"Don't worry. Why would I go into a place like that?"
Shade shrugged.
"The priest can only walk out on his own. All I can do is figure out how to help him walk out."
Tomorrow was Saturday. The four of them agreed to temporarily move this week's Study Group to 6 Saint Derain Square. The doctor left first, while Dorothy stayed behind to help Shade look after the cat.
Luvia was in no hurry to leave either. She made a request of Shade:
"I signed up for the astrology event held by Saint Byron's Astronomy College in autumn. This year's event is fairly large, and the Academy sent me a set of specialized stargazing equipment. But my apartment faces the wrong direction, and there isn't enough room."
It was not really that her apartment was too small, but that it lacked enough open space. Astrologers could not simply set up a telescope and astrolabe to observe the stars. They needed sufficient open ground to draw a Ritual Matrix, as well as space for Star Charts and various professional instruments whose exact purposes Shade did not know.
"That's fine. Pick a room on the third floor. There isn't even any furniture up there; I've been treating it as a place to practice rituals anyway."
"Then I suppose I'll borrow it for the whole autumn. Your house has an excellent orientation."
Luvia nodded. Shade found her a spare key and told her to move the stargazing equipment over in the next few days so she could come observe the stars whenever she wished.
After reminding Dorothy to look after Mia and telling her he might return very late, he took the letter of introduction Miss Galina had given him and headed downstairs.
On the sofa, Luvia and Dorothy sat facing each