Foaly put on his hat, turned on some music, and checked that the
metal on his feet was in place. Time to see if his brain worked as well as
he thought it did. When it came to dancing he had four left hooves. Time to
see if he could change that.
He began to dance. So far things were going well. Then the magnetic pull brought all his hooves together and he fell down.
"Are you alright in there?" asked Trouble's voice through the intercom.
"Oof. I'm fine." He struggled to stand.
"Then let me in, it's important. It's about Holly and Root."
Foaly pressed the button to let the irrated elf into his operations booth. "What do you want?"
"What are you wearing? And what's that music?"
Foaly blushed. "I was working on my dancing. My latest invention. This," he took of his hat, "sends signals from the brain to the feet coordinating them so that I can dance without looking like an idiot." He turned off the music and took of the specially modified shoes. "But part of it is these magnetic shoes that help it, make my hooves all come together and I fall. It's not working."
"Well, this is more important than your dancing skills. The Council wants to get rid of Root and Holly."
"Get rid of them?"
"They want to force Root to retire and they want to kick Holly out of LEP entirely. They won't listen to me."
"What do you expect me to do about it?" The centaur grinned smugly.
"They can't fire you. They fire you and LEP goes splat. They know that. Threaten to resign if they pull out Short or Root. Please, Foaly."
This wasn't really a hard decision, centaurs weren't the most sociable of creatures and Holly was one of his few good friends. "I'll do it. But not until they actually announce it or tell me that they're taking them away. The Council doesn't like that they can't get rid of me. It's one thing for me to abuse and antagonize Root but these guys are another story."
"Thanks, Foaly." Trouble left, shutting the door behind him.
Foaly bit his lip, worried. He'd be placed too when it could be arranged. But that wouldn't be for at least another couple of years. He sighed. Always he'd hidden himself behind his techno babble and his computers. Designing things and not giving any time to people. Generally he didn't like people. They annoyed and infuriated him. They could be so stupid sometimes. In fact, most of the time.
But Holly was one of his closest friends; in fact she probably was his closest friend. She avoided being an idiot, most of the time. He didn't want her to get fired. And after a fashion, Root wasn't so bad. Besides, if Root got fired Foaly would have no one to torment, at least nobody important to torment. Though Trouble seemed to be turning into the Council's new favorite. But since when had the Council gotten so involved in LEP affairs anyway?
Maybe he could bargain with them. But other than his brain he had nothing to bargain with. He just had to hope that'd be good enough.
* ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ *
Author's Note: I don't know that Foaly's attitude toward people fits in all that well but it talks about how centaurs are not very sociable, et cetra, and so I figured Foaly's kinda like me and my hiding behind books and if anybody dares to interrupt my reading, filling their ears with Tolkien- babble until they've suddenly got to be somewhere else.
He began to dance. So far things were going well. Then the magnetic pull brought all his hooves together and he fell down.
"Are you alright in there?" asked Trouble's voice through the intercom.
"Oof. I'm fine." He struggled to stand.
"Then let me in, it's important. It's about Holly and Root."
Foaly pressed the button to let the irrated elf into his operations booth. "What do you want?"
"What are you wearing? And what's that music?"
Foaly blushed. "I was working on my dancing. My latest invention. This," he took of his hat, "sends signals from the brain to the feet coordinating them so that I can dance without looking like an idiot." He turned off the music and took of the specially modified shoes. "But part of it is these magnetic shoes that help it, make my hooves all come together and I fall. It's not working."
"Well, this is more important than your dancing skills. The Council wants to get rid of Root and Holly."
"Get rid of them?"
"They want to force Root to retire and they want to kick Holly out of LEP entirely. They won't listen to me."
"What do you expect me to do about it?" The centaur grinned smugly.
"They can't fire you. They fire you and LEP goes splat. They know that. Threaten to resign if they pull out Short or Root. Please, Foaly."
This wasn't really a hard decision, centaurs weren't the most sociable of creatures and Holly was one of his few good friends. "I'll do it. But not until they actually announce it or tell me that they're taking them away. The Council doesn't like that they can't get rid of me. It's one thing for me to abuse and antagonize Root but these guys are another story."
"Thanks, Foaly." Trouble left, shutting the door behind him.
Foaly bit his lip, worried. He'd be placed too when it could be arranged. But that wouldn't be for at least another couple of years. He sighed. Always he'd hidden himself behind his techno babble and his computers. Designing things and not giving any time to people. Generally he didn't like people. They annoyed and infuriated him. They could be so stupid sometimes. In fact, most of the time.
But Holly was one of his closest friends; in fact she probably was his closest friend. She avoided being an idiot, most of the time. He didn't want her to get fired. And after a fashion, Root wasn't so bad. Besides, if Root got fired Foaly would have no one to torment, at least nobody important to torment. Though Trouble seemed to be turning into the Council's new favorite. But since when had the Council gotten so involved in LEP affairs anyway?
Maybe he could bargain with them. But other than his brain he had nothing to bargain with. He just had to hope that'd be good enough.
* ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ *
Author's Note: I don't know that Foaly's attitude toward people fits in all that well but it talks about how centaurs are not very sociable, et cetra, and so I figured Foaly's kinda like me and my hiding behind books and if anybody dares to interrupt my reading, filling their ears with Tolkien- babble until they've suddenly got to be somewhere else.