Title: Clarification Needed
Fandom: Magic Knight Rayearth
Rating: General
Length: 450 words
Content notes: None aside from canon having happened
Author notes: Clef, post-canon, and the consequences of having terrible handwriting??
Summary: “Interpretation of illegible writing wasn’t a part of the job requirements,” Livina said, raising one eyebrow.


oOo


The mages’ guild had lost a lot of members through the end of Emeraude’s time as Pillar and the aftermath – some had moved away, but many more had been lost either to Zagato’s actions, or to their own fears manifesting without the protections of a Pillar actively working to keep Cephiro stable and reduce the number of nightmares which could break through into reality.

Clef hadn’t made peace with that – would likely never make peace with that. He’d been given his orders, he’d been sent where he would be out of the way, and he’d tried what he could to tell people to not confront Zagato – but when people’s loved ones and their land and their Pillar were in danger, of course many of them had tried to take action. He’d done what he could to keep Eleru as clear as possible of nightmares-given-form, and it would never be enough.

But those were all the same well-worn pathways of guilt and regret. This new shame was a lighter thing, mere… embarrassment.

He’d finally pulled enough of the trained mages together to get a Guild meeting held and appoint new officers. The newly-appointed Administrator was one of them, and she had arrived this morning to take the Guild records from him. The old records were fine bound books, neat copies of daily reports and guild meetings copied out in the careful hands of previous Administrators and Guild Clerks.

The records since then…

Livina stared at the loose leaves of paper of varying sizes, all stuffed into a couple of folders, covered with Clef’s worst writing-in-a-rush scrawl. “Interpretation of illegible writing wasn’t a part of the job requirements,” she said, raising one eyebrow.

Clef flushed. “I meant to re-write things, I just, never…”

“Yes.” She pulled a few sheets out, wincing at the tea-stain in one corner, and looked at the overflowing paperwork on his desk. “I see.”

For a moment, Clef thought she was about to resign there and then, but she took a breath, straightened her shoulders, and looked him straight in the eyes.

“I will require a meeting with you tomorrow morning, likely for several hours, to go through these records after I have looked through them and discuss any clarification needed.”

“Of course,” Clef agreed, in a rush. He had a meeting with the Guard scheduled, but they wouldn’t mind moving it.

“I shall see you at the first hour after breakfast, then,” Livina told him, waving a hand to collect all the materials she was taking away. She glanced at the chaos on his desk. “…In my office.”

Clef nodded, and watched her walk out, and breathed a sigh of relief.

If she was up to sorting out that, he had hope she’d throw herself into reorganising the Guild just as strongly.