Sime~Gen Roleplaying on IRC: Bender Cove Township Scenario
Episode #94: (12/8/97)
Wise Snake has papers spread out over the desk, couch, chairs, coffee table, floor, and window sills.
Wise Snake has her nose in a book and is scratching her head.
Nick has managed to clear enough space to sit on the couch, just barely, and is ignoring the mess as he studies.
Linn sets mode: +o NickR
Linn bustles in the front door with a load of groceries.
Wise Snake: .. see Transformative Theory, page 23.. egads.
Wise Snake turns pages.
Nick looks up.
Nick: There's a better explanation in the little red book there.
Nick points to a precarious stack.
Wise Snake: Uh... thanks... [reaches for red book]
Wise Snake pauses.
Wise Snake: How did you know that?
Nick: It's the only one that made sense.
Nick: At least on Transformative Theory. The one your holding is OK on Hubrian Mechanics.
Wise Snake puts the books down and looks annoyed.
Wise Snake: Do you mean to tell me you have already studied this stuff?
Linn starts the kettle for tea, and then puts the groceries away.
Nick: Well, sort of. Some parts of it makes more sense than others.
Wise Snake: Huh.
Linn calls from the kitchen.
Linn: Do you two want tea?
Wise Snake: Well then why don't you tell me what a parabolic Hubre half-transformation is and why B'cal thinks you don't know how to do one?
Wise Snake: [belatedly] yes, Linn, thank you.
Wise Snake: [mutters] and here I thought she invented the shenned thing just to make me dig through these books.
Wise Snake waits patiently.
Nick: It's a method for blocking a stronger field than your own by sort of shunting it to one side, instead of just overriding it.
Wise Snake: And why don't you know how?
Wise Snake wonders whether she'd rather Nick knew how or not.
Nick: I know the basics, although I haven't had a chance to really perfect the technique.
Nick: B'cal must think I should have been blocking her field better when she went on her rampage yesterday.
Wise Snake: If you think that was a rampage, you sure don't know B'cal.
Wise Snake: [with feeling]
Wise Snake: You should see her when she isn't sleep deprived...
Wise Snake: She almost murdered me tonight when I left her outside of Sloppy Joe's and some hairy guy started giving her the eye.
Nick thinks that B'cal must have assumed that her temper tantrum caused the damage done by the trip out-T.
Nick: I'd think she'd have done better to murder the hairy guy.
Wise Snake: She sent him packing first. He ran so fast he was out of zlinning range by the time I got back downstairs, which is saying a lot.
Linn brings in the tea tray, then pauses, unable to find an unoccupied surface upon which to place it.
Wise Snake slides some books and papers off the coffee table onto the floor.
Linn winces at the mistreatment of the books.
Wise Snake thinks she can't win for losing.
Wise Snake picks up the books and puts them on top of some other books.
Linn sets the tea tray down and serves Nick and Snake.
Linn picks up a stray paper and glances at the strange and complicated equations scribbled all over it in Snake's handwriting.
Linn: My goodness, I didn't know you were taking up advanced mathematics.
Wise Snake: Oh, uh, heh heh it sort of comes with the territory.
Linn stacks the paper neatly on top of several other bescribbled pages.
Wise Snake embarrassed at a teacher seeing her irrational meandering problem solving methods.
Linn: Really?
Wise Snake: Yes, you can't do selyn movement theory without it.
Wise Snake is quoting Tramila... she actually prefers the "zlin and approximate" method herself.
Linn: How interesting.
Linn looks at the scrap paper again.
B I G SECTON MISSING HERE GUYS....WAS LOGGED OFF FOR AWHILE DOING CONTEST WORK--LIKE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING;)
Wise Snake: Of course you'd have to work harder in a real situation.
Wise Snake's pride is smarting.
Nick: All right. How do you want to set this up?
Wise Snake refrains from demanding that Linn set it up, since she is such a know-it-all.
Wise Snake takes a few breaths and thinks pleasant thoughts.
Nick has made strides in understanding the theory, but remains hazy on how it actually applies to the real world.
Wise Snake: I can simulate the field you are working against.
Wise Snake: That will give you practice... when you feel more confident at it, we can try it out on B'cal or Alea.
Nick: All right.
Wise Snake simulates a large, loud field.
Nick tries to slip into the focused state in which he usually works, but without letting his nager form a support link with Snake.
Nick tries to bounce it back at her.
Wise Snake: Ho! Whoa! Hey, wait, time out.
Wise Snake shrinks back away from Nick.
Nick: What's the matter?
Nick lets his field fall into synch with Snake's, soothing her distress.
Wise Snake: That's very interesting, but if I understood Yognk Hubre's principles, you were supposed to be deflecting it, not reflecting it, right?
Wise Snake: If you get into trying to bounce B'cal back at herself, you'll find yourself flat on your ass within seconds.
Nick: I reflected your projection?
Wise Snake forces herself to accept Nick's calming.
Wise Snake: Yes, more or less.
Nick: Oh.
Wise Snake: I'm sure there must be a legitimate use for that somewhere, but...
Nick thinks about the math for a moment, then nods.
Nick's field adjusts itself just slightly.
Nick: All right, let's try it again.
Wise Snake projects with a good deal more caution this time.
Febus flies in the front door of the Sime Center with a wild look in his eye.
Alea coming out of her office stops and stares.
Alea: You!
Febus sees Alea and rushes wildly at her, eyes blank.
Nick bounces the projection in Linn's direction this time, instead of back towards Snake.
Alea looks both directions, trying to decide which way to feint.
Wise Snake ducks reflexively.
Alea: Now just a ..
Alea forces her field flat.
Alea: Don't do it!
Febus snatches Alea by the arms, then pauses in confusion when she becomes unappetizing.
Alea: Shendoni....
Febus drops Alea in revulsion.
Alea sighs in relief.
Linn's field responds ever so slightly to the surge of the reflection, although not on a conscious level.
Alea: Gamble away your transfer again?
Febus: No!!! I my it was I didn't where well it was.
Alea: Uh huh..should have used the gun...
Alea turns to walk off.
Febus zlins his Gen running away and snatches her again.
Alea jumps.
Nick: How was that?
Wise Snake: Isn't there any way you could, uh, deflect it more gently?
Alea: Let go of my you shendoni fleckin lorsh.
Wise Snake: You're acting like a prism. I was envisioning something more like the bow of a ship.
Alea looks for the clerk and as usual, no one is in sight.
Febus jerks away at Alea's anger.
Alea smiles.
Febus attacks again when Alea smiles.
Alea: Why don't you...
Nick thinks about it for a moment, trying to play with a few equations in his head.
Febus clings to Alea's arms.
Febus: Come on baby, you know what I want...
Alea: How far are you from transfer?
Alea gasps.
Alea: Dream on.
Febus: I'm ready right now.
Febus tries to get a 5th contact.
Alea concentrates, forcing her field down to nothing.
Alea turns her head.
Febus opens his eyes and looks at Alea in disbelief.
Alea: You don't want me Febus.
Febus: What is wrong with you, woman?
Alea: You, you little gnat.
Alea: I'm a Farris.
Febus: I want you, I want you! Now give it up or I'll have to report you to your superiors.
Febus: ["superiors" in a snotty voice]
Alea: Do you really think I'd give you transfer.
Alea: Go on...
Alea: Report me.
Alea grins smugly.
Nick adjusts his field slightly again, moving away from a pure Hubre half-transformation by adding elements of Xilo's Postulate.
Febus: You didn't have any problem with it last month.
Febus forgets it was actually 2 months ago.
Alea: You wouldn't even put a dent in my field you worm. Of course I won't have a problem.
Alea: However...why waste myself on you.
Alea: Now just let go so I don't have to hurt you.
Nick: All right, try one more time.
Febus: Well then let's get cracking. I don't have all day here.
Febus: Oh, hurt me? Oh, now I'm scaaaared.
Febus pushes Alea against the wall and tries for the 5th contact despite the lack of zlinnable nager.
Alea struggles against Febus, turning her head.
Alea: Let go of me you shendoni lorsh.
Febus: Come on baby, struggle. I like a Gen who wants to fight.
Alea wishes she hadn't given him her gun..that way she could shoot him now.
Alea: You know, I found a rifle in a room upstairs..you don't release me, I'll use it on you.
Febus jerks to zlin the other Sime who just walked in.
Febus: Hey! [to Tarsh] back off! She's mine.
Wise Snake shakes her head.
Alea sets mode: +o Tarsh
Alea sighs, keeping her field flat.
Wise Snake: Well, it certainly deflects big nager, but I don't know how practical it would be in everyday use.
Alea: Let go Febus, we'll find someone to serve you...eventually[mutters the last]
Wise Snake: You're just shooting it off in a different direction. If Linn was a renSime, she'd be scrambled eggs on the floor right now.
Alea sets mode: +o JonDrake
Alea pulls again against Febus.
Nick: I see.
Alea: Look, Febus...we can work this out.
Nick looks thoughtful.
Alea: Just let me find a channel for you.
Febus: A channel? Why should I take used goods when I can have something nobody else has had yet this month?
Nick: Here, give me a projection one more time. I want to try something.
Wise Snake projects big loud nager again.
Nick catches the projection and reflects it back again, but this time with a phase change, so that it neatly cancels out the original projection, leaving a null ambient.
Alea: You won't have me, you idiot. If you don't let go I'll just slam you and leave your remains here for someone to find.
Alea hopes he believes the lie.
Wise Snake's hair stands on end.
Wise Snake: Egads!
Wise Snake lets her projection collapse.
Wise Snake unnerved.
Febus: Oh come on, just one little transfer. You said it would be no problem, what are you all mouth and no nager/
Febus: ?
Alea glares at Febus.
Febus's tentacles are making Alea's arms sticky.
Alea: No.
Alea smiles sweetly.
Alea: Now just let me go, why don't you.
Alea ~~cajoling~~
Nick looks at Snake anxiously.
Nick: Did it work?
Alea: You know, wouldn't you rather go back to a transfer room with a transfer couch and everything?
Wise Snake shakes her head.
Wise Snake: That was... that was.. something, all right.
Wise Snake: I don't think it was a Hubre half transformation though.
Wise Snake: Wait a minute!
Wise Snake: Yes!
Alea: Come on..the transfer lounge would be much nicer.
Alea thinks and maybe I'll see someone between here and there to help.
Wise Snake: That was why they called it a parabolic transformation... your field went convex and reflected it straight back at me in exact reverse phase, to cancel it out.
Febus looks at her suspiciously.
Febus: You aren't trying to sneak away are you? Because if you do...
Alea tries to blink innocently, smiling.
Alea: Look you nasty little worm...
Nick: Well, that was the idea.
Alea: Don't even go that road...threats don't work with me.
Wise Snake: That was really creepy.
Febus: Hey! Who are you calling little?
Febus is taller than Alea.
Alea: You.
Alea looks him up and down and tries to shrug.
Alea: You're getting my arms sticky, would you mind releasing me.
Febus: ~~ angry in addition to hard need ~~
Febus shoves Alea against the wall and tries to take transfer.
Alea: Shen.
Alea: struggles.
Nick shrugs.
Alea: You don't want to do this...let's just get a Channel.
Febus manages to get a 5th contact.
Alea stops struggling, cursing the fact that she was the one in the lobby--again.
Nick: It seems better than slamming it back in your face.
Febus draws.
Wise Snake: I don't know.
Alea allows the draw, wondering how this is going to mess up her transfer with Tramila.
Wise Snake: Imagine the air between you and me suddenly became impenetrable to sight. Would that make talking to me easier?
Alea sets mode: +o Febus
Nick looks thoughtful.
Nick: It would be disorienting, certainly. But if the alternative was to be slapped with the untransformed surge...
Wise Snake: I suppose, if you knew in advance a shock might be expected...
Febus draws voraciously... or so he believes.
Febus finishes up.
Febus looks annoyed.
Febus: That was lousy. Do you always just lie there passively?
Alea smiles.
Alea: Well what'd you want? I warned you [smugly]
Febus wipes his mouth.
Alea chuckles.
Febus: Shedoni Tecton transfers are always lousy.
Alea grins with glee.
Febus: Well, might as well get it over with.
Alea: You didn't say that last time.
Febus unzips pants.
Alea: SO, let this be a lesson..HEY!
Alea: What are you doing?
Alea skitters around him.
Febus: Not so fast, young lady.
Febus heads Alea off at the pass.
Alea: I swear you don't let me pass I'll find that shenned rifle and make sure you regret coming to the center...
Nick: True. It does take concentration.
Febus: What! [outraged] I am a paying customer.
Alea gapes.
Alea: You just attacked me and drew selyn from me..what in shenned do you mean you are a paying customer.
Wise Snake: You know, I think B'cal just said that to watch me scurry, and look through books and stuff. She probably has no idea you had a bunch of theoretical background already.
Wise Snake thinks, I know I sure didn't.
Briel comes out of a donation room, charts in hand.
Nick imagines how surprised B'cal would be to find her overwhelming projections negated, and therefore useless for controlling Snake.
Nick: That would be like B'cal.
Febus: [belligerent] I pay my taxes... now I'm post. Give it up, you tease.
Alea: Tease?!
Briel zlins the lobby and drops the charts, augmenting into there.
Alea sees Briel and sighs in relief.
Briel: What is going on here?
Febus: [to Briel] Back off, this one's mine.
Briel eyes widen when she sees Febus's state of dress..or lack thereof..and then starts chuckling.
Briel: Feeling threatened by that, Alea?
Briel shakes her head.
Febus is not used to this reaction.... you can never get used to that reaction.
Febus: Hey!! [wounded]
Alea jerks back and tries to go around Febus.
Briel shrugs.
Febus looks Briel up and down.
Briel: May I ask why you're attacking my Donor?
Febus: Well, if you're so tough, why don't you put your body where your mouth is. I'm post and I have things to do.
Briel: I suggest you go do them, then.
Alea goggles at Briel.
Alea: If you'll just excuse me...
Alea slips around the two and toward the stairs.
Febus turns to follow Alea up.
Briel reaches out and snatches Febus by the arm.
Briel: Hold it.
Wise Snake: Well, we definitely have to arrange for you to use that little trick.. preferably in a more subtle fashion... when she is around, just once. And casually, without a lot of fanfare, as if it happens every day.
Febus: Hey!
Febus: Unhand me, wench!
Alea pauses then resumes.
Briel: Farid not. We don't supply for posts. You can go down the street...to the one of the other places for that.
Febus: [grumbles]
Febus: This place sure is a raw deal.
Alea chuckles with glee.
Febus wrests his arm from Briel's grasp.
Briel: You're alive aren't you?
Briel: Hey.
Briel grabs at Febus again.
Nick nods agreement, eager to see B'cal's reaction.
Febus stomps past Briel, slapping away her grabbing hands.
Febus: No no, you said you didn't want me, so hands off.
Febus marches out of the Sime Center, head high.
Alea hurries over to Briel
Wise Snake: Uh um, Nick...
Briel glares at Alea, then sighs. "How do you get yourself into these messes?"
Febus gets about a block and a half before he realizes something is amiss and darts into an alley to zip his pants back up.
Febus is now known as GRiddance.
Alea: Me?
Alea: I only walked out of my office.
Alea: You should have just let me go get a rifle and put the man out of his misery. This is the second time he has attacked me.
Wise Snake: Look, I know you have been really getting into your books and stuff, but...
Briel frowns, zlinning Alea.
Briel: This might put you off from Tramila....
Alea groans.
Alea: But...I need that Farris transfer...I really do...Shen.
Wise Snake: Self-knowledge and letting your natural talent work is worth more to me than a bunch of theories.
Wise Snake: Your natural talent would not have led you to try to slam me with my own projection.
Briel sighs.
Briel: Look, maybe not. We'll see. He didn't do much damage to your field. When Tramila is back, you two can talk it out, then let me know. If not, well then, we'll find someone for you.
Briel turns back toward the hall to go gather her charts she dropped.
Jammy comes in the front door, holding his papers.
Alea sighs, morosely, wondering if she can hire a hitman for him for ruining this transfer...then sees someone else enter.
Jammy looks around, seeing nobody at the front desk.
Jammy puzzled.
Alea studies him carefully before going forward.
Alea keeps the desk in between them.
Nick: True, but it also wasn't doing me much good in finding a way to disarm B'cal's projections.
Alea: May I help you?
Jammy is a channel.
Jammy: [there is something odd about his right arm]
Jammy: Yes... I am reporting for duty.. [or trying to, mutters under his breath]
Jammy offers Alea the papers.
Alea sighs in relief, reaches for the paper and sees her sticky arms.
Alea: Oh, uh...
Alea takes the papers and drops them on the desk.
Jammy is surprised by Alea's arms.. offers papers by the corner.
Alea: Excuse me just a minute.
Alea looks around for a rag, takes the shirt on the back of the chair and wipes at her arms.
Alea: We just had a minor mishap..now..you say you're to report here?
Alea tosses the shirt on the floor and picks the papers up.
Alea reads the papers.
Jammy: [papers say Jamoeghi ambrov Intil, assigned to the UPTOWN Sime Center]
Alea: What is..your arm?
Alea glances at his right arm.
Jammy has one dorsal that is only 1/2 there.
Jammy's stumpy dorsal taps nervously against the back of his hand.
Alea: What happened?
Jammy: I was attacked by an overly enthusiastic client.
Briel comes back into the room, zlinning.
Alea: I see.
Alea sees Briel and holds out the papers to her.
Jammy displays bite marks on his wrist... permanent scars, but nowhere near as noticeable as the dorsal.
Briel scans the papers.
Alea: Oh dear.
Alea frowns.
Wise Snake frowns.
Wise Snake: I hadn't realized that was high on your agenda.
Briel frowns.
Briel: Hajene, I'm Briel ambrov R'lea. Welcome.
Nick: When she has you cringing like a whipped puppy--yes, it's high on my agenda.
Wise Snake: Me? Like a whipped puppy? [indignant] indeed!
Jammy: Jammy ambrov Intil. Pleased to meet you.
Briel zlins Jammy.
Alea moves to support Briel, thinking she likes it there better where anyone coming through the door meets two Simes first.
Jammy is either an undeveloped 1st or a super-2nd.
Briel lifts an eyebrow.
Briel: Well.
Briel: We can certainly use your skills here.
Jammy looks greatly interested.
Briel: We are losing two channels this month and are going to be very short.
Nick shrugs, and Linn nods approval.
Jammy: You can? That's wonderful. I wasn't sure if my talents would languish here or get some exercise.
Wise Snake: Anyway, I'll thank you to not experiment with anything too bizarre without asking me first.
Briel: Why don't I let Alea show you to your room. I have some other assignments...we can talk later.
Wise Snake: Remember, I can't work enough to prevent entran without having two Donors, and B'cal has agreed to be backup for your first transfer... without paperwork or other monitor. Something nobody else has agreed to.
Jammy: That will be fine.
Jammy has only a small suitcase.
Alea: Come on, Jammy..right this way.
Briel goes off in search of Jon Drake.
Nick: Well, as long as she is at least moderately polite, I'll be polite in return.
Jammy follows, looking around at the curiously plain interior of this Center.
Alea: The center here is larger than most, simply because of all the classes we have.
Alea: We have a vacancy upstairs...[Alea leads him to the stairs]
Alea: We have several first channels on staff here. Of course, Tramila Farris ambrov Zeor is only temporary.
Jammy: I've worked with a Farris.... they're quite remarkable.
Alea touches the black on her collar sighing at what looks like her chance to have transfer with another Farris going by the wayside.
Alea: Oh really?
Alea pauses to study him closer.
Jammy: The Sectuib of my House is a Farris.
Jammy is a really ugly guy, when you take the time to think about it.
Alea stops dead.
Alea: Who?
Alea can't imagine anyone leaving Zeor to be in charge of a household
Wise Snake: Nick, you can't expect B'cal to be moderately polite, or moderately anything else for that matter.
Wise Snake: Don't set up impossible standards.
Nick sees nothing impossible about common courtesy.
Jammy: Kale Farris... was at Zeor until he proved... I don't know how else to put this...
Alea stiffens, wary.
Alea: Proved what?
Jammy: .... he proved unable to focus on normal duties because his genius drove him to research in his own particular field of interest.
Alea: And that field was?
Alea thinks Zeor is tolerant of all fields of interest.
Wise Snake: It is up to us to humor her until she is no longer required. And she IS required now, mark my words.
Nick: I won't pick a fight with her, I promise. But I won't grovel to her, either. It wouldn't work if I tried: She respects a person who stands up to her far more than one who gives in.
Jammy: His research is mainly in the areas of raising intil and in simultaneous transfer and sexual climax.
Alea turns and goes up the stairs...and trips.
Alea: What!
Alea turns and looks at Jammy in shock.
Jammy catches Alea before she falls.
Jammy: Intil.
Alea: I..I heard that.
Jammy: His research into the causes and qualities of intil is on the leading edge of our times.
Alea shakes her head, thinking she now understands why Zeor might have had a few problems.
Alea: I see.
Alea steps away from Jammy and motions him to come on up the stairs.
Wise Snake: Well, Nick, I hate to disillusion you, but B'cal's respect has nothing to do with whether a person stands up or grovels.
Jammy follows Alea
Wise Snake: Her standards are those of her House, which we by the very fact of our birth and upbringing can never live up to.
Wise Snake: So there is no point in trying to demand her respect.
Alea goes up the stairs, pauses, then turns from her end of the hall toward the far end.
Alea: There's a room right down here.
Jammy: Thank you.
Alea: I know you're probably roomed in the more insulated rooms of the firsts. If this room gives you trouble just let me know.
Alea thinks she'll just order more insulation instead of moving his to the other wing.
Jammy: All right... will I be called when I am required?
Nick: I don't care particularly whether she respects me, so long as she treats me like a human being instead of a piece of furniture.
Alea: There's a board downstairs. It'll have your duty schedule on it.
Jammy: Oh.. thank you.
Nick: And you and Linn as well.
Wise Snake: Well, to be perfectly honest I think you and Linn were not on your best behavior yesterday morning.
Alea: When are you scheduled transfer? Briel or Veraik, our controller, will handle your assignment.
Jammy: I just had a transfer at my .. going away party. So I will be fine for another 26 days.
Alea wonders now when it was said they could use him there just what type of expertise he has from that house. She vows to talk to Veraik about it--no...not Veraik.
Nick: Because we objected to her prying through our private belongings?
Alea thinks maybe Briel, or Lanyi...let them know.
Alea: Okay.
Alea: Great.
Alea motions to Zilla's old room.
Alea: This is the room here. If you require anything just...check at the front desk.
Wise Snake: No, because you acted like babies. I mean, snatching the newspaper out of her hand, for shen's sake./
Jammy peers into the dark little room with its small window.
Wise Snake: I realize she brings out the unreasonableness in the most stoic of individuals, but again we must work to get along with her. We just don't have any other choice.
Alea turns and starts back down the hall to the stairs.
Jammy goes into the room, closes the door, and sits on the bed with his bag of "going away presents"
Jammy is now known as nobody.
Nick: Since she was holding it upside down at the time, I have to assume she was more interested in your notes and scribbles than in the news.
Nick: Like I said, I won't pick a fight with her.
Wise Snake: I'm not just picking on you. I'm going to have the same conversation with Linn just as soon as I get a chance.
Wise Snake: When B'cal takes those pot shots at you, just ignore her.
Nick: I'm not going to let her abuse me--or you--to keep the peace. I will be polite so far as it is practical.
Wise Snake: Nick, though it sometimes seems difficult to believe, I am in charge here. And I am asking you to be polite to her all the time.
Wise Snake: And when all three of us are together, I will signal you as to whether you should take me or allow her.
Alea goes in search of Lanyi to have an in-depth conversation with her.
Wise Snake: Under no circumstances will you fight her field in my presence without my permission. Is that understood?
Alea thinks despite Lanyi's arrogance, she can't help but be fascinated with her.
Alea: A tigue..who would have thought here.
Alea shakes her head.
Nick: Very well.
Nobody is now known as cockroach.
Cockroach runs across the floor between Briel's feet.
Wise Snake zlins Nick.
Briel augments and jumps to smash it.
Nick is very unhappy about being forced to give such a promise against his better judgment.
Briel: Shenned bugs. that new exterminator was suppose to spray for these.
Briel catches it and smashes it.
Cockroach is now known as oobleck.
Briel continues down the hall, zlinning for Jon drake.
Wise Snake sags unhappily.
Briel stops in the hall, leaning against the wall, wrapping an arm around her middle as she hits turnover.
Briel: Where the shenned is a Donor when you want one.
Wise Snake: Look, Nick...
Wise Snake: You've got to trust me on this.
Yowza bounces up the front steps of the Sime Center.
Briel zlins for Tamlen, or any other Donor.
Briel: Well Shen.
Alea comes down the stairs and sees someone on the steps of the Center.
Yowza enters the lobby and looks around.
Yowza: Hello???
Alea turns to go back up the stairs.
Wise Snake looks at Nick, trying to meet his eyes.
Alea thinks she is taking the coward's way out, she pauses.
Alea: How may I help you?
Alea goes back into the lobby.
Wise Snake: Isn't making this work out more important than a couple of months of personal pride?
Yowza: Hi... I'm here to talk to Hajene Veraik?
Alea: I'm sorry, the Controller isn't in right now.
Alea studies the woman relaxing.
Yowza: Oh... [deflates]
Alea: We have another channel available...two actually.
Yowza: Really? [perks up]
Alea thinks of the new channel upstairs and smiles.
Yowza: Okay.
Alea thinks that would be too fast to assign him so she goes to look for Briel.
Briel comes back into the lobby, in a foul mood.
Briel stops when she sees the new person and smoothes her expression and nager.
Yowza turns to face the channel.
Briel: Hello.
Briel nods.
Yowza: Hello! [happy to see a channel]
Nick: Pride, nothing. B'cal is Tecton, and the less she knows of our affairs, the better.
Wise Snake rubs her eyes with two fingers and a tentacle.
Briel: How can I help you?
Wise Snake: I know, Nick, I know. But there were more subtle ways to handle that. You drove her off when she would have stayed her for four more hours.
Alea senses Briel's distress and moves to support her.
Wise Snake is slightly jealous when she sees Alea move in.
Wise Snake: === that was Yowza.
Yowza pouts slightly.
Yowza: Veraik wanted me to read these brochures and come talk to him again.
Briel steps back closer to Alea.
Briel: I see.
Briel takes the brochures and looks at them.
Yowza: [brochures about becoming a Donor]
Nick imagines four more hours of B'cal tearing the house apart, and then living with Linn afterwards, and shudders.
Wise Snake zlins Nick's horror; her tentacles creep inside their sheathes.
Briel zlins Yowza.
Yowza: Hot young Gen with a high field and a severe case of frustration.
Briel blinks.
Briel: Yes, I do see.
Briel: Hmmm....so, you're ready to donate?
Yowza: Am I ready!! I was ready three days ago, but Veraik was being a putz.
Alea smiles at the description of Veraik, then quickly covers it.
Briel: You know...
Briel goes over to the filing cabinet and rummages through it.
Wise Snake: Nick..
Wise Snake: Please.
Briel pulls out a sheet of paper.
Briel: Veraik is due transfer in a short time.
Briel: I think we could rearrange the schedule so he could qualify you.
Briel: Did he mention that to you? Or anything else?
Wise Snake: Rafe knew all our business and he was far more dangerous than B'cal could ever be. B'cal is accompanying me on nights, so she will be getting an eyeful of everything first hand.
Wise Snake: We can't hide from her. She will know, one way or another. She knew what she'd be getting into before she offered herself again.
Alea thinks this young girl would be perfect for Veraik and silently thanks whoever sent her this way.
Yowza frowns slightly.
Yowza: Well he DID say something about coming back next week, but I got impatient.
Yowza thinks, and tired of her boring job.
Briel tries to smile.
Briel: I understand.
Wise Snake sighs.
Briel: However, if we found someone to qualify you now, it would have to be with someone else..and I really think you'll match Veraik.
Wise Snake: I don't like being exposed this way any more than you do, but can you believe me when I tell you, B'cal is far less of a risk than someone like Veraik would be?
Wise Snake: She doesn't even really care about the Tecton. All she cares about is her House, and she cannot show her face there again until I have been rehabilitated in the eyes of the world.
Wise Snake: Reason enough for her to take our side.
Nick: If taking our side means having her batter you into submission with her nager, I think we'd do better with Veraik, even with the risk of exposure.
Yowza: Really?
Yowza: So when do I get to donate?
Yowza has a one track mind right now.
Wise Snake sinks down lower.
Briel looks through the files, sighing when she finally finds one on the young woman, then pulls Veraik's file and the transfer chart.
Briel does some calculations and mental rearranging...
Briel: End of this week.
Yowza: Wow! That's great!
Briel nods.
Briel: I thought you'd like that.
Yowza: ~~~ surge of happy feeling of being on the same side as Briel ~~~
Briel thinks she's not going to like telling Tamlen that he has been put on hold.
Wise Snake: Nick... there is a good reason to have it be B'cal, regardless of the difficulties she presents.
Wise Snake: Veraik can no longer safely match me for transfer. B'cal can.
Briel suddenly smiles...she was going to steal Jon from Kaymiel for a bit...maybe Tamlen could work with her....shrugs, grabs the transfer schedule and several charts and stacks them on top of the filing cabinet.
Briel: I'm glad that pleases you Yowza.
Yowza: Wow!
Yowza: [again]
Wise Snake: If you.. if you.. can't do it, she will be there.
Alea moves up closer to Alea, adjusting her position for Yowza's enthusiasm.
Yowza goggles, wondering how Alea can do that.
Yowza hopes Veraik will teach her.
Nick: You're really worried about this transfer, aren't you?
Alea blinks, shakes her head wondering about that herself..and glances questioningly at Briel's odd stare as she tries to support her.
Wise Snake's forehead has a sheen of sweat.
Wise Snake clenches her hands together.
Wise Snake: Yes, I am, Nick.
Wise Snake: It's incredibly risky.
Wise Snake: .
Briel looks between Yowza and Alea
Briel: Any questions, Yowza?
Yowza realizes she is supposed to leave now.
Yowza wilts.
Nick raises a questioning eyebrow.
Yowza: N - no, uh, I guess I will come back in a week.
Briel: By the way, how old are you, Yowza? You're chart doesn't say.
Wise Snake looks up at Nick again.
Yowza: I'm 13! [proudly]
Briel: Do you live in-Territory?[alarmed]
Yowza looks like a fully developed Gen woman... must have established at 11 or so]
Yowza: Of course! Who would live in boring old Gen Territory.
Briel relaxes.
Briel: Okay. Good.
Wise Snake: I've been telling you so all along.
Nick: So you have.
Wise Snake: You don't match me yet, and I've had nothing but bad transfers since day one. My control is never spectacularly good in my personal transfers, and we don't know what your maximum delivery speed is.
Briel: We'll see you Thursday then.
Wise Snake: Of course I'm nervous about it.
Wise Snake: Nobody in their right mind wouldn't be.
Yowza: Bye bye...
Yowza leaves
Briel: Bye dear.
Yowza is now known as gone.
Nick is glad that Snake is still worried, even if she isn't in her right mind.
Briel sighs and leans back into Alea's field.
Wise Snake wraps her tentacles around her clenched fingers, and debates telling Nick the rest.
Alea: Why don't we go sit down and allow you a short break, Hajene. At least until someone else shows up.
Briel: No. No. I'm fine. I'll find Tamlen. I have news to break to him, then I should find Jon Drake. I'll be...fine.
Briel turns and walks off.
Alea watches Briel walk off and sighs.
Wise Snake looks down.
Wise Snake sets mode: +o Veraik
Briel goes down the hall, unable to find Tamlen or Jon Drake.
Alea goes back to the desk and gathers up the files that should be filed and begins to file them.
Alea realizes her arms are still sticky and sighs with disgust.
Alea drops the files and goes down the hall to a bathroom to wash them.
Alea scrubs them thoroughly, until they are bright pink and tingling.
Alea: What a disgusting toad that little wimp was.
Nick sees the clenched fingers and sighs, offering support.
Alea dries her arms and then goes to her office to find her Farris lotion and rub it on her arms.
Wise Snake sighs.
Alea rubs it in, realizing her arms are tender from the harsh scrub.
Alea: I'll be really upset if that little twerp messed up my schedule with Tramila.
Alea thinks her schedule shouldn't be that messed up.
Wise Snake: Um, Nick...
Nick: Yes?
Wise Snake: I haven't... been... entirely, uh, open with you.
Nick thinks "so what else is new", but raises an encouraging eyebrow.
Wise Snake can tell Nick has no idea what he's about to be hit with.
Wise Snake raises a hand to push her hair back nervously.
Alea: Briel isn't a Farris .. she was just guessing. I'll still be able to have transfer with a Farris.
Alea nods emphatically.
Alea: Of course I will.
Wise Snake: Look, I... this is difficult.... I have never talked about this with anybody before.
Nick waits patiently.
Alea: Puny little renSime like that isn't going to make a difference in anything with me.
Wise Snake: Not that some people haven't tried... but it's not something I can just... just talk about.
Wise Snake realizes she isn't making much sense just now.
Nick waits for Snake's coherency index to rise.
Wise Snake: You know I almost killed in First Need... burned the hell out of the guy and forced him to shen me.
Nick nods.
Wise Snake: Every transfer I have, I try to get that again.
Wise Snake: [painful]
Wise Snake: His pain.. my pain... either or both. I can't be satisfied without it.
Nick: I know.
Wise Snake pauses.
Wise Snake: You know?
Nick: I saw the equations you scribbled, trying to map out this transfer without a monitor.
Nick: That's why I'm willing to put up with B'cal monitoring the actual transfer.
Wise Snake stares at him.
Wise Snake: I have to lay down for a moment.
Wise Snake lays down on the couch.
Nick bends over Snake, concerned.
Wise Snake looks pale.
Wise Snake: Do you have ANY idea how much I've agonized over telling you this?
Wise Snake thinks months.
Alea goes back out to the lobby.
Nick: I've some idea, judging from the various solutions you calculated, trying to find a compromise that would work for both of us.
Wise Snake: Look, Nick... it's possible that... when the moment comes.. I will turn from you and take B'cal instead.
Alea finishes filing the files.
Nick places a hand on Snake's.
Alea sees all the information on the transfers that Briel pulled and sits down in the vacant clerk's chair to read over everything.
Wise Snake knows she can't hurt B'cal, no matter how hard she tries.
Nick: If you think you have to do that, I won't fight you--or B'cal.
Wise Snake's tentacles curl around Nick's hand.
Nick: But she's not going to go prying through my papers--or your desk--again.
Wise Snake's heart quails at the hardness in Nick's tone.
Wise Snake pulls her hand away and rises, putting some distance between them.
Wise Snake: Well. Now that that's out of the way, what do you say we get some actual work done?
Nick: Certainly. I heard the fishing boats brought in a good catch this morning. There will probably be plenty of cuts and strains in the gutting sheds.
Wise Snake: Sounds ghastly. Let's go.
Alea smiles.
Nick grins, and goes to fetch the medicine satchel.
Wise Snake wonders if Nick really understands what she tried to tell him.
Wise Snake sighs, and looks out the window at the sky.
Alea rearranges the schedule, then goes to the board and erases it and rewrites the new schedule.
Alea chuckles, think that should shake things up for awhile.
Alea smiles innocenlty and walks off.