41

"You there! What's your business?"

There is no answer, and Diar looks at you with alarm. "Who are you talking to?"

"I thought I saw someone," you say. But there's no one there now. There are no alleyways or doorways that could hide a man, even if he had reason to hide. So what was that dark shape like a cloaked figure? Where could it have gone?

Thankfully, it's not long before you reach Diar's door. It's a three-story building, and Diar lives on the second floor in three rooms along the side. The front window, her main room, looks out over the street, and you see the light above.

"Milli from downstairs is watching Aislen," she says by way of explanation as you go up and knock. Aislen is her daughter, a little girl not quite two. You were around for all of the complicated relationship woes that resulted in her father's disappearance, and you comforted Diar through the entire process. Aislen is adorable, however, and it's clear she's the light of Diar's life.

When there's no immediate answer, Diar knocks on the door again. "Who's there?" Milli asks finally.

"It's me. I'm home." You hear the bolt draw back, and a slim girl you've seen before opens the door. She's carrying Aislen, who exclaims, "Mama home!" and stretches out her arms eagerly.

"She went to sleep a long time ago, but she started fretting when she heard you knock," Milli says.

"She just wants to see me, don't you?" Diar scoops Aislen into her arms and kisses her wildly curling hair. "But it's back to bed for you. You're not old enough yet to keep actors' hours."

"No!" Aislen protests, but she's already curling sleepily against Diar's shoulder.

"She was no trouble," Milli says. "But I should be off downstairs now."

"I owe you two coppers," Diar says, fumbling for the coins with one hand.