Ja'far's Day Off

   It was bright and early when he awoke to the chirping of birds.  Eagerly, Ja'far hopped out of bed and got ready for the day. He moved  silently through the halls of the Sindrian palace, but as not many  others got up this early he did not spend too much effort sneaking.  Arriving at his office, he heaved a relaxing sigh while sitting at his  desk and tackled the pile of paperwork.

   He was able to get a few hours in before a frustrated king greeted him. "Now Ja'far I thought we agreed to this..."

   Reflexively, his hand clenched around his feathered pen. He had  been caught. He bowed his head over the document he was going over,  allowing his keffiyeh to drape around his features.

   Sinbad continued, "You have been working day, night, and  weekends for a long time. If I can go 30 days without alcohol, surely  you can go         one day       without working."

   Ja'far had tried to not come to work this morning. He probably  lasted a whole five extra minutes in bed before he couldn't stand not  working. He reasoned, "This paperwork isn't going to sign and file  itself. I'd have to work extra hard when I get back."

   "Leave it to the other 7 Generals. They'll all pitch in so you can rest up without any worries."

   Ja'far imagined some of the more...immature Generals handling the  responsibilities that were usually his. It was not a pretty picture. He  would have to go over everything they had done to undo and correct  mistakes. Even if they meant well, their efforts would only triple his  workload upon his return.

   "That's okay, Sin. I'm fine."

   "Well, in that case, I'm going into town for a drink..." Sinbad  turned and waved while heading out the door, only to find his arm  instantly bound in a red chord.

   Giving his rope darts a tug to make sure the King stayed in the  castle, Ja'far glared at him, daring him to break his abstinence. "Fine.  I'll take tomorrow off then."

   ~*~

   The next morning began pretty similar as the previous one: birds  chirping; sun shining. Ja'far got up and began to prepare for the day,  but this time he found an extra occupant in his room! Masrur had moved  his divan in front of the door and was currently sleeping on it. After  overcoming the initial shock, Ja'far figured the Fanalis was in a deep  slumber and even though he blocked the door, he could still use another  egress. He approached the window and looked out to determine the best  route to his office from there.

   "And where are you going?" he heard the deep voice of Masrur behind him.

   He turned to see him still lying with only one eye open and trained on him.

   "Shouldn't I be asking what you are doing in my room?"

   Masrur stretched and then slid into a sitting position. "Sinbad  asked us to make sure you don't work." He stood and advanced towards  Ja'far. "I'm first. First thing to do on a day off is sleep in." He  towered over him.

   "By all means, you can continue sleeping, Masrur. I'm already up though, so..."

   Masrur grabbed Ja'far by the arms and stared intently at him. "You can go back to bed yourself, or I'll keep you there."

   Ja'far's feet started to kick as Masrur slightly lifted him off the ground.

   "Okay, okay! I'll go back to bed. You can go back to sleeping on my couch..."

   "If you try to get up again..."

   "I understand. I promise."

   ~*~