The buzz in his pants pocket drew Karl's attention away from surveying the wide assortment of chairs and whatnot in the house, wondering how to set up the long table. He could hear more voices near the outside of the house which alerted him that the others had arrived, but he made no move towards the voices.
Reaching into his pocket, he took out his phone and looked at the display, pressing several quick buttons to reveal a text from an unknown sender. But the message was clear enough to let him know who it was.
Karl's mouth tilted into a half-smile, his fingers typing back a response.