Appointments Only
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Sia, Duskdog
Date Posted: 10th July 2024
Characters: Aikley, Aleriand
Description: Aleriand isn't sticking to Aikley's schedule
Location: Printer Hall
Date: month 13, day 18 of Turn 11
Notes: Mentioned: J'ine, Vestian, Shassene, Esllwyn
With the opening of the new independent Printer Hall came lists and lists of tasks that needed doing, and checking, and redoing, and entire lists of new tasks that couldn’t be completed until the previous ones were completed, and so on and so forth for days. With a Turn’s End celebration (and grand opening) to prepare for, a dozen new to-do lists had cropped up, just for the occasion. Too many things to do, and too few printers to do them.
It was no surprise, then, that everyone had been running flat-out for a couple of sevendays leading up to Turn’s End. There was always something else that needed doing, and Aikley viewed it as their job to make sure that Master Aleriand didn’t try to do all the things himself. There were tasks that absolutely required his attention, and others that could -- and should, and _were_ -- delegated to someone else.
It should be simple, really, but apparently it wasn’t simple to Master Aleriand.
“Your early afternoon meeting canceled,” they informed Aleriand, once they finally found him out in the library shelving books (which they very specifically had apprentices for). “That leaves you more time to do this thing that you shouldn’t be doing but are doing anyway. But I took the liberty of adding a different appointment in for you, instead.”
They held the clipboard holding the Master’s agenda (written neatly in Aikley’s own hand) out. In the middle of the page, in the slot just after the noon meal, a meeting had been crossed out and in its place “GET A HAIRCUT” had been added, in all capital letters.
Aleriand squinted at the letters on the clipboard. He'd left his reading glasses in his office, dangling from a thin black cord on a peg designed for a jacket. "Let me see that." He said and took the clipboard. He stared at it a little longer, parsing the words and the very busy schedule that he swore wasn't nearly as full before Aikley walked the tables.
"I don't need a haircut." The hallmaster said flatly. "The last guy was cutting it too short in the front and left it too long in the back. Wait a second- why is 'J'ine' scheduled for a meeting?"
“For your own good,” Aikley replied simply. “And with all due respect, sir, you _do_ need a trim. You’re going to be representing the Hall at a very important time. And you need to look your best for the celebration. How will we win new apprentices if our Hallmaster isn’t more attractive than Master Vestian?”
Aleriand stared at the clipboard a little longer. Whether Aikley got J'ine to agree to an _appointment_ when the man blew in whenever the fancy took him was a mystery he both didn't want to know and desperately wanted solved. He should have promoted this kid ages ago.
"How dare you." He said instead, his tone bordering closer to a scoff. "More attractive than _Vestian_. This isn't the Harper Hall, the apprentices should be interested in the machines and the written word! And art, if Shassene has anything to do with it. Not the Hallmaster."
He considered Aikley a moment then slid the clipboard onto the highest shelf where it could no longer hurt anyone, and retreated back into the store with the empty box.
Aikley looked up at the now out-of-reach clipboard, frowning. That was their favorite clipboard.
They could retrieve it later, though. The loss didn’t really matter -- they had the agenda memorized, anyway, and so instead they followed Aleriand back into the store.
“Sir,” they tried again, “If you do the apprentices’ jobs, then they’ll never learn the importance of doing them, and doing them properly. Leave this to them and go get a haircut. Cleaning up and looking sharp increases energy and productivity.”
"We won't have enough apprentices to keep up once we're fully open. They're barely holding it together now." Aleriand said. He passed the empty box to one of the younger apprentices, who immediately took it and disappeared into the back. "Our table at the Gather needs to be recruiting apprentices, too. Not just a book sale. Let the older kids know they can start late."
He grabbed his things from behind the counter and came back around again. "Give me an extra twenty minutes, I'm not going to that funny guy at the Harper Hall again."
Aikley reached into their beltpouch and pulled out a folded slip of paper and held it out to him. “The name of a better barber, over at the Hold.. I did the research. He’s highly recommended.”
"I beg you to never take a posting elsewhere." Aleriand said and he took the slip of paper. "If I come back looking like a moody apprentice we are canceling this Turn's End business." He paused for a moment, as if considering it. Shassene and Esllwyn had already put too much work into it, as had Aikley. He wouldn't survive it. "When I get back you need to tell me how you got J'ine to book an appointment."
Last updated on the August 13th 2024