I stepped out of my room after confirming Kassie's whereabouts and hearing her voice. I walked down the hall and entered an elevator chamber that took me to the first floor. Fourth floor to first. Reception and lounge territory.
The smell hit me before the doors fully opened. Something rich and savory, the kind of aroma that wrapped around your head and pulled you forward whether you wanted to move or not. My stomach, which had been quietly ignoring me for hours, suddenly remembered it existed.
Everyone had assembled in the lounge that sprawled across the southern edge of the reception area. Odelia sat behind the reception desk opposite them, papers forgotten in front of her. Ophelia held a tray in hand and was setting food on the large centerpiece table, each dish landing with the careful precision of someone who took this ritual seriously.
Levi threw his head back, shaking it with an expression caught somewhere between ecstasy and genuine pain.
