The team meeting started at four.
Lucien called it. He sent a single line through the team's bond network — *Common room, four o'clock, full assembly* — and by 3:55 the suite had filled with the controlled bustle of people who'd done this before. Tea was already on. Ren had a fresh notebook open. Liora had eaten before arriving, which meant she expected the meeting to run long.
Ten of us at the table. Plus Aiden, who'd insisted. Plus Nihil resting against my chair. Kira asleep on Elara's shoulder, the small fox having mastered the trick of sleeping through tactical briefings since the cure protocol began.
Lucien stood at the head of the common table. The smile was at its working setting — not warm, not cold, the version he used when the room needed a steady center.
