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+# Character State: ch-06
+
+## Mira
+Location: Imperial Palace, Grand Ballroom, Solstice Wing (departing at chapter end).
+Physical: No injuries; high autonomic arousal; feet aching from formal silk slippers; residual thermal flush from the Harmonized Resonance waltz.
+Emotional: Professionally defiant but internally compromised — Kaelen's absence was the emotional spine of the night. Realized Dorian is now her only tethered anchor. Reeling from "Grey" mana manifestation during the Solstice Waltz.
+Active obligations: Owes the Emperor a public display of stability (Ch06) — PAID. Owes Dorian a response to his "unplanned" physical proximity (Ch06) — UNPAID.
+Open loops: Mira/Dorian "Binary Star" public exposure (Ch06) — UNRESOLVED. Mira/Ministry "Inquisition Clause" threat (Ch06) — UNRESOLVED. Core fracture / Gala stabilization (Ch05) — ACTIVE 3-week clock.
+Known secrets: Realized Dorian's ice amplifies rather than neutralizes her fire's sensory clarity — the Ministry does not know. Noticed the Emperor was running a sensory stress test — Dorian knows too.
+Arc: 58% — From reluctant political partner to someone who understands that Dorian is the only person standing between her and exile. First public "Grey" mana moment.
+Permanent: YES (Grey mana manifestation witnessed by court; Dorian publicly defended her as "United Front" in court records).
+
+## Dorian Solas
+Location: Imperial Palace, Grand Ballroom, Solstice Wing (departing).
+Physical: Severe thermal flush; right hand "branded" by Mira's kinetic heat during waltz; minor mana-depletion.
+Emotional: Terrified by the breakdown of his "Absolute Zero" facade in front of the court. First time he chose Mira's emotional safety over strategic advantage. Profound lingering attraction.
+Active obligations: Owes the Emperor a technical report on Starfall stabilization (Ch05) — UNPAID.
+Open loops: Dorian/Mira somatic threshold limits — UNRESOLVED. Frost-ward failure / suspected Vane sabotage (Ch04) — UNRESOLVED. Whether Paradox fusion is repeatable — UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: Knows the Emperor used the Gala as a sensory stress test — Mira now also knows.
+Arc: 62% — Formally abandoned the Spire Protocols of detachment to protect Mira's reputation during the dance. Clinical detachment no longer total.
+Permanent: YES (Publicly broke traditional "Ice" silence to defend a Pyre mage; relationship status shifted to "United Front" in court records).
+
+## Kaelen — DECEASED (Ch04)
+Established: Killed in Ch04 arena disaster when the inverted Starfall vortex slammed him into the basalt wall.
+Legacy: Mira's grief for Kaelen was the emotional spine of Ch06 — she reflexively looked for him in the ballroom and found only absence; his death is Vane's political weapon.
+
+## The Emperor (Malchor)
+Location: Imperial Palace, throne dais.
+Emotional: Satisfied observer — the Grey mana manifestation gave him intelligence on the Chancellors' combined threat level.
+Active obligations: Awaits Dorian's stabilization report — UNPAID.
+Permanent: NO.
+
+## Vane (High Inquisitor)
+Location: Imperial Palace, ministry observation gallery.
+Emotional: Calculating — observed the Grey mana. Now has additional evidence for the dissolution petition.
+Permanent: NO.
+
+## Aric (Acting Senior Proctor)
+Location: Ignis-Glacies Academy — holding the fire students together in the Chancellors' absence.
+Emotional: Volatile; barely coping with acting proctor role. Kaelen's absence is destabilizing student morale.
+Permanent: NO.
+
+# World State: ch-06
+
+## NPC Memory
+- Emperor Malchor: WATCHFUL — witnessed Grey mana; now treats Mira/Dorian as a singular tactical threat to the Throne.
+- Vane: HOSTILE + ARMED — has Grey mana evidence; Gala ultimatum clock still active (3 weeks from Ch05).
+- Court aristocracy: AWED and SUSPICIOUS — saw the Binary Star resonance during the waltz.
+
+## Faction Attitudes
+- The Ministry/Inquisition: ESCALATED THREAT — Grey mana added to dissolution file. Gala ultimatum still governs.
+- The Imperial Court: WATCHING — the Chancellors are no longer just a merger experiment but a political power.
+- Pyre/Spire students: HOLDING THEIR BREATH — Chancellors away at Gala; Aric barely keeping order.
+
+## Active World Events
+- The Core Fracture: Hairline crack still present. Gala ultimatum: ~3 weeks to harmonize.
+- The Grey Mana Event: Witnessed by court; will be reported to Ministry. New political threat level.
+- The Accord: Existential threat from Vane's dissolution petition, now reinforced by Grey mana evidence.
+- Kaelen's Death Inquiry: Active at Ministry level. Used as political weapon by Vane.
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