The sound echoed softly as she tapped it once, testing it, before the room fully quieted in anticipation of the next announcement.
She smiled as she looked over the crowd. "Okay, I was told to keep this short," she began, tilting her head slightly, "but knowing all of you, if I keep it short, you'll say I didn't do my job properly."
Laila's expression remained unreadable, but her gaze stayed locked on the stage.
Behind her, Eryx, Theodore, Rhydric, and Azrael had already returned to their seats.
Even the parents were settled back in, though Laila could still feel her mother's eyes on her at intervals. She didn't look back. She just kept her attention forward.
Jovia's smile widened a little. "So I'll compromise. I'll be short… but not suspiciously short."
That earned a few more genuine chuckles across the room, the kind that slowly pulled the atmosphere back from the edge it had been hanging on.
