Monday's conference table held four identical agreements, four pens, plus no flowers pretending the outcome had already been decided. I had removed the festival token, relationship photographs, and every object capable of making an unsigned room look ceremonial.
Yuna arrived first carrying her national jacket inside the waterproof case instead of wearing it. She placed the jacket beside her chair, keeping athletic victory present without allowing it to become leverage.
"Did anybody prepare a surprise celebration?" she asked.
"Nothing in this room assumes a yes. We prepared neither an audience nor a System display, and physical contact remains unauthorized," I replied.
"Good. I brought my own return ticket in case the answer requires distance," she said.
