Iron straightened, and made his slow way over. His little calisthenics routine brought with it something else—the smell of sweat and muscles. Eric had smelled the same thing in every locker room he'd ever been in, and only ever wanted to find the fastest way out.

Lotus, though—the smell affected her differently. She had to deliberately turn away from Iron, keeping her focus on Gus. "Please, just an overnight somewhere. Magic under the stars seems more magical than a double-wide, doesn't it? Maybe I'll be able to reach the spirits better out there, or... pull on the heart of the world, or however this stuff works."