Sime~Gen Roleplaying: District Controller's Office Scenario
Episode #64: Checkup (8/29/99)
Nick is lucky enough to find a time when Jeniard is busy and Beni is off duty, and decided to beard Arat in his (Arat's) den.
Nick does follow Tecton protocol and signal at the door.
Arat: Enter!
Nick does not wait for Arat to open the door, as he knows how much Arat dislikes doing so.
Nick: Good morning.
Arat looks up from an elaborate personnel evaluation he was working on.
Arat: Nick.
Nick checks Arat's condition, and that of his tea mug, out of habit.
Arat seems somewhat surprised to see him outside of the scheduled meetings.
Arat's tea mug looks empty.
Arat himself seems less freaked than he did the previous month, although nowhere near as relaxed as he had when assigned to Nick.
Nick: I see that Beni's been able to help you with some of the damage.
Nick casually offers ~~ support ~~ as he nabs Arat's cup and takes it to the tea table.
Arat squirms just a little at the reference to his own health.
Arat turns to watch Nick.
Arat: Beni is a serviceable Donor.
Arat wonders what Nick is doing here. Perhaps he wants some favor for Snake?
Arat can't say that he isn't enjoying the feel of Nick's nager, though.
Nick tsks at the cold Tecton #3 in Arat's mug, dumps it out, and rinses the cup.
Nick: Beni's better than Pylor, at least. Still, you look a bit worn, and you haven't even reached turnover yet.
Nick reaches into the back of the cabinet and pulls out the Narosian tea.
Arat frowns to himself.
Arat: I am doing as well as ever.
Arat means, as well as he ever had before Nick's arrival.
Nick is, of course, ignorant of the state in which Arat lived before Nick met him.
Arat has no illusions that the Tecton will allow him any more than an occasional assignment to Nick once the deal with New Othwol is dissolved, and he's not going to torment himself by pretending, either.
Nick measures tea into two cups, adds water, and brings them back to the desk.
Nick puts one cup in front of Arat, and sits down in the empty Donor's chair.
Nick sets to work unkinking Arat's nager as he sips.
Arat shifts uneasily at the the borderline-unprofessional move, but can't deny that he could use the support. And Nick's nager is truly a balm to his nerves.
Arat relaxes despite himself, and picks up the tea with a sigh.
Arat's nostrils curl at the scent of an outlandishly expensive Narosian tea variety.
Arat stops, then forces himself to take a tiny sip of the tea. He isn't so much opposed to the taste of the tea as he's opposed to it on moral grounds.
Nick: You know, you should work a bit with Beni. He's willing to learn; I bet you could teach him how to be much more effective with you.
Nick: At least, Snake said that he was getting much better towards the end of her time with him.
Nick might be editing Snake's remarks for diplomacy.
Arat: Yes, Beni has potential.
Nick: He'll never realize it, if you're willing to settle for merely adequate.
Arat turns and gives Nick an astonished look.
Arat has never in his life been accused of being willing to settle for merely adequate - quite the contrary in fact!
Nick hopes Arat will respond to the wasted-employee-potential argument, where he wouldn't to the personal-comfort argument.
Arat: I have been working with Beni. [defensively]
Arat thinks Nick, having to all accounts been a rare natural Donor, has no idea how lengthy the process of improvement is for a normal Donor like Beni.
Arat: And he has shown some progress. [this is a reasonably high level of praise coming from Arat]
Nick could also have an exaggerated idea of what sort of improvement is possible, when the Donor in question only works with Farris channels every second or third month.
Nick makes a noise that could be interpreted as agreement, or maybe not.
Nick: Still, he seems to be leaving you with quite a bit of residual tension.
Nick has already made quite a bit of progress on said tension.
Arat does, however, start getting more tense as the subject of being tense comes up.
Arat is now starting to wonder if Neptude or Seruffin has gotten his claws into Nick and is trying to get Nick to evaluate Arat's attitude about Beni.
Nick feels Arat's resistance.
Arat hadn't heard they'd been snooping around, but given his relationship with his staff, he doesn't always hear about everything.
Arat's tentacles flick about briefly, then withdraw.
Arat: I am satisfied with Beni's progress so far.
Arat says it in a tone of finality.
Nick: Will you relax? I'm not here on some sort of official interrogation.
Nick: ~~ mild exasperation ~~
Arat looks twice as paranoid as his worst fears are voiced.
Nick's nager was clearly truthful during that last statement.
Arat looks down, unable to decide whether to feel weirded-out or sheepish, neither of which emotions sits well with him.
Arat's natural tendency is to erase both with resentment, which is what happens next, except that he also tries to hide the resentment from Nick, which is less successful.
Arat: Nick... this is difficult for me. [at last]
Nick sighs, a bit apologetically.
Nick: I know it is.
Nick sips at his tea in a ~~ soothing ~~ fashion.
Arat: Do you know that you are not... obligated to check up on me?
Nick: Who said anything about obligation?
Nick leans back in a casual fashion and gives Arat a good imitation of an innocent look.
Nick might, of course, look a bit more innocent if he didn't have a worldly-wise artistic hair cut blurred by two months of neglect.
Arat looks rather at a loss as to how to cope at the moment.
Arat is not helped by Nick's appearance and manner, which to him screams of roguishness.
Nick: Your new secretary has been bugging me for some report or other, and this is the one place I can be sure that she won't look for me!
Arat winces at the mention of said secretary.
Nick: Though at least she doesn't come around when I'm working with Snake.
Arat's jaw tightens.
Arat: It will be better for everybody if your reports do get submitted by the deadlines.
Arat is speaking not only of Nick, Snake, and the secretary, but of himself.
Nick rolls his eyes as a large part of his last ten minute's work is undone.
Nick: All right! I promise that I will give some serious thought as to the office furnishings I require.
Nick: Even though I don't have an office to put them in.
Arat: Thank you.
Arat thinks that Nick has no idea how well, or how badly, his own behavior can affect the careers of all around him.
Arat wonders how he can make that clear to Nick, in the days ahead.