"Okay…" says Kendra, drawing out the word.

Gregor grunts, and seems to accept this.

They sit for a few minutes, listening to the rain.



Gregor doesn't seem inclined to say more.

"How… are you here?" asks Kendra. She has to say something, and it's been bothering her.

"What?" asks Gregor. "I am not understand - oh, you are asking, 'How did I find this place?' yes?"

"Yeah."

"Followed my nose," says Gregor. "Well, OK, not my nose - her nose. She smell Mouse Girl. She is always smelling Mouse Girl. They all do. It is the… the thing, you know?"

Kendra does not. She shakes her head.

"It is the thing she carries? Like light in dark places." He pauses, brow furrowed. "Not light only. 'Holy'? Not quite I think. 'Grace'? 'Blessing'? In Russian we would say it was 'svyashchennyy dar', but English? I don't know." He shakes his head, frustrated with himself. "Whatever it's name - it calls to them."

Well that's… bad. Bina has said that the Naughts kept being able to find her, but the way Gregor is describing it, it's considerably more obvious then Kendra has been thinking.

"She is here, or was here, or will be here. Always tricky with Mouse Girl and causality, yes? You know what I am talking about."

Kendra nods, she does. Bina and the entire concept of cause and effect have something of an adversarial relationship these days.

"Maybe she is hiding nearby you think? It is not like her to leave friend in danger though. This is what I am thinking when I come talk to you with gun, but she is not coming out."

Notes