"It can be both," he wryly casts over his shoulder, and then, after draining the last of his coffee, sets the empty cup down and swivels himself and all his paperwork to be facing Cedric again.

"It's not as easy as it was. Byerly can be crude and petty, but he's decisive, cares a great deal, and he stepped up to a thankless task-- one we're all distributing among ourselves now. I'm not sure anyone knows how to do it, and it was much easier to blame him for any chaos than it is to shoulder it collectively."

A brusque little laugh as he looks down, "Mother would be so proud." He flips a page, "I've become a Senator after all."