Jedao tolerates the slack while they trundle along; when John finds a place to sit, he only says, "Tighter," with a hitching little breath.

He's wallowing, but he doesn't know what else is left. He's sulking like a child, because his friend went away. It's not like he didn't know, after Hera showed up, if not before. Eiffel had a dozen best friends, more, because wanted to befriend everyone, and he was the best friend you could ask for, every time. And Jedao had been fooling himself, all long, that he could beat those odds.