The morning arrived the way important mornings always did ordinary first, then not.
Aelara woke at six. Made coffee. Stood at the kitchen window the way she had the morning after the Council session, watching the street come alive in its gradual way. A delivery cart. Two people walking with the purposeful pace of people beginning their day. The city entirely indifferent to what was happening in the building three districts over.
She drank the coffee and got dressed and did not think about the presentation order because she had read it four times and thinking about it more would not improve it.
Lyra knocked at half past six.
She came in without waiting for an answer, which was standard, and looked at Aelara with the truth-sense at its passive register and apparently found what she was looking for because she sat down at the table and said: "Caelum made breakfast again."
Aelara looked at her.
"I watched this time," Lyra said. "I gave him instructions. It's better than last time."
