Johan carefully stepped into his study, the gilded cane in his left hand, topped with the head and neck of a dragon, tapping against the ground as he walked with a slight limp, a small waft of smoke drifting from the pipe in his right palm. He gently slid into the chair that sat aside his desk, when he noticed the envelope. Noting the seal of the Tin Dragon Detective Agency, he reached for a letter opener shaped like a longsword and sliced open the letter, unfolding the parchment within and reading over it.

When he finished reading, he called out for the estate retainer, Heinrich. [color=khaki]"Heinrich, did anyone come to the door with a letter today?"[/color]

"No, Mr. Von Hochstadt, no one's come to the front door at all this morning or last night."

[color=khaki]"Thank you Heinrich."[/color] The thought of someone, or someTHING, entering his home without permission, even if only to leave a letter, did not sit well with him, especially after that encounter with the Boggart making a home out of the west wing. Ultimately, Johan would decide to leave for the inscribed destination, packing several outfits designed for field work, a pocket journal filled with shorthand notes on a wide assortment of creatures and beings, a small pouch of tobacco and a matchbox for his pipe, and a properly-padded bottle of fine scotch.

[hr]
Stepping out of the drop-gate, Johan smiled warmly as the older woman greeted him with the tray of cookies. He politely took one, thanking her, and then heading for the wagon. Carefully loading his luggage onto the vehicle, he took the seat directly across from someone he recognized immediately: Rhea Heimlich, bookstore owner and fellow resident of Comet-by-the-Sea.

[color=khaki]"It's a pleasure to see you again, Ms. Heimlich. I presume everything's well enough with the Cybele for you to pursue a second career?"[/color]