Midnight disliked the man across the street.
The black cat sat on the stone ledge outside Renn's third floor window, apparently absorbed by an airship passing between Ironcloud's upper docks. His ears followed the engine. His eyes followed the man reflected in the glass.
The stranger had arrived carrying a narrow tool case and wearing the gray coat used by heating contractors throughout the district. He stopped at the public notice board, read three postings, and continued toward the lower market. Nothing about the behavior should have interested a cat.
It was the third time Midnight had seen him.
The coat changed. The tool case did not.
Midnight slipped through the partly open window and landed beside Lana's chair. She was reviewing a spell diagram with Renn, who had discovered that watching someone revise magical notation was almost as tedious as reviewing property records.
The familiar placed both front paws on Lana's knee.
She stopped writing. "Again?"
