Meeting

Writers: Chelle, Noola
Date Posted: 30th April 2010

Characters: Wellinna, Sarban
Description: Wellinna & Sarban meet each other.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 8, day 19 of Turn 5
Notes: Mentioned: Felyna, Corowal

Wellinna noted the door, cracked open a bit, to be inviting, she
assumed and so she invited herself to push it open a bit further. She
rapped her knuckles gently on the door frame and waited politely for
the man to acknowledge her. She'd set aside a bit of time to come
speak with the Steward about her predecessor and how things had been
previously run. She'd had the last few turns worth of inventory and
accounting records brought to her new office, and planned to go over
them, but wanted to speak to the Steward as well. They would be
working closely together, after all, and so establishing a good
working relationship was of the utmost importance.

Making sure that his inkwell was full, Sarban put it carefully on the corner
of the blotter. Straightening, he heard the noise and looked out into the
corridor. "Aye?"

Taking that as an invitation to enter the room, the Headwoman stepped
into Sarban's office. "Steward Sarban? I am Wellinna, the new
Headwoman." Her tone was crisp and businesslike as she extended her
hand in greeting.

His eyes may have opened just a bit more, but not enough to be noticeable.
"Well met." He took her hand and quickly took in her turns. Well Felyna wasn't
matchmaking this time. "Forgive me for not seeing you earlier. When did you
get in?"

"Officially, only today. I was here interviewing with the Lady Holder
last sevenday." Once she'd secured the position, she'd gone back to
her home hold for a few days to officiate her daughter's promotion and
to pack up her belongings to be sent here. "I thought it would be
prudent for us to meet and discuss matters. May I?" She gestured
toward the empty seat across the desk from him.

"Aye sure." He didn't sit though. He sat too much and he thought
better on his feet. "So tell me how today's been so far."

Wellinna sat, perched on the edge of the chair, her back straight and
her hands folded in her lap. "I've been touring the Hold, viewing the
staff at work for the most part. They seem competent. I do plan on
interviewing each of them to discuss their duties and ascertain their
temperament. That will be later, after I've settled a bit. Of course,
I will appreciate any insights you might provide, as well."

"Well..you will know about the recent fire. So we've gained a lot of new
residents due to that. Some are temporary, some are not. As it is, it's meant
changes." He grabbed one of the small things he left around and began to
rub it. "We're getting ready for the Harper Hall to move back here too."

"Is that so?" Wellinna straightened even more, if possible. She'd
heard, of course, what had happened to the old Hall and that the
Harpers had been forced to move to the Weyr. Wellinna did not approve
of gossip, but that didn't mean she ignored it. "Do you suppose that
they will be continuing with the," she paused delicately, "reason for
the trouble?"

"Almost certainly." Sarban scratched his elbow, contemplating what
that might mean. Still, he thought Corowal knew what he was doing.

Wellinna pursed her lips in disapproval. You would think that the
whole debacle would have indicated the folly of allowing girls to
squander their time in such a manner. "Well, it isn't my place to
comment on the decisions of Hallmasters and Lord Holders," she said,
though her tone clearly belied her words. "What is being done to
ensure that unrest is minimized when the people find out, if you don't
mind my asking?"

"The guard captain will be on full alert and the harpers will be listening
to the children and the people for any whispers. Of course, Corowal himself
will likely make sure anyone's dealt with." He didn't know what the punishments
might be, but he knew they could be severe.

The Headwoman nodded, it was a good list of precautions. None of which
would be needed if the Hall would only behave decently, of course. But
it was decided, "I will keep my eye out as well, naturally. When is
the scheduled opening?"

"Don't have one yet. Depends on how fast they can get everything built and
finished what with the weather." Sarban was a seaman at heart. He understood
the weather.

"Ah, some time then." Wellinna nodded. "The thing to look for, for
now, would be sabotage, I suppose."

"Other than that, it's pretty much business as usual. You'll work with the
Lady Holder on menus and if we have any guests. All I need to know is
what you need so I can distribute everything when tithes come in. And I
have to make sure that we stay on budget naturally." That was an
oversimplification of his duties, but it would work for Wellinna for
now. "Vanea and I used to meet once a sevenday to make sure everything
was on target."

Wellinna frowned, "My duties are more involved than that." She had
been in charge of her holding's staff, the cooks and drudges, as well
as keeping the storerooms stocked and organized along with keeping the
holders fed and the fosterlings housed and she fully intended to take
on the same duties here as well.

"Well of course, but the rest is your business. All I need to know is inventory
that needs to be replenished. Everything else you do is up to Lady Felyna."
Of course sometimes things happened and they'd be forced to work more closely.
In that, it was important to get to know the woman. "But if you'd like to
continue the sevenday meetings? Nice to know what the other hand is doing."

"Ah, well then, that's fine. And yes, continuing the meetings would be
perfectly acceptable. I had planned on suggesting just such a thing if
you did not."

Sarban nodded and made a note to himself. "So Wellinna, did you have
any expectations about anything?" It would be interesting to see what she
thought. He had come in as an outsider.

"Only that the Hold be run in an efficient manner and the holders
display the decency one might expect from those who call the Hold a
proper home. I haven't been about the entire Hold as yet, but so far
things seem to be living up to my expectations given the
circumstances." One could hardly fault a tiny bit of chaos after a
fire and murder after all. "I am certain that it shall continue to do
so." The certainty in her tone came from her own determination to make
it so. She planned to weed out any impropriety or slothful work habits
as soon as she spotted them.

Inside his mind, he could tell that she wouldn't be like Vanea. She didn't
know these people, hadn't grown up with them. Maybe that was a good thing.
"Would you like me to finish your tour?" He checked his schedule and supposed
he had time.

"That would be lovely, thank you." Wellinna smiled.

Last updated on the May 3rd 2010

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