The third day began the same way the second had ended.
Quiet. Orderly. Controlled.
The lights eased up from dim to full without a sound. No horns. No bells. Just a gradual brightening that nudged sleep aside instead of tearing it away.
Lyris was awake before it finished.
She lay on the upper bunk, eyes open, counting the rhythms. The base had patterns now. She could feel them. Power draw shifting. Footsteps in the corridor spacing out as night watch handed over. A cart rolling somewhere far off. Metal on metal. A door closing, soft.
Below her, Mira breathed evenly. Ragna snored once, sharp and brief, then went quiet again.
Lyris swung down without noise and dressed. Same clothes. Clean. Still strange. She folded the blanket tight at the foot of the bunk. Habit. Order.
By the time the wall panel chimed, she was already standing by the door.
"Morning cycle has begun."
Ragna groaned. "I heard you, librarian."
Mira rolled onto her side. "I think it's trying to be polite."
