Sime~Gen Roleplaying: Householding Naros Scenario
Episode #161: Smashed (10/2/99)
see note 1
Pylor sneaks out Arat's office, knowing that no one will care where he is until the crisis is over and blame can be assigned.
Pylor does not wish to be around at that time, so leaves the Sime Center in search of consolation.
Pylor could definitely use some consolation, just now.
Pylor: ~~ glum ~~
Pylor finds a nice pub, and settles down to drown his sorrows in a mug of porstan.
Pylor might have done better if he had considered the relative sizes of said sorrows and mug.
Pylor would have a hard time, for instance, getting Arat's or Alea's Farris noses far enough into the mug for drowning.
Riyyh finally manages to slip away from the group of people he was hanging out with, by slipping into a bar.
Riyyh actually shouldn't have been able to do this, because the entire purpose of the party was to travel from bar to bar having a porstan at each one, and they should have stopped at that one too.
Riyyh took his chance when he realized they'd missed it.
Pylor starts sipping at the porstan instead, which is probably just as well.
Riyyh peeks through the window long enough to be sure his erstwhile companions are safely gone, and then turns and goes farther into the bar.
Riyyh spots Pylor and zlins Pylor's sorrows and automatically becomes concerned.
Riyyh hurries in that direction.
Pylor stares gloomily into his porstan.
Riyyh misjudges the distance, since he'd failed to break away from his friends until the 16th bar, and sways against the counter for a moment before succeeding in taking a seat beside Pylor.
Riyyh: Sosu Pylor... so good to see you. But so down! What is the matter?
Pylor looks up slowly.
Pylor: Sectuib Riyyh?
Riyyh smiles, radiantly.
Riyyh edges closer, since Pylor is a First Order Donor after all, and it's been a while since Riyyh enjoyed the services of one.
Riyyh's inhibitions are also somewhat inhibited, or at least they would have been had he had any.
Pylor is a bit uncertain, since he only met Riyyh once, the light in the bar is dim, and Riyyh has not had time to primp for several bars.
Riyyh: The one and only.
Riyyh's language centers have more room for alcohol-effect than his morals.
Pylor starts to respond to the radiant smile (and encroaching nager), then breaks off and stares into his porstan.
Pylor: I'm a failure as a Donor.
Riyyh blinks at the nageric fluctuations, then puts an arm around Pylor's shoulders.
Riyyh: No, no, that can't be.
Riyyh: Look at all your good points.
Riyyh: You have a strong field, you look good in the uniform....
Pylor: And the sort of talent that makes the District Controller faint dead away.
Riyyh: Literally?
Riyyh frowns.
Pylor: I'm afraid so.
Pylor: ~~ glum ~~
Riyyh: Well, is he OK?
Pylor: I think so. Nick happened to be there when it happened, and now Alea is with him.
Riyyh: I'm sure everything will be all right, then.
Riyyh: But what about you? Will you be all right?
Riyyh inspects Pylor for damage, as well as is possible from a position of practically in Pylor's lap.
Pylor considers Riyyh's last three sentences, as a whole, and wonders if that means that he is not part of "everything".
Pylor: I don't know. I suppose it depends on how well they put him back together, and how much Regional Controller Neptude learns about it.
Pylor turns his head slightly to avoid Riyyh's alcohol-laden breath.
Pylor is pretty sure that Alea, at least, will want to exact a penalty for Arat's collapse.
Riyyh pushes himself back to his own stool and asks the bartender for a soda water.
Pylor: I never wanted to learn to work with Farrises.
Pylor says this as if he wishes it was a valid excuse for failing at the task.
Riyyh nods sympathetically.
Pylor: They're such a temperamental, aloof, demanding lot, with those beaky noses looking down at you.
Pylor: I only agreed to try because I would have been sent out to some rural Center out in the middle of nowhere if I'd refused again.
Riyyh: You know, the rural stations might not be so bad.
Riyyh waves some tentacles in a fluid (porstan, perhaps?) motion.
Riyyh: I was born out in the country. It's nice there.
Pylor: I'm a city boy myself. New Othwol.
Riyyh gives the bartender a large tip and thanks him, then sips at his soda.
Riyyh: New Othwol... a pretty town. A pity I've been banned there.
Pylor: You have?
Riyyh wouldn't ordinarily have admitted that to just anybody, but it's been quite a morning.
Pylor: How come?
Riyyh: Its first City Controller was a man named Jaingk. He didn't like me much.
Riyyh remembers sadly.
Pylor: But to ban you? That takes more than simple dislike. At least usually.
Riyyh: The channels' and Donors' schools there were to be pure Tecton, with no Householding influence beyond the historical.
Riyyh: But of course, there were many problems when the town was new and the schools were first opened, and it is Naros' nature to wish to help.
Riyyh fondly recalls the large number of very impressionable young First Year School students who fell passionately in love with him, or indeed formed lifelong crushes.
Riyyh still gets letters from some of them.
Pylor nods; having read the Capitol papers regularly during the school-vs-agriculture battle, he has some idea of how welcome Narosian "help" might be to the Controller of a new city.
Pylor wonders if Naros tried to put hydroponics setups in the transfer rooms.
Riyyh: There is also the issue of my involvement with Family Audnes.
Riyyh sighs.
Riyyh: But that was a long time ago, and a lot of water has gone under the bridge.
Pylor's ears perk up at the mention of the Audnes name.
Pylor: You were involved with the Audnes?
Riyyh: Just a little bit. Society things... it was a courtesy really.
Pylor: But I'd heard that you never meet Controller Arat, at least if you can help it.
Riyyh smiles sadly.
Riyyh: He wasn't born yet.
Pylor wishes Arat had managed to stay in that happy condition, where he wouldn't have been able to affect Pylor's own life.
Riyyh sidles closer to Pylor again, because of the field.
Riyyh: [and just, well, because. This is Riyyh, after all]
Pylor's nager can't help but respond to the... closeness.
Pylor notes with some vindication that Riyyh doesn't seem to be flinching from it.
Riyyh in fact squirms closer, in an extremely friendly fashion.
Riyyh: When is Arat expecting you again?
Pylor: I expect he'd be happy if I dropped off the face of the Earth.
Pylor: But I was supposed to have another session with him this evening.
Riyyh: Are you doing anything special until then?
Pylor: Not really.
Riyyh uses a tentacle to brush a bit of tousled hair off Pylor's forehead.
Riyyh: There is a nice exhibit of Gen Territory artwork at the Nivet Museum.
Pylor: The museum?
Riyyh: I was thinking of going there today, but I didn't want to go by myself.
Riyyh: I get lonely. [sheepishly... and very cute he is, too]
Pylor: Oh.
Riyyh: And with no Donor....
Riyyh: Well, at this time of month, the artwork just doesn't seem as... vibrant.
Pylor's artistic sensibilities are almost nonexistent, but his Donor's sensibilities are in fine fettle.
Pylor: No Donor?
Riyyh: No, my Rapol cannot travel. So here I am in Capitol, entirely... without.
Riyyh expertly, if unconsciously, exposes his growing need to the Donor's field.
Pylor can't hold back his ~~ sympathy ~~
Pylor: Well, if you really require a Donor to go to this art exhibit....
Riyyh smiles.
Riyyh: If you could spare the time, I'd be pleased for you to join me.
Pylor: Why not? I don't seem to be good for anything else, just now.
Pylor finishes the last of his beer and gets to his feet.
Notes:
1) This is part of a larger DCO/HHN crossover episode. To read the whole thing, see DCO #84. [return]