Balthazar hears the cat and straightens. That can't be right. No one brought pets on this ship, did they? Unless there are ship's cats to keep the rat population down. Caught between dream and memory, he stands still, confused, but something in him recognizes Jazz when he sees him, and by extension Fortescue.

It still doesn't make much sense to him, though, beyond a sense of both keen familiarity and intuitive knowledge that the lady and her cat don't belong in these surroundings.

"...what's happening?" He crouches to stroke the cat, then blinks at Fortescue. It's not a greeting, but rather a genuine statement of bewilderment.