CASTIEL

MY NEW council was working out just fine. Tabitha must have been joking when she told me that she randomly picked our three junior officers from dozens of applicants. So far, they had managed to live up to my expectations. However, if they were to prove inadequate or incompetent, I would have no hesitation in terminating their internship with us.

"Good morning, fellow Elysians! For those who have already forgotten my name, I'm Mignonette Nievera, your press secretary for today. This is my second presser, so please go easy on me!"

I stopped by our office lounge and glanced up at the television screen to watch our interim press secretary. Mignonette was all smiles, noticeably less nervous compared to her first time at the lectern. Walang aberya no'ng unang press briefing niya. Maybe the vultures had been lenient with her because she was new. But we could not expect the same gentleness this time or in the future.

"The USC will audit the accomplishment reports and financial statements of all mandated and non-mandated student organizations for the first semester," she articulated confidently. "We will provide every org with a copy of our requests and expect their compliance under the Freedom of Information Act."

What's the use of a weapon if we were not going to wield it? While my primary target was the college student councils, it was prudent to conceal my intentions and present it as a general audit. If you wanted to hide a leaf, hide it in a forest. Besides, who knew what we might uncover about the other organizations? Maybe our audit would yield information we could leverage in the near future.

"I will now take your questions! Again, please be gentle. Thank you!"

"Mignonette! I'm Ambrielle from The Herald—"

"Hi, Ambrielle! What's your question?"

"The USC is auditing the student organizations, but who's going to audit the USC?"

"Good question!" Mignonette began. "We will make the council's accomplishment report and financial statements public this week! If you have any comments or questions, you may request additional details through our FOI channel. We are committed to transparency and will provide whatever information is needed to ensure accountability."

"The last time the USC initiated an audit—specifically on the CSCs—you released the reports during the impeachment trial," Ambrielle added. "Some believed you used FOI to target CSCs not allied with you. Even CBA-CSC Chairperson Alaric Esteban made this claim.

"I can't speak about the USC's intentions and actions in the first semester since I wasn't a junior officer then," Mignonette replied calmly. "But this audit is standard procedure. If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear."

She will be fine. I limped my way back to my cubicle, leaving the television on for some background noise. Bago ako dumeretso sa aking area, huminto muna ako sa cubicle ni Tabitha na abalang nagta-type sa desktop computer niya. Nakakunot ang noo niya at halos nagsalubong ang mga kilay na parang namomroblema.

I knocked twice on the panel. "You okay?"

Her annoyed gaze flicked up to me. "Do I look okay? You've asked me to do another round of audit again, but lahat na ng student orgs this time. Do you know kung gaano katrabaho at katagal 'yon? 'Di bale sana kung puwede kong i-clone ang sarili ko para mas mapabilis ang work."

"If I knew how to audit, I would have done it myself," I replied. If only I could perform the duties and responsibilities of every position in the council, I would not have asked for anyone's help. Ngunit kailangan kong humingi ng tulong lalo na sa mga bagay na wala o kaunti ang alam ko. I could not afford to do a half-hearted job, especially now that the stakes were this high. I would be a laughingstock if I had to suspend most of my officers and beg them to return because I could not handle it alone.

Admitting that we could not do things alone had its merit, but there should be no shame in it.

"Just prioritize the CSCs and scrutinize every detail and number. For the rest, just half-ass the review—"

"No." Her typing paused. When our eyes briefly met again, she gave me a sharp glare. "Paano kung may makalusot? Sino ang mapahihiya? Me. My neck is on the line here, Cas, not just the USC's."

Whoa. I had not expected her to take this task so seriously. Alam kong gusto niyang madali at kaunti ang kaniyang ginagawa sa council. She would not do it unless it was absolutely necessary and explicitly required in her job description. My bad. I had misjudged her.

"Thankfully, I found the template Sab used last time," she continue. "Do you know how many students organization there are in this uni? One hundred and forty-three! I have to email all 143. Pray na wala akong mistake dito."

Normally, I would have asked Daphne, our interim secretary, to handle the emails. But this task was too crucial to leave to a newbie. Kahit alam kong maiinis sa akin si Tabitha kapag ibinigay ko sa kaniya ang task na 'yon, ipinagkatiwala ko pa rin sa kaniya.

"I'll buy you a cup of matcha tea latte from Astra Blend Cafe every day," I offered before turning to leave. My left hand gripped my cane as I walked away. "Just let me know what you need—"

"I should have suweldo in this job!" pahabol niya.

Iniwan ko na siya at nagpatuloy sa paglalakad pabalik sa cubicle ko. Walking past Daphne's area, I saw her busy compiling documents of our USC scholars. It's almost time for their scholarship renewals, including Fabienne Lucero's. If she would choose to get in my way, I would not think twice of revoking our grant to her. Mas mabuti kung mananahimik siya sa isang sulok at hayaan akong gawin ang dapat kong gawin.

I was just a few steps away from my desk when Reginald ran toward me and blocked my path.

"Reg," I called out, coming to a sudden halt. "Is there a problem?"

"Not a problem, but an opportunity," answered Reginald, our interim coordinator. I had entrusted him with most of the duties of a chief-of-staff. Unlike Mignonette and Daphne, I could not bestow him the interim chief-of-staff title. Firstly, I needed to determine if I could fully trust him. If I were to officially appoint my right-hand person, they would have my full trust and confidence. Secondly, he could not be superior to any of his peers.

"What kind of opportunity?" My eyes narrowed slightly. The last task I had given him was to request the academic records of our USC scholars from the registrar's office. 'Yon na ang inaasikaso ni Daphne ngayon. He must have done something beyond his assigned duties.

"I have a friend who writes for The Herald," he began. "He asked for suggestions on what article to write next since nothing much is happening on campus. I suggested writing about you."

"Me?" My brows furrowed. "Why would anyone be interested in reading about me?"

"You're not just an acting president." He gestured toward me. "You're a person with a disability who took over the presidency during a crisis. Your story could be inspiring and empowering, especially to physically challenged students who might feel limited in this world."

I glanced to my right. Normally, I would decline such opportunity. I was not accustomed to the spotlight. I preferred working in the shadows where my actions were not easily traced or detected. But these were not normal circumstances. From the moment I took my oath as vice president, I knew that stepping into the spotlight was inevitable. Now, as acting president, I could not shy away from it anymore.

I must embrace it. I must feel it.

"That sounds like a good opportunity," I said, turning back to him. An idea struck me. "Tell your writer-friend that I'm interested and available."

"Really? When would work best for you?"

"Check our calendar and choose a date when we don't have any council business in the afternoon."

"Got it!" Reginald hurried back to his cubicle.

Once again, Tabitha had made the right choice in selecting the three of them. Soon enough, there would be competition among the pack. Not everyone would have the chance to stay with us in the next term, should we win reelection. Like a game of musical chairs, seats were limited. Contenders would need to stand out and fight for the opportunity to remain seated. Only time and circumstances would reveal if any or all of these three young leaders would survive.

LATER THAT afternoon, I prepared for the weekly LEXECOM session. Sinabihan ko si Daphne na samahan ako. She was the most timid among the three. Aakalain kong clone siya ni Sabrina dahil sa katahimikan niya. However, if she wanted to thrive in this environment, she needed exposure beyond her comfort zone.

As I entered the session hall, I immediately noticed that Avrille was engaged in a seemingly serious conversation with Alaric the Prick. Si Avrille pa talaga ang lumapit sa puwesto niya? That prick enjoyed being treated like royalty, not bothering to stand and meet her halfway.

Avrille greeted me with a smile as she returned to her seat, followed by the other chairpersons settling down. I placed my cane beside me. Biglang tumahimik ang kuwarto at umayos ng upo ang mga reporter na kanina'y nagbubulungan na parang mga bubuyog. Glancing around the gallery, I spotted Valeria in the front row, with Reynard just behind her, laptop ready for notes.

I nodded at Daphne who had taken a seat in the gallery next to the former vice president. If Val had not resigned, she would have been in my position. Sometimes, I wondered how she would have navigated these uncharted waters as acting president. Will she... Anyway, dwelling on what-could-have-beens served no purpose.

The wooden gavel rested in front of me. I admired its simple beauty for a moment before striking it on the block. "The Legislative-Executive Committee is now in session."

I proceeded to call the roll next even if it was obvious that all nine chairpersons were present. Skipping this step could save time. But rules were rules, inconvenient and impractical as they might be.

"Majority leader, what's our first order of business today?" I asked, my fingertips steepled. "Are we discussing the constitutional amendments?"

Alaric the Prick glanced at someone across from him before speaking into the microphone. "Mister Chair, before we resume the discussion on the amendments, I'd like to address another matter.

My left eyebrow raised slightly. "And what might that be?"

He glanced again at someone across the table, directing my attention to Avrille. "I move to censure the presiding officer for disparaging remarks made against myself and my fellow CSC chairpersons. Your rhetoric has been divisive and offensive."

"Am I not entitled to express my opinion freely?" I scanned the table, most avoided eye contact. "You and your allies shouldn't be so thin-skinned. Given your majority support, your motion to censure me will likely pass. But what exactly will that achieve, aside from delaying more pressing matters?"

"It holds no official power, but we find it important to call out our leaders and hold them accountable, especially when they use their platform to attack a fellow officer," Alaric the Prick explained. "We cannot allow such behavior to become the norm."

"Fine." A sigh of annoyance escaped my lips. "Let's get this over with so we can return to the real issues. A motion to censure the presiding officer is hereby proposed. All those in favor, raise your hands."

As expected, Alaric the Prick and four of his allies raised theirs. Hindi na ako nagulat pa. He aimed to assert control over the majority in this committee, reminding me of who he believed was the true boss. Weird flex, but okay.

Then something unexpected occurred.

"Minority leader, I haven't asked those opposed to the motion to raise their hands," I addressed Avrille and the three other chairpersons.

"Mister Chair, we're voting in favor of the censure," she replied with a stern face and firm voice. "We agree with the majority leader. Your rhetoric in our previous session and your press briefing was not helpful at all."

I gritted my teeth and leaned my back, which began hurting because Avrille and her party stabbed me there. All nine chairpersons voted in favor of censuring me. The last time this happened was during the passage of the Freedom of Information motion. This was completely unexpected.

Agad na nabaling ang tingin ko kay Alaric the Prick. That must be why he was conversing with Avrille before today's session began—he sought their collaboration. A display of unity within the committee could undermine my position. Unfortunately for me, he succeeded in persuading them. Maybe there was a quid pro quo involved here.

"The motion is unanimously carried. The presiding officer is hereby censured," I announced before striking the gavel. My eyes flickered toward the prick. Satisfied now?

"I would like to put it on record that the idea to censure the presiding officer originated from the minority leader," Alaric the Prick said. "The majority bloc is willing to overlook the presiding officer's language since it might have been made due to pressure. However, the minority leader requested me to propose that motion, so I obliged."

The pain in my back intensified as another figurative knife was thrust into it. So that's why she approached him earlier, not the other way around. I gave Avrille a side glance. I thought we're in this together, Avi?

"Since I've been unanimously censured, I'd like a few moments to process it. Let's take a five-minute break." I banged the gavel before picking up my cane. Nang makatayo na ako, nilapitan ko agad si Avrille. "What's the meaning of this?"

She stood face-to-face with me. "You broke our agreement, Cas. We agreed to be allies with the USC as long as we have a representative in the council. You suspended our fellow CAMPer indefinitely, so that's it. Hindi ako ang unang nagtraydor. Ikaw."

"So this is retaliation?" I lowered my voice to ensure the reporters in the gallery would not hear us. Several pairs of eyes were watching us. May ilang pares ng mga mata ang nakamasid na sa amin. "What's next? Are you going to recommend impeachment proceedings against me?"

"If that's what it takes to stop you."

"You're serious about impeaching me?" I scoffed. "Alam mo kung ano ang mangyayari kapag nangyari 'yon. Alaric will become acting president. Can you stomach—"

"Yes, we can," Avrille cut me off. "It's only temporary anyway. Once Priam recovers from his coma, Alaric's term as acting president will end."

"What if he doesn't wake up? You'll be making a huge mistake!"

"We're willing to roll that dice."

"Why are you doing this?" I hissed. "What's in it for you?"

"We want to uphold the USC's integrity and Priam's legacy," she replied firmly. "Right now, you're undermining everything your council has worked so hard to achieve. A close friend of mine doesn't want to see your efforts and Priam's go to waste." She glanced back at the gallery.

I followed her eyeline. Sandaling nagtagpo ang tingin namin ni Valeria na nanatiling nakaupo roon. She looked serious and determined. The pain in my back intensified. It gradually subsided when I looked away. Can it be...?

"Sort out your mess, Cas. If not, we'll vote to kick you out."

Avrille walked away with her two allies.

I clicked my tongue in frustration. If they were willing to shake hands with the devil, my plans would be in serious jeopardy. I wished that I did not need their support to maintain the status quo until Priam regained consciousness. Alas, some things might not go as planned.

♔

NEXT UPDATE: Reynard starts digging deep into the failed assassination plot.