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+# Character State: ch-06
+
+## Mira
+Location: The Imperial Ballroom, Crystal Balcony
+Physical: No injuries; slight mana-flush from proximity to Dorian; wearing gold-spun Pyre silk.
+Emotional: Defiant; experiencing sharp, protective jealousy; overwhelmed by the somatic "harmony" during the dance.
+Active obligations: Owes the Ministry a public display of stability (Ch01) — PAID.
+Open loops: Mira/Dorian physical feedback loop (Ch03) — UNRESOLVED; The "Correction Clause" threat (Ch05) — UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: Realized the Emperor’s "burnt sugar" scent is a symptom of Aetheric rot — Dorian does not know.
+Arc: 65% -- Transitioned from professional rival to defensive partner; admitted to herself that she "needs" Dorian to balance her surge.
+Permanent: YES (Publicly acknowledged the Union; shared a "Binary Star" harmonization in front of the court).
+
+## Dorian Solas
+Location: The Imperial Ballroom, Crystal Balcony
+Physical: Residual nerve-chill; right hand still carries the "Binary Star" sigil; wearing Spire formal velvet.
+Emotional: Intensely focused; struggling between his "absolute zero" discipline and the heat Mira provides.
+Active obligations: Owes Aric/Elara medical restoration (Ch05) — UNPAID.
+Open loops: Dorian/Minister Vane "Audit" threat (Ch06) — UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: Noticed the Palace wards are failing at the seams—Mira does not know.
+Arc: 60% -- Abandoned his "isolationist" stance to shield Mira from political gossip; prioritized her comfort over Spire protocol.
+Permanent: YES (First public physical contact without a ritual catalyst; solidified his role as her somatic anchor).
+
+## Minister Vane
+Location: Imperial Ballroom Floor
+Physical: No injuries.
+Emotional: Predatory; analytical; seeking a weakness in the Accord.
+Active obligations: Owes the Emperor a report on the Union’s stability (Ch06) — UNPAID.
+Open loops: Vane/Starfall Union "Correction Clause" trigger (Ch05) — UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: Knows the Ministry has already drafted the dissolution papers—The Chancellors do not know.
+Arc: 15% -- Shifted from a distant bureaucrat to an active antagonist within the Academy social circle.
+Permanent: NO
+
+# World State: ch-06
+
+## NPC Memory
+- High Nobility (Capital): SKEPTICAL — Witnessed the Chancellors’ dance — Now gossiping about the "unnatural" intimacy of the tether.
+- Palace Guards (The Keep): TENSE — Noticed the temperature fluctuations near the Chancellors — On high alert for "magical instability."
+
+## Faction Attitudes
+- The Eternal Throne: OPPORTUNISTIC — Sees the merger as a success but is ready to harvest their combined mana if they falter.
+- Crystalline Spire Loyalists: BETRAYED — View Dorian’s public dance with a "Firebrand" as a stain on Northern purity.
+
+## Active World Events
+- The Gilded Gala: Concluding; guests are departing with news of the Union's "disturbing" physical harmony.
+- The Aetheric Rot: Accelerating; the Emperor's palace wards are beginning to flicker, smelling of "past and rot."
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