That it came back at all was a surprise, the clip to her ear annoying. She'd just told Melody to expect the unexpected, and not heeded her own words. The look she gave the vampire was enough to wither a grown man, and had done so on more than a few occasions, but usually with a few words added to aid the process. Instead her attention turned to the projectile.

After retrieving the crystal she studied it, and shook her head. "There's something different about this portal," she said, sniffing at the air that rushed out for a moment, her forehead wrinkling with a frown. "Smell," she said, the single word almost sounding like an order, but Melody simply taking it as instruction, and doing as the old woman said.

"It's different now," Jazz murmured, "but with that same singular note."