Fletcher burst out laughing. Valkyrie, to try and disguise the fact that she'd been about to do the exact same thing, turned around and punched him on the arm.

"Don't mind him," she told the Warden. "He saw the Faceless Ones last year. He's never been quite the same since."

Which gave Fletcher the perfect excuse to keep laughing, but now Valkyrie couldn't so much as crack a smile. Fletcher owed her for this, he really did. It wasn't easy to tell how well Ghastly and Tanith were faring behind her, but it probably wasn't much better. Before the situation could get too dire, Valkyrie tried to focus on how they were hearing this conversation - because one of the people involved was an Archangel, and another one was Merlin - in the hopes that it would help her grow more serious.

It didn't. Raphael read Harry Potter. Raphael found Harry Potter funny.

Still, Valkyrie spoke again before the Warden could get too suspicious, pointedly ignoring his proffered arm. "We're not interested in a grand tour. I'm sure your prison is top-notch, really. We just want to talk to the people who appeared out of the blue here two days ago. Ten minutes, that's all."

Behind her, Tanith was gripping Ghastly's arm, the warrior's mouth a firm and determined straight line. "I think I can see what you mean," she murmured.

'Neither of you,' Ghastly broadcast as best he could, 'are making this any easier.'