Hahahahahaha, oh God the CONSTERNATION that greeted this page. Phil’s alt text really did sum it up. For now, I’ll just ignore the last panel (except for the beautifully rendered knickknacks on HR’s desk) and talk about the bits no one else paid much attention to.

I guess it’s possible to read the second panel as the three tavern workers getting scared because Best is acting crazy and talking to nothing, but I think it’s more Occam’s-razor that they can see the same spirit he can. After all, spirits who’ve appeared before seemed to be visible to everyone once Gravedust’s power made them that way. Hmm, maybe this ghost has some CONNECTION to Gravedust.

It’s kind of amazing how Payet “solo act” Best immediately and totally commits to being a team player once Destiny tells him to. He probably expects his comrades will all recognize his infallible leadership, but still.

Also interesting is that he’s fairly informed about the political situation. He gets around and worked with some Gastonian soldiers recently, but even the Peacemakers didn’t realize how close war was until the end of Chapter 7. Like I said, we were pouring everything we could think of into making Best likable here, or, if you prefer, “more tolerable.” But we could only emphasize the parts of him that, to us, already existed. His other traits would resurface eventually.