Darius pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled slowly, he looked Iris up and down. The woman stared at him intensely, she was not about to take back her words or act as though her words were not right.
"Let me see that," Darius said, stretching out a hand.
Iris leaned forward in her seat and gave the slim stack of paper to Darius. He took it and went over the details of what she had written up. She had a neat handwriting, so the words were easy to follow. He glanced at the woman who was still staring intently at him.
Darius pressed his lips into a thin line and continued to read. It was a meeting called for by Iris, to discuss the budget of the delegate’s stay. Elder Iris was in charge of the treasury and most of the money-related things of Ironshade.
The woman had worked under his father, and now she worked for him. Darius appreciated her expertise, she was one of a kind. A mostly level-headed woman with a shrewd nature. If not for the Council work, Darius would imagine that the woman would have been a recluse.
There was always some hesitance to her when dealing with people, he was not sure of the reason why. They never had a personal relationship unlike his Nana and Elder Cedar, and he liked it that way. If he tried something, it was always met with some awkward silence and then a begrudging answer.
He licked his lips and looked at the page of the stack, he soon set them down and interlaced his fingers and stared at the woman.
"Is there any kind of room for cuts?" Darius asked.
Iris shook her head and shrugged. "None at all, unless we have something done about the er... ambassador."
"No." The words came swiftly out of his mouth and then he shook his head. He would not allow any cut to be made to the allowances he provided Serena. She would be comfortable for as long as she remained in Ironshade.
"Well, then my hands are tied," the woman said.
She sneezed and Darius handed her a cloth, to which she refused by holding out a hand. "Thank you, I have mine."
Darius relaxed in his seat and waited till she was done. The letter from Alpha Thalia of Dawnbreak had caught him by surprise and his council members. This was an unplanned meeting between the two packs and a massive jump for Ironshade.
Darius closed his eyes briefly. It would have been better for representatives to be sent to Dawnbreak from Ironshade, then the cost would be shouldered by Dawnbreak. But Darius knew Thalia had come to inspect Ironshade, that old weasel.
"As I was saying, my hands are tied. There is nothing I can do. I spent a great deal of my precious time trying to see what can be overlooked," Iris said. Read full story at NoveI(F)ire.net
Darius looked at the paper in front of him briefly and sighed again. That paper just caused a great deal of trouble for him. He was some thousand coins shy of the main budget drafted for Ironshade by Elder Iris.
A beat of silence passed between the two of them and Darius clicked his tongue. He did not want to waste any more time going back and forth with the older woman. He already knew in his heart that she had cut corners while proposing an exceptional budget for the Dawnbreak delegation.
He would not touch the temple’s money, that was such a grievous offense to even think about. He only had one option left, and he would have to let it go with an open heart.
"Then you are free to use the Hawthorne reserves as you like," Darius said.
Her blue eyes widened, and she leaned closer as though she did not hear his words. "What?"
"The reserve, you have freedom to do as you like. If we do not adjust this budget properly, then everything we have been planning for will be in vain."
The woman tapped on the wooden table and then shook her head. "No, we will only use that when we are desperate. The Solstice gathering can be cancelled... it would help."
"No," Darius said with his brows scrunched up. "We cannot, the people have spent three years preparing for this."
Darius could already see their faces, crestfallen as they would hear the announcement of one of their favourite events getting cancelled with no explanation. He feared the worst, the curse tightening its hold in the winter months. All his hard work and suffering would just be undone in a matter of days.
"It cannot be cancelled under any circumstance. If you are that concerned about touching my family’s reserve, then just know you can always make it up after we have made deals with Dawnbreak."
Iris’ eyes narrowed, but then she lowered her gaze. The man knew he had always won this little argument. If a Hawthorne said that their reserves were to be used, then it would be done. Darius had no regrets about giving the order, it was for the good of the people anyway.
"Very well then, Alpha," Elder Iris said, getting up from her seat. She leaned over and took a hold of the papers and arranged them neatly. "I will look over this again. If there is anywhere we can improve our situation, then I will do so."
Darius nodded and placed his chin on his palm. "Thank you."
The older woman nodded stiffly and made for the door. Just before she turned the doorknob, she glanced back. "I do hope you know what you are doing. You keep the pack’s current present in mind, but the future may be very much different."
"I do. Have faith in me," Darius said.
Iris sighed and then walked out the door, leaving Darius alone in his office. He ran a hand over his face and sighed. He wished he had faith in himself.
A knock on the door made him perk up, he already knew who it was before they had entered the room.