It wasn't very often that Zandera hired new staff in City Hall. To be honest, the secretaries, record keepers, and scribes had a very good system that required little regulation when the terms passed from mayor to mayor. As with any team that supports political groups, they were organized and independent enough to save the world from utter destruction perhaps even better than provincial governments with how fantastically on top of everything they were. So Zandera's team had really learned how to run the show with or without her, and that encompassed the entire anteroom of her office in City Hall and the extended regulators that made rounds in the city.
Hiring a new employee technically fell to her, but honestly that just didn't really happen. So when a young woman showed up in a corner of City Hall behind the real estate cleric and adjacent to the complaints department (suggestion box with no opening), Zandera thought perhaps she was just a citizen. But then the woman with loose, windblown hair and intense gaze on her parchment remained the following two days, she asked Billow, the homely woman in charge of city baked goods and other fundraisers, and asked just who that woman really was.
"Oh yes, Saowynn! She applied to work here with us, and I dare say I'm mighty glad we said yes," Billow nodded and the white cap on her head bobbed too.
Zandera raised her eyebrows and examined the woman who had stopped the scribbling of her quill to gape at a red sister and green warder who had just entered through the main doors.
"I'm sorry, Miss Mayor, for gossiping. I was just hoping to answer your question."
"Oh, it's fine. I'm just surprised. I didn't realize we had hired another employee."
"I'm pretty sure it was in the stack of paperwork you filled out last Saturday. I remember because I got the event for the next brownie eating contest approved--thank you so much for that, Miss Mayor!"
"Oh yes! No problem!" Zandera said with a quite large grin. The grin remained on her face as she went into her office and shut the doors. Then it fell off her face. She leaned her back against the heavy wood doors and tried to think. Last Saturday? Wasn't that the night that she stayed up far too late drinking mead with Mychael and Mendo and discussing the latest brackets for the Tar Valon's log-flipping team? She vaguely remembered each of them trying to flip a small sapling behind the hall and coming back inside when one of them got a bad case of splinters. Oh that's right! I think one of them got his grubby little hands on her signature stamp. He probably signed a bunch of documents without her realizing in his drunken stupor--oh great! Who knows what legislation they passed her knowing??
Zandera rubbed her temples and walked over to her desk. And of course her perfectly efficient and automated team took care of the legislation once her signature was on them. That really didn't help matters.
There was a knock on the door as Ealandrelle Sedai and Braedan Gaidin were announced.
"Hello Miss Madam Mayor!" Eala Sedai curtsied and had a huge grin. Zandera noticed her lipstick was quite flattering today. The color was nice against her fine skin. Brae Gaidin performed a half bow with his arm bent across his torso, where the red sister's arm looped into the crook of his elbow. Brae Gaidin always looked good, and it was very distracting.
"Hello, my favorite people!" Zandera said and went over to hug them.
"Yay!" Eala Sedai said.
"We're actually here on official business," Brae Gaidin said.
"Oh?"
"We are here to retrieve a new novice for the Tower."
Zandera looked confused for a second but tried to quickly cover it up. She didn't have any current applications before the Hall! Oh wait... Mychael.. Mendo... I don't know which one of you it was, but I'm going to kill you.
"You... do know who we're talking about, right?" Brae Gaidin asked upon seeing her expression. Blast! He was always so perceptive. Brae Gaidin decided to help the mayor out and say, "Saowynn. She has been approved for admittance into the Tower to begin her studies."
'Ohhhh' Zandera's face said. "All right," Zandera said out loud. "I will bring her over then. She may need some time to say goodbye before leaving the city. Regardless I will bring her here shortly. One moment, please."
So Zandera left the pair and went into the main area and strode up to Saowynn's desk in the corner. The mayor caught sight of a huge pile of parchments in a stack behind her desk. Her eyes registered some notable names among them--other aes sedai and gaidin that frequented City Hall. She caught a glimpse of what Saowynn was currently working on--it was a sketch of the finery Ealandrelle Sedai was wearing that day. She must be taking notes on whomever she saw enter the hall. Zandera cleared her throat.
"My dear, I have something to tell you," Zandera said, and she watched as the expression on Saowynn's face went from the surprise of 'oh there's someone standing next to me' to the worry of 'uh oh it's my boss' to confusion of 'why is she talking to me' to the excitement of 'Oh I think I know!!' to the fear of 'Oh no: what if they said no??' Zandera smiled. "Come with me, please."
"Yes ma'am!" Saowynn said and hurriedly gathered up her parchments. In her rush to gather the bundle of scrolls behind her--some of which were not rolled--she dropped a few on the ground, which Zandera quickly picked up.
"What are you working on, Saowynn?"
"Oh, this?" she asked, and Zandera expected a blush, but Saowynn was a little timid but not at all ashamed of her work. "These are notes on the members of the Tower, and this over here is a list of all the citizens in the Eastern district."
"So they're membership statistics. Even sketches?" Zandera asked with a little bit of a smile.
"Those are more like... character studies.. for when I write," Saowynn said and now she looked a little sheepish--just a little.
"Well, come with me, please," the mayor said, and Saowynn followed her back to the office.
Ealandrelle Sedai and Braedan Gaidin were waiting patiently, and after Zandera spoke the official ceremony, Saowynn was jumping up and down with excitement. No really, literally jumping up and down in her shoes with a bundle of scrolls occupying her arms--in her excitement.
"We will give you the time you need to say farewell to everyone in the city," Eala Sedai assured the new novice.
"No, I'm ready to go now! I mean, I warned everyone I was applying so I already said good-bye. Let's go--I'm ready!"
"The excitement is strong in this one," Braedan Gaidin spoke with mock-graveness, and Eala Sedai chuckled.
Zandera waved as they left the hall with smiling faces.
Congratulations on your entrance to the Tower, Novice Saowynn! You will absolutely love what lies ahead! :joy
Hiring a new employee technically fell to her, but honestly that just didn't really happen. So when a young woman showed up in a corner of City Hall behind the real estate cleric and adjacent to the complaints department (suggestion box with no opening), Zandera thought perhaps she was just a citizen. But then the woman with loose, windblown hair and intense gaze on her parchment remained the following two days, she asked Billow, the homely woman in charge of city baked goods and other fundraisers, and asked just who that woman really was.
"Oh yes, Saowynn! She applied to work here with us, and I dare say I'm mighty glad we said yes," Billow nodded and the white cap on her head bobbed too.
Zandera raised her eyebrows and examined the woman who had stopped the scribbling of her quill to gape at a red sister and green warder who had just entered through the main doors.
"I'm sorry, Miss Mayor, for gossiping. I was just hoping to answer your question."
"Oh, it's fine. I'm just surprised. I didn't realize we had hired another employee."
"I'm pretty sure it was in the stack of paperwork you filled out last Saturday. I remember because I got the event for the next brownie eating contest approved--thank you so much for that, Miss Mayor!"
"Oh yes! No problem!" Zandera said with a quite large grin. The grin remained on her face as she went into her office and shut the doors. Then it fell off her face. She leaned her back against the heavy wood doors and tried to think. Last Saturday? Wasn't that the night that she stayed up far too late drinking mead with Mychael and Mendo and discussing the latest brackets for the Tar Valon's log-flipping team? She vaguely remembered each of them trying to flip a small sapling behind the hall and coming back inside when one of them got a bad case of splinters. Oh that's right! I think one of them got his grubby little hands on her signature stamp. He probably signed a bunch of documents without her realizing in his drunken stupor--oh great! Who knows what legislation they passed her knowing??
Zandera rubbed her temples and walked over to her desk. And of course her perfectly efficient and automated team took care of the legislation once her signature was on them. That really didn't help matters.
There was a knock on the door as Ealandrelle Sedai and Braedan Gaidin were announced.
"Hello Miss Madam Mayor!" Eala Sedai curtsied and had a huge grin. Zandera noticed her lipstick was quite flattering today. The color was nice against her fine skin. Brae Gaidin performed a half bow with his arm bent across his torso, where the red sister's arm looped into the crook of his elbow. Brae Gaidin always looked good, and it was very distracting.
"Hello, my favorite people!" Zandera said and went over to hug them.
"Yay!" Eala Sedai said.
"We're actually here on official business," Brae Gaidin said.
"Oh?"
"We are here to retrieve a new novice for the Tower."
Zandera looked confused for a second but tried to quickly cover it up. She didn't have any current applications before the Hall! Oh wait... Mychael.. Mendo... I don't know which one of you it was, but I'm going to kill you.
"You... do know who we're talking about, right?" Brae Gaidin asked upon seeing her expression. Blast! He was always so perceptive. Brae Gaidin decided to help the mayor out and say, "Saowynn. She has been approved for admittance into the Tower to begin her studies."
'Ohhhh' Zandera's face said. "All right," Zandera said out loud. "I will bring her over then. She may need some time to say goodbye before leaving the city. Regardless I will bring her here shortly. One moment, please."
So Zandera left the pair and went into the main area and strode up to Saowynn's desk in the corner. The mayor caught sight of a huge pile of parchments in a stack behind her desk. Her eyes registered some notable names among them--other aes sedai and gaidin that frequented City Hall. She caught a glimpse of what Saowynn was currently working on--it was a sketch of the finery Ealandrelle Sedai was wearing that day. She must be taking notes on whomever she saw enter the hall. Zandera cleared her throat.
"My dear, I have something to tell you," Zandera said, and she watched as the expression on Saowynn's face went from the surprise of 'oh there's someone standing next to me' to the worry of 'uh oh it's my boss' to confusion of 'why is she talking to me' to the excitement of 'Oh I think I know!!' to the fear of 'Oh no: what if they said no??' Zandera smiled. "Come with me, please."
"Yes ma'am!" Saowynn said and hurriedly gathered up her parchments. In her rush to gather the bundle of scrolls behind her--some of which were not rolled--she dropped a few on the ground, which Zandera quickly picked up.
"What are you working on, Saowynn?"
"Oh, this?" she asked, and Zandera expected a blush, but Saowynn was a little timid but not at all ashamed of her work. "These are notes on the members of the Tower, and this over here is a list of all the citizens in the Eastern district."
"So they're membership statistics. Even sketches?" Zandera asked with a little bit of a smile.
"Those are more like... character studies.. for when I write," Saowynn said and now she looked a little sheepish--just a little.
"Well, come with me, please," the mayor said, and Saowynn followed her back to the office.
Ealandrelle Sedai and Braedan Gaidin were waiting patiently, and after Zandera spoke the official ceremony, Saowynn was jumping up and down with excitement. No really, literally jumping up and down in her shoes with a bundle of scrolls occupying her arms--in her excitement.
"We will give you the time you need to say farewell to everyone in the city," Eala Sedai assured the new novice.
"No, I'm ready to go now! I mean, I warned everyone I was applying so I already said good-bye. Let's go--I'm ready!"
"The excitement is strong in this one," Braedan Gaidin spoke with mock-graveness, and Eala Sedai chuckled.
Zandera waved as they left the hall with smiling faces.
Congratulations on your entrance to the Tower, Novice Saowynn! You will absolutely love what lies ahead! :joy
:fistbump Madame Mayor
joy
Oh yes, I see great potential for this.
