Darrow hosts a convivial dinner at Silene Manor with family and allies. A sonic boom sends Sevro running, and he returns with a disheveled, pregnant Victra, whose irreverent arrival shifts the mood. Conversation turns to Luna’s mechanics union strike and Vox Populi agitation, with Mustang defending collective bargaining as Victra grumbles. The group relaxes in the grotto, trading jokes and stories as Daxo sketches for the children, while Darrow momentarily feels peace.

As night deepens and the children play, Darrow senses the fragile security around the estate and follows Mustang into the house. In their room, intimacy and shared history give way to politics. They acknowledge the Senate’s anger over the Iron Rain and the possibility that the Vox can sway votes against Darrow’s plans. Mustang notes the Coppers likely back him and that Obsidian support hinges on Sefi, but warns the Senate might still block his request.

Darrow insists he made the right military call, while Mustang stresses rule of law and optics. Darrow admits Pax’s distance troubles him but withholds the Howlers’ emissary secret to avoid implicating Mustang with the Senate. Mustang, drained, imagines not running again after two years and retreating to a quieter life, though both sense such peace is unlikely.

Dread returns as reality intrudes. Daxo knocks with urgent news: Dancer has called an emergency Senate session, advancing Darrow’s hearing to the following night. The personal respite ends, and the political crisis sharpens, forcing immediate reckoning with the consequences of defying the Senate.