The sound of a gunshot echoed through the streets; it seemed to be close by, though Lucian was unable to tell exactly how close, or who had fired it. The quiet doctor had been safely tucked away in his little pocket of shadow for quite some time before Maximillian had stumbled along and ruined the whole thing. For almost an hour Lucian Dexter had stood silently and watched the patrols pace back and forth, back and forth, as if on some invisible timer ingrained into their increasingly addled minds. He'd had enough time to observe their appearance - bandaged faces hiding rotted eyes, too much dirty hair growing from the skin, some with left arms grown unnaturally long. The bodies that huddled against buildings and in the alleyways clutching at quicksilver bullets and vials that they would never use were - for the most part - the bodies of normal men and women, cut down as indiscriminately as the scourge-beasts. This was not the homecoming that the doctor had expected - the worst battle he had prepared to face was his aging mother's disapproval. It had seemed like staying hidden and waiting until morning was a marvellous plan, and one he was eager to pursue.

But all of that was out of the window now. Out of the window, sailing happily down the street never to be seen again. One must adapt in order to thrive, he supposed. 

"Come along, then!" He scooped up the black leather doctor's case between his feet and strode purposefully (and rather quickly) to follow Maximillian, gesturing with a sweep of the arm for the bespectacled woman and nervous young man to follow. "Let's not keep the gentleman waiting."

He cast a quick glance over his shoulder to try and determine how close the huntsmen might be and whether the two newcomers were set to follow, and then ducked quickly into the alleyway. The lantern put up little resistance against the darkness; its faltering light played across wet cobbles and the outstretched hand of a statue pinned between two tall narrow townhouses. "Have caution," he murmured, loud enough for nearby human ears to hear - but hopefully quiet enough that he wouldn't alert anything else. "if you see the shine of yellow eyes, stab first, and inquire later."

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