Vespera's gaze swept the staging plain once, cataloging every non-Eclipse presence in a single pass.
Foreign guild fighters lingering near the perimeter. Association officials milling between vehicles. Camera crews from four continents.
She nodded at Kaiden and turned toward Soren, who was already moving.
Eclipse's veterans began the methodical work of clearing every unauthorized person from the ground surrounding his dungeon's entrance, and the Association officials fell into step beside them without needing to be asked.
They'd received their instructions after the Chairman's meeting.
The staging plain started shrinking.
Kaiden began walking toward the press cordon with his hands in his pockets, and the girls fell into step behind him.
Pebble moved behind all of them, six burning eyes sweeping the press line, tail still swinging in long, lazy arcs.
Kaiden stopped three meters from the cordon.
