Private Tales Taking Notes on the New Girl

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
Meika was in the office the next morning. She had loaded up on very caffeinated tea and she was hard at work rewriting her notes. Her quill scratched against the official parchment that would get filed. Her writing was precise and legible. She only made the first letter of a paragraph look a little more fancy than the others.

She was almost done with these minutes by the time she looked up and saw Yojin walking towards her desk. She groaned and set her quill down to the side of the parchment. She took a drink of her tea and stood up from her chair to meet him.

"Good morning," her voice was soft as she greeted the puca.
 
He wasn't entirely sure how she'd be feeling after yesterday. It seemed they hadn't quite seen eye-to-eye at first, but then that comment from the duanann sidelined them both and he didn't know how someone so young would deal with something like that. It didn't matter, though. They had a job to do, and it was an important one at that. He noticed at once that her tone seemed much more polite than the previous day, which perhaps wasn't so remarkable, but he noticed it nonetheless.

"It would seem fate has brought us together again," he said, half-smiling. "I've received an order from some of the higher council of the Winter Court. We'll need to go to the Archive... to look up old speeches. I am to assist you in this matter. I'll explain more on the way."

He paused, realizing he might not sound legitimate. So he reached into his pocket and revealed the letter.

"Before you ask, the letter mentions you by name... here," he said, pointing to the line in question where her name was clearly printed. "We'll leave whenever you're ready. Gather all the supplies you'll need, because we're going to write, too."
 
Meika listened to Yojin and when he produced the letter with her name on it, she looked at it and saw her name. She narrowed her eyes and wondered what exactly they were looking for in the archive. She didn't speak again as she went back to her desk and pulled a large black leather bag from beneath her desk. It was always packed and ready to go with all the supplies she would ever need while away from her desk.

"Well, let's go then and you can start explaining," she walked past him and in the direction of the Archive. This was most curious indeed. She also found it funny that she had never met Yojin in her year here and now she had seen him two days in a row.
 
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Tadgh started leading Meika out of the court office and towards the archive, taking a more leisurely pace than one might expect--he didn't want to draw attention--but when they finally cleared the building, he explained their purpose.

"I've gotten an order from someone high up, close to Mab. There's going to be a historic-themed speech coming up soon. As the historiographer, I guess they wanted me to help you. I'm not one to question the powers that be, of course..."

He trailed off. He knew it. He knew that she probably knew it. He wasn't necessary for this job, and doing this sort of thing was already in her job description. She didn't need to be escorted. So the real question for Tadgh became: why? Why was he here and why was he here helping her? His mind was racing, even as they reached the doors of the Archives, slowly opening it for Meika like a proper gentleman, yet distracted more so than someone of his age and status should be...
 
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Historic-themed speech...Meika had never heard of a more ridiculous thing and she certainly didn't need the historiographer to be there in order for her to write a speech. The whole situation made her feel uneasy. It felt as though she could not be trusted or that she did not know how to do her job. She would go along with this farce, though, and do her job.

Meika was as distracted at Yojin was as they reached the Archives. This was an unusual situation indeed. "What else exactly did they tell you, Yojin?"
 
Tadgh motioned for Meika to go into the archive, allowing her to do so before following, finally speaking to her again once they were deeper into the building, surrounded by books and records on all sides in towering bookshelves.

"I was told nothing more than what this official order states. As to why I was told to tag along and help someone as capable as yourself... I do not know." He paused, the air thick with the silence of the archives. "Often times I am given orders and the real task is perceiving the imperceptible, seeing that which does not wish to be seen... finding truth in deception. Such is the burden of a historian, I suppose," he said.

He glanced around the library. Something as cryptic as the orders they were given could mean just about anything, in his experience. It dawned on him that this whole thing might be a trap of some sort, but that would also require that someone figured out where he of all puca lived, then also have the means to set up something as elaborate as an ambush in the library. So, he figured, it must be something else. Maybe it had to do with the research itself... He felt he was missing something, and it was driving him mad. He had to know, somehow.

Meika Haoqi
 
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Meika frowned. She really had no clue where to even begin here. There was a lot of history. She needed a more narrow search or they would be here until she died. She had to admit that the archives were one of her favorite places so if she was going to die, there were worse places to be.

"I need a more narrow scope on where to start, Yojin. This is most unhelpful and extremely frustrating." Meika, who was usually not easily flustered, was very irritated right now. Not with the historian, but the situation as a whole.

She sighed and started towards the area where the oldest speeches were kept. What the hell were they looking for? What was needed? She stood there were one hand on her hip and the other rubbing the back of her neck.

Tadgh Fahalla
 
He walked with her as she began looking through the archives. He would in time begin searching for things himself to help, of course, but they were still getting their bearings on this concept. He wasn't a speechwriter, sure, but he was experienced enough with the subject given his long life and thought he might be able to offer some wisdom to the cwn.

"I think, if it's for Mab, we might want to do something regarding power... Perhaps comparing her to past rulers and saying how much she's done for the Court. Hard to go wrong with a speech like that, right? So maybe we can limit our results to biographies like that..."

He remarked on how relatively new to this position Meika was, talented though she may be, and thought again of the circumstances of the acquisition of her position. It was almost unheard of in the Winter Court for a cwn to have taken on so important of a position, and he also couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the duanann whose position she'd taken. It was another detail he was strangely unfamiliar with.

"Say, Meika, do you know much about the duanann you replaced? I wonder if they would have had some notes regarding a project like this, too, that we could rely on..."

It was a truth within a truth. He didn't really care about the previous amanuensis with regards to this project. But he did think he'd figured out why this project was assigned to him.
 
Meika shrugged as she opened a drawer in one of her many filing cabinets. She had reorganized the entire archive by subject when she had taken over. By subject and then by date. Oldest to newest. Her system was much better than the previous of just organizing by date.

"I have no idea. I just know the job was available and a family friend brought my name up as a candidate for it. I am sure who my father is didn't hurt my chances in the matter." She finally replied to Yojin as she pulled out a few pieces of parchment.

Her father was famous and a High Lord of the Winter Court so he had some influence within it. Vaer was also a High Lord and he had been the one to put her name forth. She was more than qualified for the position, of course, but a little nepotism never hurt when getting an interview.

Meika held out the speeches for Yojin to take and then she grabbed a few more. She led them to a large round table and set the first batch of speeches down on it.

"I guess we can start here...power and a couple thousand years old..." Her voice trailed off as she took her seat and looked at Yojin. This was dumb.
 
It would seem that the identity of the previous amanuensis was a mystery, too. If Tadgh didn't know, and the new amanuensis didn't know... Something was off about this. People that important weren't just a mystery, not in the Courts, and not in general. But why hide a speechwriter? Maybe he was just being paranoid--then again, that was his job. He nodded in response to what she was saying about her position.

"Yeah, a little nepotism never hurts here in Winter," he said.

Tadgh was quick to help Meika, spreading out the various documents they'd retrieved into a usefully organized set of various stacks. Doubtless, it would take them hours to sift through this, and even then, he wasn't sure what would and wouldn't be useful to her. He wondered if she suspected anything, given that the order for them to work together was given to him, and her position was much more well-known than his. It only added to the strangeness of the situation, and the growing uncertainty he felt in his chest.

"Shall we begin?" He asked. "Anything in particular you're looking for? I'm pretty good at skimming, and can maybe help you find what you're looking for..."

Meika Haoqi
 
Meika picked up a some of the papers and started to skim as Tadgh took a seat. "I suppose what you said earlier. Comparing the Queen to other rulers and what she has done for the court," she shrugged.

This whole thing was very strange and she did not like the feeling that she was not being told everything. Normally she would blame the messenger but he seemed genuinely as confused as she was. Very unhelpful.

She continued to go through the papers in silence. Meika would put aside the notes and speeches that seemed to fit the bill and carefully stack those in their respective files that did not. She did not want to take days refiling all of this mess later.

Tadgh Fahalla
 
As he started rifling through some of the documents, Tadgh found that he was too distracted to keep his focus. Doubtless they would need to read through these things, and craft a speech, but thoughts of conspiracy clouded his mind. Something he'd learned with age is that sometimes you can't force a revelation or a conclusion to a thought, and such was the case here. All he knew is that somehow, this wasn't about the speech.

"Hey, Meika," he said, trying to speak softly so as to not interrupt her concentration too harshly. "Something's bugging me about all of this. I think I need to step outside and think. Would you like to come with me?"

It was simple enough, he supposed, but a lot could be gained by taking a walk.

Meika Haoqi
 
Meika looked up at Tadgh across the table and it took her a second for her brain to filter through his words. She was not sure how long they had been here but she had been completely enthralled in looking through the speeches and notes.

The cwn slowly nodded at the puca as she sat up from her hunched over position. She turned at the waist to stretch her back and then stood up. "Yes, I will go with you. Some fresh air may help some, I am getting a headache." She waited for him to stand before the two of them headed out of the archives and the office. She did make sure to lock the archives on their way out just to be safe.

"What's on your mind?"

Tadgh Fahalla
 
Without much ceremony, Tadgh followed the cwn to the door, nodding at her as he passed her by and watching as she locked the door behind them. That was probably a good call, and not one he'd thought to make. He really was slipping in his age, maybe even getting downright careless. Not that she needed to know.

"This is quite the task," he said aloud, trying to clear the air. "Let's get some tea--I know some places, and I think there's somewhere close by we can have some, if memory serves."

He nodded, starting to walk in the direction he'd been thinking of. They wouldn't see too many other Fae until they made their way into the more commonly traversed streets, of course.

"I'm sure it hasn't escaped your attention that this task is quite strange and rather vague." His voice grew a bit more serious. "And I must apologize if you've been dragged into some kind of situation... collecting data gets spicier than you might think sometimes," he said. "And I feel especially bad because you've already suffered on my account. I hope that this tea is an acceptable offering of peace..."

Meika Haoqi
 
Meika had to admit that tea did sound good. As they walked, he started to speak again. A kind of apology. Seemed about right for what she had already seen of this man. She still did not like him but she would have this tea and do her job until she could get rid of him.

"I think tea will be a good start," Meika stated simply.

They finally made it to the little cafe that Tadgh had been leading them too and they were sat in a secluded table where they could have some freedom to speak.

"I suppose I should apologize for being...prickly...at our first meeting. I am usually not rude like that." She did have a reputation for being on the prickly side at first though. Perhaps she should work on that...tomorrow.

Tadgh Fahalla
 
Tea is usually a good start to many things, he mused as they made their way to the little cafe he'd mentioned. It was still work-related, he supposed, but it would be nice to speak with her one on one in a less pressured environment, where maybe they wouldn't have to worry so much about time... Yeah, time; back when he was a poor nobody, that seemed to be the one thing he had. There was always time for conversation, in the days when he was much, much younger. Now, at least in this court, it was always all work, and no time to think--at least, that's how Tadgh felt.

He listened to her apology, somewhat bemused that she'd come around. He didn't think she'd ever back down.

"You don't owe anything to anyone, least of all me," he said. "Besides, a few sharp words are nothing compared to some of what I've endured in my time."

When the waitress arrived, he'd order something fairly basic--green tea with a bit of honey--but not everything had to be complicated to enjoy. In fact, for Tadgh, it was maybe the opposite, especially with the complexity that might soon be upon both of him, if his suspicions were confirmed when they started researching again...

He was eager to hear what she'd order, too. He thought you could tell a lot about someone by the tea they drank.

Meika Haoqi
 
Meika smiled at Tadgh's order. It was simple and straight forward. It seemed to match his personality...well maybe not the simple part. He was definitely hiding things from her but she didn't know what. She would continue to keep him at arms length.

The waitress turned to her and Meika ordered a lavender chai tea. The Queen had turned her onto it and now she was addicted. The tea was a perfect mixture of sweet and spicy. Much like herself.

"So," she started awkwardly. "What is bugging you?"

Tadgh Fahalla
 
Down to business then? So soon? He sighed internally. Then again, he supposed it was only fair. He had only just mused on her choice of drink, though...

"As a historian, I must always be seeing details where there are none, seeing truth through illusion. I must confess that the nature of your selection for amanuensis has me uneasy, especially since it slipped by me that it happened in the first place, and even more that it went so long unreported..." He frowned. "I can't record things if they aren't known to me, you see. At that puts me ill at ease."

It was partially true, at least that he was uneasy. The cloak of the historian suited him surprisingly well, and after all, he was an information gatherer...

Meika Haoqi
 
Meika listened to Tadgh with an uninterested look on her face. She had a hard time trusting him when he had not even given her his real name. She knew how to do research and it had not taken long for her to find out his name was not Yojin. She did not know his actual name though.

She would bring it up eventually.

"It is not like I have been hiding for this past year, Yojin. I have been at the Queen's side many times and my name has been signed on many meeting minutes."

The waitress brought them their tea and Meika smiled sweetly at her as she thanked her. The cwn turned back to Tadgh, "who is supposed to report it to you?"

Tadgh Fahalla
 
There were many possibilities to consider with Meika's situation. Perhaps too many. The first was that there was an ongoing conspiracy to hide Meika's existence from not only Tadgh, but also likely from many other interested parties. Still, Mab had known about it this whole time, yet it had slipped his attention. Was it magic? The working of duanann were powerful indeed, but to erase an entire person's existence from his mind would have to have been powerful indeed. Worse still, it could just be that Tadgh was slipping in his old age, his mind weary from so many years of 'data collection' at the Queen's behest. He knew he shouldn't marinate on such ideas for long, and wait for something more concrete to support any of these theories, but he was nonetheless troubled by the growing concerns he was having about this cwn.

"Information is like water," he said. "It takes different shapes, and it has a tendency to slip through the cracks of even the firmest stone. And you could not hope to contain it once it has been released..."

Ah, she's learning, he thought. It only made sense that someone like her would be sharp enough to be catching on by this point.

"Any good historian has many sources," he said. "And I'll leave it at that."

He gave her a smile, followed by taking a sip of his tea.

"Enough about me, though. I'm just trying to gather information. What's your aspiration, honored amanuensis Meika Haoqi?"
 
"Well your sources have obviously failed you miserably." Meika took a small sip of tea to test the temperature. It was drinkable so she took a larger sip as she looked across the table at the historian.

Her aspiration? She did not trust the man and she certainly was not going to tell him her life story or what she planned for her future. No, he would get more information when he trusted her with more information. Two could play this cagey game he was enjoying.

"I just want to do my job and go home at night. I enjoy my job and it is as simple as that," she took another drink and sat back in her chair. "I think working directly for the Queen is a pretty good job..."

Tadgh Fahalla
 
Tadgh knew she was probably only giving a half truth. But he nonetheless felt the need to reprimand her for the notion that life was as simple as just existing.

"It would be a sad existence indeed if you had nothing else to live for but simply performing your assigned duties and never looking outside them," he said. His tone was clear and uncompromising. "Where I came from, those who were content to simply exist felt the master's whip and bore every cruelty given by their superiors. So, I sincerely hope that you are not content to ride on the coattails of your House, for you may find that one day you slip off."

He took a curt sip of his tea. It wasn't like him to be wrathful, but the girl had stirred something in him. No, it was the situation, and he'd taken it out on her. He'd grown impatient in his age.

"Whenever you're ready, we should head back. My head's a little clearer now."

Meika Haoqi
 
Meika did not enjoy Tadgh's lecture but she held her tongue. She finished her tea in silence and then nodded when he mentioned heading back. She was quite annoyed with him once more. The cwn had actually started to enjoy their talk and then he went and ruined it.

Males.

Meika stood from her seat and waited for him before they started to walk back back towards the archives. Of course she was not content to ride the coat tails of her House. She just did not trust this man. There was something about him that really irritated her.

She could only hope he wouldn't be her problem much longer.

Tadgh Fahalla
 
The uneventful walk back was punctuated by the sort of awkward silence you'd see from two classmates working on a group project and who both mutually had no interest in doing so. In a manner of speaking, he supposed, that's exactly what was happening. However, as they reached the archives again, they were met with a discomforting sight.

Oh no.

The doors to the archives were open. Even from the street, they could see the papers strewn about here and there from the apparent ransacking that had just occurred. Tadgh's eyes widened, as he turned and looked to Meika. Was this her doing? Had she been deceiving him the whole time? Either way, he would know soon, as his fingers twitched, ready to shapeshift at a moment’s notice...

Meika Haoqi
 
Meika was as shocked at Tadgh as she looked around the archives and her destroyed perfection. Her system was ruined and it would take days or longer for her to fix. In her mind, someone was playing a cruel joke on her. She had left the archives unlocked and this was her punishment.

Except...she hadn't left the archives unlocked. Meika remembered checking them after she had returned her key to its place in her pocket.

"I locked the door, I don't know why anyone would do this," she said as she absently went to start cleaning up the mess. She needed to put it all back in order. She needed to fix it. "I need to get them back in order..." She fretted

It was not known by many that she had anxiety when her perfectly crafted systems were disturbed.

Tadgh Fahalla
 
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