Preparation, apparently, meant watching people with actual power argue over a place most of them couldn't even physically reach without getting winded halfway up the stairs.
The days leading up to the meeting felt like that.
Structured. Busy. Annoyingly productive.
Callian and the others stayed anchored at Floor 20, not because they wanted to, but because the tower had this irritating habit of respecting levels more than authority. Meanwhile, the United Alliance, brilliant strategists of the outside world, opted to stay exactly where they were strongest.
Outside.
Debating.
Issuing statements.
Probably sipping expensive drinks while deciding who gets to own something they hadn't even stepped into.
Perfect.
So a compromise was made.
Not out of goodwill. Out of necessity.
Floor 1.
Neutral zone.
A place no one could argue ownership over because the tower itself treated it like a common ground. No advantages. No hidden leverage. Just… a stage.
And what a stage they built.
