Relief never says thank you.
It says sign here.
The city woke under coordination.
Not loudly.Not violently.
Just… aligned.
Schedules were posted before sunrise—neatly printed, laminated against rain that hadn't yet come. Volunteers gathered around them without speaking, scanning for their names like passengers checking a departure board.
Someone laughed nervously."Look at this—we're official now."
No one laughed back.
Arjun noticed the silence."They didn't ask."
"No," I said."They accepted."
✦
Relief with conditions doesn't announce its conditions.
It reveals them through absence.
The first thing missing was improvisation.
When a delivery ran late, no one rerouted. They waited.When a dispute arose, no one stepped in immediately. They looked toward the signboard.
Someone finally said, "Let's check the protocol."
The word tasted wrong in the air.
The other Ishaan aligned, voice precise.
