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Jordan looks skeptical. "Good strategy would be recognizing monsters when you see them. You don't just open the door and invite a wolf into your home because it's strong. It's just as likely to kill you as it is to kill an intruder. Maybe more so. I've seen some insane things…but I really don't want to talk about them. Especially not with a goddamned Magister in the same room."

The conversation grows awkward as Jordan lapses in and out of silence. You imagine that she's reliving some disturbingly potent memory.

"I'm sorry, Mekuztli," she says. "I don't mean to be rude."

"It's okay," you say quickly. "You don't have to tell me what's bothering you."

"Thanks…would you mind if I needed a little space? I'm popping in and out of visions. It's disorienting."

"Sure, of course." It must be bad if Jordan's asking you to leave. You can count the number of times that's happened on one hand. "I'll be around if you need me."

Next.

Below the glass of the mezzanine, the mortals begin to flock in from the main entrance, clustered into groups as they take in the exhibits below. They seem almost confused for a few seconds, as the first display appears to be an entirely blank canvas.

Bouchard disengages from a newer vampire you've never met before and slinks toward you. He gives you a pointed look. "There's a stairwell opposite the one you came in. That will take you down to the basement where you can find Ichiro. Make sure he dies tonight. And don't be seen." He looks down at the crowd of mortals and laughs. "Give them a minute and the fools will be explaining its meaning to each other. And don't be afraid to watch closely; the overlook window is one-way glass." The Sewer Rat gives a raucous chuckle and extends a boil-pocked finger toward another installation of dubious art—a rotting apple nailed to a piece of driftwood. "A Piece of Eden, she calls it!" He dabs the edges of his eyes the way a mortal would wipe tears of laughter. "I'm not one to pay compliments to a Diva like Ms. Grey, but I'll be damned if this isn't the most entertaining show I've been invited to for a decade!"