Time passed and the group was finally ready to set out to meet the Collector. Talion had agreed to meet the group at the entrance to the Hedge where the Goblin Market was set up. It had been there that Noah had first met both the Collector and Talion... though Talion himself had never gone to Noah's stall.

Noah was hunkered down in the back of a box truck with the window to the front cabin opened. If no one could drive he would have one of the helpers drive. "So assume nothing. You can literally give someone your name by telling them it. Many of the fea just give you a nickname if they want to talk to you a lot. Don't shake anyone's hand. If someone gets pushing tell them the Dragon of Purgatory is your advocate, that will put you under the protection of the market."

"This is also an opportunity to buy things if you want them. Some vendors take shiny buttons where as others take your concept of dreaming the color nine. You can also buy conceptual things but the more powerful the more costly they get. The market could sell you a good day or the last heartbeat of Hitler."

Mistral sat in a window-seat in the front of the box truck, staring pensively out at the overgrown ruins of New York City passing by outside the window.  She glanced back in as Noah explained some of the dangerously nonsensical rules of the goblin market.  She idly scratched under the dragon's chin as she looked back out the window, then remarked, "I dislike putting all that I know in the power of the Collector.  I am inclined to temporarily excise certain knowledges that I would prefer not be collected, comme précaution."

She considered the risk of compromising any name of hers, even the shadow name, and deemed that unacceptable.  She suggested, "I think we would be wise to select sobriquets for this meeting.  False names."  Just as they arrived at the place they were to meet Talion, Mistral decided what her alias would be and shared it with the others, "When we pass into the Hedge, I will be called Lacune."

Mistral disembarked from the truck and opened the latch on the back to let loose the dragon.  She greeted Talion levelly, "Bonjour, Talion.  Do you have le contrat d'Emily?"