It was nine in the evening by the time I got back from my usual workout, and the last vestige of dusk was fading quickly behind the horizon of Londons skyline. I tramped all the way up four flights of stairs, and I could hear music from the inside of my flat before I opened the door. It was a small thing with a wall separating the kitchen, a nook for an entrance room and a decently sixed living area that face the south. Two enormous windows overlooked the street below, and it was the tallest building for a block or two and that was part of what I liked about it. That and the unmonitored roof access. Speaking of which, my personal technician was currently schmoozing it up with the last drops of my liquor supply from the sounds of the choice in music. For some reason unbeknownst to me, ryan always went for salsa music when he was nursing a tipsy attitude. The sounds of music and mayhem echoed out the open windows. I found him sprawled in my living room, surrounded by a heap of wire and circuitry, a dangerously low bottle of wine at his side.

"Hey!" he shouted, slightly muffled by a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, "What the hell did you do to the loop I had going?" I grabbed my water bottle and chugged for a moment before responding.

"heck, I dunno, I'm not the geek here, I beat people up and watch them run in legal circles afterwards. I'm upholding my end of the deal here, eh?"

"Your deal? Oh god, are you bringing the devil into this again-"

I gestured wildly, taking on a tone I hoped was ominous, but probably ended up being more droning.

"the devil is in all matters, ryan. We're all dying-"

"don't start this nonsense up again. Poetry doesn't take kindly to you, remember?"

I grumbled, recalling the one poetry class I had been foolish enough to take. It wasn't so much that the poetry aspect wasn't up my alley, it was my classmates that all had giant sticks up their-

"back to the matter at hand, Enara, what did you do to this since last week?"

"I was pointing out in a subtle and kind tone that I don't touch that junk."

"this junk is my greatest craft, it is the very epitome of a perfect alibi-"

I groaned, seeing as he was about to carry on into all lengths of the night.

"Ryan, is there anything I can do? Because it kind of seems like youre just moaning at me."

"Im not moaning im just saying-"

I sighed and tuned him out and wandered into the kitchen instead, starting to pull out the medley I would throw into dinner. I glanced at the time. Ten past nine, what the hell. I pulled out the wine and poured myself a glass and turned up the salsa music.

"Call Melly!" I yelled at Ryan, who was stacking the wires once again with his soldering iron. He nodded and flipped open his phone, ignoring my request and texting her instead. I scooted back into the kitchen and went to work, slicing vegetables and throwing spices into a pan, starting to sautee mushrooms and onions. I pulled the tuna out and slathered it in lemon and thyme before it got tossed in the oven. Hardly fifteen minutes into my cooking spree, as the kitchen clouded with succulent aromas, I heard Melly and Nick burst in the door.

"nara! By god, where are you, all I see is broccoli." She was right, I had been slicing a little enthusiastically in my tipsiness and there were broccoli bits in my hair. I brushed them away quickly, still stirring the various simmering pots and pans on the stove. "Hi Mel. Ey, I got a little overexcited." She pulled large chunk out of my sports bra. "yes, I see that. Theres a thing tonight, we should go. Its this band, and they know Nick, but theyre all jumped up and young, apparently he wants to stiff them or something, bah. All gossip aside, I think Robin and Tim were planning on going." I waggled my eyebrows mischievously.

"eh, you know only bad things happen when we all get together." She laughed and dipped a finger into the sauce I was gently stirring.

"mmm! Darn that's good. Well, bad things wouldn't happen if you and Robin didn't get blackout drunk every time."

I stuck my nose in the air in a false claim to innocence.

"There is little I can do when people buy me shots. T'would be rude to refuse."

She chatted at me, and the evening passed quickly as we set up a table on the small veranda and drinks flowed freely, laughter bounding off cement walls as Christmas lights and candles were lit in the burgeoning night. As Nick and Ryan began finished debating their favorite tv series and Melly and I finshed gossiping, the last of the food was piled onto Ryans plate and a bloated peacefulness swam in the eyes of my friends.

"hey, enara, have you heard of that detective fellow?"

I swilled my wine and cocked my head, the concept ringing a bell. Some bloody psychopath that solved crimes for fun, as I recalled, always at the side of the police and on the front of tabloids in some wonky hat.

"yeah, I thought he died, right?"

"no, he's back! Faked the whole thing apparently."

"erungh." Melly voiced the feeling I had at this revelation.

"yeah," I said, my nose a little crinkled. "who fakes their own death? It all seems bloody weird to me, he's got something wrong with him. But whatever, I guess so long as he keeps locking up the bad guys I'm at no means for complaint." They agreed and the subject somehow turned once again into the tv show. I leaned back and lit up a cigarette, watching the stars glimmer behind a haze of light pollution.

After telling melly I would come make my way to the bar a bit later, everyone left and by eleven I was alone.

I pranced up to the rooftop, enjoying the slight tingle of fear that crossed my mind as I swung myself upwards onto the roof, feeling the heavy toll gravity inflicted upon my slight frame. I was small, so I had to make up for my short stature and slender body with speed and agility. I raced across the rooftop and made the usual jump across the narrow alleyway, my legs delighting in the stretch and flexing warmly as I landed. I made my way across the rooftops towards the university, where the roof lifted elegantly above its neighbors to grant me a better survey of the world below me. I clambered onto the roof with ease, scaling the windows and swinging off Victorian style accents. It was here that I found the small phone, plugged into an outdoor outlet and covered with a tshirt.

"Right then." I pulled the black mask onto my face and turned the phone on.