Elder Crown was having a very bad morning.

The frail old man's hands trembled as he lifted his cup of tea to take another sip. His wrinkly fingers couldn't seem to grip the mug properly, and it clattered against the saucer.

"Curses," Elder Crown hissed, "I dropped my tea."
He put the mug down on the table, then used both hands to pick up the teacup.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't break it, sir. Here, let me help."

"You're a dear boy, Harper..."

"Did you get a chance to read the printouts yet, sir?"

Elder Crown was very old, and his eyesight wasn't as good as it used to be. He was starting to have trouble reading from a computer monitor, so he had Harper print out his e-mails and reports every morning.

"I read them. Hmph. That blonde rat Planner delayed the construction again! It's never going to get finished at this rate. And it was to going to be our greatest temple yet! That wicked little girl... how many times must I tell her not to meddle in our affairs?!"
"She's a clever little thing, isn't she?"

"She does whatever she wants, and it's all because she has that fool Presence under her spell. She has a lot of nerve... call a meeting with her at once. Tell the others to attend too!"
"Yes, sir."

Miss Planner was hard at work in her dimly lit office on the Tower of the Chosen's top floor. She was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. With the push of a button on her keyboard, the door to Miss Planner's office swung open wide in a second flat. She didn't look up from her computer to acknowledge her visitor, but she greeted him all the same.

"Harper! What a pleasant surprise. How can I help you today? Did something happen?"
Miss Planner's voice was soft, almost soothing, like a mother talking to an infant. It was the same voice she used when speaking to the childlike Elders.

"It seems that Elder Crown is displeased with your performance, Miss Planner. He wants to have a meeting in thirty minutes."
"Heavens. I wonder what's wrong?"

"The Elder is upset that you delayed the construction of the Temple of Light, the one that was supposed to be completed next year. And that you've been delaying other projects as well."
"Oh, dear. I can't believe he'd get angry over such a minor delay. I'd be happy to discuss it with him."

No one ever dared to stand up to the Elders before Miss Planner came along, so they indulged in wasteful spending without question. But Miss Planner was merciless with the budget and Miss Planner didn't intend to let any expensive temples get built under her watch. As long as she was the one calling the shots, the Temple of Light would get delayed over and over and over until everyone involved gave up hope. Elder Crown would be lucky if she let him put a small shrine up in the cafeteria.

The only other Elder that Crown was able to get to attend the meeting on such short notice was the blind Elder Omen. Omen brought his attendants with him, two beautiful women dressed in white blouses and dark skirts. They stood behind him as he sat, their arms folded respectfully behind their backs.

"Crown, what is the meaning of you sending your boy to fetch me today? I have no time to waste on trivial matters."
"Bah. No time to waste? I don't think you've worked a day in your life, you sightless beggar. If you must know, that little blonde witch Miss Planner is trying to ruin everything we've worked for, and I'm going to kill her for it!"

"What nonsense are you spouting? What are you accusing her of now?"
"I'll tell you! She's been sabotaging my work since the beginning! We're building a new temple, and it was to be our greatest accomplishment yet! Now it's being delayed because of her. I want to see the backside of that brat! I'll spank her until she learns her place!"

Elder Omen's attendants looked at each other in shock. The decrepit Elder Crown just threatened to spank Miss Planner's bare bottom like she was a naughty toddler!

"I can't believe it... you really plan to do that?" asked Omen in disbelief.
"Yes! I will! And I won't stop there either! She's going to regret messing with my temple, mark my words!"

Omen sighed wearily and shook his head. The door to the conference room opened, and in came the blonde witch herself. She had a smug smile plastered across her face.

"Good morning, Elders. I apologize for the wait. You caught me at a bad time."
"Little Miss Planner," Elder Crown said with disdain. "We were discussing our plans to finish building the new Temple of Light. Harper told me that construction was delayed, again! It's unacceptable. How much longer can this go on?!"

Miss Planner bowed her head modestly.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news, Elder. Construction of the Temple of Light has indeed been delayed. The truth is, the funds aren't available right now. We had to borrow from the bank just to make payroll this week. It'll be a few months before we have enough money to continue construction. I'm deeply sorry."

"Unacceptable!" Crown growled, grinding his teeth together in rage. "Simply unacceptable! The Elders of old would never put up with such excuses! Do you take me for a fool, girl?"

"Elder, your wisdom is greater than mine. I would never dream of challenging your wisdom or your commands. I implore you to listen to me for a moment! We truly do not have the money! I'm attempting to raise funds by-"

"Enough!" Crown bellowed, the intensity of his gaze increasing. "I will not be lectured by the likes of you! You are but a child! It is the Elders who lead, and ordinary souls like you who follow! I don't care what you do, but you WILL find a way to get the money for the Temple's construction!"

Elder Omen had managed to keep a straight face up until this point, but even his patience had a limit.
"Dear brother, is a few months of waiting really so terrible? The Chosen cannot survive without money, and I'm sure even you can see the wisdom in conserving our resources for when they're needed the most."

"You think you know what I see? You're BLIND, Omen! This blonde harlot is stringing you and the rest of the Elders along, making you dance like puppets! The girl gets her way every time! We had plenty of money to build the temple before she came along, you understand? And now, we're practically bankrupt because she convinced us to invest all of our funds into her massive staff of incompetents!"

A manic tone was starting to enter Crown's voice. Omen had heard enough. Unlike the other Elders, Omen was a decent, honest man with a strong moral code, and he wasn't going to let Crown disparage Miss Planner without at least sticking up for her a little bit.

"Elder Crown, Miss Planner didn't ask to be put in this position of responsibility, we chose her, and she's performing her duties to the best of her abilities. Her responsibilities include ensuring we don't spend all of our money on frivolities! Why, if you had your way, we'd have that temple built out of solid gold, wouldn't we?"

Omen's support sent Crown into a rage. He called Miss Planner every name in the book, then moved on to Omen, and finally started cursing at Omen's pair of attendants. Miss Planner sat patiently through the entire ordeal with a polite smile on her face, deciding to let the frail old man wear himself out. He might have been a powerful psychic, but he was still an old man with weak lungs. When Crown ran out of steam and started coughing, Miss Planner waited for him to quiet down, then spoke calmly and quietly.

"Elder Crown, I understand that you're upset. Let me address the problem so we can both have some closure."

Miss Planner took out her notebook and consulted it. She waited a dramatic moment, then spoke with the authority of a judge handing down a death sentence.

"I'm sorry, but I don't intend to make any changes to the proposed budget. We'll resume construction on the Temple of Light as soon as possible, and I promise you it will be worth the wait, but in the meantime, we need to focus our resources where they'll do the most good."

Crown looked horror-stricken. He drew in breath to argue, but Miss Planner held up a hand to stop him.

"I'm asking for your patience and understanding, Elder Crown. Our top two priorities right now are staffing and security. We need to utilize and protect what we have before we can build more. I know that's not exactly what you want to hear, Elder, but I'm confident that you'll see the wisdom of this plan in the long run."

Miss Planner gave Crown a meaningful look. She was not backing down. Elder Crown hesitated, then gave a grudging nod. Omen settled wearily into his seat.

"Very well...but I still have my concerns."

Miss Planner smiled sweetly.
"Elder, if you have any complaints, I urge you to come and see me personally anytime day or night. I'm always here to serve you."

With Crown's eyes fixed on her face, she gave him a slow, reassuring bow, then left the room. Elder Omen waited until he heard the door close behind her before speaking.

"She's quite a woman," he murmured. "I thought for sure you'd insist on making her complete that temple, Crown."

Crown slammed his fist on the table. Omen's attendants jumped and gave little squeaks of alarm; Omen himself merely narrowed his unseeing eyes.

"She gets away with too much, Elder Omen. She thinks she can twist us around her little finger and make us do whatever foolish thing she has planned, but she's sorely mistaken. I'm not going to let her..."