Sime~Gen Roleplaying: Householding Naros Scenario
Episode #154: Loaded Gens (9/3/99)
see note 1
Linn hurries through the rain, trying to keep the stack of books under her cape dry.
Linn is looking forward to being dry and having a nice cup of tea with the landlady before starting the long evening of trying to absorb the day's lessons.
Riyyh is sitting at a small table outside of a posh cafe, under the cafe's awning and therefore quite dry.
Riyyh has been procrastinating on leaving because his horse is warm and dry in a stable, and he has nothing on his schedule, and so there is very little incentive to get wet and therefore ruin his immaculate and very fancy look.
Riyyh sips trin and watches the people scurrying past, trying not to feel TOO lonely.
Linn lowers her head as thunder booms and the rain picks up in response.
Riyyh had spent one night with Max's owner, as an extension of returning Max and her unending gratitude, but is now back at the hotel.
Riyyh, somewhat affected by the dreary weather, worries that he's getting too old to sleep his way into the free housing arrangements of the rich and famous.
Riyyh doesn't have the usual surrounding Narosian flatterers to boost his ego, right at the moment, either.
Riyyh looks around for the waitress, hoping to order another cup of tea and thereby practice his charm technique.
Linn yelps as the overflow from an awning splashes at just the proper angle to get under her coat.
Riyyh looks around, startled, at a yelp from the street, and recognizes Linn.
Linn steps under the awning, as desperate as you might expect to dry.....her books.
Linn: ~~ scholarly distress ~~
Linn: Oh, dear.
Linn looks around to see if there is a dry napkin or something that she can use.
Riyyh jumps up and hurries over to Linn, carrying a cloth napkin stolen from another table.
Riyyh: Here... allow me.
Linn looks up.
Linn: Sectuib Riyyh!
Riyyh smiles kindly.
Linn: What are you doing here?
Linn gestures around at the city, and the tea house, and all.
Riyyh: I'm having some tea, would you care to join me?
Riyyh: I was just about to leave, but.... my dear, you are drenched. You'll catch your death.
Linn: That's very kind of you. I think perhaps it would be best to wait out the storm here. My books will be ruined if this keeps up.
Linn takes Riyyh's napkin and starts carefully drying the books.
Riyyh: Let me see if I can find you something to warm up.
Riyyh nips off to ask the waitress, who by now likes him quite a bit, if there are any towels he can borrow.
Linn sits at Riyyh's table, glad to at least be out of the rain.
Linn sets her stack of Donor texts carefully on the table, after making sure that that portion of the tablecloth is both clean and dry.
Riyyh returns a short time later with some hand towels from the kitchen.
Linn smiles.
Linn: Thank you. It's truly nasty out there.
Riyyh utterly fails to notice the books, as he hands Linn a towel and assist her in drying off with another.
Linn uses the first towel to make sure her precious books are completely dry, then starts wiping the rain off of her face.
Riyyh can be VERY helpful, and he is after all a hands-on type of helpful by nature.
Linn is starting to feel much warmer, with the....thorough rubbing.
Linn: I hadn't realized I was so cold.
Riyyh automatically moves closer, radiating Sime heat.
Riyyh: Would you like some hot tea? ~ concerned ~
Riyyh flicks a tentacle to alert the now somewhat jealous waitress that some more tea would be nice whenever she has a moment.
Linn scoots her chair a few inches back, not being used to such a small-to-nonexistent social distance.
Linn: Thank you. Tea would be lovely.
Riyyh smiles apologetically.
Linn: But what are you doing here? I thought you rarely traveled?
Riyyh: Well, things have changed recently. Anmyn is ready for more responsibility, and unfortunately some of our larger outreach programs require more supervision than they used to.
Riyyh: I seem to be the one most qualified to deal with that, and there are some who feel it is time that more room is left in Naros for the younger generations.
Linn: I see.
Riyyh has been getting crowded on that subject for a year now, but never really considered actually traveling more until a pressing need for it came up.
Riyyh still isn't too happy about it, though.
Linn is well able to see that Riyyh isn't his usual cheerful self.
Linn: I am sure you will be able to solve the problems quickly.
Linn: ~~ Gen optimism ~~
Linn's teachers have been stressing the importance of Gen optimism, lately.
Riyyh smiles.
Riyyh: Thank you. I do hope so.
Riyyh: My, you have certainly been practicing.
Riyyh: Have you been enjoying your work?
Linn is glad to see that the technique actually works, pretty much as advertised.
Linn: I hardly know, I'm so tired every night.
Riyyh appears genuinely sympathetic.
Linn: Though I am learning a great deal.
Riyyh: Have you been able to see Snake as much as you'd like?
Riyyh personally can't really get with the idea of _liking_ to see Snake, although he can understand it on an intellectual level.
Linn: I see her quite a bit, and Controller Arat has said that she will be working with me starting next week.
Linn: It was supposed to be sooner, but.... well, it didn't work out.
Linn smiles wryly.
Linn: I don't expect I'll get even this much sleep when that happens.
Linn does indeed have noticeable dark circles under her eyes.
Riyyh automatically edges nearer to her again in concern.
Riyyh: Gens do require their sleep. Perhaps they don't realize they're working you too hard?
Linn: It's not that the work is so hard--in some ways, it's actually easier than teaching.
Linn: It's trying to understand what I'm being taught that's the problem.
Linn: These books are a bit vague, at all the important parts.
Riyyh: It is more difficult to learn after First Year.
Riyyh glances at the books in question.
Riyyh not being one to go for books when comforting a fellow human being is an option, had barely even noticed they were there.
Linn: They don't have the equations, and it takes so long to derive them from basic principles.
Linn is feeling just a touch inadequate.
Linn: I wish I had some of the books Nick was learning from, back in Bender Cove.
Riyyh: There there, you'll get better at it with practice, and the more you learn, the more you'll be prepared for each new concept.
Riyyh is just trying to be nice; he is a perfect example of a person who probably wouldn't be able to handle Linn's course load at all.
Riyyh does like the sound of vague, rather than intensive, math though.
Linn has no idea that Berfield's Transfer Mechanics is not generally considered an elementary text.
Riyyh is glad he's been out of school for, oh, some number of years to remain unspecified, now.
Riyyh: Could you request the books you want? Surely you might buy them, on your own?
Riyyh touches her arm lightly, as if attempting to transmit encouragement to the Gen.
Linn: I did mention it, but Hajene Tiarala said it wasn't time to take up that subject just now.
Linn reflects that two years ago, she would never have been able to sit calmly while a Sime touched her, not even one as harmless as Riyyh.
Waitress walks up with a hot pot of trin tea and some steaming hot rolls.
Linn eyes the repast with the eagerness only a cold, wet, hungry Gen would bring to it.
Linn: Oh, thank you.
Waitress smiles at the young soaked woman and the nice man next to her and looks in question at them before placing them before them.
Waitress: No problem.
Riyyh looks up, and smiles at the waitress, trying to make up for what had happened earlier.
Waitress shakes her head and hurries off.
Waitress had brought them for the Sime, but wasn't surprised the Gen was the one who reacted--alas.
Waitress goes to drown her sorrows and jealousy in a nice spiced cup of Irish trin.
Notes:
1) This is part of a larger HHN/DCO crossover episode. For the rest of it, see DCO #67. [return]