The Crystal Shoes landed on the carpet in the 1st Floor living room. As Shade picked them up, he could already smell dinner drifting down from the second floor and hear the young ladies talking.
"Ha, I knew someone would be here!"
Little Mia always seemed able to sense Shade with uncanny precision. Before Shade had even reached the stairs, it had already darted down from above.
When Shade carried Little Mia up to the second floor, he indeed found Iluna and Luvia sitting on the sofa and chatting. Tifa and the two maids who often appeared here were preparing dinner, but Galina was nowhere to be seen.
Iluna smiled and said hello to Shade:
"Good evening, Shade. You don't mind if I mooch a dinner off you, do you?"
"Tifa just said that Galina was listening to a report on the frontline situation with the king at Yodel Palace tonight. Afterwards, she still had to attend a Council meeting, so she asked Tifa to bring the maids over. She'll come later, once her meeting is over."
"I invited Iluna over. She's been busy ever since returning to Tobesk some time ago, and we haven't sat down for a meal together in ages."
The Girl with Purple Eyes said this with a smile, then gave Shade a hug:
"You worked overtime yesterday, so I didn't have time to check on you. How have the past two days in Arcadia City been? Is the weather in that unfamiliar city all right?"
"I really do have a whole lot to share with you. The weather there is wonderful, and the people are very welcoming. I mean, the city is beautiful. I'll go change first, and I'll tell you all about it over dinner."
Shade hesitated again, then said to Tifa:
"I ran