5

It's still early, so even with the busyness that tomorrow will undoubtedly bring, the Town Hall is very quiet for now. A few people wander past you without paying you much attention, but for whatever reason, it feels as if a cloud is hanging over the place. You wonder if it's anxiety about the vote, or if people are simply tired.

But as the minutes pass, you realize something doesn't seem quite right. A couple of times, you see people pass by one another and share a solemn nod as they exchange a few words. Once, you even see somebody put a comforting hand on someone's shoulder.

You start watching people a little more closely as they go past, trying to work out what might have happened that you don't know about.

It's not until you see two members of the Town Council come in, engrossed in muffled conversation as they head towards a rear doorway, that you finally catch a tiny snippet of what anybody is talking about.

"…Been a long time coming, but still."

"I know. I can't really believe he's gone. He's been here so long—I mean, he was the Council Leader when I was born."

"And so soon after his birthday…"

They disappear behind a door, leaving you feeling uncertain. From the sound of it, a former Town Council Leader has died—and if it was "so soon after his birthday"—could it have been Eliot Ambrose?

You're quite surprised; you only met him once, but he seemed well enough, if a little tired. It feels a little strange to hear of his death so suddenly, even though you didn't really know him.

Still—judging from the reactions of everyone around you, he must have meant a lot to some people in town.

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