The building looked different when you were no longer begging to enter it.
Frosh walked through the doors of the studio complex with the four others beside him, and the space that had felt intimidating two days ago now felt like territory he was learning to claim. Sheun had sent a car for them, a small detail that meant more than it should have. It meant they were expected. It meant they were wanted.
Faye walked beside him, her posture controlled but her eyes moving across the space with the alertness of someone who still could not quite believe she was allowed inside. Behind them, Kazeem moved with a looser energy, already joking with Tunde, who responded with the quiet patience of a man who had learned not to rush anything. Amara brought up the rear, her height making her noticeable, her silence making her interesting.
Sheun met them in the lobby. He was dressed simply, nothing that announced authority, but the way the staff moved around him made it clear who was in charge.
