The Establishment
Fall 45th, AV 511
Zandelia was beginning to learn what Tua had obviously known for quite some time now, she suspected deep within her calculating mind. He had gone to great lengths to set up his business, literally self-creating the centre of Sunberth’s employment market, and now she was beginning to see why he had done it in such a fashion, not to mention operated it in such a meticulous manner. It still made her chuckle to herself at times, what she called the ‘ordered chaos’ of The Establishment. She was also starting to see it everywhere in Sunberth, the fashion for ‘ordered chaos’. The citizen’s of the city would never bow to the rule of others easily, however she saw that they had been duped and beguiled into controlling leaders that rivalled those they had thrown off generations ago – and for the same reasons. No, it was a bitter irony that – as Tua would put it she was sure – the people always needed a shepherd or two and that the shepherd’s needed to be paid.
If only I were one of those shepherds. Still, plenty of time yet and everyone begins somewhere she thought to herself as she looked around her place of employment with a disdain that bordered upon a sneer.
As her knowledge of Tua’s business practises had grown she had started to see the clamouring throngs for what they truly were – delirious and greedy. The Establishment would not exist but for those two facets of human nature alone, or indeed any humanoid nature in existence. The people always wanted more than they had, but they were lazy. Tua and his minions did all the work for them and charged massive prices that people willingly paid them if it meant not having to work too hard – oxymoronic seeing as the things sold were jobs, after a fashion. She had been using her detachment, newly found indeed, to improve her own skills a little at a time too – gather information from the crowd and using her position under Tua, such as it was, as leverage to gain more than others wished to give her in terms of knowledge. She could remember early in the day how a fat man had asked her what he had to do to gain a good chance at a job, knowing that he was not particularly fit enough to outrun all whom wished the position to the hiring location. She had offered to take the note herself, Tua’s permission once the man had paid all but mandatory, and keep it – thus ensuring his success without competition.
“That had been a good one, especially after he had told me everything he knew about recent trading shipments from Zveltia, foolish merchant that he thought himself free of that business now. Knowledge is power and a few people will definitely like to know of the goods I now know of in a few…select…wagons” she muttered to herself, satisfied she would make a little profit on the side in the night.
It was a crude method she had been forced to use then, but then the people surrounding her were crude in and of themselves. Few of them could read and the few that could took great joy in pompously reading out the advertisements for the others. It was sickening sometimes, to see the baser sides of her people. She had vowed one day to turn them aside, but now she was beginning to see that there was no turning to be done – they would remain the same. All that could be done was to give a portion of direction and for that she needed many things – connections, money and a lot of information. At present she had half the money she needed, few connections and only snippets of the information, but that would change when she was finished.
Few these days see intelligence and espionage as an art, like my father had done. They see it as a blunt tool, rather than the velvet glove that it really is. In wielding it like a hammer they lose all of its subtle nature and retain little of its insidious devices. Father, where are you when I need your wisdom? she thought to herself, lost to her musings and planning.
“Zandelia!” the snappish shout in front of her, accompanied by the clicking of fingers from one of the clerks brought her from her reverie. He had obviously been trying, and failing, to gain her attention.
“Apologies Kelanda, I was lost in thought. Another job then eh? Location?” she asked simply, professional courtesy all but dripping from her words.
“Ruby’s. There is no true rush today seeing as Ruby wants several girls at once to come and they will be made top wait outside the gates, but the names need delivering. Hop to it and don’t keep us waiting” Kelanda told her, grinning. She was one of the few Zandelia had truly bonded with, after a fashion.
“Yes ma’m! Anything else you want from me today my dear Kelandra?” Zandelia posed the question hopefully, as always.
“Not today Zandelia, I have other scarred women to be drinking with. Perhaps tomorrow” came the response with a smile and the turning of the shoulders as she whisked away in her tight skirts.
“Tomorrow then!” Zandelia called back before slipping the new missive into her jacket and padding towards the door, her hood being drawn up and over her head.
