Title: Laundry and Land [
INDEX]
Author: Erin (
erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Dree, a Federation Minister on the phone and El (mention of Max and Tinny)
Rating: PG
Summary: Her Royal Highness is multitasking.
Warning: a few months after
No Place Left to Hide *Written for Round 43 of
prompt-in-a-box. Prompt #32: "need"
Disclaimer: The original characters of The Wizard of Oz belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters of Tin Man belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The OCs are mine and
bizarra's.
Everyone who knew Dree Brooks-Donovan knew that there were three hours a day when she was unreachable: the first was the hour of breakfast and getting almost six-year-old Max to school, the hour picking Max up after school and getting him home, and the hour during dinner.
Granted, she'd been known to take the occasional emergency call, now and then.
That particular afternoon, Dree was just finishing up the day's chores when her phone rang. She'd had the office calls forwarded to her home line, and the earpiece was in her ear as soon as she'd made it home from dropping her son off at school.
"General Donovan," she said after tapping the earpiece. As much as she hated the earpiece, it did come in handy with Max, a set of year-old twins, the dog, her wife and multitasking around the house and office.
"General, it’s Philip Rhymer."
"Mister Rhymer, good afternoon to you," she said, reaching into the dryer for the last sock.
"And to you, ma'am. I needed a few minutes of your time, if it's convenient?"
Dree stood up and stretched to unlock the knot in her back. "It is. What can I do for you and the Ministry, this afternoon?" Philip Rhymer was one of many Federation Ministers that she had to deal with on a regular basis, though she hadn't spoken to him, personally, for a few weeks. Leaning over again, Dree picked up the basket of clean clothes and started down the hall for her bedroom.
"I was calling in regard to the land proposal we discussed a short while back, and I was wondering if you had made any headway on the paperwork."
Making a face as she turned the basket over onto the bed, Dree shook her head. "Actually, I haven't even given it a look. As you may recall," she said simply, matching up two of Max's socks and setting them back into the basket, "the last time we spoke on the matter, I told you that the land is not mine to sell."
Audree Brooks-Donovan wasn't really the picture of royalty, by any scope of the imagination. She didn't think like royalty and she really didn't act like royalty. As evidenced by the fact the conversation was taking place as she folded her son's underwear. Before that, she had cleaned the bathroom, watered all the plants and had the nerve to eat a peanut butter sandwich over the sink.
Without a plate.
To be honest, for the sake of the position she held, Dree really did try to act the part but, even then... she wasn't very good at it. She was very diplomatic when she had to be, and had a tendency to see both sides of the argument before making her decisions. However, when push came to shove, Dree was still just the next one in line for the crown.
The crown wasn't a birthright. It was a job. And one that she never wanted, but she still took it. Though she did respectfully demand that she be addressed by 'General' - her rank - and not 'Her Highness' or 'Queen'. The title just... freaked her out.
"I understand that, General, but I tried to speak to Mister Bryan and he said 'No' and-"
Dree blinked as she held up the striped t-shirt and then rolled her eyes. "If Jack said 'No', then the answer is 'No'."
"But, Gen-"
Dree lowered the shirt and shook her head. "No 'But's, Mister Rhymer," she said sternly, in her queen-voice. "The land belongs to Jack Bryan. If he told you he didn't want to sell, the land is clearly not for sale. There is no further discussion."
Hearing the sound of voices and a puppy headed her way, Dree turned and took a step toward the door. She knelt down to give Tinny a scratch behind the ears as he darted for her and, seeing her wife and son, Dree held up a finger to them and turned her head back to look at the floor. "And, before you ask: No. I will not speak to him on your behalf." She stood up as Tinny headed over to the open doorway leading to the porch.
Turning back to El'Ari and Max, Dree rolled her eyes at El and shook her head. Max had already disappeared from the hallway, which she assumed meant that he had ducked into the bathroom. The boy was nothing if not predictable in his after-school behaviors. To El, Dree made the motion of shooting herself in the head and turned back to the laundry as El chuckled silently behind her own hand.
"Mister Rhymer, if you are dead-set on having land in that area, you need to speak to the Laethrilian Land Council, not the Celcian queen." As she turned back to El, Dree held up a pair of very skimpy panties and gave El a look that pretty much said 'I know these aren't mine.'
El returned the look with a sultry pose and a smirk.
"Yes, General," he finally answered, in a tone that inferred he knew there was no point in arguing.
"Is there anything else I can help you with, this afternoon?" she asked in a chipper voice, smiling and closing her eyes as El pulled her into a hug from behind.
"No, ma'am."
"Thanks for calling. You have a nice day," she told him, and reached up to tap the earpiece again, once he said goodbye. Closing her eyes, Dree yanked the earpiece out of her ear, grumbled and took a deep breath.