This page is pretty great. As I said last time, Gravedust is sorta leaving E-Merl in the lurch because Gravedust has his own, slightly subtler trauma he needs solitude to process. But bearing that in mind, he at least says the best goodbye to E-Merl that he possibly can, echoing Bandit’s belief that E-Merl can fulfill a greater role than the one the world’s assigned to him. And that advice about Rachel, falling back on an old man’s wisdom instead of a mystic’s privileged knowledge, not only addresses the issue of her total loss but also foreshadows upcoming changes for Gravedust.

This advice, more than “the Peacemakers are your tribe”, will help E-Merl, down the line. But as of right now, he’s just not in the right headspace to make use of it.

Clair’s bit is partly funny, partly somber. She’s not going to stop helping our heroes, but she’s starting to accept that doing so won’t be all thrills and giggles like it used to be.