"Getting real sick of this crap, William." 
Ghent was in no hurry to get up. He'd been on his feet for most of the day, and William wasn't going anywhere. The sky looked nice, at least. The view couldn't compare to the one back in the country, but it was enough to keep Ghent there for a few moments more.

Any attempt at stargazing was put on hold when a shadow of a person suddenly flew over Ghent's head. The person turned out to be a girl, and to Ghent's astonishment, she was climbing the slide with ease. "Whoa, hey!" Competition was definitely not something he'd expected at this hour. How had Mrs. Saxon spread the word of William's disappearance so quickly? Better yet, how had this girl found William here too? The odds were incredible, and as usual, not in Ghent's favor.

Now that Elayra had retrieved William, Ghent scrambled to his feet, his jeans muddied and wet. So much for $200. "Hold on! I saw him first," he started to protest, only to be silenced when William was handed over without argument. 

The turn of events was enough to shut both up. Ghent looked to William, William looked to Ghent, and then both stared at Elayra in matching looks of disbelief. In this moment, they matched in expression and appearance; they were rather disheveled after the chase, and they couldn't seem to get over this girl. 

"Of course he isn't mine." Finally, Ghent found his voice, and he raised an eyebrow as Elayra referred to him by name. Something about the last name felt familiar, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy. "What the heck is a Madrail?" Even though the park was lit by street lamps in certain areas, he squinted through the darkness in order to get a better view of her face. "Who are you?" 

From what Ghent could tell, she was really quite beautiful. Platinum blonde hair, eyes in a color he could not then identify. . .and with a rather impressive looking scar running through the left one. The scar was so unique that Ghent nearly caught himself staring, and he was quick to advert his gaze by readjusting his hold on a squirming William. Pretty girls were always somewhat intimidating to Ghent, and he certainly wasn't the sort to pay compliments or flirt. Instead, he viewed Elayra with the utmost suspicion while taking notice of her curious looking attire. This was unusual wear; he'd only seen a few dresses similar to this, and that was when his mother had been commissioned to make costumes for a Renaissance Fair. 

"Mrs. Saxon asked you to find him, didn't she?" Ghent wasn't giving Elayra a word in edgewise; he was coming to conclusions all on his own. "Tell you what. I'll split the reward with you." As he made the offer, Ghent unzipped his hoodie and worked to wrap the cat up with it. This wasn't to keep William warm, this was to keep his claws at bay. "You can have 20%."