On the afternoon of November 26, 2026, Brianna was clutching a paper bag containing the Path Illusion and had just pushed open the café door to leave when Fu Tailan called out to her from across the room: "Green!"
Brianna turned around, along with a few other nearby customers.
"I forgot to ask — what happened to the manor?" Fu Tailan stood up and made his way leisurely through the maze of café tables.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm just curious." Fu Tailan lowered his voice — both a hint and a reminder of the scheme the two of them had hatched together. "…There was quite a mess left behind at the manor that night. I never saw a word about it in the news."
He was so careful not to set Brianna off that he was holding his breath as delicately as he could, terrified she'd notice he was on the verge of gagging from the smell coming off her — actually retching would be a surefire way to make a permanent enemy of her.
Brianna let out a short, dismissive sound.
