Alyssa is the last to board her carriage, checking to make sure her fellow passengers are settled comfortably before claiming the last empty space  next to Angel and closing the door behind her. As the carriage trundles toward the watch house, she follows Angel's example, keeping silent unless spoken to and watching the darkened windows of the merchant district roll by through the shutters. The view is hardly stimulating, but it gives her time to think without distraction, and to sift through the the plethora of concerns left in the wake of the invasion: Friends. Neighbors. Family. Her mother... Did they escape safely when the demons arrived? Where are they now? When will she have a chance to find out?<br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Perception: 1d20 (5) + 15 = 20, success<br/>Initiative: 1d20 (8) + 4 = 12</div></div></div><br/>Alyssa's reverie is broken by a soft thump from the roof of the carriage, followed by a brief scuffling noise from the direction of the driver. A quick survey of her fellow passengers confirms that she's not the only one to have noticed the sound, or considered its possible implications. Before she can react, however, the carriage lurches violently as the driver, whoever he may be, orders his horses into a sharp turn, swinging the carriage down a westbound side street - the opposite direction from their intended destination.<br/><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Angel wrote:</cite>"Something's up there. And they have some sort of alchemical materials..."<br/><br/>"Adjutant, so that you're warned, I'm going to defend myself from whatever's up there. And that wasn't me asking for permission."</div></blockquote><br/>"Understood," Alyssa replies. "But we mustn't act rashly. Let me check with the driver first to find out what's happened. It could be nothing at all..." Her reassurance sounds dubious, even to her own ears, but it's better than the alternative - even if Angel's paranoia is justified, having her agitated in close quarters won't improve their chances against whatever is outside. As for what that might be... well, there's only one way to find out.<br/><br/>Alyssa raises a hand to motion Angel back into her seat, careful to keep a safe distance from the unfriendly-looking barbs covering the lupine's body. Edging toward the center of her seat once it's free of Angel's spines, she reaches up to the panel separating the passengers' compartment from the driver outside and gives two quick raps. After a moment of silence, she unlatches the panel and slides it away to peer out into the night.<br/><br/>"Constable?" she asks. "We seem to be going the wrong way - is everything alright?"