Sime~Gen Roleplaying: District Controller's Office Scenario
Episode #126: The Splatter Effect (1/1/00)
Neptude hums as he puts the finishing touches on his draft of the Region's monthly report.
Neptude frowns as he notes the empty section where the report from the 53rd District should go.
Neptude debates sending Arat a memo, but that would make it official, and he really doesn't want to communicate with Arat directly until he has an alternative Donor for him.
Lemuse has located and dispatched Jeniard (he was at the courthouse, so it took quite a while), rescued Homer and made sure he was going to be all right, notified the major department heads at the 53rd District complex, and has just finished hiking across downtown to the Regional Controller's office.
Neptude is still waiting for replies to some of his inquiries, and isn't optimistic that they will arrive in time, due to bad weather.
Lemuse is frazzled after almost 4 hours of running around at top speed playing Chicken Little Was Right.
Lemuse was, to be more accurate, playing Chicken Little Was Right But We're Keeping It Very Low Key.
Lemuse therefore didn't send a messenger to do this particular task, much though she had wanted to.
Lemuse climbs the steps, tries to smooth back her hair (no luck) and enters the building.
Lemuse gets through the sign in process and then hurries to Controller Neptude's office.
Neptude decides that he can do without the 53rd District's information for rough-draft purposes, as Arat's input does not require editing except to omit unnecessary detail.
Neptude prefers this to those Districts which omit most of the necessary data, requiring him to improvise.
Lemuse has never met him, but the circumstances don't allow for much time or attention for spending on trepidation.
Lemuse signals.
Neptude puts the incomplete draft in his "out" box for retyping, and reaches for the next report when he zlins a signal.
Lemuse at least has stopped panting.
Neptude: Enter!
Neptude checks his calendar, to see if he's forgotten an appointment.
Lemuse smoothes back her hair (little frizzy bits pop up again), straightens her uniform (wrinkled) and enters.
Neptude blinks at the rather worn Second Order Donor.
Neptude wonders if she's lost her way.
Neptude knows Gens do that from time to time.
Neptude: Can I help you?
Lemuse: Controller Neptude?
Neptude: Yes.
Neptude: Sosu...?
Neptude sets aside the lost-Gen theory.
Lemuse: I'm Sosu Lemuse, I'm assigned to the 53rd District Children's Burn Ward.
Neptude: Ah, yes, Arat's District. How can I help you?
Lemuse: I'm afraid there's been a, an accident.
Lemuse: With Arat.
Lemuse: He's been hospitalized.
Neptude: An accident? Of what sort?
Neptude sits up alertly, plastering a "taking charge" look on his face and nager, while thinking "Oh, shen!"
Neptude runs through the high-order channels and Donors in the Region, trying to figure out who can handle an injured Farris.
Neptude reflects unhappily that Arat himself is the only one really capable of the task.
Lemuse had used the word "accident" as some ass covering of her own; she isn't going to imply that Neptude screwed up, even if he did.
Lemuse: He collapsed during a meeting.
Neptude: A meeting?
Neptude had assumed that the injury was caused by some channeling technique which went wrong.
Neptude doesn't know all that much about Farris injuries (obviously), but can't help but assume that collapses during meetings are an especially bad sign.
Neptude: What was so traumatic about this... meeting?
Neptude wonders if Snake tried to chew on Arat's jugular again.
Lemuse: Nothing at all.
Lemuse: But he's been in bad shape for a long time, everyone was seeing it.
Lemuse: It's been all over the Offices.
Neptude looks at Lemuse sharply.
Neptude: He told me that he and Pylor were getting along better than they used to.
Lemuse says nothing.
Neptude realizes that his last statement sounded like an excuse.
Neptude: What is Controller Arat's current condition?
Lemuse: Well it happened... [glances at her watch] about four hours ago. The last I heard, Jeniard, Merie, Snake and Beni had him stabilized and conscious again, but he's not going anywhere anytime soon.
Neptude: Hajene Snake is treating him?
Lemuse: She was required for the purposes of zlinning....
Neptude had overlooked her as a possible Farris-capable physician, due to her irregular status.
Lemuse ends the sentence there, rather than saying the bad words "damage" or "abuse".
Neptude: Yes, no one else would be able to get through his showfield.
Neptude: What did she report?
Lemuse: I'm sorry, I wasn't there. I've been rushing around trying to let everybody know without word getting out to the public at large.
Neptude: Of course. You said Arat has been stabilized for the moment?
Lemuse: That's what they said.
Lemuse: He hasn't tried to get up or anything, either.
Lemuse: Um....
Lemuse isn't sure how to say this next part.
Neptude: Yes, Sosu Lemuse?
Lemuse: Sosu Pylor could use some, well, some reassurances.
Lemuse: The others haven't been very supportive.
Neptude: I see. Was he present when Arat collapsed?
Lemuse: No, but, well, people,
Neptude: ...feel he should have prevented it anyway?
Lemuse hesitates.
Lemuse: Well, they're very upset about Arat because they care about him, and maybe they aren't being as sensitive as usual to Pylor's feelings about what happened.
Neptude: I see.
Lemuse is forced to resort to extreme understatement to avoid insulting Neptude with the bald facts.
Lemuse knows which side of the bread her butter is on, after all.
Lemuse also will have to work with all of these people in the future.
Neptude: They're giving him a hard time, then?
Neptude makes a mental note to consult the Morale Division about any remedial measures that might be appropriate.
Lemuse: A little bit, yes Controller.
Lemuse mainly thinks it would be best if Pylor is gotten entirely out of the building for a while, but can't exactly suggest that given her own rank and unimportance.
Neptude: Your concern does you credit, Sosu. I will see that Pylor isn't neglected.
Neptude: However, I must determine exactly what to do about Arat, first.
Lemuse nods, still a bit anxious.
Neptude regretfully pushes aside his routine, pleasantly uneventful paperwork, and stands.
Lemuse is controlling her field well, but a First can zlin through a 2nd without much difficulty.
Neptude checks his appointment calendar, not having Arat's infallible memory for details.
Neptude: I've got a while before my next appointment. I'll just walk you back and check on Arat now.
Neptude: You can give me the details as we go.
Neptude tries to look competent and Controller-like, while hoping madly that Lemuse overstated the magnitude of the emergency.
Neptude realizes all too well that if Lemuse's story isn't an exaggeration, Seruffin is not going to be pleased.
Lemuse: OK.
Lemuse's anxiety is somewhat eased by the illusion that a competent Controller is now in charge.
Neptude leads the way at the briskest pace consistent with a Controller's dignity.
Lemuse jogs after him, becoming even sweatier and more frizzy.
see note 1
Neptude approaches Arat's infirmary room with more than a little trepidation, having gathered on the way over that Lemuse is basically an optimist, and therefore that the proverbial feces has probably hit the air-accelerating device.
Neptude makes his nager as neutral and controlled as he can, and thumbs the audible signal only, so as not to perturb the ambient even a little.
Jeniard sits besides Arat's bed, holding his hand and talking to him.
Jeniard is mainly talking about how everything is going to be different after this.
Beni is hovering on the other side of the bed, trying to support while not interfering with Jeniard's efforts.
Beni has been kicking himself for the past four hours, approximately, for not making more time to look after Arat.
Neptude frowns as no one answers his signal.
Arat: For shen's sake, somebody get the door. [weakly]
Jeniard releases Arat and goes to open the door.
Jeniard carries his nager extremely carefully to avoid more disruption than necessary.
Neptude gives Jeniard a quick zlin, to get some idea of Arat's prospects.
Neptude: Ah, Hajene Jeniard, I just got the news.
Jeniard: Come in.
Jeniard has recovered somewhat from his initial panic, but not his self-condemnation and lack of optimism.
Jeniard is doing a pretty good job of covering it up, and his concern for his friend is what is strongest.
Neptude adjusts his nager to the least disruptive he can manage, and slips through the door.
Neptude: How is he?
Jeniard: Not good. We're not going to lose him this time, but something's got to change.
Neptude: What precisely was the problem?
Jeniard: What was the problem??
Jeniard can't believe Neptude couldn't have guessed already.
Jeniard: He hasn't had a Donor.
Jeniard: For starters.
Neptude frowns.
Jeniard: And Beni did his best the previous two months, but his best wasn't good enough.
Neptude: Pylor was to have provided basic services until another Donor could be located.
Neptude: Did he refuse to do so?
Neptude wouldn't put it past Pylor, given the man's history.
Jeniard: Pylor can't even... [narrowly avoids saying, 'wipe his own butt']... provide basic services to a Farris channel.
Jeniard: For longer than short stretches anyway, and those are more stressful than a help for Arat.
Beni realizes vaguely that Neptude and Jeniard are discussing something, but he can't spare any attention for it.
Arat just lays there, glad nobody is insisting upon his input.
Beni notes it mostly as something that might affect Arat's fragile balance, and inspects his charge's face for clues to whether it is doing so.
Jeniard: We've both protested this assignment, Neptude, I was very explicit about what I thought would happen.
Neptude: But he's got the potential, and he's been working with Arat for months! He must have learned something in that time.
Jeniard: He doesn't project hate anymore and he usually remembers to pass the fields over to the next Donor instead of just dropping them now.
Jeniard: I'm sure the average First would find him just peachy.
Neptude looks sharply at Jeniard, detecting a note of sarcasm in that last statement.
Neptude does not like sarcasm, particularly when it's justified.
Jeniard is, as always, frustrated by the higher-ups' blindness to Arat's requirements.
Jeniard is also at this point feeling personally responsible for what has happened, because if he'd ignored his lawyer's warnings and continued to take care of Arat, this might have been postponed.
Neptude starts towards Arat's bedside, holding the fields as steady as he can.
Neptude examines Arat's face and field.
Arat looks at Neptude in complete apathy.
Arat was exhausted even before the latest ordeal.
Arat: Controller Neptude.
Neptude: You don't look good.
Arat starts thinking about the District report and all of the other things which are either late, or will be late, because of the latest incapacity.
Neptude notes Arat's apathy turn towards duty on sheer reflex.
Neptude: Now, don't you worry about a thing.
Neptude: I'll see that your District gets along until you can take care of it again.
Jeniard hovers motherhennishly.
Neptude hopes that this will at least delay Seruffin's discovery of the disaster.
Arat: Who....
Neptude: I'll see to it myself, until I can locate someone competent.
Arat had actually almost asked who Neptude is going to give him for a Donor, and then realized if there was an answer to that question, Neptude would have said so already.
Arat: Ah....
Neptude is hoping that Arat will snap back quickly, allowing the incident to be hushed over.
Neptude: Has Beni here been taking good care of you?
Arat: He does his best.
Neptude: Well, why don't you keep him for now. Pylor can look after Snake for a few days, can't he? Until the weather clears, and your Donor arrives?
Arat groans and closes his eyes.
Arat: Don't bother with Pylor.
Arat may not like Pylor, but he doesn't want to see him ripped to shreds either. If only for recordkeeping purposes.
Neptude reaches over to pat Arat's hand reassuringly.
Neptude: Don't worry. I'll keep everything under control until you're well again.
Neptude makes for the door quickly, before any more helpful suggestions can be offered.
Notes:
1) Some time passes between these two scenes, during which Neptude and Lemuse travel to the 53rd District Offices and Neptude makes it up to Arat's infirmary room, apparently having parted ways with Lemuse. [return]