thinking it was a big deal.
Annie tells Kat and Mort what happened on the riverbank the previous night, and they're amazed. Mort is especially concerned that the ghost with the sword was able to cross the Annan Waters. He also wants to know how Annie knows Muut. Annie explains that she met him while she was still living with her mother at Good Hope Hospital. She could see them for as long as she remembered, creatures walking the halls, invisible to the staff. Her mother saw them too, and told her not to be frightened because they were performing an important duty. One night, Annie snuck out to meet them, and Muut was the first one she met. Through him, she met others, and they let her accompany them on their visits to patients in the hospital. She used to sit and talk with them for hours, learning about their lives, homes and languages. It was a game. And for the longest time, Annie never understood why the patients the Guides visited were gone the next day.
Annie still isn't sure why she could see the Guides like that. Mort explains that she's attractive — not that way. She's like a magnet, or a medium. Mort's embarrassed, but Annie understands what he meant. Kat wishes she could have seen the robotic birds. Annie asks her what happened after she fell. Kat says that Mr. Eglamore looked pretty angry, and Reynardine, who was walking with him, looked kind of upset. Kat was horrified when she found out what happened, and spent all night building the antigravity scooter. Annie and Kat have to leave, because their free period is almost over. Annie has to go see Mr. Eglamore after classes are over for the day. Mort invites them to come visit whenever they want.
At the end of the day. Annie comes to Mr. Eglamore's office to see him. He gives her a detention slip, and explains that the Court has rules for a reason. He also tells her she should try harder not to get caught. Annie's mother never got a detention, but that didn't mean she always followed the rules. Annie doesn't think his advice is very appropriate. Eglamore tells her he realizes she has some sort of problem with him, and that he's not trying to start a fight. He returns Reynardine, to Annie's surprise. Eglamore explains that there's no telling what Rey would do if they didn't return him, because that would render Annie's contract of ownership null and void. It's probably safer if Annie keeps him. He tells her that he'll be keeping an eye on hey and Rey, though. Eglamore is also under the mistaken impression that Rey tricked Annie into going on the bridge, and she doesn't correct him. Annie asks about Robot, but is told he's been disposed of. Eglamore is curious as to why she's asking, but Annie doesn't want to admit what she did. Annie asks what was wrong with Robot and his wooden arm, and Eglamore says it's not important, and has been taken care of.
In an artificial environment chamber, Robot's wooden arm has been planted.
Tropes:
- Big Red Devil: Mort takes the form of one in an attempt to scare Kat.
- Brick Joke: Remember how Annie ordered Reynardine not to speak in "Of New and Old"? The chapter bonus page reveals she forgot about this, and didn't give him permission to speak again for a whole week.
- The Bus Came Back: Mort returns in person, after he was last seen in "Not Very Scary", his debut chapter.
- Call-Back: Remember the chamber from "A Handful of Dirt"? Robot's wooden arm has been planted in another one.
- Chekhov's Gunman: The office next to Mr. Eglamore's belongs to a Ms. Jones.
- It's a Long Story: The comic cuts from when Annie starts telling Kat and Mort the events of the previous chapter to after she's finished.
- Jump Scare: Annie pulls this on Mort, before he can scare Kat.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Mort, while trying to explain to Annie that she's a medium, initially says that she's "attractive". He gets so flustered after this that he eventually shapeshifts into a gravestone with a picture of someone putting their foot in their mouth on it.
- Psychopomp: We learn more about the Guides, including that Annie met them when she was a child, and knows more than just Muut.
