New York City, February 17, 2016

★★ The light faded to an empty gray. It was time to try another coat, the third in three days. The precession of the weather had wobbled to something neutral and devoid of interest. The hydrant where the icefall had been merely dripped. Would it ever freeze again? The chill through the opera house’s glass wall was almost unnoticeable background in the dining space on the Grand Tier. The clouds that had seemed immovable were gone, and Jupiter shone huge and bright in the east.