Stein leaned against the rail of one of the tower balconies of the DWMA and lit a cigarette.
He had gained his equilibrium back after defeating Medusa, and despite from some of his favorite students suffering untimely deaths and the kishin escaping once again, things seemed to have settled down since. Stein was too detached from people to feel much about the deaths of his students after the initial grief, but he was beginning to worry about Spirit. He had expected Spirit to take Maka's death hard--who wouldn't when the death of their only child was concerned--but Spirit was starting to change and his new personality was awakening urges in Stein that he thought he had long since brought under control. It perturbed him.
Soon, he thought, he would confront Spirit and find out what was wrong.
Or maybe the subject of this thoughts would inadvertently come to him.