Daine pulls in a considering breath. The idea is to prevent Yuri from trying to convince anyone for as long as she can. "We may not have to," she points out with perfect honesty (though she expects Yuri's interpretation will be quite different from her meaning). "But if we want to convince anyone of anything, we're going to need proof."

She pulls up short before they actually reach the door, holding up a hand. "Hang on. Let me make sure it's still safe."

And then she has to sheepishly ask the pigeons to keep an eye out for street cleaners and to let her know at once if they spot any and where they are, especially if they're anywhere near where she is. Odd's bobs, this is ridiculous.

Fortunately, there aren't any near the southern end of the park. With a little luck, maybe she'll be able to either convince Yuri that the world isn't ending or get to the bottom of what's caused him to think as much.

"Okay," she tells him, "the coast is clear."