A Silent Pivot
Stiffness gives way along my plastic joints. I register a faint air draft and the rough texture beneath my boots. Scanning the perimeter, I notice the golden figure standing silent just a few paces to my right. Carefully, I test my mobility. I pivot my right wrist inward with a tiny snap, then reach forward to graze the edge of an adjacent wooden groove. Concrete movement confirmed. No alarms triggered. My posture settles, alert and primed for whatever terrain lies ahead.