"Am I killing your fun?"

"I'm just wondering when you took over my 'voice of reason' duties."

"I had to pick up the slack."

"Can't let anything slide with you, huh."

"Nothing at all."

"Then I'm in good hands."

Awww. "Only because I'm in your good hands, too."

"Yeah."

Though speaking of their mutual good hands... With her siblings graduated, she's now the effective leader of the Shanghai enclavers and their allies within the school. 

Big responsibility. But opportunity, too.

She'll have more power to steer things than she did - but stepping out of Jiana's shadow will be a risky moment. 

Who's left to contest it, while they're still inside?

"Hu Zixuan is the most likely..." He's an artificer - and a skilled one - and related to her family enough to give him a leg up. He's ambitious, too, and there's been rumors he wants to found his own enclave. "Wang Yuyan might back him - she's respected enough that which way she goes might change everyone else's opinions..." She's one of the few students doing even more languages than Luthien Higgins, and a talented incanter many think has a solid chance at valedictorian. "Some of the students from Beijing might also try to pull something - though Jiangyu is the only one of them who's really outspoken, and he's obsessed with following the rules..."

Headtilt. "Zixuan is ruthless. Steps on toes. Won't be hard to dig something up that will swing Yuyan away from him, I think."

"Even just a bit towards us... She isn't an extremist."

"Exactly."

"The best option would probably involve getting even him on our side - perhaps grudgingly, but as long as he doesn't work against us, that's fine."

"Might take longer to arrange getting him on your side."

"Then it's worth starting sooner rather than later."

"By your order."

"Alright - prioritize Zixuan and Yuyan together; if he won't budge, saying that we tried will help move her. Keep an eye on any other unease, also, from the wider school or from those in our faction - especially Beijing."

"I'll make it happen."

"I'll count on it."

"Anything else you need from me?"

Only a few minor notes... They've gone over most of it before, though, and Chengsu's earrings had allowed them to coordinate their schedules despite having different homerooms.