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Lucian watched the dynamo leave, a smile on his face. When the young man rounded the corner, Lucian wheeled around on his aggressive companion.

"Morris, dash it all, you've got to learn to show at least a touch of self-control," he said. "I won't let you ruin this before we've had a chance to even begin."

Morris immediately became defensive. "I'm sure he was a buster! He walked into me on purpose, trying to break up the demonstration."

Lucian threw his hands into the air. The idiots I suffer. "He was only walking out of the building. The chap didn't even see you as far as I could tell--you rushed the door like it was between you and a table full of free beer. I don't even know you'd want to go in there."

"I thought I'd hand them out in the dynamo room," said Morris sullenly.

Lucian gave him a withering glance. "Most of them can't even read, you dunce." He waved his hand around at the flyers strewn on the street. "Pick these up, and then at least try to act like anything but a savage."

He turned from Morris and quickly surveyed the scene outside of the Assignment Board's office building. It was a busy day in this section of Haggeston. There was a steady stream of people entering and leaving the shops and restaurants that were situated on Royal Avenue. They were people of the upper and middle class -- people who would not be particularly pleased to see a whole troupe of dirty, impoverished people obstructing their way. 

 He looked beyond the crowds to a circular median that was in front the Assignment Board. The protesters he had recruited were just beginning to arrive. As Lucian had suggested, they were all arrayed in tattered glory. He was sure that he could smell them from across the street. They were congregating around the fountain in the center of the circus there. A fair number of people had come so far, which pleased Lucian. We might actually get some attention today.

The previous protests that Lucian had organized had been laughable. The weather had conspired against him on several occasions. One time, he had been the only person to arrive at the preordained location. Despite these ordeals, Lucian was determined to continue with his campaign to turn public opinion against the terrible conditions that dynamos faced.

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It happened during his second month of sitting in the High House. Politics were a bit more difficult to understand than he had expected, but he had been growing accustomed to it. He was perhaps a bit too earnest, that was true. He had been on the edge of a nervous breakdown by trying to read all of the legislation and attending the conclaves for his committees as well as the session meetings. Additionally, he was in charge of the family's corporate and private holdings.

"I feel like I haven't slept ever since I took the seat," he said one day to Mr. Lavender, a senior party member who had taken him under wing.

Mr. Lavender chuckled. "My boy, you need to delegate. You'll run yourself into an early grave before your career begins if you don't."

"What do you mean, delegate?" Lucian was confused by the idea.

"Look at it this way," said Mr. Lavender, "your time's a precious commodity. You don't have time to take care all of the little things. So what you do is hire a staff of about three or four to read the boring things and go to the meetings you find insufferably dull. Then you find three or so things that interests you beyond all reason. And aside from the things you absolutely cannot avoid, that's what you pour yourself into."

The aesthetic appeal of the plan was easily apparent to Lucian. "But how do I find out what really interests me?"

"Well, you go on fact-finding trips," said Mr. Lavender. "Just tag along with different people until you find something that interests you. In fact, I'm going to visit the dynamo plant tomorrow. Have you ever seen that?"

"No, what's