Commander's Rounds

Gaiden Entry 61.5: How Others Lead

Belfast had been undergoing a form of remedial education.

Ever since she had been demoted following the maid strike that preceded the commander's wedding, Newcastle had taken over, and was trying to teach Belfast through observation- by letting her see how Newcastle did things, and then Newcastle would explain to her why it worked well with the staff that they had. While Belfast had perfected all of the skills required of a maid on an individual level, being a perfect maid didn't mean that one was a perfect head maid.

So, Belfast had much to learn, and so she was going through what amounted to a re-apprenticeship under Newcastle, who was assisted by Curlew and Curacoa in teaching her the nuances of supervising other maids.

However, Newcastle was ready to give up the mantle of head maid and go back to smaller duties, so it was going to be time for Belfast to go through what amounted to an on-the-job exam. Newcastle had taken it as a temporary position with the understanding that she would only hold it while Belfast was re-learning the nuances of her job, so Belfast slipping up would mean a great deal of disappointment for both of them.

Of course, this left Enterprise in an unusual position, because she was not usually the one on the receiving end of what Belfast was doing, and Belfast wasn't usually the one on the giving end, either. Belfast had brought Little Bel along so that she and Little Enterprise could run off and do something together, so that the two of them could have some private time without interruption.

And then Belfast lay down and pillowed her head on Enterprise's thighs.

Enterprise was surprised, and tried to figure out what to do from this position, so she pulled the covers of her bed over Belfast to help her try to get comfortable. "Nervous?"

Belfast simply responded with a nod.

"I don't know what I can do to help." Enterprise began. "I'm a soldier, and when it comes to the field, I am confident in my own instincts, alone or in command. My only doubts come when I'm off the field. Maiding is something out of my expertise."

"Lady Enterprise, I'm not here to ask about maiding..." She snuggled up to Enterprise's thighs in appreciation of the carrier's gesture.

Enterprise reached down and began to stroke Belfast's hair. "It can be hard to be called "perfect" when you know you've failed, either in the present, or long ago." Enterprise looked at the door of her room as she could hear Yorktown and Hornet talking about something or other. "Thankfully, you don't have to be perfect in order to succeed. The commander, after all, is proof enough of that."

Belfast closed her eyes as she rested comfortably in her spot. "...Are you saying I should consider the case of master?"

"I don't think it would hurt." She considered this as she stroked over Belfast. "He has to deal with such a wide array of people and make it work, and he has. However, I don't think you need the extra help, if you consider what Newcastle has been telling you all along. She has more experience directing maids than the commander does."

Belfast laid a hand on Enterprise's thigh as she lay there. "What do you think, then?"

"Well..." She thought about it for a moment. "...The advantage, I guess, is that Newcastle doesn't expect perfection. However, if you're looking for my advice, there's more to leading than having a high amount of personal skill at what you're expected to manage. While you may be a perfect maid, that doesn't give you everything you need to be a good head maid. For that, you may have to look at how others lead."

How others lead...

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Belfast returned to the Royal dorms soon enough. She would be going back to directing the maids under the supervision of Newcastle, where she would be taking notes and assessing Belfast's performance as a head maid. This test had one powerful stipulation- Belfast was not allowed to carry out maid duties personally, she would have to handle absolutely everything through the other maids, for two reasons.