They went slowly. They went so slowly that Luna counted her own heartbeats while they did it, and got to eleven, and it was the bravest thing Alex had ever seen anybody do.
Then the arena went grey, and the grey went soft, and something poked him in the cheek.
Poke.
"...Luna?"
'I'm here.' She sounded tired. 'Wake up, Lexie. Someone is poking you.'
Poke. Poke.
He opened his eyes. A red face filled the whole sky, a hand's width from his own, with two big curious eyes and a mouthful of teeth.
"Al. Ex." Kanos said it slowly, in human, very pleased with himself. "Bet. Ter?"
"...Who taught you that?"
Kanos pointed over his shoulder, at a woman sitting on a rock with a roll of bandage in her teeth.
"He's been asking every ten minutes," Selina said round the bandage. "I taught him one word to shut him up. It didn't work."
