Conversations on the 8th of Felsite, 1088
"Captain Ironblood!" grumbled BurnedToast, for approximately the one millionth time in his life.
"Ah, hello BurnedToast, what can I do for you?" replied Ironblood amiably, kicking back in his office with a nice fresh crumpet.
"Sir, somebody has interrupted my slumber by knocking out a large chamber in the stone several paces from where I live! Who has arrived to dwell in such grandeur? The King?!" BurnedToast's demeanour betrayed the fact that he did not truly believe the king would come to reside here.
Ironblood arched his brow. "Oh that! It's not a bedroom, BurnedToast."
"It... isn't?" Burnedtoast asked, the wind slightly taken out of his sails.
"No, it's another office for me."
BurnedToast gaped. "Another office? You already have two!"
Ironblood regarded him for a moment. "Well, to be honest with you, this old office is getting a bit... full of treasure. So I elected to move to a bigger office. And since there wasn't any bigger available, I had to make do with what I had. Plus the old office has all sorts of engravings I don't find satisfying. Sure there's plenty of shapes, but there's also pictures of me leaving the Sheriff's post, and oddly one of yourself admiring an amulet. You're standing on it right now I think."
"Er, yes, I've seen that one before, sir. But... that'll still give you three offices!"
Ironblood smiled. "Yes, I do understand counting."
"But you never use them!"
"The amount of treasure says otherwise, BurnedToast." Ironblood replied, indicating his surroundings with a wave of his hand.
"Captain," BurnedToast said through clenched teeth, "I'm still using the same tiny office built from sand, the one we built together when we got here!"
Ironblood nodded. "Yes, I know. It's got great historical value."
BurnedToast pressed two fingers to his left temple, feeling it throb. "It's old! The door doesn't even swing on its hinges anymore! It doesn't HAVE hinges! I have to manually move it aside every time I want to pass through the doorway!"
"Well, we all have to make do with what we've got, BurnedToast." Ironblood responded sagely.
BurnedToast exploded. "What we've got?! I've got a room with a chair! No table, just a chair! I don't have any method of filing apart, it seems, from slowly filling the entire room with piles of paperwork and amulets."
"So you want a table?" asked Ironblood slowly.
"I want a new office!" demanded BurnedToast.
Ironblood thought a moment, then relented. "Well, I suppose you can have this one if it's that important to you. It's got a nice picture of you admiring an amulet, right where you're standing, if you'll look down."
"I... what?" BurnedToast felt stunned at finally winning a small victory.
"You can have my old office. I'll just have to further enlarge my new office."
BurnedToast's eyes were filled with tears. "Thank you sir!" he mumbled, swallowing hard, and turned and left the room.
Satisfied that the meeting had gone well, Ironblood turned back to the task of finishing his crumpet.