The house woke in order.
Franz was already downstairs when he heard a sound from the hallway above. He had finished checking his email and was pouring coffee when the twins' door opened.
Lily came downstairs first. Her hair was messy from sleep, and her school uniform was only half-buttoned. She took out her chair but didn't sit down right away. Instead, she looked over at the kitchen counter.
"Is Auntie working today?" she asked before sitting.
"Yes," Franz said. "Board call at nine."
Lily nodded as if that answered everything.
Leo followed several minutes later. He paused at the top of the stairs, looking down into the living room. His gaze didn't shift toward Arianne's door. Franz noticed—the boy no longer checked where she was. He already knew she'd returned.
After a moment, Leo came down and took the seat beside Franz quietly.
