Ellie, who had followed along for lack of anything better to do, winked at Hermes. "See, what'd I tell you? Nothing to worry about."

Pausing to consider a moment, she added, "Oh, and in the interest of full disclosure, I do have wings. But some of my best friends are heathens, so don't fret it, all right? I promise I won't bite. I'm...kind of out of touch with my own family, you could say, so come see me if you want to unload.

"Sweet dreams, babe." She blew him a friendly kiss, and went on her way.