Flo took the lead with Rabbit’s dialogue, and most of it sounds right to my ear here. Like I said in Chapter 23, the singsong poetic logic behind his speech is a hard thing to capture, especially in a scene that requires him to drop a little clear exposition. I think in the last couple of panels, he’s making an effort to communicate more clearly than usual, for Bandit’s sake. She is his commander, and a fellow gnome, and… <3 <3 <3 well… <3 <3 <3

This pairing was not quite as subtle as our intended Syr’Nj-wanted-Best-for-five-minutes arc back in Chapter 3. I think a few readers thought there might be a vibe here, buoyed by wishful thinking (Bandit deserves a “one true” about as much as anybody). And we had a bit of him awkwardly flirting with her in Chapter 25 that got revised out. But Rabbit interrupting their workflow to confess his feelings here would be an act not of love, but selfishness. It’d just add one more thing to the pile of shit Bandit has to deal with. He’ll have to sort it out later, I guess.

Matthew Davis wondered if the grey-purple on everyone but Bandit here was not just an atmospheric art choice but a sign that they weren’t as unaffected by Tom and Homon’s blackout as it seemed. Good guess, but no. Tom basically doesn’t have to do anything to this adventuring party at this point. Their mere presence and nature means they’re primed for what he’ll send their way.