[Long term and short, moments and centuries. Both views have their worth, but balancing them was the job of the king. Ali was too stubborn to admit defeat, and there were very few voices that would get him to yield. Fortunately, one of those voices spoke up right before Ali could throw some more harsh words in Concord's direction.]
Enough.
[The king spoke softly, but firmly. He was one who could command a whole room with a single word, and indeed all of the other advisors immediately looked to their leader to see what he had to say. Even Ali's concentration on Concord was broken, and he instantly went from a rising temper to 'open and listening' as he turned to the king.]
You both have presented good points here. Ali, there is some merit in offering extra time off in lieu of overtime pay, and I think at other, smaller festivals there will be plenty of guards interested. But given the size and popularity of the midsummer festival, overtime pay would be a better benefit this time around.
Additionally, I am hesitant to give half-shifts, because a change of the guard is the time when most incidents happen. So it would be best to do the usual guard rotations and offer an adequate compensation for those who will be missing out this year, in addition to the promise of rotating who is working from year-to-year in the name of fairness. Concord, given your familiarity with the guards, I will leave it to you to determine the exact compensation per soldier. Ali, we will try out your suggestion At the Saint's Day festival in the fall. Does this sound agreeable?
[It was a trick question in a way, because Ali knew very well that 'does this sound agreeable' meant it was time to back down and accept what the king had decided. Fuming internally, Ali gave a short nod to the king. He was loathe to give up more gold for this, but even he wouldn't go against the king once a decision had been made. He would just be mad about it for the next few days.]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2022-12-20 05:04 am (UTC)Enough.
[The king spoke softly, but firmly. He was one who could command a whole room with a single word, and indeed all of the other advisors immediately looked to their leader to see what he had to say. Even Ali's concentration on Concord was broken, and he instantly went from a rising temper to 'open and listening' as he turned to the king.]
You both have presented good points here. Ali, there is some merit in offering extra time off in lieu of overtime pay, and I think at other, smaller festivals there will be plenty of guards interested. But given the size and popularity of the midsummer festival, overtime pay would be a better benefit this time around.
Additionally, I am hesitant to give half-shifts, because a change of the guard is the time when most incidents happen. So it would be best to do the usual guard rotations and offer an adequate compensation for those who will be missing out this year, in addition to the promise of rotating who is working from year-to-year in the name of fairness. Concord, given your familiarity with the guards, I will leave it to you to determine the exact compensation per soldier. Ali, we will try out your suggestion At the Saint's Day festival in the fall. Does this sound agreeable?
[It was a trick question in a way, because Ali knew very well that 'does this sound agreeable' meant it was time to back down and accept what the king had decided. Fuming internally, Ali gave a short nod to the king. He was loathe to give up more gold for this, but even he wouldn't go against the king once a decision had been made. He would just be mad about it for the next few days.]