Power sounded impressive.
Until you actually had to use it.
Two days into council leadership, the reality became obvious.
Meetings.
Reports.
Budget approvals.
Policy proposals.
Westbridge wasn't chaos.
It was paperwork.
Anaya sat in the council office with three open folders in front of her.
Policy reform proposals.
Most of them were boring.
Some were unnecessary.
A few were actually interesting.
She marked one with her pen.
The door opened.
She didn't look up immediately.
"You're still here," he said.
Now she glanced up.
"You say that like people normally leave work unfinished."
"Most do."
He stepped inside and dropped a file on the table.
"Academic committee review."
She skimmed the first page.
"You rejected three proposals."
"They were weak."
"They were safe."
"Same thing."
A small silence settled.
Working together in meetings had been one thing.
Working alone in the same office felt different.
Less structured.
Less formal.
"You're comfortable with conflict," he said.
"You're comfortable with control."
"That's not an answer."
"That's an observation."
He leaned against the table slightly.
"You know the council already assumes we're aligned."
"They assume a lot of things."
"And you're fine with that?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
She closed the folder.
"Because assumptions distract people."
"From what?"
"From actual work."
He studied her for a moment.
"You're very deliberate."
"You're very observant."
Across campus, Kiara was already aware they were meeting.
Because information traveled fast.
She sat in the student lounge with two committee members.
"They're spending a lot of time together lately," one of them said.
Kiara stirred her coffee slowly.
"Strategy meetings," she replied calmly.
"Still."
She didn't look concerned.
But she didn't like unknown variables.
Back in the council office, he walked toward the window.
Students moved across the courtyard below.
"You don't seem interested in popularity," he said.
"I'm interested in results."
"Westbridge doesn't always reward results."
"Then Westbridge will adjust."
He almost smiled again.
"You're stubborn."
"You're predictable."
That made him laugh quietly.
"You say that a lot."
"Because it keeps being true."
Another silence.
But this one wasn't tense.
Just focused.
He picked up the policy folder she had marked earlier.
"You're proposing committee transparency?"
"Yes."
"That will upset half the council."
"Good."
"You like enemies."
"I like accountability."
He closed the file again.
"You realize Kiara will fight that."
"Yes."
"And you still want to push it?"
"Yes."
He set the file down.
"Then we should do it properly."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"We?"
"Yes."
That word hung there.
Unexpected.
She didn't answer immediately.
Because alliances were temporary.
But effectiveness mattered more.
"Fine," she said finally.
Across campus, Kiara's phone buzzed.
A message from a committee member.
They're planning something together.
Her expression remained calm.
But her fingers paused slightly over the screen.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Because partnerships were harder to dismantle than rivalries.
And the balance at Westbridge had just shifted again.