NEVA
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Silo wanted the ceremony small.
He said this clearly, early, before Ziko could build any elaborate architecture around the event — a specific pre-emptive strike from a man who understood exactly how large Ziko's enthusiasm could grow if left unchecked.
"Small," Silo repeated, at the round table, looking directly at Ziko. "The perimeter. First light. The people who matter, not the whole council network."
Ziko looked wounded.
"I can do small," he said.
"You cannot do small," Mitch said.
"I have RANGE, Mitch."
"You produced a forty-seven-page protocol for a double ceremony."
"That was a DOUBLE ceremony. This is a single one. Naturally smaller in scope."
Silo looked at Vael.
She looked back with the specific amusement she'd developed for watching Ziko's enthusiasm collide
