[ A slow drift of feelings like a mist: sadness, understanding, a hint of inner conflict. She knows better than to voice sympathy for the Zenite perspective; in the end, Cyrus's assassination started all this. Yet she can't speak too harshly against them as Howl does either, knowing that there are surely some Zenites who would have objected to the assassination. ]

Mr. Cyrus being unpopular probably was a weak point for Meridian. Whoever becomes the next Tribune will probably be much more strict than he was.