So Bixby was in an ongoing state of difficulty; Noble wasn't sure if he knew the other man well enough to try and dig into why. But he understood a continued state of egregiousness, that was in many ways how he would describe the last few years.

He took a sip of his drink, aware that he'd taken several in the time that Bixby had taken none. Bixby's drink looked untouched. "It's been — picking up," he said, with a small smile, "Things always pick up at the start of the season."