"Listen closely," Claire said, her voice dropping into a deadly serious register. "I will now explain how the Ranking system and mechanics of the Tournament will work."
Before Claire could tap the holographic console to begin, the heavy oak doors of the executive suite hissed open.
Every head in the room turned. Standing in the doorway, looking absolutely miserable and dragging a sleek metallic suitcase behind her, was Evelyn. The Tamer's usual white lab coat was missing, her hair was a messy, disorganized bun, and she possessed the dark, heavy under-eye bags of someone who had just survived a bureaucratic nightmare.
"Commercial flights are a literal curse upon humanity," Evelyn groaned, abandoning her suitcase by the door and trudging into the lounge. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get high-tier Shikigami containment crystals past international customs? The Ufrifan border agents looked at me like I was smuggling a nuclear warhead."
