The most profound changes never arrive with permission.
They slip into existence quietly, unnoticed at first, settling into habits and expectations until they are no longer recognized as change at all. Palermo crossed that threshold without ceremony. There was no announcement, no declaration of arrival. The city simply began moving differently, as if it had adjusted its posture without consciously deciding to do so.
Accountability ceased to be an event.
It became atmosphere.
Aria sensed it not in moments of confrontation, but in the absence of tension where it once lived. Messages no longer arrived marked urgent. Conversations no longer braced themselves before questions were asked. Officials no longer sounded startled when uncertainty surfaced.
The city had learned how to breathe under watch.
Marcelo described it in measured terms during a briefing that felt more reflective than operational. "Response cycles have stabilized," he said. "They are slower but more consistent."
