Next is the storeroom, with useful things like pen and ink and paper and similar materiel, and he does actually point out the offices as they walk past them. There's also the kitchen, the bathrooms, a couple of dormitories in case she ever needs to crash here or lay low for a while, a rec room, a record room with past cases and employees and connections and whatnot, aaaand "Now it's time to introduce you to Neil."

She gives a nod.

"Anything I should know in advance? Sore topics I should avoid?"

"Nah, Neil is pretty friendly." Here's a door they walked past earlier but did not go through; James doesn't bother knocking, and just walks in instead.

The center of the room is dominated by a proper alchemy lab table, with vials of strange liquids and glass bottles in peculiar shapes that are presumably useful for separating parts of fluids using evaporation and condensation and whatnot. The walls are lined with bookshelves, but many of the books that ought to have been in them are instead on the floor or table or various desks, in various states of disorder.

And there's no sign of anyone.

"Old Neil! We got you help!" James calls.

"Someone to help, you say?" replies his voice from... somewhere...

Mystery Pryer Pathway, Sequence 9 Mystery Pryer
Evernight Goddess's Nightwatch
Neil Taylor

Ah, there he is, popping out from where he'd been sitting behind a pile of books in an alcove just out of sight, an elderly gentleman whose hair has gone fully white, wearing spectacles and a kindly smile. "Oh, hello, we haven't met."

"Elaine, this is Old Neil. Neil, this is Elaine Moretti, new hire."

Elaine gives a little curtsy.

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm a recent history graduate of Khoy University, I have experience in translating to and from Intis, Feysac, and most recently have had some practice in Ancient Feysac."

"Hmm, yes, yes, the Captain mentioned." He pushes himself to his feet with some difficulty. "Well, have a seat. Would you like some coffee?"

Already? When did the Captain have time to get here and mention???

The Nightwatch gossip network is powerful. She is in awe.

"I would love some, thank you!" she says, and will in fact have a seat.

He'll start preparing some coffee, then.

"I'll leave you to it, then. Ms. Moretti, it's been a pleasure. I'll see you around."

"Pleasure's mine, thank you for showing me around. Good fortune in not being buried under paperwork."

"I'm sure Kenley will be done with all of it and there will be nothing left for me to do."

The king of wishful thinking.

A man can dream.

He gives them a little wave and leaves.

And Old Neil has some coffee for her. "So, you'll be my assistant, hmm?"

"I expect I'll also be a gopher, clerk, secretary and probably many other things I haven't guessed yet, according to what's needed," says Elaine, wryly. "Along with walking the various paths from the McGovern residence to my own, and firearms training. But the captain seems to expect assistant will be my primary role."

"Oh, that sounds so tiring. The vigour of youth..." He's holding his own cup, but it seems to be just warm water, rather than coffee. "When I was your age I used to run around everywhere doing things for everyone just like that."

"Any tips for me, then?"

"I'm afraid my tips wouldn't work! Having a wife who would be pulling you into all sorts of adventures works much less well when you don't actually have one," he says, smiling.

"You know, at the moment, I think I do not want any more adventures than what I already have, so possibly for the best that I don't."

"That's very good for your life expectancy.

"Well, how does your sense of adventure feel about the prospect of helping an old man understand historical documents in ancient languages?"