Current Affairs

Writers: Duskdog, Heather
Date Posted: 11th May 2024

Characters: Cazavin, Thayde
Description: The Hallmaster and Hallsecond meet to discuss the current state of the Dolphin Hall and its upcoming projects.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 10, day 20 of Turn 11
Notes: Mentioned: Jylanya

Thayde

Cazavin strode down the hall whistling, a folder full of neat files
tucked under one arm. It was a nice day out, at least, though he
didn't like the looks of the clouds gathering on the horizon -- and
neither, evidently, did the dolphineers at the Hall who made it their
business to study and predict these things. A problem for later, at
least, though he made a mental note to have the forecast relayed out
to the likely-impacted areas sooner rather than later.

An apprentice rushed past him at a junction in the hall, barely
missing a collision, and he only had to catch a glimpse of the mop of
blonde curls to identify the culprit. "Nolly!" he called after the
boy. "No running in the halls! If you'd hit me, you'd have been
knocked flat on your arse!"

Nolly immediately slowed his pace to a walk, turning to look over his
shoulder and give Cazavin a crooked grin. He was only thirteen now,
and very small for his age, so he probably realized that the master's
estimation of the outcome was likely accurate. "Yessir, sorry sir!"

Cazavin shook his head, bemused, and continued down the hall to Thayde's office.

"Well," he announced as he entered. "I've got good news, I've got bad
news, and I've got could-be-better-but-could-also-be-worse news. Which
would you like first?"

Thayde swiveled in his chair as his Hallsecond appeared in his office.
He held up one finger, took a generous gulp of his klah, and then sat
back. "Okay, tell me the could-be-better-but-could-also-be-worse
news."

"Good choice." Cazavin sat down in a chair in front of the desk and
flipped open his folder, removing a report and passing it across the
desk to the Hallmaster. "The lighthouse is coming along, but it's
over-budget. But only a _little_ bit over-budget, which is honestly
better than I usually expect for... well, anything at all."

While Thayde wished they were exactly on budget, or even under, the
lighthouse wasn't a project that could be frugally done since it
served such an important function. "Okay, well, that one didn't hurt
too bad. We might look at ways to earn more funding for the
lighthouse, though. Give me the bad news next and the good news last."

Cazavin jotted down "more funding for lighthouse??? bake sale hahaha"
on a sheet he'd set aside for notes. "The bad news is that it looks
like a storm is coming in, and seems like the weather's probably going
to be rotten for the next few days. Not a particularly bad storm or
anything -- just the usual -- but it'll mean construction may be
delayed by a few more days. And of course _we'll_ be busier than
usual."

He sat back and crossed his legs loosely, one ankle resting on the
opposite knee. "And the good news? The dolphins have declared that the
new lighthouse is 'pretty'. What they can see of it, anyway."

"Well, if the dolphins think it is pretty that's all that matters
isn't it?" Thayde grinned a little, thinking he'd have to ask Ada
himself the next time he saw her what she thought of the new rising
structure on the coastline. "Let's try to get the senior apprentices
out for a little swim time during the storm, provided there's no
lightning of course, so they can practice swimming in rough waters."

"Mmm, good idea." Cazavin jotted that down in his notes, too, though
he wasn't likely to forget something like that so soon. Notating
everything was just a habit, though he didn't always go into enough
detail to realize what he meant by cryptic phrases later on. "I'll get
a couple of extra journeymen to keep watch, too. I think the seniors
are all more than reliable at this point, but it never hurts to have
more eyes on the swimmers. It's so easy to miss someone going under,
especially when it's rough. Hmm... actually, on that thought, what do
you think about having some of the junior apprentices watch, too?
Start developing an eye for spotting swimmers in rough seas? Maybe
even have a journeyman or two simulate distress and see if any of them
pick up on it."

"Absolutely. I plan on being out there myself with the search and
rescue instructors. We'll also have the dolphin pod come in closer so
they can lend us aid if we need it. This is a good exercise for
everyone at all levels." There was something really exhilarating about
swimming in the choppy storm waters, Thayde found. "Let's get the
senior apprentices back out in the water before the storm arrives for
final swim evaluations. I don't want anyone out there who would be an
obvious problem."

Cazavin nodded, grimacing. He actually enjoyed swimming in storm
waters, too, but he knew it wasn't exciting for everyone -- especially
the less-experienced. "If anyone fails at this point, we may have to
make some hard decisions. But I think they're all up to it. I guess
we'll find out -- sooner rather than later, if we want to beat the
storm." He wrote "swim evaluations" down, too, and underlined it.
"When we send word to the Hold about what to expect with the storm,
I'm going to see if we can get some confirmation about which ships may
still be out, where they might be, and when they're expected back.
Hopefully it won't be anything they can't handle, but you never know
in bad weather, and I'd like to have an idea of what to expect if our
help is needed."

"Check with our Dock Master, he's got his network of contacts at all
major ports." Thayde glanced down at his list. "Oh, there was one
other thing I wanted to speak to you about. I'm thinking of throwing a
big bash here at the Dolphin Hall for Turns End. I thought it might be
nice to put on some water shows with the dolphins and their partners,
sort of show the outside world some of the hard work and training that
we do here. What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Cazavin repeated, his face spreading back into a
slow grin. He hadn't thought about it much before, himself, but the
idea of putting on a display -- their magnificent Hall, their
hardworking crafters, and, of course, the dolphins -- got his blood
pumping. "I think that's an _incredible_ idea. The dolphins love to
show off -- and, if I'm being honest, I think most of us here do.
It'll be good for morale, and recruitment, and I think anybody who
attends will enjoy the entertainment. Just a matter of getting it all
organized and advertised. Anybody in particular you'd like me to get
in touch with for that?"

"Ask the Master over each specialty to coordinate with their
department to determine how they could best participate. They can
delegate from there."

"Done and done." Cazavin wrote down each Master's name on a second
sheet, leaving space for whatever notes he'd take for each of them
later. "Well, not _done_, but you know what I mean." He flipped back
to the first page. "I've got nothing else to report. Anything else you
need me to check up on?"

"Just keep your feelers out for a Headwoman to replace Jylanya,"
Thayde said. They'd been getting by since the former Headwoman left,
but it wasn't nearly with the same efficiency, or tasty results from
the kitchens, that they were accustomed to.

"I think I'd prefer to promote from within, if we can. Smoother
transition, and probably better for morale among the staff, too. But
I'll check into possible candidates from elsewhere, too, just in case.
Surely somebody with taste and talent would like to join us by the
lovely seaside where people track water through the halls all the
time." Cazavin's lips quirked -- he clearly didn't think it was an
actual barrier to getting a Headwoman, but it amused him just the
same. The peculiarities of his craft were endearing, as far as he was
concerned.

He closed up his notebook. "Alright. I'll get started on the storm
preparations and move on from there. And _you_ -- you should head out
and get a little sun before it's gone, eh?"

Sun on his skin? A peaceful swim with Ada? That sounded like
perfection. "I think I will. Have a good evening, Cazavin."

Last updated on the May 13th 2024

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