The living room was bathed in the warm glow of the floor lamp, casting soft shadows across the two figures on the sofa. Sarah stood facing them, hands planted firmly on her hips, her expression a mix of frustration and barely concealed worry.
"Don't lie to me," she said, her voice sharp. "You said you'd be back in the afternoon. But you came back at night? That doesn't make any sense."
Lisa shifted uncomfortably on the couch, her cheeks still faintly pink from earlier. She held up her phone, the screen displaying the mission clear time from the Association app. "I already told you, Sarah—we ran into an emergency gate. We had to deal with it. That's why we were late. Look, here's the clear time on my phone."
Sarah leaned over, scanning the screen. Her eyes moved rapidly, taking in the mission details, the timestamps, the monster kill counts. Her expression softened for a moment then hardened again as she straightened up.
