Matthew's face hardened in the dark as the call came to an end. The FOE seemed like they were as subtle as they ever were, the self-righteous pricks. Not that he had ever said that to their faces. There was a difference between being brave and suicidal.

Like right now. If they went back right now and got tangled up with the FOE while trying to find another mage they were gonna die. He was gonna die. That was like a lamb wandering into the lions den, soaking itself down in delicious BBQ sauce, and flopping itself down belly up. That was the whole intention of that phone call even. That's what the lions out there both wanted and now expected. This was actually another example of his insane lucky streak, every jackboot pressed down on someone else face was someone not coming for them. Just going on was the best for her goals too, wasn't it? Hadn't she ever heard that a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush.

His mind was throwing all these points at him as he said, "Can you tell me where they should be?" There was no anxiety in his voice as he spoke,  the nervous energy that had gripped him up to this point seemingly changing gears and being re-routed into an eagerness. "Because I can be anywhere in this city in 30 minutes or less. Much less if I'm not obeying traffic laws and, considering we're right in the middle of The Purge, fuck the police. Pull over, lets switch."

All those points arguing against going back were good. They were logical. Just leaving was objectively the smart play. All of them, though, were broken against an image Matthew held in his mind. Not quite a memory, in all likelyhood something he had just made up to fill the void; A young mage walking down the side of the cold road, afraid and alone. 

There was no logic in the world that wouldn't shatter against that.