James opened the folder flat on the table before Finn could reach it.
"We already know what he wants," Finn said.
"No. You know what you assume he wants." James didn't look up. "There's a difference, and there are five of us in this decision, and four of us don't have your history with him."
Finn's jaw set.
"You can hate the offer after we read it," James said.
A long second passed.
Finn dropped back into his chair, arms folded, and jerked his chin at the folder. Permission, in the Hale dialect.
James read.
The first pages were structure. Team Zero entering Emerald Spire as an autonomous affiliated unit — not members, not employees. Their own name. Their own five-person roster, protected in writing. Final say on which floors they entered and when.
Then the support schedule, and James read it out one line at a time.
"Dedicated lawyers and accountants. Professional security for all five of us and immediate family. Full access to the Spire's training facilities."
