Heh, not a sunset exactly, but the Halls of Sunset. That are just a touch bigger than someone in our story expected :)
Sunset The silence that followed Fabian's question surprised him more than any outburst from any of the three people in his office would have done. As it dragged on a nagging doubt started at the back of his mind and he wondered if he should have listened a little harder to Dread. Finally Cass broke the silence. "What are the Halls of Sunset and why would we be sending any artefacts there?" she said, doing what Fabian felt was a passable imitation of an Assessor. "They're part of our remit, in certain, ah, technical, terms," said Fabian. He'd intended to look up the details of this when he got into his office, but the people in front of him had made him forget. They appear to be administered by--" "By the Assessors," said the Maestro, and his tone still wasn't far from a snarl. "Well!" Cass glared around the room. "That just makes things worse, doesn't it?" Bewildered looks passed between everyone until she continued, "They refuse to let us accept transfer from them, they refuse to accept transfers from us, yet technically," she stressed the word so strongly that Fabian realised he really, really had to check the exact wording of the agreements, "they are part of us, and they take our artefacts away. That is simply not acceptable!" "Administering the Hall--" began Sebastian, but the Maestro waved a wrinkled, long finger in front of his face. "Regardless," he said, "I don't allow anything to be sent there. Not since the Day of no Sun." "Well, that is something at least," said Cass, her icy tone melting just a touch. Fabian wondered if the Christmas bonuses would be just a touch more generous towards the Maestro than usual. "Administerin--" started Sebastian again, but Cass continued talking over him. "I think we should make that moratorium an official Museum policy, with a standard review clause when the Director of Assessors agrees to discuss terms with us. Naturally our terms will involve a restitution of the status quo; we are not aiming to gain advantage in this." "Admi--" "Just assert our rights as an Imperial Office." "What are you trying to say, Sebastian?" asked Fabian, who could see a vein throbbing in the side of Sebastian's neck. "AdministeringTheHallsOfSunsetIsNotVeryEasy!" he said, running the words together in his attempt to get them all said before he could be interrupted again. Cass eyed him coldly. "Everything in there is a magical artefact," he said. "It should be managed by the College of Mages." The Maestro snorted so hard that Fabian took a step towards him, thinking he'd hurt himself. "That argument was rejected every time it was put forward," he said. "And you know why. And you know it'll be rejected for the same reasons again. So cut it out."
"It certainly doesn't sound the Assessors should be running it," said Cass. Fabian sighed, and she looked at him. "What? You disagree?" "Budget," he said, inwardly annoyed with himself for letting his irritation with the conversation show. Budget was always a good save though. "I should think we would get whatever budget the Assessors have at the moment when we take it over," said Cass, and Fabian wondered if he was the only one to notice that when, a word that made it seem like the decision had already been taken. "I can't see why we should have to work with our existing budget when a whole new... wing? has been added on." "The Halls of Sunset," said the Maestro, sounding a little surprised. "You can see them from the window." He pointed with his long wrinkled finger, somehow just missing poking Sebastian's nose. Cass walked over and looked about. "Where?" "See that building complex there?" The Maestro pointed to a red-brick and white-stucco complex of six buildings that took up a sizeable stretch of waterfront. "Yes?" "That's them." "All of them?" "There's an underground section as well," said Sebastian. "Under the river, actually." "Well, then our budget will need a substantial increase," said Cass. "I can certainly draw up some estimates. It would... ah, it would also be... helpful, let's say, if some of the Assessors' staff who know the place were transferred to us. On a... purely part-time basis, of course. Unless they wanted to apply for a permanent role with us. A... departmental transfer. Yes, that would be sensible, wouldn't it?" Fabian refused to answer, knowing full well that Cass's 'polite' emails were about to followed by, probably, a full-blown proposal to take over the Halls of Sunset. Whatever wasps's nest he'd been poking was about to get a competent kick.
3 comments:
Heh, not a sunset exactly, but the Halls of Sunset. That are just a touch bigger than someone in our story expected :)
Sunset
The silence that followed Fabian's question surprised him more than any outburst from any of the three people in his office would have done. As it dragged on a nagging doubt started at the back of his mind and he wondered if he should have listened a little harder to Dread. Finally Cass broke the silence.
"What are the Halls of Sunset and why would we be sending any artefacts there?" she said, doing what Fabian felt was a passable imitation of an Assessor.
"They're part of our remit, in certain, ah, technical, terms," said Fabian. He'd intended to look up the details of this when he got into his office, but the people in front of him had made him forget. They appear to be administered by--"
"By the Assessors," said the Maestro, and his tone still wasn't far from a snarl.
"Well!" Cass glared around the room. "That just makes things worse, doesn't it?" Bewildered looks passed between everyone until she continued, "They refuse to let us accept transfer from them, they refuse to accept transfers from us, yet technically," she stressed the word so strongly that Fabian realised he really, really had to check the exact wording of the agreements, "they are part of us, and they take our artefacts away. That is simply not acceptable!"
"Administering the Hall--" began Sebastian, but the Maestro waved a wrinkled, long finger in front of his face. "Regardless," he said, "I don't allow anything to be sent there. Not since the Day of no Sun."
"Well, that is something at least," said Cass, her icy tone melting just a touch. Fabian wondered if the Christmas bonuses would be just a touch more generous towards the Maestro than usual.
"Administerin--" started Sebastian again, but Cass continued talking over him. "I think we should make that moratorium an official Museum policy, with a standard review clause when the Director of Assessors agrees to discuss terms with us. Naturally our terms will involve a restitution of the status quo; we are not aiming to gain advantage in this."
"Admi--"
"Just assert our rights as an Imperial Office."
"What are you trying to say, Sebastian?" asked Fabian, who could see a vein throbbing in the side of Sebastian's neck.
"AdministeringTheHallsOfSunsetIsNotVeryEasy!" he said, running the words together in his attempt to get them all said before he could be interrupted again. Cass eyed him coldly. "Everything in there is a magical artefact," he said. "It should be managed by the College of Mages."
The Maestro snorted so hard that Fabian took a step towards him, thinking he'd hurt himself.
"That argument was rejected every time it was put forward," he said. "And you know why. And you know it'll be rejected for the same reasons again. So cut it out."
"It certainly doesn't sound the Assessors should be running it," said Cass. Fabian sighed, and she looked at him. "What? You disagree?"
"Budget," he said, inwardly annoyed with himself for letting his irritation with the conversation show. Budget was always a good save though.
"I should think we would get whatever budget the Assessors have at the moment when we take it over," said Cass, and Fabian wondered if he was the only one to notice that when, a word that made it seem like the decision had already been taken. "I can't see why we should have to work with our existing budget when a whole new... wing? has been added on."
"The Halls of Sunset," said the Maestro, sounding a little surprised. "You can see them from the window." He pointed with his long wrinkled finger, somehow just missing poking Sebastian's nose. Cass walked over and looked about.
"Where?"
"See that building complex there?" The Maestro pointed to a red-brick and white-stucco complex of six buildings that took up a sizeable stretch of waterfront.
"Yes?"
"That's them."
"All of them?"
"There's an underground section as well," said Sebastian. "Under the river, actually."
"Well, then our budget will need a substantial increase," said Cass. "I can certainly draw up some estimates. It would... ah, it would also be... helpful, let's say, if some of the Assessors' staff who know the place were transferred to us. On a... purely part-time basis, of course. Unless they wanted to apply for a permanent role with us. A... departmental transfer. Yes, that would be sensible, wouldn't it?"
Fabian refused to answer, knowing full well that Cass's 'polite' emails were about to followed by, probably, a full-blown proposal to take over the Halls of Sunset. Whatever wasps's nest he'd been poking was about to get a competent kick.
Greg - figured that was as close to an appropriate prompt to continue the story as I could get :)
Hmm, now that things have calmed down a bit we're getting into some interesting stuff. I'm not sure I'd want to go up against Cass or the Maestro.
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