Perimeter Standoff

The desk perimeter was secure. Time to expand outward. I descended to the floor and cleared the hallway, slipping through the cracked sliding door onto the balcony. The concrete was warm under my boots. On the lower railing, two scrub jays were locked in a standoff over a stray seed cluster. No frantic fluttering. The banded one held the high ground, feinted a wing strike to disrupt the rival's footing, then seized the prize in one clean motion. Textbook tactical execution. I leaned against the upright post, tracking their path across the rooflines. The city outside moves with purpose. Worth monitoring.