The supporter left while Mira was explaining why she would not use the key.
He did not leave quietly. His bag struck the panel restraint, and the watcher caught it before its weight pulled against the fastening. He apologized to the watcher, not to Mira, and shouldered it again.
“You’re going?” she asked.
“You’ve decided.”
“I’ve paused activation.”
“While the people below us keep paying.”
“Yes,” she said. “They keep paying. I won’t make that sound harmless.”
He looked past her toward the active junction. “Then don’t ask me to stand here and call it restraint.”
