Elf in Training (Citizenanon and BothsAndNeithers)

Noel looked herself over in the mirror one last time, making sure that all was in order. There was a common misconception that all elves wore the little outfits and green has and curly shoes, but that was a misconception: only Santa's elves were allowed to wear them, and not all elves were Santa's. Some didn't want to be, and that was perfect, because someone had to run the elf clothing stores and elf grocery outlets and direct planes and such to the North Pole. Many elf children grew up dreaming of working alongside the Big Man, though, and only about a quarter ever got the chance. Positions making toys were even more competitive - many things were ordered today, so lots of jobs were about picking things up, ordering stock, things like that. Getting to do the hands on work took lots of tests and a fair bit of luck and, Noel had heard, a rigorous training program that half the elves didn't even make it through.

But she would make it through. She'd do it with flying colors, just like she had in school, and she'd be Head Toy Maker someday, or at least on the squad that rode on the slay; she was sure of it. So she wanted to make sure she was prepared for her first day.

Her uniform fit like a glove, striped thigh-high stockings disappearing under the red and green dress, belt cinched snugly. Her blonde hair hung out from the hat, the bell on the end (rather than a puff) indicating that she was a trainee. The spirally shoes were the last addition; they were shockingly comfortable, made with special Santa magic to help elves work on their feet in the workshop.

She marched herself over to the workshop and went to the front desk, sitting in the waiting area to wait for her trainer to appear.

Michael had worked in the workshop for many, many years. As with all elves, he had started as a trainee, but had quickly worked his way up through the ranks. From trainee to crafter to a member of the sled team and he was even given his own group of elves to manage. Now, though, he enjoyed training the young, incoming elves. It always warmed his heart to see the excited new workers doing their best and trying to earn their spot in the workshop. He was proud to say that his training course had the highest percentage of graduates each year. His methods, while unorthodox, were effective.

The golden pocket watch that hung from his waist told him that Noel would be outside waiting for him when he was ready for her. Michael stood and checked his own uniform in the mirror that hung in his office. He wore a red jacket over his green button down shirt. It was a thick, soft material that always seemed to be the perfect temperature and matched his slacks perfectly. The green hat set the outfit off perfectly. When he was certain that things were in order, Michael walked out of his office.

"Noel?" He asked and smiled down at the sitting elf. He allowed himself a quick glance over her outfit. She was dressed perfectly and the outfit certainly flattered her figure. "Welcome to Santa's Workshop!" He walked towards her and held his hand out to her. "Are you ready to get started in your training?"

Noel stood as soon as her name was called, jingling as she took a few steps towards her new trainer. Good - it was Michael. You never really knew how old an elf was unless you asked, but some of the trainers had a reputation for being crusty and crotchety. Not him, though; the word on the street was that his elves were always among the best, though there wasn't a lot going around about how he trained them. She'd be eager to find out.

"That's me! Hello, sir," she said, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake, "I appreciate it. And, yes, I'm very excited to get started," she said eanestly, smile wide; she was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement.

"Where do we begin?"

Michael smiled. His grip lingered just a little longer than most as he pumped her hand up and down. He let her hand drop and placed a guiding hand on her shoulder and began to lead her towards the workshop proper. "We will begin with a tour of the workshop. Now, any elf can handle stock and order, but my workers are always the cream of the crop. You see, my elves always advance so far because I am very selective about who I train. You come very highly recommended, you know."

The workshop was empty at the moment as it was still about a hour before everyone arrived to work. Tools were laid out neatly and every surface was clean and ready to work. "Welcome to your future. I have high expectations of you." Michael's stroked her shoulder with his thumb for a moment as they took in the workshop. "Go ahead, have a look around, Noel. I expect you'll have your own workstation here before you know it."

Noel beamed at the older elf and nodded eagerly.

"Yes, please."

Most elves had been around the workshop, of course - touring it during school, or bringing something to a parent - but those visits were always brief. She'd been itching to get a good look at everything, figure out how it really worked.

She blushed at the compliment.

"Thank you, sir. I was really pleased to be assigned to your team - they do have quite a good reputation," she admitted.

She didn't think anything of the prolonged contact; some elves were just touchier than others.

"Okay," she responded cheerfully. She headed into the workroom, examining the stations and the tools, identifying those she knew how to use and those that were unfamiliar and trying to get a sense for how the assembly line worked.

Michael watched as she moved around the room and examined everything. It was obvious that she was familiar with the working tools in the room, but would need much, much more experience in their use. She would have plenty of time to practice and experience all of them.

"Now, you won't be training in here just yet." Michael explained and walked around the long table to stand across from her. "There's a work shop set up separately for your training. You'll have all of the tools available to you that we have in here, but you'll be able to work at a somewhat slower pace to ensure that your work is up to the quality we expect out of Santa's Elves, which I'm sure it will be."

There was a second building attached to the main workshop. The front room was his office where he oversaw his large team of elves and the workshop while the back room was the training room for Noel. He would be able to supply work to her there while keeping an eye on her progress as well as that of the workshop.

Michael picked up a saw that was set out and ready for the next shift. "At first we will be going over the basics again to check your progress. There will be a lot of sawing, sanding, and other practice until I'm certain that you're ready to move on."

Noel was aware of his presence, tracking his location subconsciously as she explored the room, wondering if he was looking for something specific as he watched her or really just giving her space to play.

She listened attentively to him and nodded.

"Of course. Thanks for not throwing me to the wolves," she half-joked - just being put on the line would be terrifying. She'd done well in her qualifying exams, but that didn't mean her practical skills were nearly as good as a line elf's.

She nodded.

"I absolutely understand," she confirmed. "Do I get to start that this shift, or are there, like, training videos or something I watch first?"

Michael chuckled. "Would you like to watch some training videos?" He asked. "No, I don't think you need anything like that. Come on and I'll show you where you'll be doing your training. I've already got your projects set aside for you there."

There was a large, ornate door that led from the workshop to his office. Michael stepped around and opened the door. The inner office was warmly decorated in reds and golds with a small fire going in the fireplace. A large desk dominated the room while classic wooden toys and hand drawn schematics in frames brought charm and character to the room. A smaller, less ornate door could just be made out on the opposite wall.

Michael waved her through. "Here's my office. I'm typically here if I'm not in the workshop or training, so this is where you can find me for any reason you need and your training room is just through here." Michael walked through the office and opened the training door to her.

The training room was spacious. Shelves of tools decorated one wall while a couple hooks with various fabrics and materials hung on another. There was a single large workbench set up with all the tools of the trade. A small box held several heavy oak dowels for Noel to work with. Also in the box were a set of schematics with the exact dimensions of the wheels that she would need to cut from the dowels.

It would be boring, tedious work, but it was that way for a reason. One that he would explain to her in detail once she grew tired of the work.

((Happy holidays, and thanks for your patience!))

Noel laughed, pleased. She'd worked in the Elfeteria during high school, and there had been endless training videos. It was awful; she hated having to sit still and not do anything with her hands.

She followed him, struggling to balance her desire to keep up with a keen wish to look at and take in everything - there was so much to see!

"Will I be training alone, or do you train groups at a time?" she inquired, noting the location of his office in relation to everywhere else so she could find it again.

She looked around the training room with a broad grin. So many supplies, and so much to learn! She examined the dowel rod.

"So I make these?" she asked, holding up one of the schematic drawings of a wheel. "Will there be a demonstration first, or should I just try my best and you'll correct from there?"

((Happy Christmas! Hope everything is going well!))

"I only ever train one student at a time. I like to focus all of my attention on one person to make sure they get everything they need. For this exercise, you'll have to do your best and we will assess your work afterwards and go from there." Michael explained. "The Dowel is the right thickness already, so you need to cut them to the right width, then sand them down. Just make sure everything is straight and you're golden."

Of course, cutting straight was a difficult enough project, but with the various disruptions he had planned for her, it would be even more difficult.

"So you go ahead and get settled in. Get things set up how you like them and I'll check back in on you once everyone else has started work." Michael smiled as he essentially threw her into the deep end of the training workshop. "If you need me, I will be out front." Michael gave her a nod and smile before stepping out into his office to check over everything to make sure it was set for the day ahead.

Noel listened attentively, nodding to indicate that she understood. Saw the wood into circles? She could absolutely do that, or at least she was fairly confident that she could.

"Okay, thanks," she chirped, turning to her tools. She took a moment to look over the tools. They weren't identical to the ones she'd used at home, but they were close enough.

She decided it was best to be overcautious at first, and used the tape measurer to measure the dowel in several places, using the pencil to indicate where she should cut. Once she had the markings, she applied the saw to the wood. It was sharp, but the tradeoff for the sharpness was that you had to really be on top of it to keep it in place; her first cut was a good attempt, but wobblier than she'd prefer.

She tried a few more until she had four wheels of increasingly better quality, then turned her attention to sanding.

Michael left Noel to her work. He trusted her to get the wheels cut out and shaped into the exact measurements needed. In the workshop proper, he waved in the normal employees and set them all to work. Those that were out of projects were supplied and everyone else was checked in on. He went through his normal work and finished his paperwork before checking back in on Noel. He smiled to himself as he stepped into the room and looked about. He could smell the recently cut sawdust and took a moment to watch her work.

"How's it going in here, Noel?" Michael asked as he closed the door behind him. He crossed the room to her and picked up one of the wheels she had been working on to exam it.

She worked diligently while he was gone, doing her best to cut the wheels to the correct specifications and sand them until they were smooth. She'd completed nearly a dozen by the time he returned, sorted carefully into rejects - there were only a couple of those - wheels she thought were acceptable, probably, but not perfect, and those she thought were definitely up to par, three stacked neatly.

She noted his entrance, and tried hard not to look over at him for approval as she carefully sawed the twelfth circle - straight, thank goodness - and picked up the sandpaper. Only when he addressed her did she let herself look at him.

"Okay," she said nervously. "I think I'm mostly getting the hang of it. Do you have any suggestions?"

Michael looked the wheels over carefully. He made a 'hmmm' sound as he pulled a measuring device from his pocket and checked it all over. The few that were acceptable, he set aside. They were done well enough to pass forward to the workshop so that they could be put on a car.

"These are very good. Well done." Michael complimented. He stepped around the table so that he was behind Noel. "I can see that you're getting better." Michael stepped closer to her, invading her personal space. He wrapped his hand around hers and held the saw up. "Follow my lead." He directed and moved the saw back to the wooden dowel. "Keep the saw blade perpendicular to the floor..."

Michael walked her through what he thought was the best method for sawing completely straight. "Slow and steady. When you draw the blade back, lift it away...." After fully demonstrating to her the technique, he let go of her hand. He did not step away from her though. "Now, you do it, Noel." He directed.

Noel all but held her breath as the head elf looked over the products. She knew they weren't all perfect, but she hoped she at least wasn't being a complete failure. She was pleased, then, when some of her wheels were set aside for use - things she'd made right here would be going to actual kids!

The older elf got quite close to her to show her how to use the saw, and she shifted uncomfortably - she didn't want to accidentally elbow him. She did as he suggested, and found that it was easier than the technique she'd been using.

She expected him to step back when he let go, but he didn't. That was okay, she supposed - different people had different ideas of personal space. She put the saw against the wood and tried to imitate what he'd shown her, and was pleased with the reasonably straight line that emerged.

"Like that?"

"Yes, that is exactly how you should do it." Michael praised. "You see, the better the first cut, the easier the shaping will be with the sand paper. Less time per wheel and a much more productive elf." He smiled. "Now, each of my elves is well known to be extremely focused and capable of doing their work under any circumstance."

Michael placed his hands on her hips. "Now, cut another one, Noel." He directed. He would wait for her to start sawing again before letting his hands wander. He would provide the distraction that she needed to really hone her focus.

Noel listened attentively to her mentor's suggestions, then nodded. She could do that.

"Got it," she agreed, moving the piece of wood over and preparing the saw to bite into it. She was surprised to feel his hands on her hips, wondering if he was going to adjust them. When he left them there, she decided to ignore it, turning her attention to the task at hand.

She tried to mimic the motion he'd shown her once more, working to cut a neat circle. When his hands moved, however, she shifted.

"Is this, um, part of training for all your elves?" she asked, voice lifting in pitch.

"Yes, every single elf that I have trained." Michael explained softly as his hands moved over the fine felt of her jacket. He ran his fingers along the curve of her bust. "Focus on your work. No matter what happens, keep sawing." He directed sternly.

Michael squeezed her chest through the thick fabric of her uniform. While it always looked good on the elves, it was not incredible for truly driving a sensation home. His hands began to trail lower again and he paused at her hips for a short moment before he began to draw her skirt upwards to slowly reveal her legs and ass to him and his touch.