The offices of World News Now, located on the twenty-third floor of a seventy-storey skyscraper in Film City, were, in a nutshell, the definition of chaos. Phones rang and monitors beeped as people shouted over each other and over the constant buzz of a hundred TV screens tuned in to a hundred different programmes. They lined the walls of the gigantic gallery which served as the primary workspace for the organisation.
The sea of humanity standing in small clusters around television or computer screens, arguing about 'sots' and 'bites' and 'tictacs', parted almost unconsciously as Casia strode through the hallway with Shwaan in tow. She nodded intermittently at some of the people working around the room but said little else. Finally, they reached a set of tall glass doors at one end of the main gallery with the words 'Casia Washi' printed across one of the panels in big black letters. Casia pushed it open and walked inside, holding the door open for a moment longer to allow Shwaan to pass through.
As the door slid shut behind him, it was as if the rest of the world had fallen away, and they were enveloped in a silence that seemed almost eerie after the noise and clamour of the hallway outside. On the bright side, Shwaan did not need to feign astonishment inside these offices. The place was proving to be genuinely overwhelming.
He turned towards what he assumed was Casia's desk, and was greeted by a plump, middle aged woman with olive skin and thinning, dark brown curls falling to her shoulders. She sat primly on one of the chairs and stared at him with curiosity in her striking sea-green eyes – a rarity in Vandram. Kanbarian ancestry then; though one wouldn't have known it from her rather rounded Vandran features. Shwaan looked up at Casia inquisitively, unsure about what he was expected to do next. The latter was leaning against one of the large wooden cabinets that lined the walls, and eyeing the older woman with a triumphant smirk on her lips.
"HelloJiniya. Let me introduce you to our new friend, Lord Ashwin Kwan fromZaini. Ashwin," she said, gaze flickingmomentarily over to Shwaan. "Meet Jiniya. Our news director and my dearest boss."
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A Flight of Broken Wings: Aeriel Trilogy #1
FantasySix hundred years ago, humanity rose up in revolt against the Aeriels. They were driven from earth - and back to their homeworld - after a bloody and glorious war. Eight years ago, Ruban's home was destroyed and his family murdered by an Aeriel. Whe...
