Sime~Gen Roleplaying: District Controller's Office Scenario
Episode #76: Have You Tried Duct Tape? (9/19/99)
Hero: Come on, it couldn't be that bad, could it?
Hero: ~~ happy friendly unconcerned ~~
Darrel starts up the third flight of stairs.
Darrel: You have no idea.
Hero bounces after Darrel.
Hero is too young to have inherited her father's dislike of the Sime Center's stairs, even if she is a Gen.
Hero: I met Arat before, when I first came here. Well, twice, when I first came here and then again when I got sent back here.
Hero chatters on.
Darrel's stride has lost most of its customary Sime springiness.
Hero: He's like, such a stiff.
Hero: But you know, I think all Controllers are like that.
Darrel: He's a Controller. They never call to you to their offices just to pass the time of day.
Hero: Exactly!
Darrel considers.
Darrel: Well, not usually.
Hero: You should have seen Controller Deah. She was soooo boring.
Hero: You have had fun Controllers?
Hero: ~~~ very curious ~~~
Darrel is still not quite sure what Arat was trying to accomplish during that one conversation.
Darrel: Well, no.
Darrel: Controllers are usually Firsts, you see. They have fun with each other.
Hero: They do???
Darrel: Well, so I've been told.
Hero: So like, Controller Arat, and, er, [tries to think of a suitably shocking First]... and like, Tiarala for example?
Hero: Tiarala slept with my dad you know. And my grandfather as well. At the same time!
Hero sometimes gets enthusiastic and forgets that there are certain things one just doesn't say in hallways around here.
Darrel: Hero, it's considered rude to speculate about such matters. And sound carries in stairwells.
Darrel: ~~ reproving ~~
Hero: I'm sorry, Darrel. [meek voice]
Hero: ~~ wilted ~~
Hero got plenty of practice at appearing thoroughly wilted while snowed in with Wise Snake and Prunida.
Hero has a thought.
Darrel gets that sickening, elevator-feeling again, despite their use of stairs.
Hero: Do you suppose that... er... [sees Darrel's expression]... never mind.
Hero tries to offer ~~ contrite support ~~.
Darrel has been feeling rather like he's been on a permanent roller-coaster ride, ever since he started working with Hero.
Darrel: Hero, it is very important that you concentrate, and keep your nager steady.
Darrel says this with the tired monotony of a mother admonishing a two-year-old to "sit still".
Hero: OK, Darrel.
Hero never has any trouble agreeing to this, or even performing it when she remembers to. It's the remembering bit she still has trouble with.
Hero smiles hopefully.
Darrel: Controller Arat doesn't like a fluctuating ambient.
Hero: Honest, I'll try my best.
Hero looks like Riyyh when she smiles, which is why it sometimes works on people who are grumpy with her.
Darrel is, alas, too worried about the impending interview with Arat to be susceptible to even Riyyh-like charms. Particularly with that 25% from... but I digress.
Darrel: It's also important that you only speak when he asks you a direct question. And then, only to answer it in as concise a way as you can.
Darrel: Just like you were writing a report.
Hero looks stricken.
Hero: Why?
Darrel then remembers some of Hero's attempts at report-writing.
Darrel: Make that, just like I was writing a report.
Hero's mouth falls open in dismay.
Hero: I have to talk like one of your reports?
Hero: Man!
Darrel: It would be best if you let me do the talking, as much as possible.
Hero sighs.
Darrel: Whatever you do, don't start offering information that wasn't specifically asked for.
Darrel: That can get you into a lot of trouble.
Darrel is aware that more to the point, Hero-gossip can get Darrel into trouble.
Hero suddenly perks up again, producing a sunray-like streaming of bright cheerful nager.
Hero: Like the time I....
Darrel: And all the other times, too.
Darrel: Never say one more word to a Controller than you absolutely have to.
Hero subsides.
Hero: Yes, Darrel. I promise I'll try my very best.
Hero has given up on promising she'll actually do anything, only that she'll try.
Darrel pauses on the landing.
Darrel: Look, Hero. This is important.
Hero looks up at Darrel innocently.
Darrel: Don't open your mouth unless Arat or I directly orders you to, and even then, say as little as you can, and nothing that isn't a direct answer to the question.
Darrel: Until you can show that kind of self-control, you'll never be allowed out of training.
Darrel: You don't want to spend the rest of your life in school, do you?
Darrel has gathered that Hero much prefers a more relaxed lifestyle.
Hero nods solemnly, then shakes her head even more solemnly.
Darrel: Good. Now get the sulks out of your nager, without going overboard the other direction. Just calmness.
Hero obediently makes her nager ~~ calm, with subtle overtones of martyrdom ~~
Darrel: Hero, just calm. Anything else will make Controller Arat very angry with both of us.
Hero makes her nager calm, but looks martyred and somewhat apprehensive.
Hero: [a difficult combination, but considering her bloodlines she's qualified to pull it off]
Darrel: That's better. Now put a pleasant expression on your face, without altering your nager.
Hero finds this part much more difficult than controlling her nager.
Hero finally manages to put on a somewhat too sweet smile.
Darrel looks at the smile critically.
Darrel: Well, I suppose that will have to do. Now, keep that face and nager steady, just like you have them now, until we leave Arat's office. No matter what happens.
Hero nods, the fixed smile bobbing up and down.
Hero's nager remains intact.
Darrel approaches Arat's office with even more trepidation than usual, although he does manage to prevent his tentacles from dithering.
Darrel is not related to Riyyh, after all, which is sometimes an advantage.
Arat is alone in his office; Jeniard is on duty and Alea is on lunch break.
Arat is very impatient, but that's hardly unusual.
Arat is writing a scathing report on his channel collection crews' handling of a recent case.
Darrel tries to get his own face and nager in order, inspects Hero's one more time, gulps, and signals, just ten seconds before the time of their appointment.
Arat: Enter!
Arat puts the report aside - for now - and moves Darrel and Hero's paperwork to the center of his desk.
Darrel flinches at the sharpness of the invitation, but gets the door open.
Darrel: We are here as ordered, Controller Arat.
Darrel steps far enough into the office for Hero to enter, as well.
Hero follows him in, doing a passable impression (at least to a 2nd's senses) of a calm, but cowed, little mouse.
Arat zlins them, in his characteristically intense fashion, and then frowns.
Arat: Sit.
Hero thinks nothing's changed... Controller Arat is still a stiff!
Hero remembers to put up a calm facade and concentrate mainly on Darrel, though she suspects the Controller is zlinning the emotions of each microcellular organism in her body.
Darrel quails at the frown, and makes it to the closest chair with alacrity, hoping that strict, rapid obedience will help appease the disapproval.
Hero sits down next to Darrel.
Arat: Darrel, tell me how your assignment to Hero has been going.
Arat of course has received his official reports, but is interested in zlinning Darrel while the channel talks about it.
Arat might have broken the ice more, with an actual patient, but somewhere along the way he moved Darrel from the "patient" to the "employee" category, which means Darrel doesn't rate as delicate a treatment as he used to.
Darrel: Hero is capable of very good work, when she tries.
Hero beams.
Hero: ~~ pleased ~~
Hero is, sadly, quite as vain as her father.
Hero derives about 99% of her sense of self-worth from the reactions of others to her.
Darrel shoots Hero a quelling glance, as a reminder of his orders.
Darrel: There are still a few areas in which she requires improvement, however.
Hero sees Darrel's expression, is confused for a moment, then remembers and her nager creeps back into a chastised ~~ calmness ~~
Arat pauses, hoping there is more to Darrel's statements than that.
Darrel nods in what he hopes Hero will take as grudging approval, and turns back to Arat.
Hero tries not to look, see, respond, or otherwise annoy anybody.
Darrel: So far, she has been unable to maintain a focus for more than five minutes.
Hero's heart sinks as she realizes she's been yelled at, or as near as can be when Darrel is right in front of his Controller.
Darrel thinks, and that not very often.
Darrel grits his teeth at the plummeting feeling.
Darrel thinks that Hero is hardly showing off his ability as a teacher very effectively in this interview.
Arat: I see.
Arat eyes them both, thoughtfully.
Arat zlins the sort of tug-of-war occurring between their nagers.
Darrel: However, there has been a small amount of improvement over the past month, and she has shown steady progress in mastering many of the things she will have to know as a Donor.
Darrel: If she succeeds in learning how to concentrate for longer periods of time, she should make quite a good Donor.
Arat: What have you been doing to help her work on concentrating?
Darrel: We have spent a lot of time on basic drills..
Darrel just wishes they weren't as boring for the channel as for the Donor.
Darrel: And she has been able to assist me with non-critical cases.
Darrel means by this "cases where I can fudge it if my support disappears at random intervals".
Arat taps his tentacles on the desk for a moment.
Arat: Hero was withdrawn from the Othwol Institute because I felt they were not able to provide her with personalized training that would be effective.
Arat: It sounds as if simply giving more attention to her basic drills is not improving upon that. Therefore, I am going to recommend a change in tactic.
Darrel is glad of any suggestion that might get him off of the nageric roller-coaster Hero has put him on since they were assigned.
Darrel never did like amusement park rides.
Darrel listens attentively.
Arat: I assigned you to Hero because from all reports I have heard, you are accustomed to inventing your own ways of getting the attentions of young people.
Arat: I would like you to apply those skills to this case.
Darrel nods, wondering if Arat is aware of how little Hero requires instruction in story-telling.
Darrel thinks that story-non-telling might be a great deal more help, particularly when the stories in question involve her betters.
Arat zlins Darrel's doubts, grits his teeth, and continues as if he hadn't.
Arat: Hero is an intelligent, gifted young person, and finds the discipline of rote drills boring and stifling. While discipline is a necessary skill, it cannot be learned if there is no will to learn it.
Arat: Therefore, you will work on finding ways to challenge Hero's intelligence and knowledge-gathering abilities.
Arat: Needless to say, this must be within the scope of the Sime Center itself, and its necessary functions.
Darrel nods.
Darrel: I will try to form such a program, Controller Arat.
Arat looks at Darrel critically.
Arat: As I told you when I made this assignment, this is a case I have taken a great deal of interest in.
Arat: The potential benefits of success are enormous.
Arat is not unaware of the multiple meanings inherent in his last sentence.
Darrel is well aware, thanks to Hero, of exactly how many things have been going wrong for Arat lately, and how badly he needs a success.
Darrel: I understand, Controller Arat.
Arat: Make sure Hero is involved, in at least some capacity, in all your assigned work.
Darrel is pretty sure that he can manage to come up with something that will keep Hero interested enough to learn; the problem is, that won't work on Hero's big problem: Her inability to keep working when she gets to the inevitable boring parts.
Arat: And treat her time, and her assignments, as carefully as you would the precious minutes of a First Year channel.
Arat zlins Darrel's doubts again.
Darrel: I will, Controller Arat.
Arat: If you have concerns, you had best voice them now.
Hero, who had perked up and become very curious during the last few minutes, goes into turtle shell mode again at Arat's sharp tone.
Darrel weighs the imminent danger of Arat-displeasure now, versus the chance of infinitely worse displeasure later, if the idea doesn't work.
Darrel: Well....
Darrel hesitates a moment more, then manages to get it out.
Darrel: Hero's main weakness as a Donor is precisely her inability to work when she is less than completely interested in what she is doing.
Darrel: Mastery of basic material is not a problem for Hero; using the skills she learns after they have ceased to be a challenge is.
Darrel: That is what I have been trying to address with basic drills.
Arat: What have you done to cultivate her interest in the work of a Donor?
Darrel: She has the instinct as strongly as Nick.
Darrel: It is only her inability to concentrate on routine matters that is preventing her from making progress.
Arat's eyes narrow.
Darrel: I have been using her when I work as much as I dare. When it won't risk the patients if her attention wanders.
Arat had known that Darrel's opinion of Arat's skills as a Controller were pretty poor, but he hadn't realized it would lead to such utter lack of belief in a diagnosis.
Arat: That is precisely where the problem lies.
Arat: Hero must be placed in a challenging setting if she is to thrive and learn. Her patience will improve as she grows older, but her flexibility will not. The time to train her is now.
Darrel: Yes, Controller Arat.
Arat: It is clear from your reports, and what you've said here today, that the methods you have used previously are not providing results - unless you have something else to add?
Darrel reflects that Pylor has a point, about Arat never seriously considering any suggestions from the people who have been dealing with a situation on a first-hand basis.
Arat's tentacles curl in their sheathes as he zlins Darrel's reaction.
Arat counts to ten, mentally.
Darrel: No, Controller Arat.
Arat: If you feel you are not able, or willing, to carry out your orders regarding Hero's training, then tell me now.
Darrel: I will do as you ordered.
Arat means in words, rather than in nageric heel-dragging.
Arat: Show me that you can be depended upon.
Darrel thinks that the result of Arat's program will be a highly-trained Donor who is useless for routine work, but if Arat prefers that to a less skilled but more dependable Donor, that is his call.
Darrel: I will.
Darrel starts trying to figure out ways to keep Hero interested, that won't let her attention problem hurt anyone too badly.
Arat zlins Darrel's "it's your funeral" nager like a 20 foot tall blinking billboard, and feels a swift surge of fury.
Darrel has a thing about unsteady Donors.
Arat: Darrel.
Arat: [very quietly]
Darrel: Yes, Controller Arat?
Arat: I would like for you to demonstrate a little more respect in my presence, if you want to remain here.
Darrel thinks that he should have followed his own advice to Hero, and kept his mouth completely shut.
Arat: Do not lie to me.
Darrel somehow always ends up in Arat's black book, when he responds to a request to voice his doubts and opinions.
Arat: I can zlin that you do not appreciate, believe in, or desire to hear my opinions in this case.
Arat: Whatever your words say.
Arat: Even now, you do not do as I ask, but close yourself to my words.
Arat can zlin that much.
Arat: That will not be acceptable to any Controller anywhere.
Darrel: I have told you that I don't think the changes you have outlined will address what I see as Hero's greatest impediment to becoming the Donor she can be, and why. You have overruled me, as is your right. I will therefore start the program you ordered.
Darrel: How is that lying, or refusing to do what you ask?
Darrel has gained a remarkable trust in Arat's sense of fairness, for him, or he would never dare to make such a statement.
Arat: Darrel, I have been tracking your work with Hero via your reports all along.
Arat: I have also received reports from many other people who work with you.
Arat: After careful consideration, I believe you are off track with Hero.
Arat: While she does require discipline, that is something which can be obtained in other ways than by rote, and furthermore it is less time-critical an issue than her other training and her interest in a lifetime career with the Tecton.
Arat: Ordinarily I will not interfere with the specific treatment of a patient - or of a student - unless I feel that such interference is warranted, and this is such a case.
Arat: There is also the issue of your own continued improvement.
Arat: Hero is not a Bender Cove psychopath or incompetent. She is simply a typical young, undertrained Donor.
Arat: You must not be afraid to work with her, in at least some capacity, at all times.
Arat: At your stage in your career, you should be doing some training.
Darrel: I understand, Controller.
Arat zlins him carefully.
Hero, who had started to pipe up that she had heard Alea, Arat's own Donor, actually is a 'Bender Cove psychopath', decides on second thought to keep her mouth shut.
Arat ignores the slight turbulence this causes.
Darrel has, at least, had enough practice suffering through the enforced emotional roller coaster Hero has inflicted on him for the past month or so, that his nageric control is less exhausted by his own emotions.
Darrel: I will keep you informed as to how Hero progresses.
Darrel thinks that Hero's having kept her mouth shut during this interview is a sign of major progress in itself.
Darrel makes a mental note to tell her so, later.
Arat zlins that Darrel is at least trying to appear and zlin obedient, and nods.
Arat: Very well then.
Hero can't wait to tell everybody about how Arat chewed Darrel's butt.