The lad is smart, thought the witch-turned-cat as Jaskier followed along to a sordid part of Verona. Using one's head to knock on the door lessened that high opinion but hey, they had reached the destination and that was all that mattered in the end. The dead bird was a wonderful bonus of course. Her animal instincts took over and she scooted around the corner to munch on it, caring not of Juliet's predicament anymore. It just proved the point that her glory days were gone.

Almost simultaneously the door was cracked open, revealing the face of a weary old man. "Si, signore?" Oh, but he wasn't daft, despite of his year. One look at the lifeless girl made him understand he had an urgent situation at hand.

"Quickly. To the back room." He gestured Jaskier to step inside before bolting the door and wobbling behind the young pair. His apothecary shop only had a chair but at the end of the corridor was a tiny room with a couch and a whole lot of books.

"What has happened?"