He chuckled at his blunder, the very same one she'd made yesterday. It was near impossible to keep their intimate knowledge of one another at bay when caught by surprise, though if anyone ever asked Dory would be able to easily explain their friendship. (We have worked countless cases together, she was with me for the dragon attack and when the Ivy Leaf was bombed, we're friends, nothing more.) It would be a lie, of course, but after years of avoiding suspicion with romantic entanglements Dory felt relatively safe.

“I am,” he answered with a white lie as he nodded his farewell to the merchant and led Mabel back into the crowd. “And you? What brings you to the festival tonight?” Will Mr. Coyle be joining us?

---