Heissman asked for a clean page.
Nobody gave him one.
JJ tore a half-used sheet from the back of her ledger and shoved it at him. The top still carried an old sponsor calculation in red ink.
"Use the back and avoid bleeding into my numbers."
Heissman looked at the red marks. "This sheet is confidential sponsor work with live debt marks."
"Then write carefully and stop admiring the problem."
He accepted the page because he was smart enough to know when pride would become a second problem.
Drawer B-3 waited between them with Hamberton, Tyrone facing up. The priority review had opened a narrow slot in the wall. Behind it, Ty could see more paper than hallway. Paper multiplied when people feared blame.
Omina stood to the left of the drawer. Zunoder stood to the right. Ty stayed back because every step toward the label made the route ask whether denial came from fear. Yun-Jin stayed close enough to stop him anyway.
