Immaru eventually found Archie again, sleeping and curled on a blanket in the Annex. The Ghost approximated the guttural sound of clearing one's throat, and the dog opened one eye.

"You know, after the whole… chicken… thing, I saw what you did up there. To those Guardians in the Courtyard, the way you had them wrapped around your little, uh, paws. You've got a gift," Immaru said. "And I could really use your help."

Archie tilted his head, listening.

"Right now, those Guardians don't care about anything else besides candy—it's controlling them, and they'll do anything for it. So we gotta get control of 'it' instead."

Archie growled.

"Not to hurt the Guardians," Immaru said, feigned sincerity dripping in his voice. "Just to help 'em. You wanna… help Ana, don't you? Keep her safe?"

Archie processed for a moment and then barked in agreement, sealing their pact.