Surprises come in small packages

[onlytolerable]

Remember, Alexandrie Berthier used to say, you simply must make time for yourself. The fine spring day finds Sophie settled at a table overlooking the green taking her arrière-grand-mère's* advice to heart. She closes her eyes a moment and enjoys the sun warming her cheeks before pushing aside cup and teapot so she can admire her handiwork. That buttery yellow yarn she'd been saving knits rather nice, even if she does say so herself.

She picks up her needles and swiftly casts on stitches for the second tiny baby bootie, all the while humming a lullaby under her breath.


[*great grandmother]

Comments

[onlytolerable]

Silly brawd. This is why they all conspire to force him to make time for himself. She peers at the planner. "Goodness! Did they really load you down with all of this? Ridiculous! I can't imagine Avery taking this all on when she was Jack."

Sade, she thinks, setting him up for failure or Cadogan's own tendency to do too much. "Hmm. You should delegate some of this. It's not all hush-hush." Seeing this makes her even more certain she and Adrien are doing the right thing by challenging up where they'll be better situated to help him.

[diemwnt]

The lift of his shoulder is slight. Jacks before him, after all, had had him as their Ten. Now... well. He'd find his own Ten. He suspected, as she grew stronger and less someone to worry about, Rachel would be.

The click of his tongue came brief and quick.

/I want things done right./

[onlytolerable]

Really, now. She hadn't meant just anyone. One brow rises enquiringly though she makes no effort to disguise her teasing smile.

/Surely you aren't suggesting I would perform shoddy work?/

[diemwnt]

Oh, up goes the brow, madam. Up it goes to vanish beneath his bangs-- and he barely has bangs.

/Surely you aren't suggesting you're a Ten?/

[onlytolerable]

Touché. /Yet. Anyway, I bet a lot of the make work can be handled by lower ranks.

Admit it. She'll do a better job than many Tens.

[diemwnt]

She would. He would be so happy to have her, trust her so much to get work done.

It doesn't mean he isn't going to fix her with a displeased look just now. Don't rush up to help him, Sophie. He'll be cranky about it.

[onlytolerable]

No fair being cranky. She's been advancing in the ranks for her own reasons. The fact he's been added to those reasons only makes the climb all the sweeter.

/Until you find a PA. I'm not totallly a-l-t-r-u-i-s-t-i-c. I'm preparing to hand over the reins of the library proper and have been sitting on my hands to keep from jumping in because I can do the work faster./

[diemwnt]

That gets a moment of stilled hands, caught in almost motion before the thought was released to the universe.

/I don't need a PA./

First things first.

[onlytolerable]

/Naturally not. But it's a nice position for a young Card who may want to rise high in Rank some day. They'd be lucky to be shaped by you./

[diemwnt]

/While raising a child. And Sitara./

Was Sophie going to take full responsibility for raising Adrien, then? That's a lot of work, woman.