Sime~Gen Roleplaying: District Controller's Office Scenario
Episode #132: Business As Unusual (1/9/00)
Neptude tuts one more time over a report as he waits for its author to arrive.
Neptude is not at all happy with the contents, particularly since there's a decent chance that Seruffin might eventually see them.
Homer walks with Lemuse down the halls towards Arat's office for his weekly meeting.
Homer: [to Lemuse] But I thought Controller Arat was still in the infirmary.
Lemuse: He is. We're going to be talking to Controller Neptude.
Lemuse: He's Arat's Controller.
Homer: [frowns] I don't believe I have met him. What is he like?
Lemuse: Well, he's pretty businesslike and serious usually.
Homer: [a bit nervously] Is his nager as big as Arat's?
Lemuse laughs.
Lemuse: Well, ah, not really, but big enough that it seems that way to us!
Homer: Is there anything different that I should do to show respect?
Lemuse: Just be sure to not get defensive or accusing, just answer all his questions and if he asks if you have any questions, be sure to ask something so he thinks you've been thinking about stuff.
Lemuse: And then just the usual, you know, speak when spoken to, etc.
Lemuse: I'm sure everything will be just fine.
Lemuse thinks, unless Neptude decides to let Homer and Lemuse help take the fall for Arat's current difficulties.
Homer takes a deep breath, centering himself, murmuring his usual prayer for the protection of the earth spirits.
Homer: All right, then. It's time.
Lemuse nods.
Homer signals at the door to Arat's office.
Neptude: Enter!
Homer opens the door, holding it for Lemuse.
Lemuse enters.
Lemuse maintains a light and professional support of Homer.
Homer follows her to stand before Arat's desk, observing and zlinning Neptude as fully as politeness will allow.
Neptude: Ah, you must be young Hajene Homer.
Neptude's nager is formidable enough, from a Second's perspective, although his physical appearance is less forbidding.
Neptude's uniform is even a bit rumpled in places, thanks to the stress of trying to hold down two major jobs at once.
Neptude: Sit down, please.
Homer is a Second Order Channel with dark eyes and hair which is tied in a long braid. His uniform is neat and orderly, although he wears an unusual belt. His nager is calm.
Neptude zlins Homer, and then Lemuse.
Homer sits.
Lemuse follows suit.
Neptude: I understand you were present when Controller Arat had his unfortunate collapse, Hajene.
Homer: Yes, Controller Neptude.
Neptude: I've been reading over your report of the incident.
Neptude indicates the top report on the stack in front of him.
Homer hopes his report met Neptude's standards. His counselors tell him his writing is improving.
Neptude: I take it that in Arriz, the record keeping was a bit lax?
Homer: We did not keep the kind of records that are kept here, no. My instructors are working with me on improving my skills in this area.
Neptude: Hmm.
Neptude taps the report thoughtfully.
Homer: If you require additional information, I would be happy to provide it.
Homer hopes he will not have to rewrite the report.
Homer especially hopes he will not be confined to his room for several days in order to do it correctly.
Neptude: I am glad that you were trying to be thorough, but this particular report goes far beyond its proper scope.
Homer: Ah. I was given to understand that I should be as thorough as possible.
Homer does not really like to write books, but that has generally been the only way to satisfy Arat's passion for detail.
Lemuse hopes she has not steered Homer wrong on this. She certainly regrets not having had the chance to read the report personally before Homer had to turn it in - she had spent a day as an emergency substitute for a Donor in another department.
Neptude: Quite understandable.
Lemuse steps up her support slightly in response to her own concern.
Neptude: It shows a laudable zeal, actually.
Neptude: However, an incident report is supposed to be a record of what you zlinned and saw, leaving out long explanations as to why you were there, speculations on ultimate causes for the incident, and so on.
Neptude thinks, especially speculations on causes, in this particular case.
Homer: [hopefully] Well I would be happy to edit any parts you feel are unnecessary.
Homer thinks cutting is much easier than writing more.
Neptude: Good, good. I'm glad that you are so willing to learn the details of proper report writing.
Lemuse suspects that Neptude has ulterior motives for wanting the speculations about causes left out.
Neptude: You can get the revised version to me by tomorrow, I assume?
Homer: Yes, Controller Neptude.
Neptude: Excellent.
Homer: Just tell me which parts to cut out.
Neptude: Everything that isn't an account of exactly what you zlinned and saw, and the actions you took because of what you zlinned and saw.
Neptude: It's pretty straightforward.
Homer: Yes, Controller.
Neptude: Now, on the subject of your actions during the incident....
Neptude: I understand you attempted to help Controller Arat immediately after he collapsed?
Homer calms himself. He still feels a bit queasy remembering how it felt to be swamped by that huge oscillating nager.
Lemuse supports Homer. She knows he felt overwhelmed at being left there alone, but what else could she have done?
Homer: Well, clearly he required help. I was not sure what to do, but I was the only one there.
Lemuse can actually think of several variations on what she could have done, but none of them any better than what she picked.
Homer: I did not dare touch his nager directly.
Homer: I tried to damp the oscillations within the room, but that only made things worse.
Homer: I do not know what I should have done.
Neptude: I take it that you have never studied up on emergency treatment of Farris channels?
Lemuse thinks that "don't do anything" and "don't let anybody else in" should have covered it, but she isn't going to blame Homer for not listening. It was a pretty panicky situation.
Homer: No, Controller.
Neptude: I see. Well, you and Arat are both fortunate that you didn't try to engage his field directly.
Neptude: That might easily have been fatal for you both.
Neptude: As it was, your efforts didn't make things too much worse.
Homer nods grimly.
Homer: There are no Farris channels in Arriz.
Neptude gives a paternal smile.
Homer: Sosu Lemuse went to get Hajene Jeniard, who would know what to do.
Homer: I try to remember that in this great building are many people who know far more than I do.
Neptude: I know that, and it must have been a very frightening thing, to zlin Arat collapse like that.
Homer: I have been trained to work alone, in an area where I might be the only channel within a hundred miles, and would be expected to do whatever I could.
Homer: I try to remember that here are others I can call on.
Neptude: In the future, when you are faced with a Farris channel in trouble, you should follow two simple rules:
Neptude: Follow any orders that channel is capable of giving, and otherwise, clear the area of extraneous nagers and send for the help of a Farris-trained Donor or channel.
Neptude: Here, that means Sosu Beni, Hajene Jeniard, or Sosu Nick.
Homer: Yes, Controller.
Homer: But what did happen to Controller Arat? I will remove the speculation from my report, but I have never zlinned anything like that.
Neptude is still feeling a (carefully controlled) smugness at being able to refer to Nick as a Tecton Donor.
Neptude debates pleading "medical confidentiality" and refusing further information, then reluctantly concludes that the resulting rumors might do more damage than a carefully edited version of the truth.
Neptude: Controller Arat has had an ongoing problem with his Donors for years; since his changeover, in fact.
Neptude: There are very few Donors who can serve him at all, and Zeor monopolizes them.
Lemuse thinks that if Zeor had been kind enough to monopolize Pylor, this wouldn't have happened.
Homer nods; Lemuse has explained this to him.
Neptude: Well, it's only natural: The majority of Farris-trained Donors are ambrov Zeor, and you can't blame them for preferring to look after their own, first.
Neptude: Still, that means that Arat has had to make do.
Neptude: He is not known as an easy assignment, even for a Farris, and that makes it even more difficult to find him a Donor.
Neptude: It is a delicate balance, ensuring that there are enough Donors of the proper ranking in a District to take care of all the channels, and the more demanding the channel is, the fewer Donors there are who can do the job.
Neptude: In this case, the 53rd District started the fall with an excess of high-ranking Donors.
Neptude: And when that changed, the weather made it difficult to bring in replacements.
Neptude looks at Homer to see if he is following the argument.
Homer listens attentively.
Lemuse thinks that Neptude is in a tough position; he hasn't handled Arat well but can't admit as much to his inferiors.
Neptude is glad to zlin that Lemuse is at least not actively contradicting him; he has noticed that channels have a tendency to believe their Donors rather than their superiors.
Lemuse is glad the majority of the staff at the main offices of the 53rd District don't know enough about the situation to realize Neptude's relationship with Seruffin over the next month would make for a fascinating bet.
Neptude: It seemed advisable, under the circumstances, to have Arat work at training a few non-Householding Donors for himself.
Homer: So there was no Gen in this whole immense city who could meet his Need. The thought is terrifying.
Lemuse makes sure that her nager shows that she belongs to Homer this month, just in case that thought leads to feelings of insecurity.
Neptude: Well, Sosu Beni could have, but he was assigned to Hajene Snake. She also requires a Farris-trained Donor.
Neptude: Well, there were no other Farris-trained Donors assigned to the 53rd District.
Neptude: The others in the city were assigned to other Farris channels, mostly associated with the World Controller's office.
Neptude: And they were thus not available to Arat.
Neptude thinks, as well as being completely unwilling to suffer through a month with him.
Homer leans a little more strongly on Lemuse's nager, contemplating the threat of entering Need without a Gen anywhere.
Neptude is aware that while channels are officially in charge of Donor assignments, the Donors usually manage to assert veto power, if they care to do so.
Neptude: Arat has been under a great deal of stress lately, for personal reasons, as I'm sure you've heard.
Neptude is sure that if Homer hasn't, Lemuse will be happy to fill him in on the Jeniard situation.
Homer: Yes, Controller.
Neptude: It appears that Sosu Pylor was not far enough advanced in his training to handle it, and this latest snowstorm prevented me from getting a replacement here on time.
Lemuse thinks, not to mention, Neptude didn't believe Arat's pleas that Pylor was unsuitable.
Neptude: A truly unfortunate, and unusual, coincidence.
Homer thinks that the problem with Sosu Pylor was not a lack of training, it was that he hated Arat so deeply that they should never have been allowed in the same room together.
Lemuse clears her throat.
Lemuse: Excuse me, Controller Neptude? [tentatively]
Neptude: Yes, Sosu Lemuse?
Lemuse: They aren't going to be assigned again, are they?
Neptude: Well, Arat will be busy for a while easing Sosu Nick's transition to the Tecton.
Lemuse translates that to, Nick will be giving Arat therapy.
Neptude: After that, it would depend on Sosu Pylor's progress.
Lemuse hopes Neptude is more careful about Arat's limits after this.
Lemuse hadn't realized, until this incident, how much she'd emotionally hitched her future to this particular boss.
Neptude is at least planning to hold off on any further Arat-Pylor assignments until Arat is in good health and Pylor has had more training.
Neptude is a bit nervous about having Arat give that training, though, and so was glad to see that Arat had apparently intended to have Snake do some of Pylor's training.
Neptude is, of course, not aware of Snake's extra-curricular activities, nor of her talent for forgery.
Lemuse wonders who Neptude is going to assign to Homer after their transfer, if Arat is still not back yet.
Lemuse hopes it is somebody decent.
Homer: So this new Donor, Nick, will serve Controller Arat? And Pylor will be assigned to another?
Neptude: Yes, at least next month.
Homer: I have not met Sosu Nick. Will he be able to meet Controller Arat's requirements?
Neptude: Oh, easily. He was trained by Hajene Snake.
Neptude: He's a Natural Donor, too.
Homer nods.
Homer: I have met her. Her nager is indeed immense, and her spirit powerful.
Neptude hadn't realized that Snake and Homer had met.
Neptude raises an eyebrow.
Neptude: Arat has had the two of you working together?
Neptude realizes that he has been somewhat lax in keeping track of exactly how Arat has been handling his rogue daughter.
Homer: No, Controller.
Neptude: Then how did you meet her?
Neptude had been under the illusion that Snake was still locked in the security wing when not actually working.
Homer: [puzzled by Neptude's interest] She dropped by the break room on the burn ward to get a cup of tea.
Neptude: ...Dropped by the break room?
Homer: Yes. We talked, briefly. She is a most interesting person, though her ideas are somewhat difficult to follow, at times.
Neptude: I see.
Neptude sees that someone in Security has apparently slipped up big time, and that Homer is fortunately unaware of the gravity of the situation.
Lemuse frowns, puzzled. She never heard about this.
Lemuse: Was I there? I couldn't have been there.
Lemuse: This must have been the day I was working on the emergency ward?
Homer: Yes, that is right.
Neptude remembers that day, although he was more concerned with the disappearance of one of the witnesses in the Buggfa Lube case.
Neptude: You saw Snake on that day? Did she have a security guard with her, by any chance?
Homer: No, Controller.
Neptude scribbles a note to have a stern chat with security.
Homer: Now that he has a Farris-trained Donor, will Controller Arat recover?
Neptude: Oh, yes, he's much better already.
Homer: ~~ relief ~~
Neptude: He'll be back at work immediately after his transfer, I'd assume.
Neptude is not aware of Arat's habit of collapsing for the day after his transfer.
Homer: I have never seen a nager... disintegrate... like that.
Homer: ~~ a touch of horror ~~
Homer: I did not know such a thing was possible.
Neptude does not want such comments making the rounds of the Center, where Seruffin might hear them.
Neptude: Farris channels have many peculiarities, Hajene Homer. That's why they require specially trained Donors.
Homer: I will be more careful in the future, Controller Neptude.
Homer: Getting caught in that was like sinking in quicksand.
Homer: I think I am lucky to have survived.
Neptude: I expect it zlinned worse than it was, simply because Arat's nager is so powerful.
Neptude: Still, remember in the future, if you zlin a Farris channel in trouble, clear the room and find a qualified Donor or channel to take care of the situation.
Homer considers explaining about a shaman's interplanar escape hatches, but remembers Lemuse has warned him only to refer to "real" events in meetings with Controllers.
Homer: Yes, Controller.
Neptude: That's safest for everyone, particularly the Farris channel.
Homer: I will follow your instructions.
Neptude: Good, good.
Neptude: I'm sure you'll do very well.
Neptude: If you have questions about how to handle a situation, don't hesitate to ask Sosu Lemuse, or your counselor.
Homer: Is Controller Arat well enough to receive visitors? I would like to extend my best wishes for his swift recovery.
Lemuse is surprised by the request, but supports it of course.
Homer would also like to catch a zlin of the mysterious new Donor who has appeared out of the blue.
Neptude: That is really up to Sosu Nick. You can ask him when he's on break, if Arat is able to receive visitors.
Homer: Yes, Controller. Thank you, sir.
Neptude: You're quite welcome, I'm sure. Do get that report to me by tomorrow.
Homer: I will do so, Controller Neptude.
Homer has learned to recognize a dismissal when he zlins one. He stands.
Neptude: Good, good. Run along, then.
Homer: Thank you for your time and attention, sir.
Neptude beams in a paternal fashion.
Homer opens the door for Lemuse.
Neptude hopes that his ass-covering efforts have been sufficient, in this instance.