October arrived with a demanding intensity Ivy hadn't fully anticipated — midterm exams looming alongside an increasingly rigorous fencing schedule, the foundation's continued growth requiring regular check-ins despite her physical distance from its daily operations, and the accumulated exhaustion of genuine collegiate independence finally, fully settling into her daily reality.
"I don't know how you're managing all of this," Sofia observed one evening, watching Ivy simultaneously reviewing international relations notes and responding to a foundation email about a new case referral. "Between fencing, classes, and apparently running a whole nonprofit organization remotely, when do you actually sleep?"
"Rarely, lately, honestly." Ivy rubbed her tired eyes, the accumulated exhaustion of the
