China laughed, as startling as it was bright. "Yes. I'm just working on the ransom note now. 'If you'd ever like to see the more questionable Elder of your triage again, you will send me the full contents of your Repository by midnight tonight.' It doesn't sound very threatening, does it?"

Nor would it ever have been China's method. Kidnapping wasn't her style. She'd only done it once, when it hadn't even been her idea, and she was still paying for that. Never again.

"Having the full contents of the Repository here in my library would be a tad dangerous, besides," she continued quietly. "You kept Lord Vile's armour there, and the Grotesquery before that. Who knows what other forgotten dangers might be lurking? Dragon eggs, for all I know, and fire is very bad for a library. Oh dear." She hesitated. "I think I'm about to start rambling again. I've gotten into a distressing habit of doing that lately. I apologise."

It was actually somewhat annoying. China had always been perfectly content with her own company. But, ever since a couple of weeks ago with Saint Gabriel in the safehouse, she'd found that long spans of time by herself in her apartment grew really rather boring after a while. She'd taken to talking calmly at nothing, just to fill the space. It was a habit China intended to break - she just wasn't sure when.