Once the rest of the students had made their departure from the carriage, Victor took his leave. Out front, he could see his classmates already shuffling around in disarray. Johnson headed towards the gate to chat up the hippie. A couple of the girls were gossiping to one side, the rest of the guys on the other.

Victor decided to move over towards the gentlemen, the pig, the pirate, and the hood boy. He picked a space nearby but equally distant from the three of them to make sure they were all aware of his presence. Once he caught their attention, Victor offered a slight nod to each of them and then turned towards Madame d'Aulnoy expectantly.