On a normal day, Wyn drags Zephyr to Another Man's Treasure, the shop that prides itself on having just about anything. There, Zephyr meets Chiaroscuro for the first time as the mongoose browses shelves of books. Wyn seems to half-remember an article of jewelry she used to wear in the past, but after finding that its price is ridiculous, finds a long shirt with a goofy-looking vermite in shorts on it. As Zephyr is paying for it, Chia argues with the shop's proprietor over the price of some battered old books he wants to purchase… including a mysterious, potentally dangerous (according to the shopkeeper, anyway) volume locked and sealed with a brass clasp.