Sime~Gen Roleplaying: District Controller's Office Scenario
Episode #51: Change of Plans (7/17/99)
Arat waits for Pylor to answer the summons to his office.
Arat's papers are all neatly, and utterly, rearranged on his desk, due to the predations of the new Personal Assistant.
Pylor finally gets official notice of Arat's wish to see him, and is forced to stop "searching" for Arat himself.
Arat therefore can't find anything he needs to work on, and is in an even nastier mood than his transfer had left him in a week earlier.
Pylor therefore plods towards the (upstairs) Controller's office.
Pylor eventually reaches it and walks in.
Arat: ~~frosty~~
Arat: Sosu Pylor.
Pylor: Arat. There you are.
Pylor is unable to muster any enthusiasm for the meeting.
Arat zlins Pylor critically.
Pylor: ~~ listless and depressed ~~
Arat: Your avoidance of your duties has wasted days of valuable work time. Do you have an explanation for this?
Pylor automatically checks Arat's desk for tea as he moves to the tea table to get himself some.
Pylor: I was only notified of the assignment yesterday.
Pylor pours himself tea.
Arat: Your leave was over twenty-four hours after our transfer. You should have presented yourself for interim work.
Arat: Unless you were in some way incapacitated....
Pylor: Whatever you say. ~~ listless ~~
Pylor figures that he's in so much trouble with the Tecton right now, after his admissions to the Employee Morale Division, that nothing he can do will salvage his career.
Pylor sits (slumps, rather) in the chair by Arat's desk.
Arat edges away from him, having enough morale problems of his own without absorbing depression from the nager of a First Order Donor, however low-field.
Pylor sips lethargically at his tea.
Arat looks at him testily.
Arat: Is that the best you can do?
Pylor glances dully at Arat.
Pylor: No, but that wouldn't satisfy you either.
Pylor does make a vague effort to get his field zlinning more palatable.
Arat: Self-pity and sloth won't get you what you want, so I suggest you pull your act together and do your best with this next assignment.
Pylor has pretty much concluded that nothing he could possibly do will get him what he wants, and is therefore finding it very difficult to do much of anything.
Pylor: Whatever you say.
Pylor's nager improves by another small increment.
Arat is starting to look rather upset by Pylor's lethargic responses.
Arat: I had hoped to use you for my own purposes as much as possible, as Wise Snake requires Beni. It is your performance which will dictate your disposal.
Pylor's nager flickers at the mention of Snake.
Pylor thinks that "disposal" is an awfully final-sounding term.
Pylor is at least a little reassured when he remembers how protective Arat is of Snake.
Arat: However, I am going to assign you to someone else until you feel you are ready for serious work.
Pylor sips at his tea, telling himself that no Donor should be afraid of a channel, even one who is pain-addicted and rather homicidal.
Arat fills out a green card.
Arat: I'm going out on a limb here, but I trust you will be able to handle the assignment.
Pylor watches Arat write, wondering what new torment Arat has in store for him.
Arat: If you can't.... [leaves it up to Pylor to imagine the worse]
Arat hands the card to Pylor, carefully avoiding allowing his tentacles to curl up as he reaches into the gloomy field.
Pylor takes the card and glances at it.
Pylor's eyebrow climbs as he reads the name.
Arat replaces the assignment card pad in its original, correct drawer, so he can be sure to find them right away next time.
Pylor nods, some of the depression lifting from his nager.
Pylor: Where's his file?
Arat: Go to Confidential Records.
Arat hadn't known before now that he'd be making this assignment.
Pylor nods, sets his half-finished cup down on Arat's desk, and walks out.
Arat slumps, as soon as the door is closed.
Arat is angry and frustrated at Pylor's obstinateness.
Arat: A waste.
Beni signals in front of Arat's office.
Arat straightens.
Arat: Enter.
Beni does so.
Beni: Controller Arat.
Arat: Sosu Beni. [nods]
Arat: Be seated.
Beni sits, across the desk from Arat, rather than in the Donor's chair beside Arat.
Beni doesn't let that keep him from assessing Arat's condition, however, or from offering a bit of ~~ support ~~
Arat: There has been a change of plans regarding Sosu Pylor.
Beni: There has?
Arat: I examined him this morning and judged him unfit for normal duty. I have assigned him to a Second for the rest of this month.
Arat says this in as emotionless a tone as he can.
Arat: I believe I have an alternative I can line up, but I must speak to her first.
Arat: In the meantime, we will proceed without a second Donor.
Beni: ~~ concern ~~
Beni: I knew that Pylor was having problems, but I hadn't realized that they were so severe.
Arat: Neither had I.
Arat: He has been avoiding me for the last week, and today was my first chance to zlin him closely.
Beni: I saw him yesterday. He seemed rather depressed.
Beni is ~~ sympathetic ~~, perhaps of Pylor, or perhaps of Arat for having to deal with Pylor.
Arat: Pylor has dug himself into a difficult hole, from which he will have to climb on his own before anybody else can be of help.
Beni nods.
Arat: He will have an easy assignment this month, and counseling indefinitely.
Beni: How do you wish to proceed for the next three weeks, until Nick Reckage returns?
Beni also wonders what the shen Arat plans to do about a Donor for himself, if he's reassigned Pylor.
Arat deep down inside where he doesn't even know it, feels like a bit of a martyr for being expected to pull himself together and play Controller after the last month and the last transfer, but the greatest part of him is too Farris to see it as anything but doing what he has to.
Arat: [and of course, too Farris to do anything but rise to the challenge if it kills him!]
Arat: I will let you know what I have decided within the next day or so.
Beni: Let me know if you require anything in the meantime.
Arat: As I say, I believe I have an alternative for working with Snake, and Jeniard will be of some assistance in other matters, at least at first.
Beni is less than happy about the increased Jeniard-dependency, although he understands its necessity.
Beni: Who will be helping with Snake?
Beni tries to figure out which of the other Donors could handle her.
Beni's list of possibilities is rather short.
Arat: I will let you know when I have made a determination.
Arat's newly discovered openness-with-Donors has suffered badly from the last month and the last transfer.
Arat's manner is stiff.
Beni decides that Arat isn't going to open up.
Beni: Very well. ~~ subdued ~~
Beni thinks that Arat was getting almost human for a while there.
Beni: Is there anything else, Controller Arat?
Beni's nager assumes a more formal configuration.
Arat feels a sudden loss at Beni's nager's change.
Arat hesitates.
Beni notes the loss and hesitation, and his nager thaws around the edges.
Arat recovers.
Arat: That will be all. I will be down later to begin our first session.
Beni gets to his feet.
Beni: We'll be ready.
Beni leaves.