Aurora's POV
I continued.
"We do not escalate in response to fear. We do not redefine authority mid-crisis. We hold position and observe secondary effects before adjusting."
Still no interruption.
That absence pressed against my ribs.
In the past, they would have challenged me. Argued. Pushed back.
Tested the edges of what I was willing to tolerate. Conflict had been proof that my words mattered.
Now, they listened the way people listen to someone narrating weather.
Respectfully.
Impersonally.
Already moving on.
When I finished, there was a brief pause.
My breath caught.
I felt it rising, the instinct to demand acknowledgment, to ask for confirmation, to force engagement that proved I still held weight in this room. The words sat on my tongue: Will you comply or won't you?
Simple. Direct. Impossible to deflect.
It would have been easy.
It would have been catastrophic.
Because forcing the question meant I already doubted the answer.
