Back to the present.
Ren was alone in the HQ, and it felt like his ears were on the verge of bleeding.
Alice's voice echoed endlessly through the wide, empty hall, bouncing off invisible walls as if the place itself was amplifying her nonsense.
Ren had logged in early with the simple intention of quietly watching the Guild Wars. He wanted a calm start—time to observe, analyze, maybe even nap with one eye open.
Now, he regretted every second of it.
If only he had logged in ten minutes later, he would have been spared at least part of the ghost's relentless monologue.
She hovered in the air, broom in hand, spinning and twirling like she was performing on some invisible stage.
"Summer is the season of love!" Alice declared dramatically. "'Tis the burning of a young man's bare body! 'Tis the sun's mischief! 'Tis the quivering of asphalt, a heat-haze mirage!"
Ren stared blankly at the screen. "Alice," he said flatly, "summer is long over."
There was no response.
