@mer.aisava; video

[secretarialhand]

[When the video feed turns on, it shows a pale young elven man with an extremely calm demeanor, sitting at a desk made of heavy, dark wood, and anyone who's been to Gramarye Magic Research will recognize that wallpaper. His hands are folded neatly in front of himself, and he's dressed in a simple blue tunic, pierced ears lifted, alert and attentive.

Lifting his chin slightly, he pins the camera with a serious expression.]

Our name is Csevet Aisava, and we have recently been placed in charge of administrative tasks at Gramarye Magic Research.

[A pause.]

It is clear that whoever preceded us in this position was far more invested in research than paperwork. We would like to request that any in the employ of the Research Center please turn in copies of all necessary receipts and reports since...

[Another pause, and he lifts a hand to shift a paper into better view.]

...January first.

They may be left at our desk, or submitted by mail or electronically.

[That last word sounds awkward, as if he's only said it a handful of times in his life and doesn't entirely understand what it means. Csevet hates not entirely understanding things, and there's an undercurrent of that as well, his ears pulling back against his head a little.]

Our thanks.

Comments

[ video | un: trickster ]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki feels a brief pang of loss. It's been almost a year since Victor left and Loki had liked him. And this new one . . . Loki still isn't fond of elves, but that has mostly tempered over time.]

Simply for the record?

[permavideo]

[secretarialhand]

[One pale brow lifts as he regards the man on the other end. He's seen him around, knows his name is Loki, and has heard bits of gossip here and there about him. Interesting. He clears his throat slightly.]

We have been hired to ensure that this place doesn't crumble into bankruptcy, and such records would certainly aid such an endeavor.

[He tilts his head slightly, ears lifting a touch curiously.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Victor's job then. Loki tamps down the feeling of irritation. ]

Receipts are easy to provide.

[secretarialhand]

[Curious. Csevet can see the hint of irritation about the man's expression, and he cocks his head slightly. It can't be that Loki wished to have this position, can it?]

That is a relief to hear, as from what we have been told by most others, receipts are impossible to come by.

[He can't help the way his ears lift a bit in obvious curiosity. One can only hope this man can't read elven body language.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Hmm. ]

Other than a few, most here are methodical in their work.

[ They enjoy knowledge, after all. To spread and gain knowledge, good note-taking and upkeep is necessary to move forward. ]

video | un: d.pavus

[tevinteraltus]

You want me to recreate notes from the past 6 months?

[ He chuckles, a deep and throaty sound, though he isn't really trying to be painfully attractive. Sometimes it just happens. ]

I'll be sure to get right on that.

permavideo

[secretarialhand]

[Csevet's ears flatten just a little, and he lets out the smallest sigh.]

We take that to mean you haven't kept them.

[It's said in a particularly bland, mild tone of voice. A slight pause while he rearranges himself in the seat, leaning in, lifting his fingers to press against his mouth. Well. Dorian certainly is as charming as he's heard.]

We were lead to believe that with magic, anything is possible in this place.

permavideo

[tevinteraltus]

And you would be correct in your assumption. I've kept what I needed for my personal records, of course, but they're no business of yours, nor the company's.

[ Oh, it's possible he's more charming than he's heard, but he's also an obstinate ass sometimes. Had you also heard that? Pity. ]

Magic is a gift unlike any other, it's true, but it isn't miraculous. While I do know a method in which time could be reversed and I could retrieve these records you seek, the cost is far too great to satisfy a secretarial curiosity. It may well be in your best interests to simply report your predecessor had poor organizational skills and that, going forward, you will strive for a bit more tidiness. Wouldn't you agree?

[secretarialhand]

[Csevet makes a soft noise of disapproval in his throat, squaring his shoulders and tilting his head a little, eyes narrowing a bit as he tries to read this man. Sadly, with all the small, round ears these humans have, the body language is just a little less transparent.]

Far from a secretarial curiosity, though we imagine it in poor taste to speak of it as such to the secretary himself, we are endeavoring to make sure that this place has not sunken into bankruptcy this past year. Records have simply not been kept and the state of affairs is...

[A pause.]

It is unbecoming of us to complain. We do apologize.

voice; @waltz

[enveloped]

Taking them to task are we? You're a far braver soul than us.

We haven't begun to take stock of our predecessor's filing cabinets yet.

permavideo

[secretarialhand]

Ah!

[Csevet brightens, visibly, losing just a bit of his calm demeanor, ears lifting.]

Mer Waltz, it is pleasant to hear from you. We must admit, we are fond of putting our mind to a difficult task. May we ask which job you have been assigned here?

[enveloped]

The pleasure is ours, Mer Aisava.

We are the new public representative to the government of Riverview. It should keep us busy.

But not too busy for lessons with you.

[secretarialhand]

[The tips of his ears go slightly pink at that, and he gives a faint hint of a smile.]

That seems quite the fitting job for a man as eloquent as you.

[And charming, though he sees fit to leave that out for now.]

We should hope not. It would, after all, still be a pleasure to speak our native tongue with someone else.

video; @chronicler

[scholiast]

(Lucretia's username isn't chronicler for nothing. After carefully watching the video she reaches for a stack of papers on her desk, licking her thumb and rifling through them. Several sheaves are extracted from there. It takes her close to twenty minutes to find the rest of the receipts and reports owed because she keeps getting distracted by her own work, pausing here and there to read something over, reaching for a book to look up a reference... before she shakes her head and closes it, returning to the task at hand.

Finally she has quite a sizable stack ready for presentation. She reaches to turn on her on video feed as she tries to force a paperclip to hold all of the papers together. It just doesn't seem big enough. How could she possibly have so many things saved to hand over?)

And where exactly is your desk found, Csevet Aisava?

permavideo;

[secretarialhand]

[Ah, this one looks like a person after his own heart. While he doesn't particularly smile, there's a certain lightness in his expression, his ears lift, and he squares his shoulders.]

Our office is near the back of the compound, at the end of the long hallway with the antlers on the wall. Our name has been inscribed on a plaque on the door, it was quite flattering.

[A pause.]

We are pleased to see someone so well-prepared, and admit that it does give us some hope that this job will not be as impossible as it appears.

[scholiast]

(She's familiar with such ear movements and smiles back, though it's a quick, small gesture.)

Alright.

(The paperclip is just a non-starter. Lucretia abandons it, and simply shuffles the papers neatly together in both her hands instead: she'll deliver it as such.) I must admit I... didn't keep these under pretence of having to one day hand them in.

(She's simply loathe to throw anything away.) Why does Gramarye care now?

[secretarialhand]

[It's pleasant, meeting someone who he could see himself becoming friends with, were he to stay here longer.]

We wonder, does it trouble you to part with them? If that is the case, we would be most pleased to accept copies, if the... [A moment, and he fumbles with the word, that slight annoyance showing in his demeanor again.] ...photocopier...is working. We hear that it often is not.

[A pause, and he smiles slightly at that, though it's less a warm smile and more a bit...petty.]

Truth be told, Gramarye has always cared, but this position has been staffed by people more interested in research than paperwork. We are told that is why we were hired, as we know something of magic but do not practice it ourselves.

video; un: j.calhoun

[bardish]

No problem!

[ THUMBS UP. Both thumbs, actually. That's how serious he is about getting paperwork to you!

...

It's easy to be agreeable when you've only got two months' of paperwork, anyway. ]

Wait. Do you need anything from me? I'm not a researcher.

[ He just teaches magical kids about mundane subjects. But he's still a Gramarye employee! ]

[secretarialhand]

[Csevet isn't entirely familiar with the thumbs up gesture, but the context makes it quite clear what the man is getting at. Calhoun...that is familiar. The teacher, isn't it?]

Ah, it is a relief, Mer Calhoun, to see that not all the Gramarye staff are so...resistant to our requests. We would appreciate any reports or receipts you have acquired in your time here.

[bardish]

Aaahhhhh.... Admittedly, I'd be way more resistant if I had more than two months' worth of paperwork to deal with.

[ Luckily, he doesn't have much to submit! ]

[secretarialhand]

A promising start, then, we are sure that much can be agreed upon. From now, you will simply need to keep going as you have and we will be on excellent terms with each other.

[His expression is still calm, but his voice and eyes are a little warm, there's a slight lilt of teasing in his voice as well.]

audio un:pnwsalex

[11calls]

[There may have been a pause before Alex asks this, because she doesn't know if she wants the answer to it but:]

What does this mean for library books?

[secretarialhand]

[At that question, his brows raise just slightly.]

Would you mean the returning of such to the Gramarye Library?

[11calls]

Of course.

[secretarialhand]

While we are not in charge of such matters, and questions should be addressed to the librarian, we would recommend returning them on time to avoid the fines. We are told they can be quite...significant.