![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dialecticdreamerEnd of Year Meeting
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 2, complete
:: Genna schedules an unusually long meeting with Hatter, and it causes a bit of a stir among his staff. Part of the Strange Family series in the Polychrome Heroics universe. Thank you to my readers. You created, collectively and individually, some of the brightest moments of the year for me. ::
On to part two
[Early September of 2016]
“Sir?” the petite, black-haired Yeoman began, pressing her lips together nervously, “Mrs. Saint Croix has requested a meeting with you that blocks out two hours of your time, and
The young woman pinched the strap, and a bit of the skin on her opposite wrist at the same time. She swallowed, smoothed a finger down the black leather, and spoke up. “Sir, it might be an… attempt at unfair manipulation. Do you want to change the meeting location? Or at least have a female yeoman attend the meeting with you in order to take notes.”
His eyelid twitched, and he looked away from the massive monitor to take in her expression. “Actually, I want you to attend the meeting, Yeoman. You meet her with the security team, watch and say nothing. We’ll discuss your observations several days later, with your superior present.”
She gulped silently.
“Understand?” he asked smoothly.
“Yes, Sir.” She glanced down, focusing on the tasks that she’d been assigned. “It’s blocked out, starting at 1600 ship’s time.”
Hatter barely noticed her departure. He turned back to his own research and left the matter to ponder later, probably the morning of the meeting.
[November of 2016]
Lucien Dowlander stood very stiffly in front of Captain Left. “Sir, I’ve been monitoring Mrs. Saint Croix’s ledger, and she’s been doing something… odd… with the budget for each of her students. She only spends ninety percent of the allotted funds for the children, keeping ten percent in reserve, then spends on --”
Hatter snorted. “I’ve been looking at her results,” he interrupted the younger officer. “She has never gone over her budget, she’s never complained about putting her own money into enrichment activities, although she does so, at least twice per trimester, or six times a year. She gets her students together for field trips in groups sorted by personalities and interests, including things designed for the most introverted and cloistered ones. Instead of trying to make a tornado from a dust bunny, why don’t you try to understand her methods and logic for the spending pattern?”
“You’ve got a very… long… meeting scheduled with her, Sir. It’s on the public calendar. I was just… concerned.” Dowlander’s posture was perfect, his tone carefully neutral.
“Duly noted. Now, do you want me to see how effective you are at your job if I slash ten percent from your working budget?” he asked, his voice even. “It might be a useful experiment.”
“No, sir,” the younger man hurried to answer.
“Good. Find out who made that appointment public. I did not approve that.” Hatter sniffed.
Dowlander hesitated, his weight moving fractionally from side to side. “Is she going to be here? She made these cheese balls the last time I was on duty when she visited, but I never had a chance to thank her.”
Hatter stared above his screen at the bulkhead. “You’re angling for a shot at whatever she’s bringing next time, aren’t you?”
The younger man nodded, blushing. “I am.”
Nodding, Hatter turned back to his screen. “Get me the name of the responsible party and their supervisor by the end of your shift and you’ll be manning comms for the meeting.”
Dowlander squeaked. “Sir? My shift ends in less than an hour.”
“Best work quickly, then.” Hatter waited for the door to close behind the retreating junior officer, then saved the relevant picture of Dowlander’s expression to the file to discuss with Genna.
Then he got back to work.
[30 December of 2016]
Genna noticed the attentive, eager trio of security guards when she arrived with a fifty-five gallon tote instead of a picnic hamper, with a smaller, wooden chest on top. Both had been secured to a folding dolly with bungees, separately, although the pair had been fixed to each other with two buckle straps before being placed on the dolly. She stepped forward as one of the guards reached for the wooden box. “That’s a gift for Hatter. I’ll undergo a telepathic scan for safety, but you will not open that before Hatter has had a chance to see his gift.”
The oldest of the three guards stepped forward. She shook her head at the younger guard. “It’s cleared by the sensors. No telepath needed,” she added to Genna. “I’ve just secured the file, too.”
Genna burst out laughing. “That’s only going to make him more curious.” She bent to undo the cords and then the safety straps, then lifted the wooden chest easily. She stepped back. “Please put on clean food gloves to handle the contents of the tote. As soon as Hatter and I have served our plates, there’s enough for you all.”
The quietest of the guards blurted, “Why?”
She smiled. “Because I thought that you would appreciate it. There are cards on each container that list the ingredients, so if you’ve got dietary restrictions, read first, please. I worked with Hatter’s preferences.”
“It’s clear,” the senior guard assured. She dropped the plastic cover from the sniffer wand into the receptacle to eventually be incinerated. “Don’t worry, I didn’t have to poke into anything, or even open the containers.”
The teleporter rubbed his hands together. “Excellent. That glass container with a yellow lid has my name on it, literally.”
Laughing, Genna nodded. “Could one of you carry the tote?” She moved casually to the inner door of the suite, then rapped on the metal as if standing on a suburban street. “I brought food,” she called through the door. She turned toward the nearest upper corner and smiled. “As always.”
The door unlatched, opening about two inches.
Genna stepped forward, nudging the door with her foot then turning to keep the box from scraping the door frame. “It’s finally done, barely before the end of this year. I’m proud of that.” She glanced over her shoulder. “We’ll save the rest of the conversation for a more private moment.”
“What are you waiting for?” Hatter asked from the depths of his office.
On to part two
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
