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// Working Nine ‘til Five feels like Prison 
// Story: Return of the Red Hawks 
// by WildFire15 
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Maffett regarded the pile of papers on her desk as she contemplated her existence. After spending a weekend watching Cloud racing, doing an office job always left her feeling hugely dissatisfied in a sluggish world.

With so many ships coming in and out of the harbour, the Weather Controllers needed a well documented schedule so they knew what was where and when. Shortly after finishing school, Maffett had signed up to work in the Weather Control offices as a clerk and she could never shake the thought that it was the worst thing she had ever done.

Maffett had never enjoyed her school days. While her parents could have afforded to send her to the same school Concorde attended, they felt the local High School would be a better fit for their daughter.

While she did do well there, always scoring the highest marks in the class, she never felt welcome. The other students considered her an interloper and they would frequently bully her.

To that end, she had taken to staying in the library during breaks or staying near a teacher if she was forced to go outside. All she had to look forwards to was escaping the confines of the place and finding Concorde.

While she would never admit it to him, Concorde probably was the only thing that kept her from breaking down entirely. He had the same love of ludicrous comedy she did and they spent a lot of time together coming up with their own jokes. He’d even joined her for her school talent show when they performed as a comedic duo after they’d coaxed her teacher to let him.

He would also always stand up for her if they ever ran into her school bullies. One memorable occasion had been when they were in the town square and the bullies had come over to and started taunting her. Concorde had asked them several times to leave them alone and, after one of them spat in his face, he punched one of them in the face in return. A police pony had taken the pair aside afterwards and thanked Concorde for driving them off as the bullies had been causing trouble around the square.

Maffett’s thoughts wondered as she wrote down the details of the Dølehest’s arrival. If Concorde did well with the Red Hawks, it seemed likely that he’d leave Whitbay.

She was pleased for him. He’d found something that made him almost as happy as racing, but it reminded her of her own situation.

She didn’t want to sit in this office for the rest of her life. Reading the destinations and departures of the various ships that came to Whitbay made her want to see more of the world.

She had mentioned this to her father, who told her about how he started in the office as well before becoming a navigator. All it made her think was that her father had a much higher tolerance for menial tasks then she did.

Besides that, it was simply the thought that she could be trapped her while her best friend, her brother almost, would be leaving her behind to progress while she was caged here in this old office. She really didn’t want to think of the empty seat that could be beside her when she went to see a comedy show to brighten her bleak existence, an empty seat that would remind her of how alone and vulnerable she felt without Concorde around.

“Celia? Have you finished the forms for next week’s arrivals?” Came the voice of her supervisor, snapping Maffett out of her thoughts at the mention of her hated first name.

“I haven’t, no.” She said, having realized she wasn’t even half done.

“I’ll need them before the end of the day.” Her supervisor said, indicating to the clock on the wall that read two o’clock.

Maffett just nodded before she started writing out the details for each ship quicker.

Her mind was made up. This would be the last lot of work she’d do for this hole in the ground.