[Danny]

Arim straightened up and surveyed the restaurant. It had taken him the best part of a day, but he'd finally managed (with the help and hindrance of Teb) to straighten the room out and turn it back into a serviceable restaurant. There were still gaping holes in places, where the stolen objects had been, but these were obvious only to him, and he was overall quite proud of his handiwork.

"Teb?"

Teb came downstairs and joined him. "Did you get the restaurant sorted out?"

Arim grinned. "If only you could see it. I gave it a full spring clean while I was at it, and it hasn't been this clean in years... Anyway, I reckon we can reopen tomorrow, so we're gonna need some foodstocks. Here's some cash, could you pop down to the market and get us some decent vegetables and a couple of scrab legs?"

"Okay. Back soon." Teb walked out into the hall, pulled on his shoes, and left the building.

Arim sighed, gave the floor a final once-over with the mop before going to replace it in the broom cupboard. As he rounded the bar, however, he heard the front door creak open, and turned to watch the doorway to the hall.

"Didn't you have enough cash?"

There was no reply.

"Teb? That you?"

The door creaked shut again.

"Look, we're closed, okay?"

There was no sound.

"You there?"

Arim waited, watching the doorway, for several seconds, before frowning, and turning back towards the cupboard. As he turned, however, he thought he caught a glimpse of some slight movement out of the corner of his eye. Spinning, he just had time to register a silvery figure with a featureless white face when he felt a sharp pain in his chest, and the room began to black out...

* * *

The Hunter advanced across the room towards its unconscious victim. It moved purposefully, and without the hesitancy that would be expected from something without sight. It whacked tables aside if they got in its way, but it was very quiet about it, and reached Arim without a sound. It let out a hiss of dialect, before pausing, disturbed, sniffing the air. Bending, it raised Arim’s prostrate body towards its face, sniffing again. It posture changed, and it let out a snarl. Tossing Arim aside, it stalked back into the hallway, and dropped to the floor, agilely. Sniffing the floor, it sprung to its feet and sniffed the air. Turning to face the staircase, it hissed softly, and mounted the stairs without another sound...