The CAP: The Benefits of Power
by Bt
The Benefits of Power...
"Sheesh, some things never change!" Bt remarked to Lucky, as they stood in the
doorway of her office surveying the stacked up paper work. "I really thought once we
got the chancellors out of our hair things would slack off a little and we could enjoy
ourselves, for a change. Oh, well, lets see if we can make enough of dent to at least find
those equipment catalogs."
"Bt?" Orlena called out softly as she peeked around the office door, a few hours
after Bt had arrived. "Are you busy?" She ventured and wished, she'd phrased it
another way as the harried CAs emerged from behind a pile of paperwork.
"Me! Busy? Of course not! I always enjoy spending the day submerged in useless
paperwork. Well, that's going to change soon enough, anyway. What can I do for you?"
"It's more what I can do for you, I think." Orlena replied, picking up some
ledgers that had fallen to the floor. "These are the books from The
Battlefield," She remarked looking at the titles on the well stained covers.
"Yep," Bt said, with a small sigh. "Wb has taken off with Sal again on one
of their treasure hunts. They got word about a week ago that a map wb had bought some time
ago was genuine and so they're off to see if they can find where it leads. You'd think I
could have managed to adopt at least one stay-at-home son but no, they've all turned out
to be wanderers." Bt said as she took the ledgers and set them carefully on another
pile of paperwork. "Did you mean that, about what could you do for me?" Bt said
as she turned to face Orlena.
"Sure," Orlena replied, "Just let me know what you need done."
"In that case," Bt said with a big smile you can consider yourself my Assistant
and your first job is to haul all this," Bt indicated a large pile of papers to one
side of her desk, "Out to the fire pit and burn it."
"Are those school records?" Orlena questioned, wondering just what she was
getting herself into.
"Nothing, important. Maybe embarrassing for a few people, but it's better to get rid
of them and make a clean start, on some things, anyway." Bt said as she loaded the
papers into Orlena's arms.
Orlena shrugged, and started out the door with the papers. "Just a minute,
Orlena." Bt said. "Were you really going to take my word on destroying those
papers?"
"Sure," she shrugged again and answered, "I figure if anyone around here
knows what they're doing it is you."
Bt. grinned and said, "Never mind the papers just toss them over in the corner. You
pass the test, Assistant. What I need is someone who I can trust to follow orders but can
still get a little creative when necessary. I think you'll do fine."
"I was going to kind of look things over as I tossed them in the fire." Orlena
confessed, "Just in case, you know, something looking like it might come in handy
later."
"Now I know you'll do just fine!" Bt said giving Orlena a hug. "How about
we get out of here for a while? There's a couple of things I'd like your opinion on and
besides I need to go see how the Rat Pack is doing with their new job of managing the
Battlefield."
At the Battlefield things were not going well. The regulars, it seemed didn’t object
to a Rat bartender once in a while but they did have objections to the sign now hanging
prominently over the bar. “Under New Management! Maurice & Company Proprietors -
All Over Due Tabs Must Be Paid Before Further Service Is Rendered.”
“You boys have been busy.” Bt remarked, pointing to the sign. “Very
industrious but aren’t you afraid you’ll loose your customers to the Student
Union or even the Pub in town?”
“Nope, wes got da word out to dem other places dat wes would look most unkindly on
dem tryin to cut in on da business whilst we get da books straight,” Maurice replied
with a toothy grin. “For da Boss, of course.”
“I hope it works out okay, then.” Bt replied taking a seat in her customary
booth. A disturbance at the bar caused both Orlena and Bt to look that way as a burley
ogre, ogre-handled a complaining red shirted Level 2 hunter out the side door to the
alley. “I see they’ve hired some muscle,” Bt said with a laugh, “I
guess they’ve got things covered here.”
Orlena, looked on as the ogre came back in the door minus the Level 2 but with a money
pouch that used to be hanging from the Level 2’s belt. As Maurice relieved the ogre
of the money pouch he said loudly enough to be heard over the noise and music,
“Thanks, Onslow. It’s always a pleasure doin’ business wit ya.” Then,
laughing, he tossed a coin or two to the ogre and counted out the correct amount owed the
pub from the full pouch. “Yous can return dis to da young gentleman now, Onslow. Wes
don’t want ta be accused of takin more than is owed us.” With that, he winked at
Bt. and went back to polishing the glasses on the back bar.
“You’re gonna swallow a fly.” Bt said with a smile.
“What?” Orlena replied, still staring at the ogre and the rat.
“I said, you’re gonna swallow a fly if you sit there with your mouth open much
longer.” Bt repeated, this time barely keeping from laughing out loud. “Why
don’t you take a look at some of these and tell me what you think of them?” Bt
said and shoved one of the catalogues she’d been carrying at her assistant.
Just then Shoshana wandered over from the bar and looking over Orlena’s shoulder
whistled softly as she scanned the pictures in the catalogue. “Nice looking stuff,
Bt” 'Shana remarked as she slid down into the booth next to Orlena.
“Oooo,” Orlena said as she gazed at the pictures. Then the prices in very small
figures under them cause her to exhale quickly, “Kind of expensive, though.”
“Nothing but the best.” Bt said almost reverently as she retrieved the catalogue
titled *The Acme 5000 Modern Maze Accessories. Everything Needed For Probing the Abnormal
Psyche*. “That’s where anything I get out of this is going,” Bt remarked.
“It’s fine for you young ones to be setting yourselves up to entertain gods and
heroes and such but this will out last all of that. Muahahaha!
“By the way Shana,” Bt said, offhandedly, “Since I seem to be gathering a
staff today, how’d you like to be my assistant, too.”
“Sounds great to me!” Shana replied, “So just what would I be doing as one
of your assistants?”
“Oh, a little of this and a little of that. Helping me run the APD, running some of
the equipment, and there’ll be other things as time goes by.” Bt.’s voice
faded out a little as she picked up one of the catalogues and almost to herself said,
“This stuff can be a lot of help to the students and besides, using it might finally
give me a clue as to why none of my boys can stay put in one place for more than a few
months at a time.”
Bt
Posted on Aug 26 1999, 07:58 PM
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