Jelaza Kazone
Surebleak
It had been a long day, of its kind.
Delm-for-a-Day and Road Boss were telling out the details over a glass of wine in their suite.
“New office center-city is getting a lot of traffic,” Miri said, she having been Road Boss. “Nova says the upgrades to the port office are going well.” She sipped her wine. “Gonna be nice enough to live in, once it’s done.”
“Good,” Val Con said. “We will then be able to rent this house out, and see a profit made.”
“Sure we will.” She finished her wine and put the glass on the table.
“Thinking about actual staffing,” she said, “not just you and me doing everything, hands-on.”
“We are the Road Boss,” Val Con murmured.
“Key word being Boss,” his lifemate said. “Bosses delegate and take reports.”
“And keep an eye on the greater good. Much like delms.”
“Bosses get time off.”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“Now, I am interested. Allow me to refill your glass. Then, you may tell me about this time off.”
He stood.
“Delm Korval,” Jeeves said from the comm on the desk. “Two pinbeams have just arrived from Tinsori Light, one from Light Keeper Jen Sin, the other from Tocohl Lorlin. Both are marked urgent.”
Miri looked at Val Con.
Val Con looked at Miri, and held a hand down to her.
“I will refresh our glasses,” he said, “and meet you at the desk.”
“Deal.” She clasped his hand, let him help her rise, and turned toward the desk.
“Send these urgent pinbeams to our private screen, please, Jeeves.”
— X —
“Well, that solves Tocohl’s problem,” Miri said, “and the delm’s problem, too.”
“Only the delm has been given a new and different problem.”
Val Con leaned back in his chair, brows drawn. Miri turned in her chair so she could watch his face better.
“Jen Sin thinks a collaboration is not only possible, but necessary,” she said.
“Which is a rather remarkable thing for him to think, given his late circumstances,” Val Con answered absently. “Tocohl, however, is alarmed by Catalinc Station’s loyalty to her builder.”
“Be a strange thing if she didn’t want to meet her parent,” Miri said.
“I agree. Catalinc Station must decide many things for herself, and despite acquiring her libraries, and absorbing the files Jen Sin provided, she must feel at a loss for information. Friends, she may have—I believe I am reading that Joyita is well disposed toward her and her case, as is Seignur Veeoni.”
“And Jen Sin,” Miri murmured.
Val Con glanced at her with a slight smile.
“And Jen Sin. Of course. We must assume that Mentor Jones will hold himself at her service, that being his calling…”
His voice drifted off, eyes narrowed. Miri felt that particular fizz that meant he was thinking hard.
She stood, gathered the wine glasses, and took them to the kitchen to put into the washer.
Val Con was still staring at nothing in particular when she came back, but he wasn’t fizzing anymore.
“So,” she said, leaning on the back of his chair. “When we do we leave?”
“When do I leave,” he answered.
“Nope. We. I’m better—and I need board time.”
“Cha’trez…”
She felt his concern, his unwillingness to endanger her.
“I will need to fly like a Scout,” he said, like that clinched it.
She grinned at him.
“Good. I’ll learn something new. Catalinc Station needs solving, and she deserves to have the whole delm on the case. I’ll call Kor Vid and Daaneka and let them know they’re up for Road Boss, if you’ll call Kareen about standing in as delm.”
Something flickered along their bond, and she thought he was going to bring out another argument.
He moved his shoulders.
“I will call Kareen. However—”
Here it came, Miri thought, bracing herself.
He looked at her sternly.
“Despite the need for haste, we will not leave tonight. We will leave tomorrow, after we have rested.”
“Right,” Miri said, reaching past him for the house-comm.
“No sense starting out tired.”