Status Updates From The Apple and the Pearl

Who is this for?
Stuart grinned. The Crow.
Is that a metaphor?
Stuart burst into laughter. You don't need to take it so seriously! Gino gives you the tray, you bring it here, you go to bed with your boy safe in the knowledge you've kept the spooky creatures at bay for another day.
Do I have to pick up the tray too? he'd asked, stupidly, wondering what the penalty might be if he overslept...

Six twenty-five, and the door to the musician's green room opens. There's a commotion outside. Henry checks his slightly late watch--it says six twenty-three--and reaches into his bag for the extra roll he filled with a slice of cheese at lunch. A long stream of musicians wander in, lugging their instruments, brushing rain off their jackets, exhaling garlic fumes of Gino's lasagne.