Dearie really deserves more of a response than a slight tilt of the head mildly affronted expression but Johnny's mind is elsewhere. Nova's tension is turning to fear, stupid fucker, this is your fault after all, my fault, our fault - he can't mistake the implied threats coming from the lizard, if not the man, they do make a good little tag team don't they - and his willingness to wait this out is diminishing. He twitches back to his cowardly press against the tree, uneasy, waiting for something to go off, he doesn't know what.

"Yeah?" he says, rough and ragged. "You don't want this shit, man. Nobody wants it. The rift gave it to me, it's mine, I'm supposed to carry it. I can't get rid of it. That's the point."

Nova picks this moment to make an attempted break for it, darting out from behind the tree and past the lizard, like a fucking class act moron. That was the thing, then, the thing he was waiting for. Fantastic.

"Nova-!" he snaps just before doubling over at the first hint of pain, the tug in his chest.