Four Angles was usually more composed than this. However, two refusals in a row were fraying at her.

"It is very important to activate the iterator now," she said slowly, as though talking to a child. "The launch has already been delayed." She didn't want to flat out say they were a few weeks behind schedule, but, they were. The sooner the iterator's production facilities were up and running, the better.

"I'm aware," said Eyes Behind Countless Silken Curtains with a disdainful sniff, arms folded. "But I shan't allow the project to proceed with such a... distasteful audience. I didn't want to say it, but it seems I must. I demand Seven Hundred Vines and No Ropes be removed from the project - immediately!"

A gasp rose from the crowd. "Now, Eyes Behind Countless Silken Curtains," said No Ropes, raising half-open hands, "I must apologise again for my misconduct, but this is too important-"

Silken Curtains cut her off. "Ah! Not one more word! I won't hear it! I must ask you to leave this room at once. You're ruining the proceedings with your presence alone. I won't stand for it any longer!"

Inhale. Exhale.

Four Angles liked to think of herself as generally sedate. Many people misunderstood what her circumstances meant, thinking she could recall everything of her past two lives; obviously, this was untrue. But there was a kind of serenity in her most people could not match; she often had a hunch that things would be alright.

This was not one of those situations. This was very bad.

"Eyes Behind Countless Silken Curtains," she said, acidly. "I don't know if you understand how important this is. Nor do you seem to recall my own concerns about a large audience for this moment, as we discussed. If you are so concerned, I invite everyone not of the Pillar to leave right now."

A shocked silence fell over the room.

Harsher than she would have dared normally. But what was stopping her? A lifetime of habit, of acquiescing to people like this for everything she did? She had been sponsored in various forms since childhood, and she had needed the House of Angry Vases on her side for this project to have even been possible. But it was quickly dawning on her exactly what their position was...They had all the supplies they needed. The iterator was nearly complete. There would be no travel or trade with other cities. What the various houses earned through their foothold here was primarily bragging rights, which was why sending such an idiot was acceptable. Maybe even necessary. There would have been few other ways to get rid of them.

Point being: Silken Curtains had no power over her, and she no longer wanted to pretend otherwise.

Silken Curtains stared at her, slack with disbelief. This was the greatest resistance they had met with in their life - the greatest insult they had ever taken, a blow heavy enough to nearly send them staggering in the physical. They were reeling. Their head was spinning.

"Who," they finally laughed, shaking a finger, "would dare - who would dare say such a thing to me? Four Angles -" another gasp rose up as they fired back with an outrageous nickname - "do you have any idea who you are speaking to? I am the heir, the heir of the House of Angry Vases! I own this project!"

Four Angles' voice was steady as her gaze.

"I know that I am the premier mechanomicrobiologist of the Pillar of Analytical Balance, Three Points Poised sect. For the duration of this project, you have done nothing but get in my way. Eyes Behind Countless Silken Curtains, I hereby strip you of all titles and honourifics." And now her words gained a smug edge. "You are heir to nothing."

The room exploded into chaos. Silken Curtains fainted into the arms of the person behind them, but when everyone edged away to avoid catching them they recovered very quickly. "Now see here!" bellowed Seven Surges Amongst Cold Arrays, shoving its way to the front to jab a finger at Four Angles' chest. "See here! You've not the right to go saying things like that! No one gave you that right, you haven't got it! You might be smart, Four Angles, Twelve Intersecting Lines, but you're not the only one in charge here!"

"...If not her, then who?" Second-Hand Bearing Underneath Two Shelves suddenly said, piping up from the back. "And well, m-maybe she can't just do that." Xe didn't seem completely sure of xemself now, but kept talking anyway. "But no one's reacted so strongly to Silken Curtains doing whatever they want!"

"Do you have any idea who you're talking about?" shrilled Silken Curtains, whipping around to face xem.

"Your comments are unwarranted!" shouted someone else.

"The premier is right to do as she pleases!" yelled another person.

"Everyone, everyone! This is unorderly!" called Seven Hundred Vines and No Ropes, raising her arms. "If everyone would just calm down-"

"You won't tell me to calm down! I won't calm down!" Silken Curtains shrieked.

"Oh, shut up," said someone in the back, and when Silken cast about for the source a fist slammed into the back of their head. They slammed into the person in front of them, who shoved them away. With an indignant shriek and all the pathetic fury of nails that had never once chipped they lunged at anybody in reach.

Now that violence was on the table, all hell broke loose. Years of resentment erupted into a storm of punching, kicking, even biting when someone's mask was knocked off.

Four Angles, for her part, backed away nervously. She didn't regret anything she said, as impulsive and ill-thought out as it was, but...she was definitely not the right person to handle...situations like this. "I-I...Can, can everyone hold on just one second?"

She was completely inaudible over the chaos. No Ropes, also backing away, put a hand on Four Angles' shoulder and cleared her throat. "Everyone!" Her voice rang out clear across the room. "Stop, immediately!"

Half the room turned to look at her with murder gleaming through the lenses of their masks. The other half were still trying to kill each other. "Um," she said, and someone shoulder tackled her directly into the terminal.

The entire room froze when one horn of her mask punctured it with a mighty