CASTIEL
DESPITE EVEYTHING, life must go on. We were facing an uphill impeachment battle—and we might even lose our positions—but we could not just focus on parrying the attacks of our enemies. Hindi kami iniluklok dito para mag-apula lamang kami ng apoy sa buong term namin. We had the sworn duty to govern thirteen thousand students of Elysian University. At may isang tried and tested method para mapasaya ang libo-libong constituents namin: panem et circenses. Bread and circuses.
Enter the much anticipated campus fair, one of the highlights of our college life and of our administration. This was the best opportunity for our university to showcase its prestige not only to our own community, but also to outsiders. If we could do a great job at displaying what the Elysian University had to offer, we might see a bump in terms of enrollment next academic year. That was important to us since we were aiming to be reelected and govern again for another term. Shame that the fair was being overshadowed by the impeachment debacle.
Half an hour before today's meeting, I briefed Priam about our strategy for the second hearing. Nag-usap na kami ni Helene kahapon at nagkasundo kami sa approach na gagamitin namin. We even held a mock hearing just to prepare me and my questions to the already expected questions. Since we had a few more minutes, I decided to talk about something else.
"I saw Fabienne's post with you yesterday," I said out of the blue after snapping the leather folder in my right hand shut. Umangat ang tingin ko sa kanya. "Did she come up with that idea on her own?"
"She did," Priam replied, also closing his folder. Sumandal siya sa swivel chair at ipinatong ang mga braso sa mga armrest nito. "She's frustrated with their publicity manager's antics. Remember the article you showed me the other day?"
One thing I liked about Fabienne was that she wasn't an actress who relied too much on a script or who needed cueing. Alam na niya ang gagawin kahit hindi ko siya sabihan. Since our fallout right after the fake rumor incident, I had somewhat distanced myself from her. Walang mabuting maidudulot kung ipipilit ko ang aking sarili na makipag-ayos sa kanya.
She might have second thoughts doing what I thought was best for her and Priam's play. But her moving the way I would have suggested was fortunate on my part. Mas mabuting kusa na niyang naisipan na iangat ang image ni Priam sa pamamagitan ng isang simpleng video upload at pabulaanan ang tsismis tungkol sa kaniya at sa co-star niya. That was such a masterful move.
"Who's their publicity manager again?" I tried to recall. That person's name was mentioned before, but it escaped my mind.
"Priscilla Mercado," Priam revealed.
Priscilla? Ah! That's why the name rang a bell in me! Priam might be unfamiliar with her, but I was not. I would not completely forget an enemy's name, even if I did not recognize it by the given name alone.
"Yen said she recently joined the theater production," he added. "She's throwing some ideas that Yen doesn't like that much. Pakiramdam niya'y nililimitahan siya nito."
So she's the one trying to sabotage my backup plan, huh? I was too busy with the impeachment battle that I forgot to check Fabienne's situation. Could anyone blame me? I could not fight on two fronts. History would teach us that that's a stupid idea.
"She's the campaign manager of Candace and AEGIS last year . . ." I muttered, my free hand caressing my chin. "If Alaric is using her to neutralize or limit Fabienne's influence, there's a huge possibility that they're conniving together. Birds of the same feather. She clearly has an axe to grind against us."
"Yen has been trying to find a way to support me without raising too much alarm on Priscilla's part." Priam let out a sigh. That's quite advantageous to us! Bakit parang sa kanya'y hindi magandang bagay 'yon? "I told her to not bother with it and just focus on their rehearsals. She can't be distracted right now."
Should I keep pushing the idea? No. Priam had already made it clear a couple of times that he did not want Fabienne involved. If I mentioned it again, he would only resist. Kahit ano ang sabihin, hindi ko na mababago ang isip niya. I would only annoy the hell out of him and make a fool out of me.
In the same light, no matter what Priam told her, Fabienne would be there to help him out. Siya na nga mismo ang nagbo-volunteer na tumulong. Alam kong hindi pride ang umiiral kay Priam kaya niya 'yon tinatanggihan. Ayaw talaga niyang dumagdag pa sa mga sakit sa ulo ni Fabienne. But just this once, could he just welcome the support with open arms? We would need every helping hand that we could get if we were to win this fight.
Anyway, enough talk. May importanteng meeting pa kami today.
"Time for me to stand by in the lobby," I told him after checking the time. Tumingin ako sa labas ng aquarium at napansing nakapuwesto na roon ang iba pang USC officers. "I have to welcome and escort our valued collaborators."
"Smile when you do."
Days before the second hearing, an important meeting was about to be held in our office. Sabrina printed ten copies of the agenda and placed them on the conference table. It was not the usual USC meetings. It was between us and the nine college chairpersons.
Since this meeting was all about the execution of a campus-wide event and not the passage of a motion, the USC president could summon the CSC leaders in our own turf instead of the LEXECOM office. This was our home court, and it was only proper to hold discussions here instead of elsewhere.
They were not the only ones invited though. Members of the campus media were also present, eager to cover today's meeting. Who knows? Sparks might fly. Nakaposisyon na rin sila sa lobby, naka-ready na ang mga phone at camera para kunan ang pagpasok ng mga bisita namin. Given the brewing conflict between us and the majority bloc, they must be curious how noth parties would conduct ourselves.
As the chief-of-staff, I positioned myself at the lobby where I waited for the arrival of the chairpersons. Priam was already in the conference room, being briefed by Sabrina for the nth time. Rowan was with the campus press, doing some fireside chats with the reporters.
"How many enemies have we made since inilabas natin ang audit?" Tabitha whispered as she walked past me. "Pretty sure that Alaric's pack of wolves didn't appreciate it."
"Two or three probably. Now they know that we aren't just a bunch of sheep they can easily slaughter," I whispered back, glancing sideways. "If they wanna blame someone for the unraveling, I suggest that they look in the mirror and blame themselves. They're the ones who started this fire. Now they'regonna complain that they're getting burnt?"
"Which is convenient for us because you would have started it instead if they didn't." Tabitha's words rang true. It was only a matter of time before I or the USC fired the first shot. Those audit reports were weapons in our arsenal that we could use to nuke any of the uncooperative CSCs. I initially planned to use them as leverage to weaken Alaric's tight grip over them.
Alas, the impeachment broke out. They left me with no choice but to launch the rockets prematurely. We had to discredit the entire process and cast doubt on the minds of the student body about the intent of these chairpersons and their councils.
"We can make one or two more kalaban if you want," Tabitha added. "Just say the word and I will release the remaining reports."
"Put them on hold for now," I replied. "We need to time them perfectly. If we release them all at once, they might get overshadowed the latest news."
"Fine." She walked back to her cubicle since she had no business greeting the guests. Nagawa na niya ang dapat niyang gawin para sa meeting—ang um-order ng snacks at drinks para sa chairpersons—kaya puwede na niyang gawin ang gusto niyang gawin.
The first batch of chairpersons to arrive were Avrille from the College of Allied Medical Professions and Eleanor from the College of Education, followed by the independent Felicity from the College of Fine Arts and Design. I asked them to sit around in the lounge as we waited for the rest. Five more minutes went by before members of the majority bloc led by Alaric the Prick entered the office. The remaining six were familiar to me except for one—the representative from the College of Engineering and Architecture. They must have told Eamon to lie low for a while.
"Thank you for coming," I greeted them as my left hand clutched tightly on my walking cane's head. Sinubukan kong itago ang pagngiwi ng mukha ko. "The president is waiting in the conference room."
Limping, I escorted them to the aquarium. Our office was almost silent since only my cane striking the floor and the camera shutter clicking could be heard. The campus press followed us with their cameras, taking multiple photos and videos from different angles. I opened the door, stepped aside, and let them in. Alaric the Prick was first to come inside. He settled at one end of the conference table, exactly opposite to Priam who was on the other end. The Prick's allies took the seats near him while the our allies and the lone independent sat near Priam's side. Thus, the line of allegiance was drawn.
I closed the door before walking toward my fellow officers on one side of the conference room. I stood behind Priam and beside Valeria, Sabrina, and Rowan who were also there to observe. Dahil may limang alipores si Alaric the Prick, hindi namin hahayaang ma-outnumber ang presidente namin. Priam needed no show of support from us, but we figured that it would be best if we stood united.
"Do you think this meeting will go well?" Val asked me in a whisper. Deretso ang tingin niya sa mga chairperson.
I shrugged. "Them showing up is a good sign, but I won't be too optimistic. They might pull off a stunt here."
"With the presence of the campus press, the temptation must be strong. Whatever they do here will easily grab the headlines."
I would not be surprised anymore if Alaric the Prick got some tricks up his sleeves. He would not miss the opportunity to make a scene, especially in our own turf.
"Thank you for coming to our meeting today," Priam began, resting his forearms on the table. "I know that you are quite busy with your own council duties and other pressing matters, so I appreciate the time that you have given for the campus fair discussion. Shall we start?"
Everyone opened the leather folders, but someone had something to say first. Uh-oh. May isa sa kanila ang nagtaas ng kamay. Guess who?
"Before we proceed any further," Alaric the Prick cut his words short. Tch. I clicked my tongue. He did have a trick up his sleeve! "I would like to ask if you have any intention of stepping down given the current ordeal that you and your vice president are facing?"
"If I had any intention of resigning, I would have already done so before the impeachment trial even began," Priam answered. Good comeback. "Since the trial is ongoing and I haven't been impeached yet or removed from office, I would like to continue discharging my duties."
"You may also address him as Mister President," I added. "Despite the ongoing impeachment trial, he remains the USC president. An appropriate amount of respect won't be remiss."
"With all due respect to the office of the USC president, the majority bloc no longer recognizes the authority of the current office holder." Alaric the Prick snapped his folder shut and got to his feet, his chair noisily scraping behind him. His allies also sprang from their seats. "We will only cooperate with the USC once the president and vice president are cleared of the charge or if someone new is seated in that chair. Now, we would like to excuse ourselves."
The reporters on the sidelines let out gasps and erupted into murmurs. Their photojournalists pointed their cameras at the chairpersons walking out of the conference room. They could have said no to our invitation, but they intended to make a scene here. How rude and disrespectful.
"Do you sincerely believe that your actions right now are in the best interest not only of the student body, but also of the university?" Priam asked before the grandstanding chairperson could reach for the door. "We may disagree on significant policies and the best way the student body must be governed. But we must set aside all this politicking for a while for the sake of the greater good."
Alaric the Prick came to a halt, but he did not bother to turn around. Maging ang mga sunod-sunuran niyang puppet, bigla ring huminto. They might not be visible to the naked eye, but I could see the strings attached to them. "Holding our top student-leaders accountable is definitely in the best interest of the student body. We cannot allow ourselves be led by officers who employ underhanded tactics to make things go their way."
"Isn't it too premature to hold that view?" The president would not back down, of course. Time to put that arrogant prick in his proper place. "The trial is ongoing and the verdict is pending, but you're acting as if we're already guilty of the accusation. Observing due process is also in the best interest of the student body and of the system. Again, shouldn't we put the campus fair above all the pettiness here?"
"We've already done so since the start of your term." Alaric the Prick turned in his direction. "You didn't have the mandate to lead the student body since you failed to garner majority of the votes in the previous student council election. You became the president because of a mere technicality. Yet, we acknowledged the legitimacy of your presidency for months and gave you the courtesy accorded to the person of your position. I don't honestly think for a second that my partymates and I fell short in that regard."
"That, we appreciate—"
"Your appreciation is very much evident on how you tried to weaponize the Freedom of Information against my fellow chairpersons. In addition, your staff tried to coerce one of us to vote in favor of the same motion that you're now wielding as a weapon. We can no longer watch idly as you continue to undermine the integrity and abuse the powers of your office."
Akala mo kung sino siyang makapagsalita. If people knew how he wielded his family's status and connections to get out of the mess of his own making, they would have called him a hypocrite. I might be one, but he's the biggest of our kind.
"Consider our non-cooperation as our protest against your administration," Alaric the Prick said. "Our goal is simple: hold you and your officers accountable. Once we manage to do so, we will return to the table and cooperate with the USC."
He swung the door open and left with his allies who followed him like dogs. Sinundan din siya ng ilang reporter para kunan ng comment. The spotlight should have been on us and our plan, but he stole it effortlessly. He managed to turn the campus fair discussion about him.
Only three chairpersons remained in the aquarium with us. Nagpalitan sila ng tingin at nagkibit-balikat.
I moved close to Rowan as I watched the six exit the office. "Prepare a press statement. Emphasize the words—"
"Uncooperative, grandstanding, politicizing," he finished my sentence.
"Let's spin the narrative and hit them hard. They used this meeting against us. We're gonna use their walk out against them," I added. "Those reporters will surely ask for our reaction."
"Got it."
Despite six of the nine chairpersons walking out as protest against us, the campus fair briefing pushed through. We got the remaining three on our side and we needed to hold on to them.
How about the other six? They would learn a valuable lesson in the future.
♔
NEXT UPDATE: A bombshell is about to go off in the second impeachment hearing!