The room is empty, thank God. She's just about to claim it for queen and country--surprise, she's both, in this case--when the waitress swerves to avoid her, moving away from a man making a real effort to get the girl's attention.

But another man is there, too, having stepped nearly to her side. It looks like he meant that escape to seem casual, like it was the most natural thing to do, but she didn't miss how quickly he extricated himself. She's good at reading situations and guesses maybe this is someone else who just needs a damn minute to sit down away from the rest of the crowd.

She returns his smile, canting her head at the room. "Quick," she says, her voice both friendly and conspiratorial, "get in here. Help me stake a claim before the next gaggle of people roll through?"