(no subject)

Parliament may not be in session at the moment, nor the Council of Seven in deliberation, but that doesn't mean that there's not work to be done. In fact, it's often the weeks between sessions that make for busier days, Gabriel's found, as it's during those weeks that everyone with a particular issue to press tries for appointments, meetings, or anything that will get them on the schedule.

His staff is good at coordinating, however, and Mark Jiang, Gabriel's executive assistant, is expert at managing both staff and schedule. In addition to everything else, he sees to it that each afternoon has a couple of hours free for Gabriel to use for emergencies, unscheduled visits, or merely catching up on paperwork, communications, and miscellaneous other tasks.

He's in the middle of reviewing a report during one of these quiet hours when Mark comes to the door to announce a special appointment.