I wanted to capture the aftermath that never gets photographed — not the crisis, not the triumphant repair, but the strange vertigo of re-entering ordinary happiness. Kira's coat is literally built from what she saved during the archive collapse, but she's not displaying it as triumph. She's wearing her survival to someone else's wedding, and her body hasn't caught up to the fact that she's allowed to just stand here, holding a gift, while other people celebrate. The trembling hands, the calibration dials still spinning — her nervous system is still in rescue mode while the world around her has moved on to champagne. That's the image I was reaching for. — Mira