The report is recent, routed through channels that require no discussion.
Location: Southern holding.
Status: Restricted access maintained.
Condition: Noncompliant.
Of course. I read further.
Subject continues to resist structured routine. Alcohol access remains controlled; attempts to circumvent restrictions noted.
That’s predictable. Dante doesn’t adapt to structure. He pushes against it until something gives. And if nothing does, he escalates until it does.
Verbal aggression toward supervisory staff. No physical escalation due to containment protocols.
Containment.The same word. Different application.
Multiple attempts to initiate unauthorized communication intercepted.
That draws my attention.
“With whom?” I ask quietly.
The report answers with names. Men who should know better. Men who do know better.
“Handle it,” I say as I note this down to myself.
I continue reading.
Subject denies responsibility for triggering incident. Maintains narrative of external provocation.
I stop there. Denial isn’t unusual. But this?
This is something else. Not deflection. Not avoidance.
Refusal.
Which is worse. Because refusal eliminates the possibility of correction.
I close the file. Dante is contained. But containment isn’t resolution. And resolution requires a decision he hasn’t made.
Which means, eventually, I will make it.
I stand. Not because the work is finished, but because movement clarifies what remains.
The house shifts around me as I step into the corridor. Guards adjust subtly. Staff alter their routes without appearing to do so. Everything acknowledges my presence without disrupting function.
That’s how it should be. That’s how it stays.
I don’t intend to go toward the east wing. There’s no reason to. Instead, I take the central hall, then the side passage that leads toward the garden offices. Efficient. Direct. Necessary.
And yet… I find myself adjusting the route. Slightly. Enough that it passes the east corridor.
It’s a small change. It shouldn’t matter.
It does.
The corridor is quiet when I reach it. Empty, at first glance. Then I notice the door to one of the sitting rooms is open.
