Fic Update: "Another Piece of Blue, Part Four"
It's been two long, rough days at the negotiating table, and this one is going to drag out a while. The company is saying "no" across the board (okay, they agreed to a couple of tiny symbolic proposals) on every major issue, monetary and non-monetary alike. We're not asking for a whole hell of a lot-- is it THAT crazy to think that one week of paid vacation, ever, is on the low side? Or that maybe the health care plan ought to be funded against anticipated annual rate hikes in the 12-14% range (this year's was 19%-- ouch) just to maintain our current level of benefits? Hell, I can't even get them to back a standardized process for when employees leave the company so that the people who do leave don't walk off with any more company property. You'd think they'd be behind that one! (I was serious, too. It ticks me off when people walk out the door with company stuff, especially the test equipment that is often worth more than a new midsize sedan).
They're playing games, apparently. I guess it's fun. Oh well... I don't plan to give in anytime soon.
As I am in a political mood, here is the fourth installment of "Another Piece of Blue."
When we left off several months ago, Cain was having increasing misgivings about the success of Marth's piecemeal kingdom. With unrest in Macedon and dismal conditions in Gra, the post-war world wasn't looking very pretty. In this chapter, Marth drags Cain along on a visit to Aurelis, where the economy is still in decent shape but many unpleasant issues lurk beneath the surface. Things get dicey in Aurelis after Marth calls them out on the whole slavery issue, and once they get back to Altea, Cain angsts some more over Macedon and its dangers. Then one particular Macedonian shows up to the party....
Oh yes, after all the hints and build-up, Catria finally enters the scene. The interaction between her and Cain took a different direction than I expected; she's supposed to be Cain's foil in this, a "loyal soldier" without a solid grasp of nuanced policy. Cain's not there yet, either, but he's being pushed into the role of an advisor, and Catria's not cut out for that particular role. Also, she's blatant competition for Marth's attention, and Cain has been enjoying an increasing share of that attention and trust. So, I expected a slightly prickly dynamic between them, but I wasn't counting on how very lonely Cain is in this story, and on how relieved he is to simply have an old friend show up.
Anyway, that's four chapters out of five, and the fifth one is going to be a doozy. We're already just past 18,000 words; I guess I have about 9K more to go before this surpasses "Love is Not a Victory March" as Too Damned Long.
They're playing games, apparently. I guess it's fun. Oh well... I don't plan to give in anytime soon.
As I am in a political mood, here is the fourth installment of "Another Piece of Blue."
When we left off several months ago, Cain was having increasing misgivings about the success of Marth's piecemeal kingdom. With unrest in Macedon and dismal conditions in Gra, the post-war world wasn't looking very pretty. In this chapter, Marth drags Cain along on a visit to Aurelis, where the economy is still in decent shape but many unpleasant issues lurk beneath the surface. Things get dicey in Aurelis after Marth calls them out on the whole slavery issue, and once they get back to Altea, Cain angsts some more over Macedon and its dangers. Then one particular Macedonian shows up to the party....
Oh yes, after all the hints and build-up, Catria finally enters the scene. The interaction between her and Cain took a different direction than I expected; she's supposed to be Cain's foil in this, a "loyal soldier" without a solid grasp of nuanced policy. Cain's not there yet, either, but he's being pushed into the role of an advisor, and Catria's not cut out for that particular role. Also, she's blatant competition for Marth's attention, and Cain has been enjoying an increasing share of that attention and trust. So, I expected a slightly prickly dynamic between them, but I wasn't counting on how very lonely Cain is in this story, and on how relieved he is to simply have an old friend show up.
Anyway, that's four chapters out of five, and the fifth one is going to be a doozy. We're already just past 18,000 words; I guess I have about 9K more to go before this surpasses "Love is Not a Victory March" as Too Damned Long.