The witness kept the chair turned away.
Only the wrist showed.
The bracelet sat inward against the skin, name hidden from the hall. The paper had gone soft at the edges. Someone had taped it once, badly, then taped it again with a steadier hand.
Ty knew the second tape job.
The memory came through his thumb first. A corner pressed flat. Tape catching on skin. His fingers stiff from pushing a cart that wanted to drift left. He remembered fixing the bracelet because the loose edge kept scratching a child who had already gone quiet.
The chair creaked. "Confirm the camera is off before I begin."
Jade answered through the shelter text feed. "The camera is off, and Mason is out."
The wrist shifted on the chair arm. "Confirm the legal name is not being requested."
Omina took that answer before the room could make Jade carry every boundary. "No one is requesting your legal name today."
