On her way back from the table with the three Witches who were unhappy about their wages, a waiter who was going in the opposite direction stopped her.

“Winter, Nora said she wanted to talk to you.” He pointed up. “And table two needs you when you’re back.”

Wondering what could Nora need her for at peak hour, Winter wiped her hands on her apron and hurried upstairs.

Upon entering Nora’s office, Winter couldn’t help take a quick look around: each time she entered Nora’s office, something was different. Nora Volk’s office was a shrine to antiques, and the Valkoform’s hobby was no secret among collectors; more than once the woman got sensational offers for some of the rarer items she possessed. Rumor had it that she’d bought the place for The Canary with the money she’d received for a small jewel. She always did love doing business with just about anyone who could prove their wealth, so things often seemed to disappear from her interior decor, and other strange things came in their place. And sure enough, this time a tall bronze vase was missing from her desk, replaced with what looked like a box that had its legs shaped like a cat’s. Giving it a slight, disturbed look, Winter turned her attention towards her caretaker.

Nora herself was tall, with a square sort of face. Like most Valkoliki, she had silver hair, broad shoulders and four black dots underneath her right eye, which indicated her position as a fourth child in the family. Nora liked vintage dresses and heavy jewelry that gave the impression that she had ended up in the wrong era – and today was no exception. Everything she wore, down to the shape and color of her glasses, had an expensive, dated feel to it, something that Winter had learned to accept without question.

She'd seen stranger attires in Northland anyway.