Eliot read the title and then leaned back again. "Fascinating," he said, dry-toned but teasing still.

"Hey, that's a pretty big jump from a penny," Eliot protested. "But I could be coaxed up to two for the right thoughts."

He twisted enough that he could nudge his knee up against Quentin. "Nothing about you is cheap. Except your shoes. Which we should talk about sometime. But other than that, you're always worth a dollar, Quentin Coldwater. So what's up, aside from us? Talk to me."