"Me," he says, stirring the soup. Ladling some out into a large bowl, with a spoon, and squinting at the shivers that won't leave Five alone. This is going to get awkward for Lao Five, he knows, but he doesn't find that anything less than merited.

"The gate remains closed." A pause, as he considers, then tips his head towards Five. "For now. Hopefully, through to when Matthias's is ended."

He strode over, settling down to Five's side.

"It would have been pork ribs and lotus soup, but I could only find the pork ribs, not the lotus. So there's potatoes instead."