[hr][hr]

[center][h2] Matthew [/h2][/center]

Mira chuffed in faint amusement at the apology, before pulling out her phone and beginning to dial - but by the time she'd gotten anywhere with it, Matthew was out into the cold of the early morning. The sky had been struck at one end by the sun from over the horizon, a very faint glow beginning to build as light leaked through from the places where it was already Day, and above him the stars were beginning to drown in that pale blue of the time between night and day.

Snow crunched underfoot, chatter sounded in the distance, and the wind bit like teeth.

When Matthew made it to the end of the alleyway, into the street where the pizzeria lay, he could see more clearly a small crowd of cops gathering in front of the pizzeria's doors and talking amongst themselves. The snow muffled sound as it fell, but what they were saying was just audible over the background of the city.

"Why would a wizard hide in a fucking pizza place, Marty? There's action down town, we don't have time for this."

"I'm telling you, I saw something moving in there."

"Without breaking windows or kicking doors in? I don't think so."

"But what about if they've got magic that can unlock doors or something?"

"Downtown need support, we will not waste our time chasing ghosts in pizza shops." The sergeant in command stabbed his finger at the chest of the man talking.

Then, a shout from down the road.

"Yo sergeant! My name is Lt. Fernandez, I got a 10-Alpha a couple streets over, I need back up!"

A moment of shocked silence as the swarm of police officers took a moment to react, before turning to face the source of the noise, away from the side of the street Matthew was on.

"Show me your badge, lady. Why the fuck ain't you on the radio?"

Just beyond the forming line of blue uniforms, Mira stood, reaching for her badge.




[@Gentlemanvaultboy]