They were all looking up at him, enshrined on the stairs above their cubicles as per usual.  Most were smiling, though some still sported the natural shadows of fatigue under their eyes.  In their own drab little lives he supposed that a five-hundred potch bonus did make for some sort of event.

No, what the chamberlain really loved about applause the way that it could hide him as he stood in plain sight.  Ochre pants and all, their appreciation was the perfect diguise.  Who could really threaten the man in the spotlight?  Oh, certainly a well-placed arrow could put the young assistant-mayor out of his misery; but nothing could hurt him here in any way that mattered.  In the midst of white noise nobody could see what you were thinking through the disruption of what was occuring.

"Thank you," Jess smiled warmly.  How many hours had he spent infront of the mirror to get every twitch of a muscle just right?

"Now, if you'll excuse me, there's still work to be done."

No longer did he have to fight to be heard; the noise was fading away.  It would be hard to pull this next part off.  Fortunately, the morning's plans had granted him the good mood to sustain this little act.

"Only by myself, of course.  As a gesture of my personal gratitude, I'd like to give all of you the day off for your tireless efforts on behalf of the city."

Bloody morons... as if they could work their way out of a wet paper bag.  The only person in this office deserving of a day off hadn't had one in months; but then, that was what made the chamberlain worthy in the first place.

There it was - roaring back up again quite nicely.  Their appreciation was like fire sometimes.  One just had to know when to fuel it and blazing heat would always rise from the embers.

Turn, look back, and exit while the slackers lapped it up like cats with cream.  One more mission accomplished in Jess' private war.  Now he could simply return to his office, look over a few errant reports, and savor the feeling of imminent victory along with a shot of caffiene.

Maddy couldn't believe that she had spent so much time in her vortex of angst that she was late for work. As if Jess wouldn't ride her about that for the next two bloody weeks.  Any occurance that gave that man an excuse to treat her like some brain-dead idiot was one too many.

That explained why she was currently panting and breathless at the door of Muse City Hall after a haphazard dash through the streets.  To her surprise, however, what she found there was a normally bustling workplace completely abandoned.  What the hell was going on here?

Well, if there were any answers it was obvious where to go: Jess' office.  Did the man even have a home?  Hell, did he have a life was more like it...

Upon reaching the space she had almost become accustomed too, Madeleine was greeted with a sight quite different from what she was accustomed to.  Whatever had happened here, she really wasn't liking that half-crazy look that Jess was giving her.  He was creepily immobile, though leaning back in his chair as per usual, and Maddy was sure that she could see the shards of a coffee cup out of the corner of her eye.  This was not good.

"I'vve been waiting for you, Rousseau," her employer practically hissed.  The sheer force of his disturbingly unmoving stare was throwing her off.  Damn.  It was time to brace for the Wrath of Jess, and it was pretty certain that this wasn't just over coffee.  Now what was one supposed to say in a situation like this?  Tact, that was it.  She would have to use a modicum of tact...

"Ummmm.... Jess?  You okay?" an uncharacteristically calm overture was made.  It took an almost physical effort to not add that he looked like hell warmed over.

"Where the HELL did you put my papers!" Jess shouted, enraged.  He was leaning over his desk now, knuckles gone white from clutching it's oaken rim.

This... was not what she had expected.

"What are you talking about? I don't..."

"Don't lie to me Rousseau; I know that you stole them.  Now I suggest you bring them back or I'll have the entire Muse police force arrest your ass," he growled, voice containing just a hint of cold steel.  Alright, that was it!  She had been patient - well, patient for her - and attempted a little civility and what did she get!?!  Accusations verging on deranged paranoia.  Goddamn rat-bastard...

"I was not here.  What part of that are you having trouble with!?!  Now, if I had any idea what the hell you were talking about, I might actually attempt to help you find them.  And where's the rest of the goddamn office anyway?"

Having seen the truth of Maddy's words in her eyes - or, perhaps, the rumpled state of her clothes - Jess slumped back into his seat.  It was almost simultaneous with his return to a stark depression.

"They were there," he sighed, looking rather like a lost puppy and motioning towards his inbox.  "The papers were there, and now they're not."

Awww geez... his shoulders were slumping and he looked so damn pathetic.  Madeleine supposed that she should help the guy out.  When had she become this soft?  She should be cackling and thinking about this as her evil revenge or something.

"C'mon Jess," Madeleine sighed, extending her hand to the formerly triumphant assistant-mayor.  "Let's go find your... whatever it is."

Jess looked up with surprise, "Are you serious?"

Dammit, did he have to question everything she did!?!

"Of course I'm serious!  Not get off your goddamn ass and come with me!"

The edges of the chamberlain's mouth quirked upwards in response, "Yeah, I guess you are."

The Papers were gone.

Gone.

Jess' good mood had been chewed up, spit out, a left to die on the cobblestones.  How could someone so smart always end up a faliure?  If he hadn't been such a bloody worthless slacker...

"So where exactly are we going, Rousseau?"

His erstwhile companion was currently leading him out of the barren hall of echoes that was their office space.  He should have known that she hadn't taken them... she wouldn't even have known what to look for.  Besides, Rousseau looked like such a wreck she couldn't possibly have come to work on time.  Why couldn't the woman see how unproffesional it was to arrive at the office with matted hair, yesterday's skirt, and a sweater that looked like it had been through the Gate Rune War a couple dozen times?

"To see that guy," she briskly replied, sounding like some sort of yapping terrier.

Jess stopped in his tracks and arched an eyebrow, "That guy?"

"You know, that guy," Rousseau nodded, "the little one..."

"Wallace?"

"Yeah, him."

Now this was intriguing.

"Why exactly are we going to see Wallace?  You can't think that the mindless minimum-wage drone who fetches me coffee is involved in some sort of diabolical plot..."

"No, but I do know that I told that accountant woman - Jannic?  Jennice? - to have him clean your office last night."

"You're supposed to do the cleaning!  There are highly classified documents in there.."

"And you're surprised that I don't want to be your goddamn maid?" his assistant responded incredulously.

Smoothing back his bedraggled mop of hair, Jess could't do anything but sigh.

"No. No, I'm not."

Rousseau was smiling - slacker fool.  Everything... his shiny new book, that beautiful mechanical dream of a plan... they were all ruined and she was smiling.... He really, really wanted to fire her.

The chamberlain then met her eyes, looking up through mouse brown locks, "Remind me again why I don't fire you?"

"Because then all of Muse will know that their Big Cuddly Chamberlain is just a scheming rat like all the rest of 'em.  That and my superiour intelligence, of course, " she said sweetly.

The assistant mayor rolled his eyes, "Superior intelligence?"

"If you want to know where that pathetic flunky Wallace is then yes, superior intelligence."

Smug concieted slacker idiot... if the Papers weren't so important she'd know exactly who had the superior intelligence here.  Luckily, Jess hadn't quite yet abandoned his good sense or acting ability in the face of desperation.

"Of course, Rousseau.  I mean, you're so obviously superior and indespensable that I can't even give you a day off like the rest of the civil servants..." he began while initiating a brisk trot out into the street.

"WHAT?  That's where they are!  Of all the goddamn bloody..."

"You're causing a scene," Jess smiled, this time genuinely, as several passing shoppers turned to stare at the pair. Her abrupt stop- perhaps the only time he'd actually gotten her to respect any sort of rules of professional decency - made him chuckle.  Matbe this wouldn't be so bad after all.  It might just be giddiness from his former near-hysteria, but Jess was having... fun.

Only slackers had fun.  He really needed those papers back.

They were all conspiring against him.

Wallace mentally embraced this mantra while peering out of his tiny apartment's window.  The glass was of very low quality and quite bubbled, but he could just about make out the two figures who were at his door.

Lord Jess and Ms.Rousseau.  They should be firing Janice from accounting right about now... so why were they here?

Easy.  They were all conspiring against him.

Janice must have used one of her diabolical tricks to send them his way.  Hastily, the nondescript office worker shoved stolen documents into a rnodom crevice.  Now if only that insitant, head-splitting knocking would stop.

"WALLACE!  Open up the goddamn door!  We know they you're in there!"

How did such a tiny woman posess that ear-splitting screech of a voice?  Glancing furtively up at the entrance to his home, Wallace prepared for the worst and allowed his superiors into the shabby parlor.

"Ummmm...yes, ma'am?" Wallace practically sqeaked.

The miniature whirlwind immediately backed him against the badly whitewashed wall.  Her companion, the somewhat amused-looking Lord Jess, was giving him a reassuring glance though.  Which was good, considering that Wallace was pretty sure his knees might give out soon...

"Give us the papers.  Now," Ms.Rousseau purred, giving Wallace her patented Glare of Death.  At least, he assumed it was a Glare of Death.  That was what Tammi in Records called it...

"Are you having problems hearing me? I  said NOW."

This was all Janice's fault, this was all Janice's fault, this was all Janice's fault...

"Now, now Ms.Rousseau.  We don't want to be too hasty..." Jess chirped, holding back the hand which was about the grab Wallace by the lapels.

"Wallace, I know that you're a valuable member of the Muse civil service, and I just want to help you get through what must have been a simple misunderstanding."

Finally, someone was recognizing his true talents in the the area of requisitions.  Maybe they weren't all..

"Involving your blatant theivery of government documents.  Prepare to rot in the Muse Prison you worthless waste of space," the feminine pitbull barked.

Nope.  They were all conspiring against him.  Janice must have pulled Ms.Rousseau into her web of evil plots.

"I want to help you Wallace, " Jess murmered soothingly while guiding Wallace away from Madeline, " I won't fire you.  I won't let her hurt you.  Now just give me back the papers and everything will be fine."

The chamberlain's voice was almost hypnotic, and Wallace sensed instinctively toat this was the only way he could hope to save his job.  Lord Jess understood; Lord Jess was a good guy just like him.

"NOW!"

Startled out of temporary relaxation by Madlein's order, the nondescript orderly looked back towards the random place into which he had tossed the worn file.  It was now making splendid kindling for a rather merry little fire in his stove.

"Ummm... It-it was... I mean... I didn't mean to..."

Lord Jess and Ms. Rousseau were circling him now.  Kind of like axe-rabbits going in fot the kill, come to think of it.

"Just tell us where they are and everything will be fine, Wallace.  Just fine."

"If not, you'll be happy to meet you new 300-pound roomate 'Axe' "

Their voices contrasted so much, whirling around him like fire and ice.  Wallace just couldn't take this anymore.

"I'm sorry!" he blubbered, cringing at their omnipresent stares.  "I'm reallyreallyreallyreally sorry!  I threw them into the furnace and now they're gone!  It was all Janice, all Janice's fault!"

Distraut,Wallace grabbed onto the collar of Jess' shirt.

"You believe me, don't you?  You know what Janice and th other's want... they want to get me fired!  But you understand... don't let them take me to prison!"

There; everything would be fine now just like Lord Jess had said, wouldn't it? Why had the blood drained from his bosses' face?

"Out," Jess growled.

"Wh-what?"

"Out," the death-knell sounded for a second time.

"I-I don't understand..."

"What Lord Jess means is that, due to willful destruction of government property, you are terminated immediately from civic employment under article 364A of the Civil Employment Act.  As such, city-supplied housing is revoked" Madeleine stated, suddenly  in a relaxed and buisnesslike frame of mind.

"B-but you said... you said I..."

"You did not give us the papers as requied in our verbal agreement.  Please vacate now before we call the guard out here," the lawyer continued.  Jess, in the meantime, was pacing about the room with a tenuously held blank expression.

"Out," the assistant mayor repeated almost emotionlessly.

As Madeleine Rousseau pushed him out the door, Wallace was in a peculiar state of shock.  Except, of course, for one simple thought which paraded though his mind.