Sime~Gen Roleplaying: District Controller's Office Scenario
Episode #83: Nonickie (9/30/99)
Linn heads towards the room where she is supposed to meet her Qualifying channel.
Linn is still a bit bleary-eyed from staying up half the night with Jree's folder.
Linn is still unable to account for Jree's initial vagabond existence, or her more recent stability.
Linn supposes that she will find out the details eventually, as well as the more urgent matter of what precipitated her most recent assignment.
Linn is more concerned about the total absence of any reported work in the past four months.
Linn is, of course, aware that an enterprising channel can find off-the-record work fairly easily, but knows that Snake found this inadequate.
Linn is still not completely clear on the difference between a Third Order channel and a Farris First like Snake or Arat.
Linn finds the room and signals at the door.
Jree opens the door.
Jree: Hello?
Jree is an unremarkable looking female channel of approximately 35 natal years.
Linn: Good morning. I'm Linn Haskins.
Linn: ~~ slight nervousness ~~
Jree: Oh. [smiles, trying to put Linn at ease]
Jree: I've been expecting you. Come in.
Linn has not completely gotten over her nervousness at strange channels, but Jree looks normal enough.
Linn enters the room.
Linn searches for a subject of polite conversation to break the ice.
Linn: Did you have a pleasant journey here?
Jree: Pleasant enough.
Jree seems pleasant enough herself, but her manner is not very intimate.
Jree: You can have a seat if you want.
Jree: I don't have any tea or anything.
Jree gives the impression of a person who has never gotten into the habit of having anything to work with.
Jree's record does state that she was moved from Sime Center to Sime Center monthly for the first six years of her career.
Linn sits, wishing she knew what the appropriate etiquette was for this situation.
Linn: That's all right.
Linn makes a mental note to ask Nick for a bit of his Narosian collection.
Linn decides that it might be best to be forthright.
Linn: You know, this is a bit odd for me. I'd never really thought I would make it this far in Donor training.
Jree: Oh really?
Jree leans back against a shelving unit and hitches her hip against one of the shelves.
Jree: Why not?
Linn wonders if Jree has been given her folder yet.
Jree looks serious, and mildly but not avidly curious.
Jree had presumably gotten very used to one-time-only assignments to Donors during her earliest years as a channel.
Linn: I've always thought of myself as a teacher, you see.
Linn: When Controller Arat persuaded me to give this a try, I'd assumed that it would take a while to master the basics.
Linn is well aware that she has a great deal left to learn.
Linn: Still, I suppose he knows what he's doing.
Jree looks at Linn thoughtfully.
Jree appears to have found Linn's lack of self-confidence just a hair unsettling.
Jree: The two aren't mutually exclusive, you know.
Linn: Teaching, and being a Donor?
Linn considers the possibility.
Linn: Well, perhaps not.
Linn: Although it's usually easier to teach a subject once one has mastered it.
Jree: Perhaps it's just that you aren't used to being a student.
Jree doesn't seem too personally bound up in the answer either way.
Jree: Well, in any case, it won't do to disappoint Controller Arat.
Linn: I expect not. He's an exacting taskmaster.
Linn is unable to restrain a polite ~ curiosity ~
Linn: Are you disappointed at being assigned here?
Jree: Disappointed?
Jree appears to think about it carefully.
Jree: Well, I didn't really expect it.
Linn: Your folder said that you'd been in one town for a long time.
Linn tries to remember the name of the place, but it was pretty late the previous evening before she got that far in the file.
Jree: In Riverville.
Jree shrugs.
Linn nods sympathetically, having had her own experiences with being suddenly uprooted without notice.
Jree: Ten years, I suppose that's a long time by a lot of Donors' standards.
Linn: That's long enough for a place to become a home.
Jree: Yes. [quietly]
Jree: But, [more briskly] when one is required elsewhere, one goes elsewhere. That's how it's always been.
Jree: The life of a Donor is a vagabond's life.
Linn feels enough ~~ sympathy ~~ to try what she had calculated ought to be a good place to start support.
Jree unconsciously echoes Linn's previous thoughts.
Jree: And the life of a channel... well.....
Jree seems to accept Linn's efforts well enough.
Linn had, of course, calculated the gradient to ten decimals, just for practice.
Linn: ....isn't that much different, I understand. At least for most.
Linn: Your file said that you haven't worked in four months.
Jree: Does it? [smiles]
Linn looks at Jree, and raises an eyebrow.
Jree: I assure you, I'm fine. The records don't always fill in all the blanks in a person's life.
Jree: You'll find that more and more as you gain experience.
Linn: I'm glad to hear it. It's a bit unnerving to know so much about a perfect stranger, who knows the same sorts of things about you.
Linn has a Gen Territory view of privacy.
Jree smiles a conspiratorial smile, but says nothing.
Linn: Of course, there are plenty of holes in the data. For instance, they never do say exactly why you were moved around so much before you went to Riverville.
Linn pauses, inviting an explanation.
Jree's mouth quirks into a crooked smile.
Jree: Can't say I can add much to the fund of knowledge myself.
Linn: They didn't tell you why they were sending you on?
Jree: Oh, they did. Duty calls, and so on. The powers that be shuffling pawns.
Jree: The Controllers of the Centers I was assigned to were out of the loop. They just had me, and didn't have me.
Linn: My goodness. What an odd situation.
Linn: And then they just got tired of the game and left you in Riverville?
Jree: Something like that.
Jree smiles.
Jree: And what about you? Playing with fire, were you? The rogue channel?
Linn smiles fondly.
Linn: Snake's been a very good friend to me, for the most part.
Linn is willing to overlook the odd kidnapping and such.
Linn: And she saved my life, not long after we met.
Jree: Curious that Arat Audnes of all people would be willing to get involved.
Linn: With Snake's rehabilitation?
Jree's question is casually put, but nevertheless a probe to see if it's safe to discuss such things with Linn.
Jree: With Snake at all. And you, and the others.
Linn: Didn't you know?
Linn: Snake is his daughter.
Linn had thought it was common knowledge by now.
Jree: I know.
Linn: Controller Arat has a strong sense of duty, according to Nick. He'd never abandon a daughter, not even a rogue that he hadn't known existed.
Linn: The rest of us came as part of the package.
Jree: I see.
Jree: And Nick?
Jree: He was the first of all, wasn't he?
Linn: Yes. His grandmother brought him in.
Linn: She told Arat that Snake was dead in an avalanche, but fortunately she managed to survive.
Jree looks thoughtful.
Linn figures that turnabout is fair play.
Linn: What happened at the end of your last assignment? Your folder said something about your Center's Controller...?
Jree: He died.
Jree: A heart attack, they say.
Linn: They say?
Jree spreads hands and tentacles.
Jree: I wasn't there.
Jree: It happened at night, in his home.
Jree: And I was reassigned before the funeral.
Linn: I see. Rather thoughtless, to ship you out before you had time to pay your final respects to him.
Linn: After you'd been working together so long.
Jree: More like, they grabbed their chance as soon as he wasn't around to stop them.
Jree: But... thanks.
Jree seems to genuinely appreciate Linn's opinion.
Linn: You're welcome.
Linn smiles at Jree, feeling much more comfortable with this assignment than previously.
Neptude absently takes the steaming kettle off the burner and pours tea, while scanning the last few lines of a report.
Neptude is absolutely sure that his next appointment will arrive on time, to the second.
Neptude is pretty sure that Arat will be on time to the millisecond, but his own time sense isn't finely calibrated enough to test that assumption.
Neptude is frequently glad not be a Farris.
Neptude is not surprised to zlin a signal just as the tea finishes steeping.
Neptude: Come in!
Arat enters.
Neptude: Ah, good. Sit down and have some tea.
Arat takes a seat stiffly.
Neptude pushes a steaming cup across the desk, retaining the other for himself.
Arat is never super relaxed in the presence of his nominal superiors, but then he's never relaxed around just about anybody.
Arat gives a nod of thanks and picks up the cup to move it closer.
Neptude notes Arat's defensiveness, and decides on an indirect approach.
Neptude: So, how have your various projects been advancing?
Arat grimaces internally.
Arat tries to appear dignified, however.
Arat certainly zlins dignified!
Arat: Linn Haskins has been introduced to Hajene Jree.
Arat: Wise Snake has been working an almost full schedule, mostly only employees at this point, and still under guard.
Neptude nods, ~~ pleased ~~
Arat: Hero and Darrel have been working together well.
Neptude: Is she being properly developed now?
Neptude recalls that this had been a problem.
Arat: That is the intent.
Neptude: Have you been able to get an estimate of her final capacity?
Neptude: Even a rough one?
Neptude has been itching to find out what sort of resource Naros represents.
Arat: She no doubt has the capability to qualify as a First.
Arat isn't going to pump up Neptude's hopes by saying more, not at this stage.
Neptude: Good, good.
Arat has, alas, been reduced to ass-covering, where his rehabilitation projects are concerned.
Neptude: Has Sosu Pylor been making progress?
Arat's expressive Farris features betray the ordeal working with the Donor has been for Arat.
Arat: Somewhat.
Arat: He is at least trying.
Arat thinks, at least intermittently.
Neptude: I thought a bit of encouragement might do the trick.
Neptude is very ~~ satisfied ~~ to have been the one to come up with the solution.
Arat thinks Neptude's satisfaction is worth something, but he wishes there had been some less grueling way to obtain it.
Arat thinks "a bit of encouragement" is an understatement - it would better be described as "a total submission of all personal desires, goals, personality characteristics, comfort, and personal safety".
Neptude: I have been meaning to ask you. Some of the dignitaries who will be attending that party I mentioned in a few weeks will be staying on.
Arat: Oh?
Neptude: It is the responsibility of our District to provide suitable accommodations, and your Center has an excess of high Firsts.
Neptude: Do you think you could spare Nick for one month?
Neptude: I'm sure the experience would do him good.
Arat looks startled.
Arat: A month?
Arat doesn't actually follow Neptude.
Arat: For what?
Neptude: To look after one of the visiting channels--there are several who would appreciate him.
Arat frowns.
Neptude: You know how much interest his case has attracted.
Arat: He has continued to refuse to pledge. I was going to release him at the end of the month.
Neptude: Release him?
Neptude: ~~ alarm ~~
Neptude: Have you any idea what the repercussions would be, to fail in so high-profile a case?
Neptude: To have him go rogue again would call your entire rehabilitation program into question.
Arat endures the outburst looking pale, but dignified.
Arat: Would you give your guests into the hands of an unpledged Donor? [quietly]
Neptude happens not to have a certain Narosian in his genetic background, so doesn't wring his hands--quite.
Neptude: Well....
Neptude: Your reports have stated that his work has been of high quality.
Arat nods once.
Neptude: And that he has been remarkably cooperative, this one issue aside.
Arat nods again.
Neptude: It appears that the life suits him well enough--why won't he pledge?
Arat: There is the issue of Wise Snake.
Arat: He remains more committed to her than to the Tecton.
Neptude looks at Arat sharply.
Neptude: I thought you said that the dependency was very mild?
Arat: Wise Snake gave him something he thought he could never have; the abilities and work of a Donor.
Arat: He has closed his mind to the Tecton for ten years, because of pressure his immediate family put on him to train.
Arat: It does not appear to be something he can work through in only a matter of weeks.
Arat: I had thought that he might come around given some space.
Arat had also intended a certain element of reverse psychology to come into play.
Neptude: Dismissing him seems an extreme step, however. What if he goes rogue again?
Arat thinks that at this point Nick does not fully grok the fact that if he is not with the Tecton, he will not see Snake at all. Snake being permanently captured and imprisoned by the Tecton is not a subject Nick has internalized yet.
Arat: Where would he go? To Naros?
Neptude: He'd better not--we'd never pry him loose from them.
Arat flicks a dismissive hand.
Arat: He wouldn't.
Neptude: Are you so sure? His records show that he has flirted with the idea before.
Arat: Well. If he ends up at Naros permanently, he's hardly the loose cannon of your fears.
Neptude: He won't be available to the Tecton, though.
Neptude is not pleased at the prospect.
Arat says nothing.
Arat had made the decision with the opinion that it would cause Nick to turn back toward the Tecton, not away from it, and sticks by his theory.
Neptude wonders if it would be better to relieve Arat of responsibility for Nick.
Arat unconsciously stiffens his spine, raises his head, and flares his nostrils at what he is picking up from Neptude.
Neptude: Perhaps he simply requires a bit of help in working through his issues with Snake?
Arat: Perhaps. His... father... may be of some utility in that area.
Neptude's nose twitches at the mention of Riyyh.
Neptude: I thought they weren't particularly close?
Arat: Or there is the EMD.
Arat is of the opinion that the Employee Morale Division does more harm than good in certain cases.
Neptude: You feel they should be called in?
Arat: No.
Arat: It is my opinion that Nick should be given some time to think about his commitment to the Tecton and what it would mean to live without it... and Wise Snake.
Neptude considers.
Neptude: Well, you know the man better than I do.
Neptude: If you think that the EMD would not be helpful, I'll back you.
Neptude: Still, for both our sakes, do see if you can persuade the man to work through his issues before his leaving becomes an issue in itself.
Arat feels somewhat resentful, as he has already tried his best for several months.
Arat only nods.
Neptude: Good, then. With any luck, we can have a public pledging at the party in a few week's time.
Arat looks at Neptude in disbelief.
Arat knows better than to say anything, however.