The playroom had settled into a lower register.
Less running. Blocks spread in smaller clusters. The chair that had been dragged earlier stayed where it was, ignored. Lily leaned over something she was rebuilding from memory.
Kyle sat across from her. Legs stretched out, one foot nudging a loose piece every few seconds without looking. He wasn't waiting to be told anymore. He just did it. Sometimes right. Sometimes not.
Leo sat between them, slightly back. His tablet against his leg. He watched first now. Then acted. Then typed — catching up to his own decisions instead of leading with them.
The structure in front of them was smaller. More stable.
For now.
Arianne stood near the doorway, one shoulder resting against the frame. She hadn't moved in a while.
