Matthew returned to his apartment, such as it was, tired and frustrated. It had been a long day, and the time spent afterward poking through the Lunatic Mask had not helped his mood any. They still had seen no sign of a locus, and, in case their current problems weren't enough, the Justicars were threatening to make a land grab.

Finally, Matthew's thoughts turned to his new pack-mate, Jacob. It seemed that Jacob had had similar experiences to his own, and he had certainly handled himself well this evening. Regardless of what happened, he couldn't complain for lack of companionship.