By this time, only subtle hues of pink and orange remained, and the sky was turning ever more darker. You could feel an excitement in the cantina in Punto Donostia, as a group of five began preparing dinner for themselves, like every family at this time of the day. 

The cantina at the street corner, where Renee lived and the group was going to live in for the next couple of days, was divided into two parts, apart from the second floor, the serving area and the cooking area. The serving area had rows of steel-work tables and benches, which could be moved into the cooking area if needed. There were closets along the wall, which served both as decoration and storage. The floor was made of hardwood, imported from Spain and Renee claims it was extra materials from her house in Laguna. It could usually seat around thirty to forty patrons, but now, it was the venue for their quasi-dinner party of friends.

The cooking area took up a quarter of the space from the first floor, and was full of earthenware equipment and low-lying burners. A giant brick oven stood at the back of the room. Though it wasn't as grand as the German bricks Rodrigo adores, but it has been around ever since the building was standing, and it has helped Renee through every one of her cooking escapades, from fiestas to simple dinners. Tonight, however she will utilize her pot and slow burner to cook one of her secret recipes: tinola.

The clock struck seven, when the posse started cooking, after unloading a little and resting. Rodrigo made tsaang dahon ng papaya (papaya leaf tea) for himself and Jazmin, while Renee and Adrienne had oolong from China with sugar and milk. Adrienne was gleefully monotone, while the rest were calmly sitting and having small chit-chat. Renee stood up first to do the mise-en-place, while she asked the others to prepare as well. Sanchez for the broth, Rodrigo and Jazmin for the other ingredients and Adrienne for the pots and ladles.

Sanchez was already harnessing the broth from Renee's stores, while Jazmin was preparing the chicken for cooking and Rodrigo harvested the malunggay leaves, when Adrienne encountered a problem with getting the pots from the cabinet, which unlike the equipment like earthenware jugs and utensils, were on the top drawer of a hanging cabinet. Adrienne was used to using gymnastics to travel through rooftops, treetops and tabletops to outrun an enemy. And she is very sure it would be possible to use it as well to get a measly pot on a measly cabinet.

She stood on a stool and began reaching for the pot, but still couldn't reach it, so she decided to a little bit more. She jumped a little to reach the pot which was nearest to the edge. It was around two to three feet of the seat of the chair itself, so she was able to land safely. 

The ladle was on the same drawer but farther from the edge, almost touching the wall. She had to jump again, even higher just to reach that second object. She needed to move a little forward to actually hold the ladle. That caused her to land at the edge of the seat, losing her balance, and tumbling headfirst onto the floor. She didn't land on her face, comical and bloody as it could've been. Rather she turned so she landed on her knees, then on her feet, which was a better alternative to a black eye and a bloody nose.

Luckily, no sound was made and nobody noticed the little graze on her jeans.

Renee didn't use too much of her culinary skills. In fact, it wasn't easy to mess up cooking tinola, considering all you need to do was put all the ingredients together, simmer for around an hour and serve hot and steamy. With the occasional addition of other vegetables, Renee left the pot untouched and either cleaned or just joined in the conversation with Adrienne and Jazmin. 

By this time, Rodrigo was asleep on one of the benches and Sanchez was staring at the moon, drawing something. It was their way of relaxing, from a very long day, which suited them well. Renee carried the pot of soup and poured it onto a bowl. Adrienne, feeling useful, was setting the table. Six sets of bowls, spoons and forks, for the five of them and the expected Guelio. 

The bowl of soup was set at the center of the table, ready for dinner. Renee exclaimed: "Handa na ang hapunan!". Everyone came around the table, sat down and bowed their heads for prayer, being lead by the chef. The aroma of the ginger, malunggay and chicken soup wafted across the entire cantina and though they wanted to dig in, they still needed to thank the Greater Power for the food they were given. As the graces were being said, however, someone or something knocked at the door, with a crying sound. All of them stood to their feet, shook from earlier.

Question ran in their head. Sanchez question, was it the guardia civil tracking them back? Perhaps the capitan municipal surrendering them to the tulisanes because of all the raucous that would've definitely spread through gossiping titas of Manila province? Then why would it be a crying sound then?

A ghost or spirit even? They could open the doors and spook everyone in the house. Renee has seen weirder things. But they couldn't prove it. They could only wait for whoever is on the opposite side of that door.