Warmth Beneath the Dusky Skies

08, Shuffle Course

The trio headed back to Marice's home, arriving just in time to see the others disembarking the police aircraft by the river. And as they met up at the entrance of the condominium, a sizable crowd started to gather from the atrium square. Apparently, these people had been waiting for their return since the conference ended, so Liza and her team's presence would prove useful in keeping them at bay.

While most of the crowd were simply satisfied with taking pictures from where they stood, the journalists and content creators among them didn't feel intimidated in the slightest, rushing past unspoken boundaries just so they could bombard Marice and Mariella with questions.

Questions that pertained to the long-standing rumors about them and their clan. Questions that certain people had fabricated for the sake of drama and personal profit.

As she was forced to recount those stories, Marice slowly felt her blood climbing to a boil. She wanted to snap back at their provocations, maybe even scare them a little bit with magic, but she somehow couldn't muster up the effort to do so. She thought it was a certainly odd feeling, especially when she had been preparing for this particular scenario for years.

It was such a long hectic day for them after all, and she just wanted to get back home to finally get some peace and quiet. The others seemed to share the same sentiment as well, seeing how relieved they looked upon reaching their condo unit.

Closing the door behind her, Liza let out a sigh. "Sorry about that mess. I dunno why we didn't think of sending our guys here earlier!"

Richelle's grandma laughed softly as Mariella led her to the sofa. "My, you ladies have become superstars overnight."

"No, grandma," Richelle said, her eyes wandering the room. "Those people are just annoying. I hope they don't show up again tomorrow."

Liza nodded. "I hear you. We're gonna station some of our guys at the entrance so it doesn't happen again."

"But don't forget that the atrium food court is open to the public," Mariella said. "I'd feel bad if you restricted most people from entering just for our sake."

"Yeah, I'll pass that along to Captain Bernard."

"Thanks as always, Liz."

She yawned as she stretched her arms up. "I guess that's it, huh? Man, this day felt like it dragged on forever!"

"It sure did. You earned your rest too."

"I'll see you all in the afternoon then. If you need anything else, just speak with the captain downstairs." She gave them a thumbs up. "Good night, everyone."

As the rest of them wished her good night, Liza left the room. But just a second later, the door suddenly opened again with Liza poking her head inside. "And oh, Marice?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?" Liza just grinned before closing the door once more. "Really? What was that about?"

Mariella laughed. "She's just happy seeing you taking this case seriously. They'll need all the help they can get."

"We're only giving them a helping hand, okay? This is a one-time gig, nothing more."

"Hmm, I don't know about that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She clapped her hands once, facing Richelle and the others. "Anyway, welcome to our humble abode! I already had your room arranged for the night, so please follow me!"

"A-Are you ignoring me?"

Mariella led them to her room, which had a folding bed prepared beside her queen-sized bed. "What a comfy-looking bed," Richelle said. "And it smells really nice in here too. Are you sure you're okay letting us use your room?"