The CAP: Confounding, Confusing and Confronting the Chancellors,
part 1
by Bt
Nydiva and Bt approached their goal hesitantly. Chancellor Nanaea had emerged quite
unexpectedly from the vault about ten days previous and spent several days “surface
side” visiting with the students and taking part in school activities. Just as
suddenly, she’d disappeared again into the shadowy realm of lock, tumbler and
secrets. Her CAs knew from experience how difficult it would be convince her to come out
again after so short a period. None the less, delivering her to the meeting was a big part
of the job they had taken on and they were determined not to let the rest of the
conspirators down.
The CAs had all decided that at the next regular Deb U council meeting the subject of the
trip to the conference would be brought up. To vote on something this big all chancellors
should be present and at the very least, a clear majority of them would be mandatory. So
it was necessary for each group of CAs to expend every effort to see that their chancellor
was at the meeting.
As they approached the massive main vault door, each CA placed their key in the locking
mechanism. To enter all sections of the vault both Odd Day and Even Day keys would be
necessary. “Did you remember to bring...” Bt began to say.
Before she could finish, Nydiva broke in with, “Right here,” and she produced a
plate with wrapping over it. “How about the...”
“Got it.” Bt replied producing a small cloth bag tied to her belt. “Great!
We’re as prepared as we can be. Let’s do it.” Both turned their keys in the
locks and the door ponderously swung open.
“Nan, dear,” Nydiva called out, “Look what I brought you. You favorite,
Double Chocolate-Cherry Chewies cookies.”
“And I brought you some wonderful news, Nan.” Bt chimed in just in case the
cookies weren’t enough to bring Nan out of whichever chamber she was currently
occupying.
“Go away!” Came a voice from somewhere in the echoing vault rooms.
“You’ll make me loose count again.”
“What can she be counting?” Nydiva whispered to her partner.
“The gods only know.” Bt replied softly. “It can’t be money,
there’s so few dinars left in here she wouldn’t get past fingers and toes
counting. How can she loose track of that?”
“Did you get a direction on her voice when she answered?” Nydiva asked.
“I think so.” Bt replied, “But with the vaults so empty it’s hard to
tell with all the echoing. Let’s try this way.”
After several minutes of wandering around they finally located Nan in one of the empty
back chambers. She was staring intently at a faded poster of Iolaus. “Why don’t
you come and see me any more, Iolaus? We used to be sooo close.” Nan said with a
catch in her voice.
“Perfect!” Bt thought, and then out loud said, “He doesn’t come here
anymore because the empty vaults remind him of the Cave of Winds where he and HerK were
caught a couple of seasons ago. Not that he’d admit it, but I think that experience
scared him more than any other he’s had. If you’d just come out of the vault
I’m sure he’d come to see you.”
“No, no it’s too bright out there and too crowded and too loud. All those people
running around shouting and pushing and shoving. I’ll just stay here in my nice quiet
vault,” Nan replied. “At least you two come and see me every once in a
while.”
“Cookies,” Bt said in a stage whisper and nudged Nydiva in the ribs.
“Huh, oh yea, I brought you some of your favorite cookies, Nan,” Nydiva said
shoving the plate towards the bemused chancellor.
“Double Chocolate-Cherry Chewies?” Nan asked, showing a little more interest in
things.
“That just happened to be the ones I baked today.” Nydiva replied as she pasted
her most sincere smile on her face. “I hate this,” she whispered to Bt,
“But, it’s got to be done.”
Nan sat down on one of the many paint cans littering the floor of the room. Fortunately
that particular can had a top on it. As she munched on the cookies she smiled at her CAs.
“You said you had some news for me Bt, what is it?”
Trying to look and sound casual, Bt replied, “Yes, I was asked to give you a message.
Iolaus is on campus right now and he asked that I tell you he would REALLY like to see
you. Please, won’t you come out so he doesn’t go away broken hearted?”
Nan wave a hand in the air dismissing the whole thing with a gesture, “I don’t
believe it,” she replied. “You’re just saying that to get me out of here
while the CAs loot the vaults for another wild party.”
“Oh Iolaus was afraid you wouldn’t believe me so he sent you a sign to prove he
is really here.” Bt replied, and reached into the small bag at her waist. “Here
look at this.” She said as she handed Nan Iolaus’ familiar Green Stone pendant.
“Oooo, pretty,” Nan said as she held the pendant up to the light.
“Where did you get that?” Nydiva whispered to Bt, “It looks like the real
thing!”
“It probably cost as much as the real thing!” Bt whispered back. “That Sal
knows when my back is up against the wall. He charged plenty for that copy.”
“Is it good enough to fool her, do you think.” Ny asked.
“Combined with whatever you put in those cookies, she about far enough gone that I
could have used a cardboard cut-out and she wouldn’t have known the difference.”
Bt replied.
“What are you two whispering about?” Nan said suddenly, looking more alert. She
narrowed her eyes and continued, ”Are you hatching some plot to get my beautiful
money?”
“More cookies?” NY replied in her sweetest voice, and then add in a louder tone,
“What would make you think such a terrible thing, Nan. We are your friends!
Don’t we come and visit you and bring you presents all the time? Nobody else even
bothers with you any more!”
“She’s right, Nan,” Bt added with all the righteous indignation she could
muster, “Your other so-called friends, the chancellors, don’t come to see you.
They don’t even ask your advice on important things any more. I bet you didn’t
even know there’s a chancellors meeting today and they’re gonna vote on some
important stuff. Did they invite you to the meeting? Noooo, they didn’t. They
weren’t even going to tell you about it.”
“We’ll see about that, Nan said wobbling a little as she got up from her paint
can seat. Lets just see what happens when they try to spend some of MY beautiful money
with out even asking me! Come on you two. We’ve got a meeting to attend!”
Bt and Ny exchanged a quick “high-five” and followed their chancellor out of the
vault and on up to the more inhabited parts of Deb U.
“Lagging just a little behind the now enraged chancellor Bt winked at Ny and said,
“I sure hope the others were able to do as well as we did. By the way what did you
put in those cookies?”
“Just some herbs with some interesting properties!” Ny giggled. “They
really haven’t taken effect yet but by the time we get to the meeting she’ll be
so drowsy and out of it she won’t know what they are voting on.”
“Hurry up, you two!” Nan called back at them. “We don’t want to be
late.” Just then, they came to an outside hall with windows looking down on the
courtyard. Nan stopped in her tracks and pointing at the students down below said in a
puzzled voice, “Why are they all blue?”
To be continued.....
Posted on Aug 13 1999, 10:40 AM
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