Chapter Text
It isn't far until they reach the shores of Zaun. It's not somewhere that Graves is eager to return to, but in order to get to Piltover easily enough it means passing though the city. If they can keep their heads down and out of trouble, it should be straight-forward for them. Hopefully, anyone trying to follow them from Bilgewater are still stuck in Ionia. Until then, it's a matter of waiting on this ship.
Which is more of a trial than anywhere remotely like relaxing.
Next to him, Twisted Fate groans and holds his face, clearly sick. How in the world a riverman never learned to swim is beyond Graves, but now he's sea sick.
"Didn't you live on boats as a kid?" Graves remarks, giving Twisted Fate a look.
The card shark glares at him under his hat. "River boats are different, and if y'got us a proper boat and not a cargo ship, it wouldn't be so bad. Instead, we're stuck in this basement, it smells like dead fish, and I've been cramped here for the past several hours."
"Sorry they don't have first class seats, princess. This was the one that was leaving as soon as possible and its low cover. I wasn't in the mood for a fancy pleasure cruise."
"Look, I would love to keep arguing, but I'm ready to puke my guts out." Miserably, Twisted Fate positions himself next to a bucket. "Now be a goddamn gentleman and hold my hair back."
Graves rolls his eyes, but he does as asked, holding his partner's long hair in his hands as the thief gags. He isn't without any empathy for Twisted Fate, but it seemed more sensible at the time to go with a forgettable cargo ship instead of a passenger boat. It's what Graves would choose, and they both used to in the past. He's finding he has to face facts about some of the thief's newer habits; ever since he's gotten a taste for money, he has no problem spending it on frivolous things. Considering his history, it's not hard to imagine why but he seems so finicky with certain things now.
Eventually, when they do dock at the port, a sense of uneasiness does pass through Graves. He hasn't looked back at this city ever since his escape, and on that night when he broke out of the Locker he tore through the streets, a bloodhound desperate on the scent of revenge. Returning today isn't thrilling, but he meant what he said: it's the fastest way to Piltover, and if they can keep a low profile they'll be fine.
When they stand, Twisted Fate mutters gratitude to any Gods willing to listen to a thief, swindler, and gambler before he wobbles to his feet. Graves smiles wryly at him and holds him up by his upper arm, helping him off the boat.
"My hero," Twisted Fate manages to remark, because being sea sick isn't going to shut him up long enough.
When they make it to the port and finally off the cargo ship, Twisted Fate already starts to look ten shades better instead of the uneasy green during their trip. Zaun doesn't look too different than the day that Malcolm escaped; the water in the port is polluted, and the stench is immense from science and magic. It's as dreary as he recalls, and Graves knows it wouldn't be too soon for them to leave.
He doesn't know how long he stares into the buildings, but he feels a hand to his shoulder. Graves jerks and finds himself looking into Twisted Fate's eyes, who is looking at him with patience.
"You need a second?" T.F. offers.
"I'm good," Graves mutters out.
Twisted Fate pauses for a second, and that's enough for Graves to know he's thinking and he isn't sure how to take that. "'Course you are, hotshot," he says smoothly, not pressing further to Graves' relief. Twisted Fate knows his tells, and undoubtedly has an idea of what he's thinking. Being clever and reading people's behavior is part why they became partners, but it's equally a pain when he knows Graves as well as he does.
The topic is left alone, but that hand doesn't slip away from his shoulder. Bracing himself, Graves rolls his shoulders to brush him away. Twisted Fate's smile doesn't flicker, his hand hanging freely to his side now.
"Think you can stomach anything?" Graves asks, eager for a change of subject.
"Don't buy me fish and I might be good," Twisted Fate says, scowling slightly. "Do I get to pick where we go?"
"No."
"This is cruelty. I thought you liked me now."
Graves pinches his arm. "Don't know what would ever give that impression."
Letting T.F. choose might mean be the priciest restaurant in town, which is the exact opposite of what he wants. Of course, Twisted Fate isn't stupid enough to make that choice, but Graves isn't ready to make that gamble. Either way, he wants to choose somewhere unassuming and keep it quiet. Keep their heads down, and they'll be out freely.
They don't have to wander long, thankfully. Bless T.F.'s snooty soul, he does his best not to cringe when Graves makes his choice. The door alone has a layer of grime when Graves pulls it open, and Twisted Fate moves smoothly so he doesn't have to actually touch it, slipping inside after his partner. The patrons inside probably live just barely above the slums, and already he knows that T.F.'s dandy outfit is going to stick out horribly.
Too late to really back out now, Graves supposes.
"Well well," Twisted Fate muses, his eyes trailing off elsewhere as he looks over the interior of the diner. Graves follows where he's looking, then raises a brow.
He'd know that ridiculous mohawk anywhere; Ekko is familiar face and it would be impossible to miss him. It does surprise him to even see the kid inside like this, but he has little to worry about. Very few people could really ever catch the vigilante.
What surprises him is who's sitting across from Ekko.
Twisted Fate invites himself over and drapes an arm around Ezreal's shoulders. "Fancy seein' you both here," he greets, his voice too warm and that tells Graves he definitely has an ulterior motive. "Ekko, Ezreal."
Ezreal jerks in surprise, then he sputters and shoves off the swindler's arm. "T.F.?!"
"This seat taken?" Twisted Fate doesn't wait for an answer and sits down. "Graves, don't just stand there. C'mon."
"Wait, hold on--" Ezreal holds up his hands, making a time-out gesture as he tries to catch up with Twisted Fate. That is, before he does indeed notice that the gunman is present. "Er, hi Graves."
"Well, this is just great." Ekko rubs his face.
Graves somehow gets the impression that they've interrupted something. Offering the briefest apologetic look to Ezreal, Graves sits down next to Twisted Fate.
"Relax, cool hand. I'm not here for my money," Twisted Fate promises Ezreal with a grin. "Actually, if you could pick up my tab, that would be fantastic."
"Excuse me?" Ezreal rakes his fingers through his hair.
Ekko looks mildly less offended than Ezreal. "What are you two even doing here?"
"Yeah. What are you two doing here together?" Ezreal squints at the pair. "I thought you two hated each other."
"Long story," Graves says gruffly while Twisted Fate chuckles quietly. "Right now, we're just passin' through the area. Headed for Piltover."
"Speakin' of hate, never thought I'd see you be so friendly with someone from Piltover," Twisted Fate muses, glancing at Ekko.
The vigilante scrunches his nose and looks away. "Knock it off, T.F. It's not your business! Sheesh."
True enough. What in the hell is Ekko doing hanging around someone from Piltover, and what's Ezreal doing in Zaun? Granted, none of those things are important enough for Graves to really ask right now. It doesn't have to do with them, and he's not into gossip as much as T.F. enjoys it. Harmlessly, he smacks Twisted Fate's arm.
"I really doubt you give a damn about what these two are up to," Graves says, raising a brow.
T.F. smiles. It isn't very sincere; it's a subtle thing, but when Graves looks in his friend's eyes, he can tell the different between a smug look, a fond glance, or a force expression. Twisted Fate can trick most men and he's an incredibly good actor, but when Graves isn't blinded by his own temper he can read into some of his expressions.
"If you're going to stick around, you might as well tell us why you two are traveling together," Ezreal grumbles, putting his chin in his hand as he leans against the table.
"Simple story. We made up." Twisted Fate flips through the menu and mutters, "Don't they got anything that's not fried or swimmin' in gravy?"
"You do know where you are, don't you?" Ekko remarks.
"All right, point." Twisted Fate does his best to not look bothered, but considering the boat trip and his more expensive tastes these days, Graves can't help but wonder how delicate his appetite is. "In any case, Graves isn't wrong; we're passin' through fast as we can manage, but as you both know, we're not always the most popular. Especially in Zaun. So I have a proposition."
That earns a collective of questioning looks from around the table, from Graves included. Nice of his partner to include him on any planning he'd done, but then again T.F. always had a knack for coming up with things by the fly of his pants. He folds his arms, trying to be patient while they get this sorted out.
"Okay?" Ekko asks warily.
"Staying at an inn wouldn't be wise. Let us stay with you a night." Twisted Fate folds his hands together. "'Course, I doubt you'd do it for free, so I'm wonderin' what you'd want in return, flashback."
Graves peers at his partner for a moment. He doesn't disagree entirely. Neither of them would be safe sleeping in a public inn in Zaun. There's enough risk at it is, though he'd been ready to just leave the damned city already. Then again, they do need to gather their wits enough before moving on with their journey.
"I don't want money," Ekko says, making that much clear as he thinks about the offer. "That's not gonna do me any good."
"Then what's your price?" T.F. asks patiently.
Ekko taps his finger on the table. "Can I ask for a favor?"
Twisted Fate pauses, then glances at Graves from the corner of his eyes. Reluctantly, Graves nods. "So long as it doesn't keep us for more than we have to," Twisted Fate says. "What's the favor?"
"I'm not talking about it here. Later, when we're not in front of a bunch of people."
"Well then." A tight smile forms on Twisted Fate's face. "I suppose we have an agreement, then. Good."
The lunch proceeds as much as it could. In the end, T.F. miserably accepted bread and salt for a meal, which is about as good as he was going to get in the grungy diner. Graves could still tell that neither Ezreal nor Ekko are particularly happy about their interruption, but he doesn't apologize for it. Twisted Fate had a point, and traveling in a group is probably safer for the both of them anyway until they leave Zaun for Piltover. Ekko knows the city better than any of them, so being sheltered by him is a smart choice. As much as Graves isn't thrilled for this arrangement anymore than Ekko or Ezreal are, he's trying to do better by Twisted Fate by listening to him.
For all that Twisted Fate is excellent at shrouding his true intentions, Graves is still able to get something of a read off of him. It's hard to say what he's thinking during his smiles and swagger as they head toward one of Ekko's safe houses, but his remarks have more bite to them than usual and there's a bit less of his usual display of charm. He wants to call him out on it, but he's waiting until he's certain that Ezreal and Ekko are out of ear shot.
If anyone should be a bit more tetchy than usual, it ought to be Graves himself.
"Sometimes there are homeless folks in the slums that go missing. We never see them again," Ekko starts explaining as soon as the door shuts behind them, like he can barely contain his request. "There's been the ongoing problem with Priggs Industries."
Graves clutches a fist tightly and he tenses up. When Twisted Fate touches his shoulder, he shrugs him off. "Go on," the outlaw tells Ekko.
"A few years ago, the slave labor camps were supposedly abolished under the warehouses. People off the streets are still getting shipped off, though." Ekko folds his arms. "I want help stopping them tonight. I know exactly where they're loading them up."
"You wanna tango with Priggs and his business," Twisted Fate says, his tone thoughtful.
"And you don't think innocent people are worth saving?" Ezreal gives him a suspicious look.
"That ain't it. I'm not a heartless man, cool hand."
"I'm in," Graves says gruffly. His blood is boiling; he knows he won't run into Priggs, but any chance to ruin his day would be close enough for now. Maybe another time when he has an actual firearm and a better plan, but he would love nothing more than to gain vengeance on him for the hell he was put through.
Twisted Fate's hand goes to his arm and he tugs Graves back slightly. "You two mind us a sec?" he asks with a brief smile.
Ekko shrugs and turns to address Ezreal, leaving Graves and T.F. to borrow a corner of the room. "I didn't count on this," Twisted Fate says quietly. He almost sounds apologetic, much to Graves' surprise.
"Neither did I, but I'm fine with it," Graves scoffs. "What about you? You been on edge ever since we got here."
Instead of looking surprised, Twisted Fate rediverts his attention to checking his nails idly. If anything, that tells Graves that he's right; it's a distraction. "I'm just bein' cautious, and you aren't. Per usual."
"You're the one who offered an exchange with the kid instead of letting me in on it first."
"I figured he'd ask us to steal something for him, not a rescue job." Twisted Fate sighs and looks at Graves. "You want to do this? Fine. I got your back."
Graves eyes him carefully. "This ain't like ten years ago, T.F."
"You don't gotta tell me that," the card shark says, his voice a bit more rigid.
That's what it is. For all of the show and seeming laid back, Twisted Fate thinks back to then as well. He just doesn't want to show it. Graves, admittedly, has not given much thought to how that failed job affected him. All he's ever thought about was how he barely survived the Locker and how blinded by rage he was with his partner, yearning to pay him back in blood before he realized the truth in Bilgewater. For Twisted Fate, though, this means he'd gotten their entire crew killed trying to rescue his stubborn ass. Years of the Locker may haunt Graves more than he cares to admit, but how much of that night also lingers with Twisted Fate?
Which means being in Zaun is a poor choice for both of them, really.
"We make this quick, and we get the hell out of here tomorrow," Graves says.
Twisted Fate holds out his hand. "Deal. Never did like comin' back here anyway."
Graves grips his hand tightly. "Make that two of us."
-=-=-
"Is this usually what you're up to? Sittin' around on a rooftop and waiting to go in on the bad guys?" Twisted Fate asks.
"Sometimes it's an alleyway," Ekko remarks back, grinning.
"Fancy."
This brings back some memories, both good and bad. Graves remembers when he, Twisted Fate, and the crew were waiting on the right time to do a heist, cracking jokes and giving each other crap. A rooftop doesn't seem like the best place, but they're playing it Ekko's way, which is however he deems to be best. It's his request, and there isn't much room for argument. Right now, it's just being patient.
Not something that Ezreal is known for, not with the way he's pacing. T.F. is keeping himself occupied with his hand, twirling a card between his fingers effortlessly while Graves is holding the uncomfortable, unfamiliar weight of the javelin gun in his hands, cigar firmly between his teeth. Near Ezreal, Ekko is glancing over the roof, barely more patient than Ezreal.
Finally, Ezreal stops moving, which Graves is grateful for. The constant anxious movement is enough to aggravate him. Ezreal crouches down in front of T.F., deciding it's better to distract himself by watching the sleight of hand.
"So which part's magic and what part's a trick?" Ezreal asks, watching.
Twisted Fate flicks his wrist and the card, apparently, disappears as he grins. "Good question. Feel like trying to guess?"
Graves doesn't hide the way he rolls his eyes as he exhales smoke. "As long as it ain't the quarter trick."
"All right, cool hand. Watch carefully." Twisted Fate flips out a card again, holding it up so that Ezreal can watch, and Ekko is studying from a distance as well. Slowly, the thief starts to flip the card between his fingers. It's graceful to watch, how easily he slips the card between his fingers and over his knuckles, and Graves has known him long enough to know that this part isn't magic but just how natural T.F. feels with his cards. The movement becomes smoother, faster, and the card continues to spin between fingers before he suddenly flicks his wrist.
And it's gone.
Ezreal looks absolutely mesmerized, his eyes wide and curious. He reaches up and grabs Twisted Fate's wrist and peeks down his sleeve. "Where'd it go?"
"Like I'm gonna tell you," T.F. says with a chuckle.
With a huff, Ezreal reaches around and starts to check the swindler's pockets in his jacket. When he starts grabbing for Twisted Fate's pants pockets, that's when the card shark gently shoves him back. "All right, you're gonna mess up my clothes if you keep that up."
That doesn't deter Ezreal for long and he continues trying to figure out where the missing card has gone. He starts by walking up to Ekko and checking his pockets instead with a thoughtful frown. It makes Ekko laugh for a moment, then look sheepish as he harmlessly punches Ezreal in the arm. Ezreal frowns and checks his own pockets, turning them inside out. No card.
Ezreal stares at Graves and starts to approach him.
"Don't even think about it, kid," Graves tells him gruffly.
"Hey," Ekko interrupts. "Looks like the transport's here."
The cigar's given one last puff before Graves tosses it aside, and he looks over the edge next to Ekko. Down below, he can see in the narrow street that a humble looking carriage is arranged, only that doesn't look quite right either. It's some kind of vehicle, maybe steam powered. In any case, the back is open, and Graves can see men guiding filthy looking people inside.
"All right, let's go in," Ekko says, prepared to go down until T.F. catches his arm.
"Ease up, flashback." Twisted Fate glances across the street, spotting a corner of a building. Something Graves himself overlooked: someone is standing there, undoubtedly working as a look out. "I'll take care of their set of eyes. Once he's out, rest of y'all can clean up easy."
It's another reminder as to why Graves had worked with T.F. for so long; the card shark's always had an eye for this kind of thing, looking out just in case they can't get away freely. Graves himself has always been brash and ready to go in, but Twisted Fate's the one with the out. That means making sure no one can give them away.
"Okay," Ekko says, nodding. "We'll wait until you're done."
"Oh, no worries. It won't take long." Twisted Fate smiles confidently, spinning a card between his fingers. It doesn't take much concentration on his part without anything or anyone to interrupt him, and after the pressure builds T.F. is gone, transporting himself to appear behind the watchman.
In the distance, Graves can see Twisted Fate stand behind the man, and he places a finger to his lips toward the direction of the others in a shush motion while grinning. Graves snorts at the show-off before T.F. is knocking the man out and dragging him out of sight.
It's then that they can go in.
There are four men below and that's more than simple enough for the four of them to deal with. With little hesitation, Graves takes aim with the clunky feeling gun in his arms and fires; the javelin fires out, striking a man in the head and killing him but the kickback from the gun almost makes Graves stumble. The body drops like a bag of bricks before the remainder can properly react. Ezreal is already shifting to locate himself down below, firing off magic from his glove to strike down another while Ekko follows him.
Graves grumbles to himself as he climbs down. They likely won't need much more of his help, but it's better to cover them. As he gets down to the street below, Ekko is striking the back of the head of the driver, putting him out for the moment.
Seems simple enough. He watches idly as Ekko motions for the people to shuffle out from the vehicle. "C'mon! Hurry up and get out of here," Ekko tells them.
At the back of his head, Graves can feel a familiar pressure form as Twisted Fate phases in nearby. "Suppose it wasn't so bad," T.F. muses to himself.
"You could stand to listen to me more," Graves remarks wryly.
"I don't know about that, partner."
There's the sharp sound of gunfire cracking through the air, striking the top of the vehicle. Ekko jerks away, glancing up to try to find the source of the gunfire while the rest of the people scatter away down the street. Graves wouldn't have been surprised if it was going to be more thugs from Priggs, but when he looks down the street, that isn't true. He can easily recognize them as Hooks from Bilgewater, which shouldn't surprise him but he'd been under the impression that everyone had forfeited their allegiance to Gangplank considering his death, but then again if some were loyal enough it could explain why they're after Twisted Fate and Graves. They could be blamed for that.
"Twisted Fate! Graves!" one of the Hooks cries out, his accent clearly Bilgewater.
"I think now's a great time to make our exit," Twisted Fate insists.
If Graves had Destiny, he might consider making a stand and taking them out, but the javelin gun is barely reliable to him. It annoys him, but he doesn't disagree and he nods. "Ekko, get us out of here!" Graves snaps.
Ekko motions for them to follow and takes off down an alleyway. "Who did you guys piss off now?"
"Granted, that's an awful long list of people, but this one's not entirely our fault," Twisted Fate says as he follows. "Seems like they really do blame us for what happened to Gangplank. Good thing Sona gave us that warning, hm?"
"Fantastic," Graves grates out.
They turn a corner sharply into the next street, but he can hear gunfire behind them. In front, two other Hooks are waiting. Graves doesn't even wait, and he lifts his gun up to shoot off another javelin. It sticks through a Hook's throat, causing him to choke before dropping to the ground while Ezreal throws out a blast of magic into the other waiting Hook.
What none of them expect is a shot from above. It doesn't strike anyone specifically, but it does shatter through the device on Ekko's back. With a growl, Graves is turning to spot the Hook with the musket, firing off a javelin in his direction. It strikes the Hook in the shoulder. It's a poor shot, but he's out of the picture.
However, the machine strapped to Ekko's back begins to hum and glow blue.
"Ekko!" Ezreal is moving fast, reaching out to unhook the device from his back. He's shoving Ekko away once he's done, preparing to dispose of it.
It doesn't look good, and Twisted Fate realizes it in his own eyes. He turns around to face Graves; there is no hesitation in his decision as he takes out a red card and throws it against the ground, causing an explosion. The impact throws Graves off of his feet, away from Twisted Fate and Ezreal.
It's then that the device explodes in a bright, blinding blue before Ezreal can be rid of it.
Dots are before Graves' eyes and he blinks slowly as sight returns. The dust slowly clears, and Graves can hear footsteps from behind. He shoves himself back to his feet and steps forward. "T.F.!" he shouts for his partner.
"Oh no," he can hear Ekko say.
The dust and smoke dissipate, and he sees where Ezreal had been is now a boy no older than five with a mop of blonde hair. He looks confused and terrified, glancing around in a way that suggests an unfamiliar environment to him. Granted, any child that's stuck in the slums of Zaun is going to be frightened. On the ground nearby the boy is a man in familiar green leather, and braids that Graves could never forget.
"Damn me," Graves breathes.
The man groans and holds his head as he starts to sit up. Graves approaches and kneels down, but he isn't sure what to do and instead watches with a sense of helplessness.
"What the hell is this?" Graves snaps at Ekko.
"That pirate shot my Zero Drive. Without any way to control it, it burst. The energy let out affected Ezreal and Twisted Fate." Ekko is crouching by Ezreal, frowning as the boy shrinks back from him initially. Trying his best to not be frustrated, Ekko looks up toward Graves and says, "We can talk more about this later. We have to get out of here. T.F., can you get up?"
The man, of course, does not respond. Graves wouldn't expect him to if Ekko is right about this. Instead, he's blinking, frowning as he holds his head.
"Tobias?" Graves tries instead, his voice a bit quieter.
Tobias glances up, then looks startled. "Malcolm? What the hell happened to you?"
"Ezreal, I'm really sorry about this, but we have to go," Ekko apologizes before he's grabbing the child into his arms. Ezreal, at least, does not struggle. "Graves, let's get moving!"
"We'll talk later!" Graves promises. He grabs Tobias by the wrist and takes off after Ekko.
"Okay, but I'd really love t'know who the hell we're running from this time!" Tobias complains.
"I said later!"
As they run, Graves' mind whirls around the situation. Somehow, Ekko's time machine caused Ezreal to turn into a boy and Twisted Fate thrown back about ten years or so physically. What does that mean, exactly? He doesn't know how this nonsense works. Worse yet, he almost hates that T.F. took the time to spare him of this, too. He made sure that Graves would be safe.
"Stupid," Graves mutters to himself as they flee, and he finds himself squeezing Tobias' wrist.
Ekko comes to stop in front of a fire escape, and he crouches down a little. "Ezreal, hold onto my back, okay? Like a piggyback ride. Got it?"
The boy doesn't say a word and silently clutches to Ekko's back before the vigilante starts to climb the ladder. Gently, Graves pushes Tobias forward, a silent insistence for him to go first. Tobias shoots a glance at him before he starts to climb, and Graves follows.
They take a moment to pause on the roof, and Graves peers down. He hears shouting, determined Hooks trying to follow them, but no one is successful from the sounds of it.
Good. They have a moment to breathe.
"Fix this," Graves growls at Ekko.
"Right, because I carry a spare Zero Drive around at all times," Ekko replies, annoyed. "Graves, I can fix this, but I have to get to my workshops to do that."
"All right, fix what? Who the hell are the kids, and why do you look..." Tobias waves a hand helplessly. "Tired? And your beard is ridiculous!"
Graves sighs and puts his hand on Tobias' shoulder. "I got no idea if I can even explain this right."
"I'm Ekko, this is Ezreal, and my machine warped you so that you're mentally and physically younger. You won't retain any information for the past few years that you already experienced." Ekko pauses, then squints his eyes as he asks, "Is your name really Tobias?"
"That sounds-- that's gotta be the dumbest thing I've heard in awhile." Tobias looks at Graves, as if the gunman could offer him guidance. "What's the real story?"
Graves shrugs helplessly. "I couldn't have explained it better, honestly."
"All right, this is ridiculous." Tobias brushes off Graves' hand. "How the hell do I even know you're Malcolm?"
"You put slugs in your mother's tea when you were seven because she forced you to cut your hair," Graves says flatly.
"...Okay then." Tobias folds his arms. "How old's my sister?"
"You're an only child, your favorite color is red, and you always keep a spare card in your boot. Are you really gonna put me through this, you asshole?"
Tobias holds up his hands. "All right then. Fine. You're Malcolm. Only... older? Do I got that right?"
"More or less. I'm guessin' you've lost about ten years," Graves notes. He turns to Ekko. "Why's Ezreal so much younger?"
"He was right in the center of the overload." Ekko sighs and rubs his forehead. "I'm gonna say that it shaved off maybe fifteen years for him."
"You said y'could fix this?" Tobias asks warily. "Whatever this is."
Ekko nods. "With enough parts. We're gonna have to hit up two workshops of mine, but if I have the pieces, I can fix what was done. Right now's probably not a good time to go searching, though. How many pirates are crawling through here, do you think?"
"Hard to say. Sona didn't specify how many men were after us." Graves shakes his head.
"In any case, we probably want to wait until morning to go to the warehouses. Trust me, I don't want to wait on this, but we'll actually be safer that way."
The idea infuriates him. He absolutely does not want to wait any longer than necessary. He doesn't know what to do with himself what with Tobias as he is. Things have been odd enough between them, but he knows he can't possibly treat him the same as he used to. As much as he hates the years lost between them, he wants Twisted Fate back with him.
And recognizing that in himself is a feeling he doesn't know how to handle.
Graves breathes in and does his best not to let his temper take him. Instead, he says to Tobias, "What do you think? Wait until morning?"
Tobias pauses and blinks, not expecting his opinion to be inquired. Eventually, he nods. "He ain't wrong. If we got people on our trail, better to wait at daylight. If there ain't many, they wanna surprise us. If they had more numbers, night would give us better cover but I think we oughta wait until the sun's out."
"All right then. We'll do this your way." Graves looks at Ekko. "Go on ahead."
"We'll get back to the closest workshop. Tomorrow, we'll go to the other one and I'll be able to deal with this," Ekko promises.
"That'd best be true."