If Latham thought there was anything odd about what had happened, he didn't mention it.

The had dusted Lowe down and marched him out of the long corridor of the Contact Booths and back up the stairs to the ground floor of the Temple proper.

His brief contact with Gravalk had given Lowe much to think about. He now had an explanation for the unusual nature of d'Avec's death and confirmation that whoever had been present at her . . . demise had been able to lock the chamber door behind them.

Lowe had had enough about him to actuate Grid View during his vision, and he was looking forward - if they were the right words - to properly examining what he had captured. But that would have to wait as Latham almost carried him across the floor and out of the Celestial Temple. He had an appointment with the High Priestess's lawyer.

As Lowe approached the large, domed building, he reflected that the Tower of Law was not quite as impressive as the Celestial Temple. Because if there was one thing lawyers understood, it was that there was a significant percentage in letting your most prestigious—not to say homicidal—clients take the lead in architectural brilliance.

Instead of the towering majesty of the gods' home, the Tower of Law had an understated grandeur. It sat on the edge of the financial district and, as opposed to the many entranced Temple, had just one heavily guarded door.

In his prelapsarian existence, Lowe had spent many long hours in this building. Most of the time, of course, it was in trying to persuade reluctant to get off their arses and seek to prosecute the criminals he had nearly killed himself - sometimes literally - to get into a dungeon.

Oh, that he had been, for want of a better word, 'dating' one of the lawyers that worked there may, perhaps, have also been a good reason for him spending so long within its walls.

However, as Lowe approached the entranceway to the Tower, he realised he hadn't been there in over a year.

On either side of the heavily barred iron door stood two , neither of whom he recognised. They were watching him suspiciously. But no, Lowe realised, it wasn't him they were giving colossal stink-eye to. It was Latham.

When they were a couple of feet away, the two guards clashed their massive halberds together, barring the way with an imposing metallic X.

"The Tower is closed today."

"I have an appointment." Lowe had absolutely no time for territorial dick-waving. "Open up, there's a good gate monkey."

The guard to the left, Kaith, a Level ?? jutted his chin at Latham. "There's no chance of the likes of him getting in here."

Latham didn't say anything; he just unsheathed his massive sword from its scabbard on his back and rolled his shoulders. That was pretty damn loquacious as introductions went.

The second , Ganorth, also a Level ??, put a fairly unattractive sneer on his face. "Mate, put the pigsticker away. I wouldn't swagger into your fucking Temple expecting a warm welcome. You don't try on that shit here. Toddle on back to the god-botherers."

It seemed like Lowe would have to be the person to calm everything down. He looked up at the and put on his best 'it's going to be okay' smile. Funnily enough, he did not get to use that expression very much. "Look, I know people in here, and they're expecting me. I'm going to be okay."

Latham didn't take his eyes off the two guards. “My orders are unequivocal: I will not let you out of my sight during this investigation.”

"No one's going to kill me in the fucking Tower of Law!"

Latham paused and then spoke in a tone that suggested he was addressing a particularly slow child. "I know you are labouring under the misconception that I am following you around for your safety, but – as I keep trying to make it clear—my job is straightforward. I am to be at your shoulder throughout this investigation in case it needs to be terminated."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Lowe tried to determine how much truth there was in those words. He thought there was a bit more of a bond between them than that. The had given him advice about his build, hadn't he? But then again, he'd been pretty free with his hands at other times.

Lowe took a step away from the big man's shadow. "Okay, well, cheers for that. But I need to find out the terms of the High Priestess’s will, and it doesn't look like Tweedledum and Tweedledee here will give you access. So, see you later."

Lowe strode towards the crossed halberds, which, much to his surprise, opened to let him pass. He didn't glance back to see what Latham did, but considering the lack of the sound of bedlam, he assumed he hadn't followed. Lowe put his hand on the door and was portalled inside the Tower of Law.

*

It took Lowe a minute for his head to stop spinning. He channeled as much mana as he could to Roll with the Punches, but, as usual with portal travel, it seemed travel sickness was not really a physical symptom.

"Jana? What are you doing here?"

Excellent, the hits just kept on coming. Maybe if he kept his eyes closed, it would turn out his ex-girlfriend wouldn't be there when he got control of himself.

He felt a gentle hand rest on his shoulder. "Portal sickness?" Her soft voice was filled with empathy; of course, it fucking was. "Just breathe."

Realising he was probably beginning to draw attention for all the wrong reasons, he opened his eyes and met the gaze of Arebella Telut.

A long-term ... acquaintance.

"Bella. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

The woman standing before him was short, barely five feet tall, and had long blonde hair framing a heart-shaped face. One of the things he had always found difficult about her during their on-again, off-again relationship was the way her dark brown eyes pierced him and held him like a fish on a spear. For someone used to talking himself out of any number of awkward situations, he had always found her calm regard disconcerting.

"Clearly," she took her hand off his shoulder and stood back, smiling at him warmly. "Imagine my surprise when I saw your name on today's visitor list. I'd have thought you might let me know you would be calling in."

Lowe was aware that other people were coming through the portal and starting to push past him. He slipped his hand under Arebella's arm and led her to a side alcove away from the passing traffic.

"It's just on a case. I didn't want to bother you."

"You never bother me by dropping in." There was a momentary pause. "Although it's been a while since you did so."

"Well, you know. Kind of felt that after what had happened, you'd appreciate me keeping my distance."

Arabella tilted her head. "That's silly. You know that sort of thing doesn't matter to me."

The thing is, Lowe did know that. From the moment he'd lost his Class, she couldn't have been more supportive. But enough people had had quiet words in his shell-like that Arebella's bosses were looking askance at her relationship with a figure who had attracted such scandal. So, he'd done what, in his mind, was the decent thing.

He'd ghosted her without any explanation.

Lowe looked at her properly after his vision had cleared of vomit-inducing tears. And his eyes widened.

"You've evolved your Class!"

Arebella blushed slightly and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, I haven't had much to go on other than my work lately." Those words might have seemed accusative in another person's mouth, but she meant it literally. "And I was fortunate to be assigned a case that carried an unusually high XP reward."

"So, what is a when it's at home?"

Her blush deepened. "It sounds more grand than it is. I've just gained access to a broader range of techniques focused on parsing statements for inconsistencies."

His face must have betrayed his confusion because she cleared her throat and pressed onward to clarify. "I've specialised in being able to identify lies."

Now, it was Lowe's turn to blush. There was nothing like hearing your . . . was she still his girlfriend if they'd not seen each other in months? Whatever. It felt something like a relatively clear statement of intent when someone you'd been in a relationship with chose to specialise in spotting untruths.

He was feeling pretty judged.

"Well, good for you," he said, anxious to end the conversation now. "It's been nice to see you. I'll call you." No sooner had he said the last sentence, but the sides of her mouth creased downwards slightly. He suspected she had one of her new Skills running whilst they were talking.

"Sure," she said, the smile on her face not reaching her eyes.

They looked at each other for a moment, and Lowe was once again struck that he had lost more than just his Class in the last year.

Then she stepped closer, lowering her voice so she wouldn't be overhead. "My office is on the next floor up. Stop by before you leave. I think I've picked up something about the death of the High Priestess that you need to know."

Arebella pressed a small Portal Stone into his hand, and he caught a trace of her perfume. It was one he'd bought her for her birthday. She'd asked for it, and it had taken him weeks of searching to identify a supplier. His colleagues had been less than kind about what this suggested about his investigatory powers.

He smiled awkwardly at her as he stepped away. "I've got to see a Mr. Velehim about the d'Avec will, but then I'll stop by. If you're sure I won't be taking you away from something better you should be doing?"

Arebella turned and walked away, looking back over the shoulder. "Don't let me down, Jana." She fluttered a wave and then was lost in the crowds of lawyers and their clients.

Lowe stood momentarily, pretending he hadn't heard the unspoken 'again' in her voice as she walked away.