Phei dismissed the notification.
Not with a wave—he was still lying down, still staring at nothing, still wearing his new emotional range of "vacant" to "slightly less vacant" like a man who'd just discovered existential dread came with a complimentary side of "why the fuck am I still breathing."
Just a mental flick. Got it. Understood. Moving on.
The Taboo Multiplier mechanics filed themselves away in whatever corner of his brain handled game systems and compound interest calculations.
Useful information. Would matter later.
Didn't matter now.
Next.
Melissa, Sierra, and Maddie hadn't moved from the doorway.
He felt their presence more than he heard them. The air in the room shifted around their combined anticipation, grew heavy with held breath and unasked questions.
