The hall didn't settle into anything familiar when they walked in. It wasn't tense, and it wasn't calm either. It felt unfinished, like something had been set in motion but hadn't chosen a direction yet. Lucas slowed as he crossed the threshold, not because he saw anything wrong, but because he couldn't find anything right. Even the usual patterns—where people stood, how they grouped, who they gravitated toward—felt slightly off, like everything had shifted half a step to the side without anyone noticing.
Tomas noticed it a second later. He rubbed the back of his neck, scanning the room like he was trying to piece together something that didn't quite fit. "Okay… I don't like this one already," he muttered.
Lucas let out a quiet breath. "Yeah."
"It doesn't feel like before," Tomas added. "At least before, I knew what I was supposed to be worried about."
Lucas glanced at him. "You still do."
Tomas frowned. "Do I?"
