Weiss crouched on a rooftop across the street from the Schnee Dust Company branch offices. She'd been there—watching—for almost an hour now. The sun was glaring down at her, and Weiss regretted not finding a rooftop with some shade; her aura was working overtime, trying to keep her fair skin from burning.

Cars could be heard driving back and forth below her, but Weiss was too far back from the edge of the roof to see them. All she needed was a line of sight on the front door and the garage of the office; there was no reason to risk being spotted.

Out of boredom more than any need to, Weiss drew Myrtenaster and spun the cylinder. It spun smoothly, having been oiled the night before. The chambers wereall full of Dust, and the barrel was clear. The point tapered into invisibility; so sharp that she couldn't even see it. Poking a finger to the tip only succeeded in giving her a painful jab and drawing blood. Weiss swore and pressed it to her tongue. The pain quickly faded, and by the time Weiss looked at it again, her aura had healed the cut.

She slipped Myrtenaster back into its sheath with a sigh. She half-considered pulling out a nail file, but that was taking it too far—she needed to keep watch.

A few more heat-filled, utterly boring minutes passed and, like a gift from on high, Weiss' quarry left the building across the road. She'd looked up a list of the board members in Mistral and had