The plaza was quieter than it had been an hour ago.
The crying hadn't stopped. It had only slowed. People were still sitting on the stones in their pale robes, scattered in small groups or all alone. Some stared at nothing. Some held each other. Some just rocked back and forth, their arms wrapped around themselves, whispering names Jin didn't know.
He walked slowly through them with Seul on one side and Yerin on the other. Joon and Echo came behind. Areum had gone back to the edge of the plaza to sit down, and nobody had argued.
An old man looked up as they passed. His eyes were red. His wrist, resting on his knee, still had a dark crescent burned into it, though it seemed paler now than it had that morning.
"My wife," he said to Jin. He said it like he was asking a question. "I had a wife. I remember her now. I remember her name." His voice broke. "How did I forget her name?"
