Three months passed without incident.
Dimagiba quietly retired from politics, citing "health reasons." Marikit remained vanished. The Department stopped glaring at Glad whenever she visited. And Dumaguete settled into a rhythm that almost felt... normal.
Almost.
"Tita Glad, you have 47 unread messages," Rigen reported. "Twelve interview requests, three event invitations, and one very strange email from someone claiming to be a Japanese kitsune who wants to visit."
"A kitsune? Like, a fox spirit?"
"That's what it says. Apparently your videos went viral in Japan too."
Glad's international fame had grown steadily. Creature communities worldwide were watching her story, inspired by her openness. Letters arrived weekly from Europe, the Americas, even Africa—creatures she'd never heard of, asking how they could come out too.
"We need to organize something," Kim suggested. "An international summit. Bring creature representatives together, share strategies, build alliances."
"That sounds expensive."
"Remember your back-payment check? You can afford it."
Glad considered this. An international summit. Creatures from around the world, gathering in Dumaguete. The logistics alone were terrifying.
But also... exciting.
"Ariel, what do you think?"
Ariel, now officially her partner in every way that mattered, nodded. "I think it's time. The world is changing, Glad. We should be part of shaping how."
The council agreed. The Department approved (cautiously). And within weeks, plans were underway for the First International Supernatural Summit.
Delegates confirmed:
Japan: Yuki Tanaka, a 300-year-old kitsune with nine tails and a love for karaoke
Korea: Sun-hee Choi, a gumiho (nine-tailed fox) who ran a successful restaurant in Seoul
Mexico: Alejandro Fuentes, a nahual (shape-shifter) who'd been hiding in plain sight as a luchador
Scotland: Morag MacLeod, a kelpie who was very tired of people trying to ride her
Philippines: Glad herself, with support from the council
"Nine tails?" Glad asked Yuki during their video call setup. "How do you manage?"
"Very carefully. They get caught in doors constantly."
The summit was scheduled for six months away.
Plenty of time to prepare.
Plenty of time for things to go wrong.