"Bureaucrats think in lists. Engineers think in components."
***
Kaelen stared at the red stamp. His fingers traced its edges in slow circles.
Lyra watched his expression shift through subtle gradations. Frustration bled into something sharper. That sharpness hardened into resolve.
She knew the plan had been elegant in its simplicity. Create diversions using alchemical components. Mask his movements in the warrens with smoke and flash. Give himself the tools needed to save Team 7 without revealing his true capabilities.
Now that foundation crumbled beneath the weight of academy bureaucracy. Crushed under the stamp of a dwarf who saw danger in every requisition.
"Thirty-seven years," he murmured. The words barely louder than a breath. "He's seen every trick, every excuse, every attempt to circumvent the rules. Probably has a mental catalog of which excuses match which components."
