Vlad took the phone from Teige, looking at it questioningly. Teige shrugged and got up, collecting the cutting boards from the table, as Vlad stepped into the hallway to answer the phone.

"Hello?" he said.

Immediately, a frazzled voice said, "Vlad--Vlad." It was Numair, sitting at his desk, piles of papers and books ranged around him. The file was open in front of him and he was working at a thick sheaf of paper held together by a clip, running his free hand through his hair. Without preamble he continued, "Did you know Hawk has a sister? Do you know Liliya Kiski?? You must, she knows Yoshi and Shinobu--"

Vlad's voice issued from Sraddi, who sat on her usual perch beside the desk. "What??" he said, puzzled. "Uh...Mari?? Slow down."

Hovering in the hallway, Vlad switched the phone to his other ear. "Yeah, I know Liya, I see her around every so often. What are you getting at, she's Hawk's sister?"

"Yes!"

"Are you crazy sure about that?" Vlad said skeptically, "Hawk's never once mentioned having a--"

He stopped, because he'd turned back around to look into the kitchen. Parker, Yoshi, and Teige were all staring at him, mouths open in shock.

"Yes, I am positive," Numair insisted. When there was no response, he queried, "Vlad?"