Wed, 09 Dec 2015 04:00:59 GMT

Kazul doesn't wince when she steps into Roxim's cave, but she does look at it rather askance. Her friend's rooms are always heaped with clutter, but this is above and beyond the usual. Everything is thrown into entirely different heaps than the last time she was here, and she's pretty sure that some of it is freshly dented.

It's Roxim's prerogative to be as messy as he wants, of course, not to mention that he's had a good many centuries to get set in his ways. But it seems to her like an awfully inefficient way to live. Clearly he doesn't have the head for organizing his belongings, but somebody ought to.

...Hmm.

"Sorry about the mess," says Roxim, looking sheepish. "Was trying to find a book. You know how I am. Never know where to find anything. Once I get annoyed, I start throwing things. Bad habit. Finally found the thing inside that helmet over there. Could've used that gal of yours to help me look like she used to sometimes. Pity she got married. D'you want any tea? Coffee?"

"Tea, please," says Kazul, prudently following along in case the kettle or teacups need to be found as well. But they're all stacked haphazardly in a cupboard, along with a cross-eyed stuffed owl and a jar of snake toenails. She settles down on top of the second most comfortable-looking pile of miscellany. Roxim sloshes the kettle around to make sure it's full enough, and then holds it up with the handle hooked over a claw so he can breathe fire at it.

"Very good. Lapsang souchong?"

"Perfect. You know, Roxim, what you ought to get is a librarian of your own."

"What, a princess?" Roxim snorts, causing a more enthusiastic burst of flame to envelop the kettle. It immediately begins to whistle. "Can't be bothered. Simply can't. I'd take a gal with sense like Cimorene, but mostly they're more trouble than they're worth. You know that."

"Certainly. --Thank you. That's why I said a librarian. A princess with sense, or even a lady or something. You don't need the status, and you're not a young idiot like Moranz. But you could have her arrange your treasure, and find it for you when you need it."

Roxim twitches his tail as if he's seriously considering the suggestion. Which he certainly ought to be; it's common sense from an old friend.

Sure, a princess or lady will probably fall in love and get married within a year or less, but anyone worth keeping to organize Roxim's mess will get his things in better order before she does. It'll take him a while to build this level of clutter up again afterward.

"Maybe," he concedes, reluctantly intrigued. "Maybe. But how'm I supposed to know who to kidnap for that? You can't return a princess you've kidnapped if she can't clean house, it's not done."

Kazul smiles to herself. It's a toothy look, she knows. (She feels it shows some of her best features off to best advantage.) "I might have a solution to that, if you care more about the work than the strict rank."

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