Hans removed the refusal socket from sealed storage only after Lana marked the same distance line she had used for Ash's first bearing.
In daylight, the frame looked ordinary, almost disappointingly plain after weeks behind layered seals. Ferra had already checked every joint for avatar residue, so the danger belonged to Ash's core rather than the device.
Hajin kept every Ring closed around his recovering wrist while Vella's six-Ring ban remained active. A second node answer could reveal a route, but it was not permission to test burns through damaged pathways.
Ash walked to the line under his own feet, his older-child height making the earlier baby restrictions seem almost funny until anyone remembered what his small hands could dent.
Lana crouched until their eyes met and said, "The same rules apply, and you choose whether to continue after the first response, while I do not move your arm for you."
