---
John's jaw set. "If anyone tries to harm him or accuse him wrongly? What will you do?"
"I will burn the building down," Fizz said sweetly, then coughed. "Kidding. I will politely complain to the nearest teacher and then burn a very small corner."
Snake chuckled, a dry sound like paper that still loved to be turned. "He will not be harmed," he said. "I am old, not careless."
John's jaw moved once. "If it is dangerous, I say no," he repeated, stubborn as a good door.
"It is not," Snake said. "It is walking and placing and leaving. And cookies."
Fizz waved his paw. "Do not stand in the way of commerce," he said. "I need snack money. Snacks make me kind."
John exhaled through his nose. The line in his chest hummed, but it did not protest. He nodded to Hale and Venn. "All right," he said. "We will be quick."
He met Fizz's eyes. Fizz lifted a paw like a promise. "I will be right behind you," he said. "If a cabbage knight appears, scream in letters. I will hear the spelling."
