She walked out with the same measured pace she'd entered.
Beast Knights forming around her.
Behind her, the hall erupted—not in hostile chaos but in the buzzing, calculating conversation of two hundred and sixty people rapidly reassessing their positions.
She made it around the first corner before she stopped.
Leaned against the wall.
Closed her eyes for exactly five seconds.
"That was—" Ken started.
"Adequate," Elara said. "Revine found the gap I'd anticipated. Aldera's concern about structural vulnerability was stronger than I'd modeled—I'll need to address that more thoroughly in the committee framework."
"You admitted a mistake," Mahir said. "In front of everyone."
"I admitted an oversight before anyone else could use it as a weapon," Elara said, eyes still closed. "Different thing."
"The room shifted when you did it," Ken said quietly. "Visibly. I watched it happen."
