Consistency is expensive because it refuses shortcuts.
The city woke quieter—not tense, not calm, but measured. Yesterday's conditional trust had hardened into something more precise. People didn't ask whether promises were sincere anymore. They asked whether they were repeatable.
One success meant nothing.Two meant caution.Three meant a pattern worth noticing.
✦
Arjun saw it in the morning schedules.
"They're spacing commitments out," he said."No stacking. No overlap."
"Yes," I replied."Because consistency can't be rushed."
✦
The other Ishaan aligned, voice calm and exact.
Consistency costs time first, he said.And time is the resource power hates spending openly.
✦
By midmorning, the first price appeared.
A long-standing initiative—ambitious, visible, politically useful—was quietly downsized. Not canceled. Reduced. Fewer milestones. Narrower scope.
The explanation was clean.
"We want to ensure delivery."
✦
Arjun raised an eyebrow."They're sacrificing reach."
