The 1st Floor of the Three Cats Inn was laid out as one completely open space, except for an area beneath the stairs that stood one step higher than the normal floor. The 2nd Floor, meanwhile, was like an atrium, with tables arranged all around its perimeter. Leaning over the railing allowed one to see directly down to the 1st Floor, so that those on the 2nd Floor could also watch the bard's performances below.
The inn was still as it had always been. Its proprietress, Mrs. Sangmei, warmly received the two men, and the Doctor led Shade to the 2nd Floor, where they took seats in a secluded corner.
Tobesk was still shrouded in Great Fog that afternoon. After all, steam-pipe heating would begin in the city next Monday, and the factories had been producing far more exhaust than usual lately. Combined with the already poor weather, the Three Cats Inn had lit its Gas Lamps despite it still being afternoon. But to save on gas expenses, the light was not particularly bright.
The Doctor first went to the third floor to call down his patient, Mr. Jims, leaving Shade to wait there. Since the Doctor had already ordered drinks from a scantily dressed waitress, Shade had nothing else to do.
After the Doctor left, he sat there and surveyed the other patrons. To help Mr. Jims settle down somewhat, Doctor Schneider had chosen a corner in the southeast of the 2nd Floor. And since there were few customers on Friday afternoon to begin with, Shade could only see a middle-aged woman seated against the wall on the opposite side of the atrium, her back turned toward him as she drank from a wineglass.
"A woman drinking alone at an inn on Friday afternoon?"
Shade caught the "scent of