[11:47 PM]
Mateo:They're in the library.
Mateo:She found his reading chair.
Mateo:Give them a minute.
Liam:Agreed. Everyone out.
Arthur:Already moved.
Caleb:Are we seriously tiptoeing out of a library right now
Don Dante:Respect the moment.
Liam:Jax get off the ladder.
Jax:HOW DO YOU KNOW
Don Dante:Dio santo.
Mateo:Ogni volta.
TWENTY SIX
Team Building (The Reprise)
April
Jax was already at the scoring console by the time she crossed the threshold, fingers hovering over the touchscreen. He pressed something. The lane lighting rippled through a rainbow sequence.
"Jax," Killian said.
"I'm mapping the interface."
Caleb appeared beside Jax, leaning over his shoulder. "What does this one do?"
"Disco mode, probably."
Caleb pressed it.
The entire bowling alley erupted in strobing lights and what sounded like 80s synth music.
"Found it," Caleb said cheerfully.
Arthur reached past both of them and pressed something that restored normal lighting and blessed silence.
"Can we bowl?" April asked.
Jax pressed more buttons and the scoring screens flickered to life, massive displays above each lane showing digital score sheets with player name fields. Arthur had found the shoe rack and was already assessing sizes. He handed her a pair that fit perfectly.
Balls were tested for weight and grip. The scoring screen showed nine empty name fields.
Jiro appeared beside April; he watched her face with that particular quiet attention that meant he was tracking whether she was actually okay with this sudden pivot.
She smiled at him. "I'm good."
"Good.” He stayed close.
