Chapter Text
“Me?”
Elias nodded. Noting the perturbed twitch at the corner of his mouth, Sasha had the strange impression that he was as annoyed as she was about the sudden promotion.
“Due to Gertrude’s…unfortunate situation, we are in need of an Archivist. As you know.”
“I understand I’m qualified, but I really-”
“No, no. The decision has already been made. No need for the act.”
Sasha slowly nodded, mostly to herself. “And you already asked Jon?”
“No. It has…become clear to me that it must be you.” She watched him twitch again. “Jon simply…won’t do.”
“Ok. Alright, then. I get a raise?” Sasha squinted at him.
“Yes.”
“Well. Then I can’t really find a reason why not.”
“...Quite.”
Sasha stood and pushed the chair neatly back in its place. Elias watched her with something she could only vaguely tag as contempt. She shook it off and smiled with unease.
“When do I start?”
“Now.”
“And my assistants?”
“You may select them.”
“Yeah…none left over from Gertrude, hm?”
Elias just blinked up at her with disdain.
“O-okay. Uhm…Let’s do Tim Stoker from Research, then; he’s got a way of weaseling into places he shouldn’t, that could be helpful. Hm. And, uhm…Martin? Martin Blackwood, I think? He sends me information pretty often anyways, it’d be nice to have him around.”
“...Anyone else?”
“No, no. I think that’s it.”
“You don’t want Jon?” Elias raised an eyebrow at her, and she could feel the sweat begin to bead on her forehead.
“Oh…it’s just- well, I like the guy, but- he’s…hm.” Sasha rubbed a worried finger against her temple. “He’s a smoker, and he’s got this awful potential for paranoia. It’s- it’s probably for the best that he stays where he is.”
Elias sighed, dry and low. He gestured to the door of his office. “Fine. Go on.”
“Ok. Uhm- thank you.”
“Mhm.”
The click of Sasha’s shoes against the hardwood seemed to echo as she walked to the door.
She turned back to him one last time. “Oh- sorry, but have you had time to talk with the exterminators about the spider problem?”
“Have you seen more?”
“No. Just webs.”
“Thank you for your concern, Ms. James. I have it under control.” He didn’t look entirely sure of himself at that moment.
She turned on her heel and shut the door behind her.
The walk back to the Archives was short enough, but it felt like forever. When she got to the door and pushed it open she was met with the smell of old paper and stale coffee.
For the past two weeks she’d been alone down here, pushing a pencil. Her request to transfer out of Research had taken months to process, but when it finally did, Gertrude was missing and all of her previous assistants were retired- one way or another. So, here she had been, an Archival Assistant with no Archivist, fumbling in the dark.
Now she was the Archivist. Hm. It’d be nice to have Tim and Martin down here with her. The place lacked life, and she had been handed the tools to give it its breath back.
She sat in the spinning chair at the Archivist’s desk and turned around in a few lazy circles. She let the words form in her own mouth. Sasha James, Head Archivist. Head Archivist, Sasha James. She glared at a cobweb in the corner of the ceiling, and it looked back. As much as she wanted to turn a blind eye, she knew what it meant. The spiders were getting too comfortable here. Too comfortable with her.
Oh, well. She could take care of it tomorrow. The web would be there regardless.