Arrival

Discussing Options

Talia's fingers wrapped around the edge of the tattered door. With a deep breath, she shoved the worn wood, and it slammed into the far wall. Nathaniel's eyebrows climbed while Talia tapped on the damaged frame. "You realize other buildings suffered more devastation and have been repaired. Why haven't you approved the restoration of your building?"

Nathaniel buried his eyes into a hand as he lifted a sheet of paper. "There are more pressing concerns than having my office door replaced."

"There's always an excuse." Talia shook her head and sauntered to the open chair. She slipped into it and plucked the report from Nathaniel's grip and gestured at the destruction. "You are the leader of this coalition." Talia laid the document on his desk and huffed. "As a result, you need to consider your appearance and requisition the repairs for this structure."

"The damages to this building." Nathaniel slumped as his fingers twirled about the small office. "Specifically, this room is on the list of renovations." Nathaniel's hand shot out like a snake, reclaiming the paper. Nathaniel returned it to the pile and his hands smoothed out the rumpled sheet. "However, the time to restore this chamber isn't as important as the recovery and restoration of the rest of the region."

A whistle sliced through the air as Talia gripped the corner of the document. She tugged on it and scowled when it refused to budge. "This has nothing to do with your willingness to work in this wreck."

Nathaniel shook his head as a smile emerged. He lifted his fingers and leaned against his chair. "No, this is something else."

"I got that impression from my brief glance." Talia brought the report to her chest and wriggled in the seat. Talia's hand ran through her hair as her irises rolled up, hiding behind her eyelids. Talia laid the paper against the desk as her lips stretched into a harsh line. With a huff, her gaze drifted down and scoured the document. When she finished, her stormy eyes latched onto Nathaniel. "I'm confused."

"What's confusing you?"

Talia sat up and drummed her fingers against the table's edge. Her eyes softened slightly as each finger added to the monotonous march. "Nothing is unclear about my husband's conclusion. Keep in mind we expected something like this. My confusion stems from why you were its recipient."

Nathaniel stabbed the document with a fingertip. "Am I unable to appreciate his statement?"

"I'm more equipped to understand the intricacies detailed within."

Nathaniel smiled as he steepled his fingers under his chin. He tapped his index fingers against his lips as his grin reached towards his ears. "Why is it so ridiculous that I received this report?"

"Why didn't my husband send this update to me?"

"Because you aren't responsible for orchestrating our rebuilding effort."

Laughter bubbled out of Talia as she crossed her legs. "True, but I could have crafted your response."

With a nod, Nathaniel leaned back in his chair and stared at the cracked ceiling. "Marcus is doing exactly what I told him to do."

"The entire purpose of this report is to highlight how poorly Kethra mismanaged the Western Region." Talia snatched the paper and placed it next to her head. "And without my insight, you won't be able to come up with an appropriate plan. So, why didn't you have Marcus send this directly to me?"

Nathaniel shoved his fist against his mouth as he coughed. He leaned across the desk and seized the document from her. Nathaniel climbed out of his chair and walked to the exterior wall, gripping the letter. While he stared out at the reconstruction, his finger popped over his shoulder. "You're reacting as if we didn't know about her shenanigans already. Marcus's report is nothing new."

Talia harrumphed as she strolled over to Nathaniel and rested her head on his arm. She jabbed him with her elbow and grinned. "Let me guess, this multi-step process is for optics. Marcus reports to you and your lackeys pull me out of my home?"

Nathaniel nudged her and returned to his chair. He removed the papers from a drawer and pointed at the empty seat. "While we knew Kethra was detrimental to our goals, we were unaware of the full extent of her neglect." Nathaniel laid the fresh stack of documents next to Marcus's report and folded his hand atop them, chewing his lower lip. With a long breath, he shoved the pile toward Talia. "This revelation has forced us to abandon the original plan that we sketched out."

"Can you connect the dots for me?"

"Gladly," Nathaniel pressed his back into his chair and tapped the stack of papers. "Yes, I sent for you promptly after reading your husband's report." He pushed his seat away from the desk and shrugged. "However, your farm isn't exactly down the street."

Talia snatched the top document and skimmed through it. Halfway through, her eyes snapped shut as the sheet slipped through her fingers and fluttered to the floor.

Nathaniel folded his hands and pressed them against his chin. "Are all those fledgling farmhands of yours capable of tending to your crop and animals while you're on a trip?"

"You are sending me to the Western Region!"

With a sigh, Nathaniel rose and walked around the desk to pick up the fallen sheet. He laid it on top of the stack and sat down beside her, holding her hands. "Marcus didn't ask for you, but given the mess we've inherited, it makes sense to send you out there to whip the stragglers into shape." Nathaniel tapped her knuckles together and smiled. "So, are your farmhands capable of taking care of your farm for a long stretch?"

Talia pulled her fingers out of his grasp and rubbed her face. "Should I assume this transfer is immediate for me and our children?"

"Yes," Nathaniel said as he squeezed her shoulder. "Provided you believe your property won't deteriorate while you're cleaning up Kethra's mess."