Sime~Gen Roleplaying: District Controller's Office Scenario
Episode #137: Trio of Insects (1/17/00)
Nick hovers over Arat, as a tactic to distract himself from his ongoing Tectonization.
Nick finds the Tecton much more palatable in the form of individual channels who match him closely.
Cherik leads his partner Dino Dorsh and his client Mantia Morels up the steps of the 53rd District Controller's office building.
Cherik: Now, we still hope to work out an amicable settlement here.
Mantia is hopeful that the company's very expensive brace of lawyers will make some substantial progress today.
Cherik: So be prepared for a bit of give and take.
Mantia: Yes. As long as Buggfa can be ready for the tour... even part of it!
Mantia would much prefer Buggfa to be back in Lortuen Records's control completely, of course.
Dorsh: He was supposed to be in rehearsal already, right?
Mantia: Yes.
Mantia doesn't bother to mention that aside from his two disastrous vacations, Buggfa has been either "in rehearsal" or "on tour" since he joined TBT.
Dorsh: And if the first concert must be cancelled, when is the the latest you can make the announcement?
Nick brings Arat a cup of tea--Narosian, of course.
Mantia: I hope we won't have to cancel.
Mantia is pretty sure her own career with Lortuen would be canceled shortly thereafter.
Nick: Here, Arat. You've been working on that report for almost an hour, now.
Cherik: Well, our objective here is to make enough concessions that the channels feel we are not challenging their authority.
Arat looks up at Nick, wondering what else he should be doing.
Arat's expression is vague, as his mind really is more on the report.
Nick nudges the tea closer, then moves to work the knots out of Arat's shoulders.
Cherik: While at the same time tossing enough wrenches in the gears that they don't want to spend any more time bothering about us.
Mantia: I just hope it works.
Dorsh smiles wolfishly.
Mantia looks and zlins a bit ~~ grim ~~, under the show biz act.
Dorsh: Just back our lead.
Nick: You'll get stiff, bending over the page like that.
Arat has heard this before, of course.
Nick accompanies his shoulder-rubbing with ~~ affectionate mother-henning ~~
Cherik leads everyone up the stairs and down the corridors to assemble before Arat's door.
Mantia takes a moment to get into "professional" mode, setting aside her worries about the future of her career.
Cherik signals at the door.
Nick looks up at the signal.
Nick: Are you expecting someone?
Arat: Yes, Lortuen Records' representatives.
Nick raises an eyebrow, but goes to answer the door.
Nick pastes as "professional Donor" an expression as he can manage on his face, before opening the door.
Cherik bows, a bit clumsily as his roly-poly waistline gets in the way, his kindly eyes twinkling.
Nick did not spend so long in the slums of Bender Cove without recognizing a senior shark when he sees one.
Cherik: Ah, uh... Sosu... Nick, I believe? I am Chulu Cherik, Senior Partner of Dorsh, Bakadian, and Cherik.
Cherik: Let me present my partner, Dino Dorsh, and our client, Mantia Morels of Lortuen Records.
Nick: You're expected.
Cherik: Ah... excellent.
Nick stands back, not neglecting to keep a hold on the ambient to limit their impact on Arat.
Cherik waves his fellows into the room before him and then follows.
Cherik stops in the threshold, astonished, to see Controller Arat there instead of Controller Neptude.
Cherik: Ahh, Controller Arat. A pleasure to see you up and about.
Arat nods, shortly.
Mantia's smile freezes at the name.
Cherik is not pleased at the substitution, as his Gennish charms have never had the slightest impact on Arat whatsoever.
Arat is doing as best as he can in the way of good behavior around other people's lawyers, which is to remain silent.
Cherik quickly gets his reaction under control and switches to a more formal style.
Nick returns to sit next to Arat, looking at the Lortuen Records trio as if they were a particularly nasty breed of cockroach, although his nager remains ~~ supportive of Arat ~~
Dorsh zlins Arat and Nick with interest, as the Controller's collapse and the Donor's return to the Tecton have been the subject of much gossip.
Mantia tries to brave it out, and pastes her smile back on her face.
Mantia is mentally polishing up her resume, however.
Mantia checks Arat over to see if his rumored recent collapse has created a chink in his heretofore impregnable armour.
Arat isn't able to come up with anything suitable in the way of pleasantries, at least not that he would be able to carry off in this environment, so skips them.
Arat: What do you want?
Cherik accepts the Controller's social lapses as typical of the man, but wonders why Nick is scowling so ferociously; he thought Nick and Buggfa were on good terms.
Cherik: We have submitted several proposals to settle this matter of Buggfa Lube to Controller Neptude but received no response.
Nick is not surprised: Neptude has been a bit distracted, lately.
Cherik: Do you have a counterproposal?
Cherik knows better than to waste Arat's time with chitchat.
Arat looks wary.
Arat is not about to admit he is not privy to their communications with his ranking superior, but the truth of the matter is, he was pretty much out of the loop on the Buggfa issue until only yesterday.
Arat is still trying to schedule a chance to sit down and examine Buggfa, perhaps talk to him personally.
Arat: I will not accept any proposal which is not in Buggfa Lube's best interests.
Arat thinks that will be true no matter what they talked about.
Mantia: Of course not. We all want what's best for Buggfa.
Mantia is actually telling the truth: She's quite happy if Buggfa benefits, as long as that doesn't interfere with his usefulness to Lortuen.
Arat: It is my professional opinion as a channel that Buggfa should not go any farther without formal treatment of some sort.
Arat: Where it happens, or who performs it, is negotiable; the timing and the nature of it is not.
Mantia: Timing is at the center of our concerns, as well.
Mantia: It is essential that Buggfa begin rehearsing for his upcoming tour.
Dorsh kicks Mantia in the ankle.
Mantia winces, but shuts up.
Arat studies Mantia.
Cherik: We are fully in agreement that Buggfa be treated for his injuries; indeed, he was already in treatment when your collection team picked him up.
Arat shoots Cherik a cynical, unpleasant look.
Arat: We both know that Ms. Morels originally approached me because she wanted him away from Riyyh and Nick's attentions.
Arat: Let us not play games.
Mantia is wishing that she'd known Arat a bit better before rashly approaching him on the Buggfa issue.
Mantia has no way of knowing that Nick's letter had already primed Arat to take action.
Cherik: Our firm specializes in handling cross-territorial negotiations.
Cherik: We have explained to Ms. Morels the relevant information regarding in-Territory law and channel's science.
Mantia did not particularly enjoy the lesson, either.
Cherik: Lortuen Record now fully supports rehabilitation therapy for Buggfa Lube.
Arat nods once.
Dorsh: However, there are other factors involved, that affect Mr. Lube's interests very closely.
Dorsh: The TBT band is contracted to perform a series of concerts.
Dorsh: To cancel these concerts would affect Mr. Lube's career, reputation and livelihood.
Dorsh: If you speak with him, I am sure you will zlin that he does not wish to default on his commitments.
Mantia nods ernest agreement of Dorsh's statement.
Nick had wondered how long it would take Lortuen to threaten to fire Buggfa.
Dorsh: If there is some way he can carry out his therapy in conjunction with his performance schedule, we will do whatever is necessary to make that happen.
Dorsh: The proposals we sent to Controller Neptude included several ways this might be done.
Arat: So long as a signed, formal agreement is in place, and the resources arranged for, I see no reason why such a plan could not work.
Arat of course is not referring to a wink and a promise followed by a claim of insufficient time/funding.
Cherik: We have no objections to such an arrangement; of course we would have to go over the details.
Mantia had hoped to avoid a formal agreement; they're so restrictive.
Nick allows some Farris-detectable ~~ approval ~~ to join his ~~ support ~~.
Arat nods.
Cherik: How soon can you get us a copy of your proposal?
Arat: I will require a day or two to prepare it.
Arat actually has to talk to Neptude about it, since what he describes is basically what his own proposal to Neptude said, many days ago.
Cherik: Excellent!
Arat does not know why Neptude did not respond to Cherik's own proposals, or why Neptude didn't simply have his own proposal rewritten and send that over.
Dorsh: In the mean time, Mr. Lube is still being detained in the 53rd District Office's dormitory.
Dorsh: Is there any reason why he cannot be released to live in civilian accommodations while we work out the terms of this agreement?
Nick can think of a few, summed up by the old maxim "possession is 9/10 of the law".
Arat: The difficulty is that Buggfa has been abused in the past.
Arat: I cannot in good conscience release Buggfa to Lortuen's custody until suitable protective measures are in place.
Cherik: We contest that assertion, of course.
Arat wouldn't expect lawyers paid by Lortuen to do anything else.
Arat in fact would expect Lortuen to fire them if they didn't.
Dorsh: Does Buggfa's current condition permit him to sing in rehearsal?
Arat: Yes, provided it is a controlled situation.
Mantia leans forward eagerly.
Dorsh: In order to be ready for his scheduled performances, Mr. Lube should already be practicing.
Dorsh: Since you will not trust him to leave these premises, we can arrange the rehearsals here.
Dorsh: There is an auditorium on the 2nd floor where we can rent space for practice.
Dorsh: It will be a controlled situation, as you request, and you are welcome to monitor these rehearsals for evidence of your alleged abuse.
Arat: That will not be possible.
Cherik: Indeed? What is the objection?
Arat: The room you are referring to was not intended to protect the rest of the facility from the levels of noise and ambient disturbance which would attend such a rehearsal.
Arat: This is a medical facility and there are many ill or dying people which require peace, as well as working channels and visiting citizens.
Dorsh: We could move in additional shielding, if necessary.
Arat wonders why this would appeal to Lortuen so much more than simply having a Tecton monitor along at a more conventional and better-equipped professional rehearsal site.
Arat perhaps underestimates the trying-to-make-it-a-pain-in-the-ass-for-Arat factor.
Arat studies Dorsh suspiciously.
Dorsh: If Mr. Lube is not allowed to leave the 53rd District Office grounds, I do not know where else we could shield him better.
Dorsh: Certainly not in the dormitory.
Dorsh: But we are open to suggestions.
Nick idly considers the facilities available in the security wing.
Nick then decides that Snake probably wouldn't be such a devoted fan of TBT, in the absence of their fans, and the work those fans provide.
Arat's expression becomes more guarded as he takes in Dorsh's words.
Arat had of course assumed "rehearsals" meant normal rehearsals, since to him the idea of a rock band rehearsing in a hospital - anywhere in a hospital - is perfectly ludicrous.
Arat has never been able to handle the ludicrous.
Arat: I have said twice that I see no problem with Buggfa continuing his scheduled activities provided the proper security measures are taken.
Arat: Buggfa shall not be overworked, injured, or held in close proximity to vulnerable renSimes during these activities, for his safety and that of others.
Arat: The conditions shall be monitored at all times by qualified personnel.
Arat puts a slight emphasis on 'qualified'.
Cherik: We have no intention of harming Mr. Lube in any way.
Arat: It is also necessary that his treatment not be interrupted.
Cherik: Monitoring by Tecton personnel would be acceptable.
Cherik: As long as Mr. Lube himself consents to the treatment, Lortuen Records has no objection to working around his rehabilitation schedule.
Arat thinks that is a significant change of stance, for Lortuen.
Arat studies Mantia, suspecting the actual Lortuen part of this partnership is nowhere near as sincere as the lawyers.
Cherik thinks that if Arat goes for this arrangement, Lortuen should be glad to pay every penny of his bill.
Dorsh is rather sorry to miss out on the spectacle of seeing deranged TBT shiltpron players practicing in the District's lobby.
Cherik: If you can give us the details of Mr. Lube's therapy appointments, we can immediately arrange to find a secure rehearsal site.
Arat: I will still require two days before I can authorize anything. [cautions]
Cherik frowns.
Cherik: As I said, Mr. Lube should be in rehearsal already, and wishes to honor his commitments.
Arat does not appreciate their agreeing to the timeline and then trying to weasel it down.
Arat prefers more dignity in his transactions.
Arat frowns.
Nick has perhaps more experience (albeit indirect) with Lortuen Records' policies, and so is not at all surprised at the backpedaling.
Cherik: But perhaps Mr. Lube's wishes and best interests must take second place to the slow grinding of the wheels of bureaucracy.
Mantia shoots Cherik a warning glance: Sarcasm seldom works with the Arats of the world, in her experience.
Cherik: We will expect your proposal within two days.
Mantia: We are eager to finalize the agreement, so that Buggfa's professional schedule can be salvaged.
Arat, who is constitutionally incapable of responding to either petty manipulation or attempts by inferiors to order him around, does not change in expression.
Cherik, as a Gen who has made it in post-Unity society, has little patience with Simelan over-protectiveness.
Arat: Very well.
Cherik: Thank you, Controller Arat. Thank you for your time.
Dorsh: We will be ready to respond to your proposal as soon as we receive it.
Arat: Good day.
Cherik: Best wishes to you, Controller, and to you, Sosu Nick.
Cherik shepherds his group out the door.
Arat spends some minutes after they've gone in frowning with displeasure at the inside of the office door.