The welcome ended after the last family reached the first street, leaving the square still for one breath longer than the voices lasted.
Then a girl dropped her basket, an old man rubbed his throat and a woman beside the fountain began crying into her hands.
Hajin stayed beside Juna while Vella closed a gap in the dressing at her shoulder, watching the citizens recover movements that no longer matched.
"Two layers," Vella murmured, keeping her fingers clear of the wound beneath the cloth, "one woven by people who chose each other, another that never asked."
"Can you tell which made the greeting?"
"Both passed through them."
Juna leaned against his uninjured side, following a man who looked embarrassed to discover himself standing in the middle of the road.
"It let them move before it let them look comfortable."
[ Civic command response: Concluded ]
[ Individual movement: Restored ]
[ Shared network: Active ]
