"You know," Lorik mused, "I do believe you're serious."

He said nothing further on the matter, though, and Anika set to the paperwork. With Theresa's help it proved not to be too taxing, and the young scribe rapidly proved her worth as an assistant. She seemed to have a natural affinity for forms. Anika's work was good, of course, but it never hurt to have someone confirm that. Filling out the paperwork and ratifying a schedule for the (now much shortened) inspection process took up the rest of the meeting time.

Macharius' overtures to the Ecclessiarchy were met with a great deal more enthusiasm, and a great deal less trepidation, than the interactions with Lorik had caused. Though Anika's connections had made dealing with the Ordinate-Majore relatively easy, everyone involved had come away with the impression that it could have been a lot worse.