The reception hall of the municipal civic office was all gleaming stone, muted gold trim, and the sort of immaculate lighting that made every expression look slightly more serious than it really was. Ren hated rooms like this on principle. They were built to make power feel civilised, when in reality they existed to remind people how many signatures it took to keep a city from collapsing into public embarrassment. Fang, standing beside him with a file tucked neatly beneath one arm, looked no more impressed than Ren felt. If anything, he looked faintly irritated that they had both been asked to attend in person at all.
A civil liaison hurried forward the moment they arrived, bowing with too much caution and too little confidence. "Chairman Ren. Prince Fang. Thank you for coming. The committee is ready for you."
Ren gave a courteous nod that did not quite reach the level of warmth required for politeness, but did enough to keep the man from panicking. "Of course it is."
