Jazz paused and looked up at where Daniel was perched, his curiosity and question a little bemusing. 'Perhaps he really is as naive as he puts out,' the old witch thought to herself. "It helps anchor the shield," she replied in a normal speaking voice, "and is cheaper and less likely to get pinched than a whole lot of other crystals," she added as she walked down to stand in front of the opening.

She stared into it, allowing her mind to reach inside it, aware that at any second anything could appear in it, come through and require being dealt with in any number of fashions. "Why isn't it ever to another realm such as our own," she muttered under her breath. "Always has to be some realm of demonic nastiness or nutters. Just once it would be a nice change to have something come through that wasn't about to maim, dismember, gouge or destroy all in their reach." She let out a sigh and looked up the alley to where Melody was finishing the line of salt on the ground.