Bariyan winced at the silence that fell as soon as Koltira spotted him. It made him uncomfortable, to be a cause for concern... that wasn't the natural order of things. In his worldview, Bariyan was supposed to worry about others. The reverse was simply out of the question.

But he took the invitation. Quickly, too. He wanted to get out of sight as soon as possible. He ducked past Koltira into the apartment -- then stopped, looked around, listened. It was quiet. Bariyan guessed -- hoped -- that no one else was in.

He turned back to face Koltira. "Sorry about this," he said, where 'this' was a very general descriptor indeed. "But I think I... need your help."