Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Approaching Kickoff
The team bus rolled through Rome's evening traffic with police escort leading the way, and the windows showed the city passing in fragments—ancient buildings lit against the darkening sky, scooters weaving between cars, early crowds already moving toward the Stadio Olimpico wearing Roma's deep red colors.
Demien sat near the middle of the bus with headphones in while music played low enough that he could still hear conversations around him, and through the tinted glass he watched supporters gathering behind barriers along the approach road waving flags and scarves while shouting words that didn't reach inside the vehicle.
The Olimpico appeared ahead—massive and curved with floodlights already blazing against the evening darkness—and the bus turned into the secure entrance beneath the stands where concrete walls replaced open air and the noise from above became muffled rumble rather than direct sound.
