As they planned together, the clouds continued their listless crawl through the sky, freeing a sliver of moonlight. Ms. Koizumi was still little more than a shadow, but at her suggestion, he began to look around the apartment. The architecture was uncanny -- predictably generic, but cavernous with unfamiliarity. The carpet was filthy...He realized he still hadn't taken off his boots and grinned, guilty. [i]Not like I'm sticking around...[/i]

His wound pulsed, and he remembered the rough-worn edges of the three-pronged claw. Somehow, it had missed somebody as huge as him, but even still...He looked down at the top of the girl's head and heavily reconsidered her plan.

"I'm coming with you." He stepped back, glancing around for the bathroom. "Where's the kit again? We..." He thought back to the almost comically large trio of blades again. "...might need it later, anyway."