Roge stood, smoothed down the front of his uniform and walked slowly around the office, trailing his hand over surfaces, lightly tapping a shelf with his hand, then a desk. All his. All of it his. Principal Men Darnak. Principal Roge Men Darnak. He stopped the circuit and drew himself to his full height, took a deep breath and glanced at his half reflection in the window. Yes. Principal Roge Men Darnak. He practiced the slight tilt of his head that was so often captured in official pictures of his father, matching it in his mind's eye. He pulled at the ends of his sleeves, making sure they were straight and set the pose again. He decided that for the first few weeks, he would wear the dress uniform, until he got settled at least, until they all accepted his new authority. It was better if he looked the part. There would be time to relax later.
A cough from the door made him turn.
"Roge, what are you up to?" asked Karin. She waited for him to respond before fully entering the room.
"Nothing. Just thinking," he said, beckoning her in. He tried to ignore the doubtful expression on her face; instead, he made a show of smoothing the front of his uniform one more time. "I'm going to miss Tarlain. He would have been useful, but I suppose we've done the right thing."
"Yes." She nodded and crossed to sit in font of the central desk. "You're right, he would have been useful, but I think he would have given us trouble too, and that's something we don't want at the moment. Anyway, I'm sure he'll be around."
"Are you? Do you even know where he's gone?"
She looked at him a moment before answering, considering. "No I don't, but he's probably just off somewhere sulking. You know how sensitive he is. He'll come round sooner or later. And by then, we'll have things well in place enough for him not to make any trouble. Don't worry about him. We have more important things to think about."
"I can't help feeling slightly guilty."
"Well don't. Why should you? You didn't do anything. It was Father who made the decision. It was Father he had the argument with."
"But I could have said something, couldn't I?"
"And what good would that have done except to put more doubts into the old man's head? Anyway, forget it. It's done. I told you I spoke to him before he left. He was as stubborn as ever."
Roge shrugged and nodded, then pulled out a chair and sat. "So, what do we have to discuss?"
"What do you think, Roge? With Tarlain gone, we have to work out what we're going to do about Welfare. I'm not convinced we can rely on Din Baltir. He's clever. Far too clever."
Roge frowned. "Surely he has to realize that it's in his own interests to work with us. What can he gain by refusing to cooperate? He needs our support now just as much as we need him."
Karin leaned forward. "I'm not saying he won't cooperate. I just think we need to watch him. He hasn't gotten to where he is without some smart maneuvering."
"Oh come on. The man's totally inoffensive."
"That's just it, Roge. If he's totally inoffensive, how did he manage to become head of one of the most powerful Guilds on Aldaban? He's clearly filled Tarlain's head with a lot of nonsense. It wouldn't surprise me if he'd engineered this whole situation."
Roge looked at her blankly. "I don't understand."
"Well, think about it. Who stands to gain with Tarlain out of the picture? Not us. We have less influence in Welfare now. Din Baltir takes the role that Tarlain could have played by default. He's not going to want changes to the power structure of the Guild. He's worked too hard to get them to where they are today."
He chewed at his lip thinking about what she was suggesting. "So, instead?we're going to have to negotiate with him."
"Of course we are. I'm not saying that's what happened, but it's a possibility isn't it? Think about it. With Tarlain there, we would have had much more influence. Anyway, it amounts to the same thing. I just think we're going to have to keep a close eye on him."
Sometimes Roge marveled at the twisted routes his sister's mind took. He leaned his head to one side and scratched at his temple with a grimace, still considering what she'd said. "But what about Father? He didn't seem to have any trouble with Din Baltir, did he?"
