Sime~Gen Roleplaying: District Controller's Office Scenario
Episode #115: Canyon Mule (12/12/99)
Beni has consumed a large excess of tea, and therefore has an excuse to leave Arat momentarily for a trip down the hall to the men's room.
Beni looks around urgently as he walks down the hall, hoping for someone who can be recruited for Arat-management errands.
Beni has taken advantage of Arat's need-generated inability to concentrate to prepare a series of notes for delivery to appropriate parties.
Beni spots someone in the hall ahead.
Beni: Pssst! Hajene Max!
Max is a 2nd order channel with thick brown curly hair, bright blue eyes and a warm smile.
Max looks at Beni with interest.
Max: Yes?
Beni is a First Order Donor with as-yet not fully realized Farris potential, who looks half a step away from having a nervous breakdown.
Max zlins Beni's distress.
Max: How can I be of help, Sosu?
Beni: Would you do me a favor and give this to Hajene Tiarala?
Beni passes Max a carefully folded note scribbled on a piece of scrap paper.
Max: Ah, of course. [Max takes the note]
Max: Ah, I am new around here. Where is her office?
Beni gives quick directions.
Max: Thank you. I'll take it right away, Sosu!
Beni: And then, could you drop by Housekeeping and ask the head janitor to drop by Arat's office?
Max: Certainly!
Beni: Oh, and I can't leave Arat just now. Could you have a meal sent down?
Max: Anything special for the Controller or yourself?
Beni: Umm... the avocado omelet for me, with an extra-large salad and bread with an assortment of jams.
Beni: Also, hmm, better send the fruit bowl for the Controller.
Max is now becoming concerned that this series of favors may make him late to his next appointment.
Max: Certainly, Sosu. I am glad to be of service!
Beni looks pathetically grateful.
Beni: Thank you very much.
Max pauses a moment to see if any more errands will be added to the list.
Max zlins that Beni seems to be finished.
Max: I will take care of it right away.
Beni: Thanks. Got to run now.
Max moves quickly in the direction of Tiarala's office, augmenting slightly.
Beni ducks into the men's room so that Arat will believe that he was legitimately occupied during his brief absence.
Beni then returns to Arat's office.
Arat is pacing back and forth in his office, in hard need and not in a good mood.
Beni frowns at this sign of agitation.
Beni: Controller Arat, I'm here.
Arat fortunately was not the source of the gene that causes Snake to resent her Donor going to the bathroom, however.
Beni: ~~ soothing promise, aided by relieved bladder ~~
Arat stops pacing.
Beni: Here. Why don't you sit down, and I'll rub your shoulders.
Arat starts to snap at Beni, then decides sitting down is one step closer to getting something done, and complies.
Beni refreshes the tea in Arat's cup, then moves behind him to rub the tense shoulders.
Homer walks down the windy streets in the center of the city towards the Capitol Grand Hotel.
Homer wears a woolen cape over his civilian clothes. His dark hair is tied back in a neat braid.
Homer pauses for Lemuse to catch up.
Lemuse walks up to Homer.
Lemuse: Thanks.
Homer: Sorry, I'm going too fast!
Homer zlins Lemuse to be sure she is warm enough and not too badly winded.
Lemuse: No, it's OK, I know how much you enjoy visiting Hajene Pierce.
Lemuse smiles ~~ understandingly ~~.
Lemuse: Besides, I could lose the weight anyway!
Homer smiles.
Homer: You are lovely the way you are.
Lemuse beams happily.
Homer: I just want you to meet the Hajene. He is a very important person to me and I hope you can be friends.
Homer turns towards the Hotel again, this time walking at a more reasonable pace.
Lemuse walks at his side.
Homer leads Lemuse into the lobby of the Capitol Grand Hotel, which is covered in plush forest green carpet and illuminated with dancing gas lamps.
Homer pauses and gazes around in astonishment at the elegance.
Lemuse wonders where Homer met Pierce in his earlier visits.
Lemuse: Pretty posh, huh. [smiles]
Homer: Have you ever been here before? We are supposed to meet in the Tea Room.
Lemuse: No, I haven't.
Homer asks the desk clerk for directions.
Homer is directed back to an attractive, glasswalled patio whose walls climb with green vines even in mid-winter.
Pierce zlins Homer coming and signals welcome from his table by a window.
Homer waves and leads Lemuse forward towards the table.
Homer: Hajene Pierce!
Lemuse smiles at Hajene Pierce as she comes into range.
Pierce stands. He is an gnarled sun-weathered aged Sime, whose long graying hair is pulled back into a braid.
Pierce wears a standard Tecton traveling uniform but has an unusual tooled-leather belt.
Homer: I would like you to meet Sosu Lemuse!
Pierce bows and gestures to the pair to sit.
Pierce: I am very pleased to meet you!
Lemuse takes a seat.
Lemuse: And I you, Hajene Pierce. I've heard so much about you.
Lemuse is ~~ friendly and in good spirits ~~
Pierce smiles warmly, responding to the friendly nager.
Lemuse automatically tracks Homer with her attention and a light support, being well trained and dedicated.
Pierce's Tecton insignia indicate that he is Second Order.
Pierce: All of it good, I hope!
Lemuse: Of course.
Pierce: Homer is quite taken with you!
Lemuse: He's a sweet man.
Pierce: I am glad to see that you are taking such good care of him.
Pierce pokes Homer with a tentacle tip.
Pierce: You see, city life isn't all bad!
Homer blushes.
Pierce (to Lemuse) It is quite an adjustment. I know how hard it was for me when I first left Arriz.
Pierce: And I left because I wanted to.
Pierce: So what do you think? Can we make a civilized person out of this young barbarian?
Lemuse smiles.
Lemuse: Come on, it isn't that bad.
Lemuse: Homer's doing a great job, at work.
Lemuse thinks, and Controller Arat would slaughter anybody who made the mistake of calling Homer a barbarian anywhere anybody could hear.
Pierce: It isn't? Huh! When I first came to Flag, I couldn't even read and write.
Pierce: I wanted to be a channel, but I didn't even know what a channel was, really.
Pierce: Now, at least it's not as bad as that.
Pierce smiles at Lemuse.
Lemuse: Definitely.
Lemuse grins.
Lemuse looks at Homer.
Pierce: I'm glad he's doing well.
Lemuse: Are you going to let him give you grief like this?
Lemuse: Man, and I thought my dad was bad.
Homer: Hajene Pierce is my teacher and if he gives grief, I must accept it.
Homer: Perhaps I require it.
Homer: ~~ respect mixed with amusement and affection ~~
Pierce: And you, Lemuse... are all your assignments this interesting?
Lemuse: All my assignments are always interesting!
Lemuse: Especially since coming here.
Pierce: Ah, where are you from originally?
Lemuse: Oh, I've been moving around forever. But I was working in Maple Leaf Territory when I got the transfer order to come here.
Pierce: That's way in the Northwest, isn't it. Cold country?
Pierce is too polite to zlin Lemuse directly, but he can't help but be aware of her delectable and rising field.
Lemuse: It sure is!
Lemuse: Really nice people though.
Lemuse's nageric attentions are, of course, all for Homer, although she automatically keeps track of Pierce so as to adjust what she does with Homer.
Lemuse: Some day I would love to go back there again.
Lemuse says this about nearly everywhere she's ever worked, although practically speaking she will probably just stick to doing what she does best: Saying "Yes, boss" with enthusiasm to her current Controller.
Pierce: Do you ever get homesick like this fellow? (gesturing towards Homer)
Lemuse giggles.
Lemuse: I wish I could say I did, but I wouldn't know where to feel homesick for, at this point.
Lemuse: It's been ten years since I lived with my folks, and I've been on a lot of assignments since then.
Lemuse: But still, I know how much Homer misses home. Anybody could see that.
Lemuse: ~ sympathetic ~
Pierce appreciates the zlin of her giggles. He is glad to see that Homer's frantic pleas were probably penned in a fit of hysteria.
Pierce: So do you enjoy traveling all around the country?
Pierce remembers just how disorienting culture shock can be, though he passed that phase a long time ago.
Lemuse: Oh well, it'd be nice to settle down, but in a way it's fun to see all sorts of different places, and meet all the different people.
Lemuse is glad she'd had those experiences before coming here, she thinks it's a large part of what has helped her get along with her bosses.
Lemuse may be underestimating the effect of her work ethic, discretion, and seemingly boundless optimism, which are the primary reasons for being in Arat's good graces.
Pierce: (to Homer) Now, lad, you listen up. There's no reason at all to stick to one place, one city. You know where you come from. You always liked the circuit. Just think of this as a bigger kind of circuit.
Homer: ~~ perturbed ~~
Lemuse makes a soothing sound and places a hand on Homer's.
Lemuse is not trying to help gang up on Homer, just lower his stress level.
Homer: But I pledged to the Corn Society.
Pierce: And your pledge is good.
Pierce: But the Corn Society and the Tecton are bound together now.
Pierce: And there's a lot of world outside the Canyon.
Pierce: Don't limit yourself.
Homer squeezes Lemuse's fingers with his tentacles.
Homer: Yes, sir. I will think on it.
Pierce: [to Lemuse] What do you like best about life in Capitol?
Lemuse: Oh, definitely the work. It's been very rewarding.
Lemuse: I like my bosses and it's really organized. If there's a problem, everybody works on it, not just letting it slide.
Pierce: You enjoy serving as a Donor?
Lemuse: Yes. [smiles]
Lemuse: ~ fundamental truth ~
Lemuse: Hey, I could retire on what I've saved so far, but why?
Pierce flicks his nager at Homer, to make sure he pays attention to what Lemuse is saying.
Pierce: Are you satisfied with your assignments?
Lemuse: Oh, yeah. There's always satisfaction in being able to help others, especially if it helps them help the public.
Lemuse is also such an average Donor in terms of her transfer requirements that there is never any problem matching her to somebody suitable, a definite plus.
Pierce: And you don't mind letting the Controller find your matches?
Lemuse: Gosh, no.
Lemuse: I mean, it's been like that since before I was born.
Pierce winks at her.
Lemuse: Besides, they have a bigger picture than I do, they know what the logistics of the situation are.
Lemuse actually kind of likes the little surprise that comes with each new assignment; it's a chance to take on a new challenge and meet new people, without any responsibility except that of doing her best.
Pierce: Now I don't know if Homer told you this, but in Arizz, in the old days, Donors made their own assignments.
Lemuse: Only about a million times.
Lemuse chuckles.
Pierce: We poor channels had to beg and plead and bribe.
Pierce: That's one of the best things about the Tecton, in my opinion.
Lemuse: That's what it's all about, isn't it? Getting selyn from the Gens to the renSimes, and shuffling channels and Donors around in any way necessary to make it happen without any emergencies.
Lemuse: Kind of hard to worry about stuff like who's got who, when there are so many people depending on the outcome.
Lemuse: There are thousands of them for each of us.
Pierce: Exactly.
Pierce: I left Arizz because of my son.
Pierce: He committed suicide because when he changed over we were Gen-low and he didn't want to Kill.
Lemuse: Oh! I'm so sorry.
Pierce: We were channels but we didn't know how to channel in those days.
Lemuse knows that has to hurt, even after so long.
Pierce: I went to Flag to bring back a better way.
Pierce: It's taken many years, but now we don't have people dying for no reason like my son did.
Lemuse: That took a lot of courage.
Pierce: (fixes Homer with a sharp gaze) That kind of change is expensive.
Pierce: And sometimes everyone has to pay the piper.
Homer: ~~~ very upset ~~~
Lemuse once again adjusts her nager so that she is clearly in Homer's court.
Homer won't meet Pierce's eyes.
Lemuse: ~~ gentle promise ~~
Lemuse knows that whatever a Sime is upset about, worrying about his Gen being on his side will not help.
Homer knows Pierce is referring to the confrontation that destroyed his father's clan and resulted in his adoption by his mother's people.
Homer knows he was never fully accepted by his mother's clan, and now Pierce seems to be telling him to change everything again.
Homer tightens his grip on Lemuse's fingers and leans more heavily on her support.
Pierce: And Lemuse, what do you see as the big picture?
Lemuse matches her nager to Homer's.
Lemuse: Most of the time, I'm not sure I can even see it.
Lemuse: All I know is, I must always do my best, and trust in those who seem to know the way.
Lemuse: But part of it has to be caring for one another, as human beings.
Lemuse: After all, humanity was nearly wiped out twice.
Lemuse: We can't ever let that happen.
Pierce: And you trust your Controller to plan for the long term?
Lemuse: Anybody who is my Controller can zlin more, has more information, is older, has had more training, and is more experienced than I am.
Lemuse: He or she might not know everything in the world, but is better equipped to make decisions for those of us in the immediate area.
Lemuse: I don't think Controller Arat necessarily knows what is best for the 53rd District, but he is in the Tecton's opinion the person most likely to guess, and learn, and improve its path the most.
Pierce: And you concentrate on caring for the people around you as best you can?
Lemuse: Yes, I do. That's all I can do.
Lemuse: Sometimes I work with 3rds and they look up to me just as I have to look upward.
Lemuse: And any of us has a bigger picture than the person who can only read the paper in the morning and wonder what is really going on.
Lemuse: I don't know if this is the best arrangement, I honestly don't. But anything is better when everybody is doing their part, and that's what I try to do.
Pierce smiles warmly at Lemuse, dark eyes glinting in appreciation.
Pierce: [to Homer] Well, you've got one amazing Donor here. Hope you appreciate it.
Homer: [humbly] Yes, sir, I do.
Pierce: ~~ amusement ~~
Pierce: Now, Lemuse, I don't know if you've figured this out yet, but we Arizz channels are really easy to handle.
Pierce: We are used to following our Donors orders.
Pierce: So don't hesitate to push this here Canyon mule a bit, if you think he requires it.
Lemuse smiles.
Lemuse: OK, Hajene Pierce.
Pierce checks his time sense.
Pierce: Well, I think I must start for the train station now. My train leaves in an hour.
Lemuse hadn't realized that she was being brought to meet Hajene Pierce at the very end of the visit.
Lemuse wonders if Homer had trouble deciding whether he should introduce them or not.
Lemuse hopes Homer doesn't regret it.
Pierce: Lemuse, it was good meeting you. Homer, good-bye. I'll see you again the next time I'm passing through Capitol.
Homer: ~~ sad at parting ~~
Homer: Good-bye, Sir. Thank you for everything.
Lemuse rises, staying close to Homer.
Pierce: You folks might as well stay and finish your tea. You don't have a train to catch.
Pierce leaves the Tea Room, waving good-bye.
Lemuse looks at Homer.
Homer moves closer to her, seeking her comfort.
Homer: [shyly] He likes you a lot.
Homer: I'm glad.