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We work on Professor Neris' assignment instead. Or attempt to. The sentence "Inheritance is potential. Mastery is earned." appears three separate times in my introduction. Nyra points this out.

"I was emphasizing the theme." I say.

"You repeated it word for word." She smiles and returns to her notes.

The white tree at the library's center glows softly above us. Books move between shelves. Pens scratch across parchment. Somewhere on an upper level, a librarian tells someone to stop whispering so loudly. The ordinary sounds help. Tomorrow waits beyond them. But it has not taken today.

Nyra turns one page. Then another. "Can I ask you something?" She asks.

"You usually do."

She looks briefly offended. "I can stop."

"I didn't say I disliked it."

That seems to satisfy her. She lowers her voice. "What did you write during Professor Neris' exercise?"

I consider refusing. Not because it is deeply personal. Because admitting flaws aloud makes them harder to pretend are strategies.

"I try to control everything."

Nyra's expression remains gentle. "I noticed."

I stare at her. "That was immediate."

She nods. "You told me to stay behind you in combat."

Shit. "Once." I answer.

"Several times."

"I apologized."

She smiles faintly. "You did." A pause. "I wrote that I become agreeable."

"That doesn't sound terrible."

She looks down. "It is when I disagree."

Understanding arrives slowly.

"You make yourself easy."

Nyra's fingers move along the edge of her page. "My mother used to say cooperation is the foundation of peace." She says quietly.

"She was right."

"She also believed I should never make myself inconvenient."

That feels different. I study her. "And you believed her?" I ask.

"I still do sometimes."

The honesty settles quietly between us. I look down at my unfinished assignment.

"I suppose the Academy has enough work for both of us."

Nyra smiles. "You learn not to control everyone."