When reason fails, power doesn't disappear.
It rebrands.
The morning after the standoff arrived without announcements, without notices, without even the courtesy of tension. The street looked almost gentle—cleaner than usual, quieter than it had any right to be.
Too quiet.
Arjun squinted at the canopy as we approached."They didn't pull back," he said."They… smoothed it."
"Yes," I replied."This is the part where force puts on gloves."
✦
The uniformed presence was gone.
In its place were jackets. Clipboards. Smiles that didn't ask questions.
New faces—unfamiliar, polite, well-rested—moved through the space like they belonged there. They didn't stand in lines or at edges. They drifted. Paused. Engaged.
Not enforcement.
Engagement.
The other Ishaan aligned, voice measured.
When power can't compel, he said,it recruits.
✦
A woman approached a volunteer with an open posture and a laminated badge.
"Hi," she said warmly."We're here to support community wellness."
Wellness.
