With her father so ill, Khaat was taking to trying to stay in hiding. She had taken Belby and had left her house at 3 am, gone into her office at the Ministry, gotten a large messenger bag full of paperwork and had repeated it at the hospital. She was working from her father's side. Or as close as she could be to him, rather.
It was exceptionally cold tonight. Marcus had gotten out her warmer cloak. It just brushed the ground, and the hood covered her face. It was quiet this time of night. The drunks had all gone home, and the morning crowd hadn't come out yet. A cold, steady rain started.
She shivered in the unexpected cold, the rain making it feel bitterly cold to her. She pulled her cloak around her. She was having trouble balancing her bag, her wand and pulling the cloak closer about her. She saw Marcus had his wand in his hand, so she saw no reason for carrying the wand as well. She sheathed it in her cloak. Marcus was gentlemanly enough to take her messenger bag from her and shoulder it on his own shoulder for her.
"Lizzie is in this time of the morning," he said. "Why don't we go in for a cup of her spiced cider before we go home? Or some of that special cocoa you've been telling me about? It would help you sleep when you get home."
"Good idea," she said. "We'll have to go in the kitchen door because its not open yet."
"That's fine by me," Marcus said. "Its only a few steps further." He left his wand drawn as they made the turn to go down the small narrow walkway, to the back of the bistro to go in the kitchen door.