But in truth, it wasn't only the guests who reacted to Xavier's supposedly quiet entrance.
He didn't even make much of a sound at all. With the Activity Center buzzing with movement, voices overlapping, machines chiming, and tickets spilling everywhere, no one should have noticed him immediately. And yet competition had reached a point where everyone was watching everyone else. People needed to know who was earning tickets, who was changing machines, and who was suddenly gaining momentum.
Eyes were sharp. Attention was sharper.
Still, Luca noticed him even with his back turned away from the entrance.
He always did.
But he hadn't even turned around yet when Princess Kira suddenly elbowed him in the side. She likely meant it as a gentle nudge, but coming from someone built like a compressed tank, it nearly sent him stumbling.
"Princess Kira?" Luca squeaked, catching himself.
He almost fell anyway.
Not because of the elbow.
