A train blew its whistle, screeching into the hot, stagnant air of the East Skyside Station, sending pigeons on its roof into harried flight. The horrible sound sliced through a sheer lace curtain and bounced around the room beyond. Quite suddenly, from the beauty of sleep, dream, and peace, Kroweth was painfully, horribly awake.

A long day at work. A hard day. Sohn was up her ass. A promotion was brewing, so things were getting uncomfortable between the two. One of them would be a Team Manager soon, and Londyn was getting desperate. She was sick of merc wrangling. Thankless work that didn’t pay well enough. But hey, she got a house out of it. A nicer one than most of the merc wranglers, on account of her brother Lito.