"Hey!" Shawnie pushes her way through the crowd, dragging a large, middle-aged man along beside her. "I'm so glad you're all here! This is my uncle Phil. He owns this place. Total legend."
The man - Phil - smiles a very Shawnie-like smile and spreads his arms. "Welcome! Welcome to my hotel. Welcome to the city! You can come here any time you need. Any friend of Shawnie is a friend of mine."
You inhale, perhaps to say something, but pause in surprise when you realise he's human. There is no denying he's Shawnie's blood relative though. He has the same orange hair, fair freckled skin, and hazel eyes.
Before you can react, Shawnie is waving the rest of her pack over. "Okay. Introduction time! This is Yazmine, Harry, Omar, Kaiden, Daniel, May, Pat, Kiki..." The list goes on. The names and faces very quickly become a blur. You're smiling, shaking hands, but you know there is no way you're remembering anyone's name. Especially since you hear Elma introducing your pack at the same time with just as much, if not more, enthusiasm as Shawnie.
It's a mess of voices... but it's also comfortable. Way more comfortable than you thought it would be. Everyone sounds relaxed and happy, as if they're meeting old friends and not strangers.
Next