Jacob had always prided himself on being shrewd and genre-savvy; they were, he would often say, his best survival traits. Why then did he fail to see the chandelier shenanigans from a mile away? The stunt caught him off guard, and he narrowly evaded comical embarrassment by jumping backward, allowing his query to dart out the door. The bastard Walker even shot off a parting one-liner on the way out.<span style="font-style: italic">I must be losing my edge,</span>Jacob mused. On the whole, this day was not starting well.<br/><br/>His blood still hot, he made ready to chase. And then the troublesome young girl threatened him with a deadlyâ€¦ cat? He halted midstride, barely having taken a step, his face puzzled. Suddenly all the urgency fled him and he just laughed. Screw the walker. Let the guards handle it; he'd already done his part.<br/><br/>"I'm sure his claws are rightly fearsome," he replied, still chuckling. He crouched and reached out casually to pet the cat. "At least the day isn't a total loss so far. How often does one get to meet a cat these days? I'm surprised nobody's tried to eat him yet."<br/><br/>He stood and faced the other walker. He tried, with limited success, to will some irritation back into his facial expression. "Was all that really necessary?"