Mina arrived in her usual finery; three piece suit, silk tie, fedora at a jaunty angle, a ring on each one of her fingers. But for this particular occasion, she arrived without her self-righteous swagger. Although she prided herself on being a bloody genius, there was always the chance to learn something new. And in this particular instance, something that might be potentially important.

And she'd grown tired of sitting around, doing nothing but harassing Gabriel, when the mood suited her.

Despite a great love of books and, more importantly, the very big words they possessed, she hadn't spent much time in the library. It took her a moment to get her bearings and another to find Balthazar. And another still to remind herself that this was not the idiot who'd insulted her those many months ago.

"Hello, darling," she said.