Page 31 of Reptile Dysfunction
MASON
“Good morning, Mayor, Sir!”
“Good morning, Saul,” I return jovially, grabbing my usual copy of the Curiosity Herald from the stand. “How’s the world at large?”
The elderly orc tips his cup of coffee in my direction in greeting. “Falling apart, as usual. Things seem to be looking up in Curiosity though.”
“Oh? What makes you say that?” I ask absently, taking a sip from my own cup as I scan over the headlines.
Saul chuckles in response. “Seems like you’ve worked your charm again, Mayor. It looks like that tetchy reporter will settle down now.”
“Charlotte has only been doing her job. I can’t fault her for that,” I reply easily. I find myself already flipping the pages of the Herald though, my eyes quickly landing on her name.
“So it’s Charlotte now, eh?” The newspaper vendor casts me a sly grin.
A smile masks the surprise of my own faux pas. “Thanks for the press, as always, Saul. Have a good one now,” I wave and head up the steps to the town hall.
I’ve always enjoyed my morning routine, which generally tries to leave some time for chatting with the residents of Curiosity. This morning, however, Charlotte Lieberman has given me another reason to smile.
Her mayoral spread is a thoughtful, insightful piece that conveys just as much of an apology as it highlights social awareness in our little corner. It definitely falls more in line with the puff pieces the public is used to seeing from the Herald.
Plus, the gentled tone is a much-appreciated break from the biting sensationalism I’ve gotten used to seeing her byline accompanying. It may not be the hard-lined journalism she was looking for, but this morning’s read shows more of the thoughtful and thought-provoking woman I’ve grown to care about.
My snake companions settle around my shoulders in comfortable purrs while I settle at my desk to begin a new day. Even so, thoughts of Charlotte linger behind my motions.
I find myself wondering about what she really thought of our interaction, a more off-the-record assessment. She was impressed enough by our interaction to write a practically glowing review of my work ethic, but was a professional understanding really all there was to it?
Be cool, I silently admonish myself, going over my calendar and agenda for the day. Sure, it felt like there could be a connection between us… like a spark of something, but that could just be a side effect of the isolation that comes with my position. Since becoming mayor, there hasn’t exactly been a chance to spend the entire day trading thoughts and opinions with a bright and considerate woman. At least not directly in my line of work.
Not to mention beautiful, I sigh, wishing my mind wouldn’t bring up that particular detail. For the longest time, Charlotte was just a name I heard in rumors but had never met personally. Nobody had bothered to mention to me that Charlotte Lieberman looked like one of those silver screen starlets in the black-and-white films. Nor should they have, I mentally chastise myself, yet that doesn’t prevent me from thinking about her flashing, dark eyes.
There are too many professional boundaries between us, I have to remind myself, to bother pursuing anything even remotely romantic. Not to mention this strange conflict that still seems to linger around us, despite us getting on a better page. As a journalist and a new resident of Curiosity, she also represents an anomaly to everything I’ve worked hard to maintain.
The fact of the matter is, having a real, legitimate ally in the press would be an asset for my office. I’ve worked hard for our constituency and am happy to remain doing so for as long as the people will it, but that doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been an uphill battle.
Ms. Lieberman’s recent investigation isn’t the only experience I’ve had with bad press, especially when my heritage is to be considered. There are many who look at a Gorgon like myself, and quail in fear, which is one of many reasons why I’m so passionate about public service. Every contribution I make, whether large or small, shows others that they have nothing to fear when they look at me. And they are free to do so.
It’s not always easy to convey such thoughts and philosophies, especially when there is an entire town to care for. This is why having someone in the press who could provide more than impartiality or accusatory bias would be valuable. Yes, if I am to be thinking about Charlotte Lieberman, it should only be within the confines of a professional asset — not daydreaming about her mesmerizing eyes or her equally mesmerizing curves.
And then a voice in my head pops up and tells me I’m being an idiot. Curiosity has a population of roughly 300 residents, and I know nearly all of them by name. Pretending like I need some sort of journalist on the inside to navigate the press is a flimsy excuse at best. All I’m doing is finding a reason to keep her around for those mesmerizing eyes, and that obnoxious voice inside of me knows it.
I guess it’s not that shocking. I am an active man in his prime, even if my career leaves me little time to indulge in romance, and often less inclination to do so. And the more I spoke with her, I found her to be an insightful, engaging woman, with our conversation taking several interesting turns throughout the day.
Of course, it’s been an age since I’ve had the opportunity to converse with a woman whose intelligence and beauty reflect one another. It’s perfectly natural that my thoughts keep straying to the impressive reporter, instead of working through the paperwork that seems to follow me.
I resolve that it’s better not to think about her entirely. There are plenty of things to occupy my time that don’t include the doe-eyed, provoking reporter. That resolve doesn’t even hold until lunch, however.
It doesn’t help that the typical work actually reminds me of her. A stray permit for park renovation needs approval, which is easily granted. Yet while signing off on it, I wonder if it would be something that would catch her interest or criticism, reminded of when she tried to accuse me of being under-handed with Pete.
Would the resources be allocated properly? How does this change affect the citizens of Curiosity? Already, it was easy to picture the rapid-fire questions she would be unafraid to put forth.
Her candid nature shone through during our conversations, and it is another trait of hers I can’t help but admire. I’ve been working in the political arena for a while now, and I have forgotten how refreshing it is for someone to share their thoughts and elucidations without reservation. There is a raw honesty in Charlotte’s inherent nature that suits her chosen profession, I believe.
A requisition comes across my desk for a cleanup crew to address the sidewalks beyond the downtown area, and her words float through my mind again. “There are a thousand things you could do with your life, why choose public service?”
Seeing my work laid out in front of me gives me better scope, and I find myself wanting to reach out to her and expound upon my previous answer in a hundred different ways. My hand is on the phone before I remember the pep talk I gave myself before lunch about professional boundaries.
Glancing over at the article again, I can’t help but feel hopeful about our future interactions. Her most recent words are such a turnaround from her previous tone, combined with the personal understanding we seemed to have reached, leaving me feeling cautiously optimistic. This sensation more than anything is what has me grappling with whether or not I should reach out to her once more.