Power does not disappear when questioned.
It adapts.
That truth became visible within days of the council's announcement. The consultation framework existed on paper, impressive in scope, filled with committees, timelines, and carefully neutral language. But beneath the structure, currents pulled in different directions.
Aria noticed it first in who spoke and who remained silent.
Some council members appeared frequently, positioning themselves as champions of inclusion. Others vanished entirely, allowing aides and procedural statements to speak for them. Authority fragmented not because it had weakened, but because it no longer agreed on what it was supposed to protect.
Marcelo tracked the shifts meticulously.
"There are parallel conversations happening," he reported during a late morning briefing. "Publicly they speak of openness. Privately they are negotiating limits."
"Limits on what?" Luca asked.
