"I can list quite a few good qualities that I think justify that."

"Oh?"

"Intelligent. Knowledgable. Powerful. Dangerous to your enemies, but not your allies. Perceptive. Good mastery of yourself. Good at actually applying your intelligence. Proud and self assured. Vicious and ruthless, when needed. Grounded. Not easily influenced by others. I suspect a touch sadistic."

"Keen observations."

"Some people are worth observing."

"I shall have to keep this tendency of yours in mind."

"Oh?"

"To looking closely. I must keep some secrets to myself."

"Seems true for all of us."

"Quite."

"Helps keep the air of mystery."

"That most elusive of all important qualities."

"Certainly hard to rebuild once it's been reduced."

"Which is why it must be jealously guarded."

"And pulled back only slowly and deliberately, if at all."

"If at all indeed."

Small smile. "Though I think tonight's held enough for me."

"Very well. I shall return to my apartments, then."

"Do you want to set a date to meet up again later?"

"Let us leave some mystery to it. You know where I live."

"I do!" Grin.

(She is... Not going to make Occlus regret giving her implicit permission to drop by whenever but she is going to abuse that permission merrily and frequently.)

"Until we meet again, then. Farewell." She stands to leave.

She does as well. "Until then."

Then back to their respective places.

Occlus spends the next day organizing her new purchases to her satisfaction. And the day after, she returns to the palace to meet her new staff and take charge of the archives. First she'll need reports on what they have gone through so far, the estimated extent of what they have not yet touched, their plan for approaching it. Then she explains what they've gotten wrong, why their cataloging system is insufficient to the nuances at play, and how she is going to rectify that.

They seem to be resigned to the new boss, and no one grumbles too loudly. They're tired and overworked, though Luke's left a report on the current budget (insufficient), tentative funding increases (moderately a good start, impressive for three days' work), and processes for getting people transferred out or in and hiring new staff, with a post script that he'll probably be able to get more budget next time that's actually renegotiated.

Ani stops by her apartment that afternoon.