The registry party moved the conversation to the open yard, where the Watcher could sit without removing another wall or putting the town on display.
Marrick brought a bench, but it failed beneath her weight, so Ferra tested replacements and approved timber only after it could carry the load safely.
Ash sat between Hajin's knee and his mother's wrist marking, refusing to choose one lap while the yard wind tugged at Marrick's pages.
Hans posted a quiet perimeter along the yard stones, while Juna watched the approaches from the registry roof without making the conversation feel surrounded.
Eirwen stood with a notebook rather than a claim on anyone's child, Vella listened for bond strain, and Ferra waited for facts she could pin to paper without inventing distance.
'She owes us history, not omniscience,' Hajin thought, 'so we keep the difference clear before an old answer becomes a command.'
