...Knifeless, but certainly toting an indeterminate something in a jacket pocket, Claire made the questionable trip through town. It wasn't that the mutated individuals were often outwardly violent; rather, a few seemed more interested in discussion than in violence. She wasn't yet certain whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, but she hoped it was the former. Although, it wasn't lost on her that a great deal of uncertainty would evaporate if one of them would just hurry up and attack her. All this suspense was deadly.

She slipped into the tea shop, moving quietly in spite of all the daylight and the lack of appropriate cover. Even still, her arrival was hardly inconspicuous. Claire paused just inside the entrance, craning her neck as she searched out a second pair of innocuously sized wings.