I grabbed the five bottles of forty seven dollar water. Walked past her. Close enough my shoulder brushed hers.
She didn't move.
I returned to the living room where everyone sat in uncomfortable silence. Handed out bottles. Sat on the couch between Naomi and Belle.
Blair followed. Stood in the kitchen doorway watching us with her arms crossed. The flames had vanished but the threat remained obvious.
Misato stood near the window. Her face carefully neutral.
"Blair's joining the meeting."
"So I see," Belle said.
"She has. Concerns. About the rankings."
"Shocking."
Blair walked into the living room. Didn't sit. Just stood there radiating contempt.
"I want to make something clear," Blair said. "Yesterday was a fluke. An alpha spawning in an E rank gate is a statistical anomaly that inflated your rating artificially."
"Still counts," I said.
"It shouldn't."
"Take it up with the assessment board."
