Sime~Gen Roleplaying: Householding Naros Scenario
Episode #187: Handle with Kid Gloves (12/13/99)
Ruby picks herself up off the bed and cleans up her face.
Ruby sniffles as she gets dressed, taking the usual care to make sure that her appearance is faultless.
Ruby one great fear is growing old and losing her beauty.
Ruby pulls back her hair into a long pony tail and checks her appearance in the mirror.
Ruby sighs and heads out to find Merlia and start her work.
Merlia is standing in the front lobby, flipping through his mail to see if there are any personal letters or other items of value.
Ruby: ~ off kilter ~
Ruby walks into the lobby, head held high.
Merlia turns at Ruby's entrance.
Ruby: Good morning Merlia.
Merlia: Hello, Ruby.
Merlia: Hey, you don't zlin so good. Is everything all right?
Ruby fights back a sniffle.
Ruby: Yes, I'm fine, thank you.
Merlia has known enough women in his life to know that you don't say "Hey Ruby, why is your nose red?"
Ruby: What are we scheduled to do today?
Ruby is perfectly capable of looking for herself, but it's a good way to change the topic.
Merlia: "Well, barring any accidents, changeovers, and childbirths, we seem to have a pleasant morning of kicking back and waiting for the 55 transfers and donations scheduled for this afternoon.
Merlia looks rueful.
Merlia is at least partially responsible for the scheduling snafu, which occurred because of a parade which ended up getting cancelled anyway.
Ruby: Oh.
Ruby had wished for something more interesting to help take her mind of things.
Ruby: Well, perhaps we could ummm, do something else?
Merlia: I thought we might spend the time looking through the trouble files and figuring out which ones can be placed back in the regular... sure, what did you have in mind?
Merlia doesn't find the make-work he'd thought of anywhere near important enough to be worth turning down an opportunity to do anything else.
Ruby stops herself from saying "killing my father would be my first choice" by a whisker.
Merlia wonders at the strange emotional fluctuation he just zlinned.
Merlia only met Ruby last week and still doesn't know his new Donor very well.
Ruby: The festival of the Oaks is on I believe.
Merlia: Shall we go?
Ruby: I'm sure they will need Channel/Donor teams present.
Merlia: Well, Tenah and Reg are assigned to it.
Ruby: I mean, we probably should put in an appearance. It's probably our duty to do so seeing as how we have nothing scheduled this morning.
Ruby nods her way into talking herself into believing that it's duty, not recreation.
Ruby: Only one team for the whole town? How remiss!
Merlia: Ruby, are you sure you're all right?
Ruby: Why yes, thank you Hajene, perfectly fine.
Merlia is genuinely concerned. Not that Ruby is the most stable person he's ever met, but she seems somewhat upset at the moment.
Ruby sees that Merlia isn't going to be happy with just that.
Ruby: Just a little family problem, nothing important.
Merlia: Well, if you're sure?
Ruby: Quite sure.
Ruby: Shall we go?
Merlia is a pretty decent sort, for somebody with no taste in clothes, hair or food.
Merlia: All right.
Ruby pulls her ruby red angora hand woven coat, made for her by her mother, Emerald, out of the hall cupboard and dons it.
Merlia fortunately is wearing a Tecton uniform and recently had his hair cut to Tecton regulation, and therefore is not too embarrassing to be seen with.
Merlia fetches a perfectly boring cloak.
Ruby really doesn't mind what her partner looks like, as long as she outshines him. That was always a challenge with Riyyh.
Ruby: Oh damn.
Merlia: What's wrong?
Ruby didn't want to think about Riyyh.
Ruby: On nothing, just thinking of things that I didn't want to think about.
Merlia: Your family?
Merlia wonders if the little problem is more important than Ruby let on.
Ruby: Just forget about it will you please? I don't care to discuss it.
Ruby: ~ cold and distant ~
Merlia winces.
Merlia: OK.
Merlia moves a little away from her.
Merlia: Do you still want to go to the festival?
Ruby: Oh yes.
Ruby walks to the door and opens it. "Are you coming?"
Ruby: ~ slightly warmer, with apologetic overtones ~
Merlia smiles, more relieved than he'd probably admit.
Merlia follows.
Merlia makes a mental note: Don't mention the family.
Ruby holds the door open for the channel.
Ruby: Shall we walk or catch a cab?
Merlia makes another mental note to do some research on the family just to see if there's anything interesting there.
Ruby looks at the sky to see what the weather is like.
Merlia: Walk, I think. Unless you'd rather not?
Merlia has only known Ruby for a week, but he has figured out a thing or two. For example, she enjoys having things her way.
Ruby: Walking is fine, it doesn't look as if it's going to rain or snow or hail.
Ruby proceeds to head down the road in the wrong direction.
Merlia pauses, and then hurries after Ruby.
Merlia: This is a nice way to go. Er, very scenic.
Merlia: We could see the old mill.
Merlia has also found Ruby does not like to be told she's wrong.
Ruby has no idea she is going the wrong way.
Ruby: What old mill?
Merlia is still trying to find the best way to let her know she's wrong without letting her know he knows she's wrong.
Merlia: Oh, there's an old mill way out on the West end of town, [hoping she'll make the connection that the fairgrounds, which is on the East end, is nowhere near it] very pretty.
Merlia: There's a pool, and willows.
Merlia: The old stone fell through a few years ago, but the external structure is still standing, very picturesque.
Ruby stops.
Ruby: You mean we are headed in the wrong direction?
Merlia stops a few steps later.
Merlia: Er....
Merlia: No, the mill is just that way.
Merlia points.
Merlia tries to look innocent.
Ruby: ~ controlled patience ~
Ruby: I mean the wrong way to the Oak festival?
Ruby doesn't tap her foot, but only because the ground is slightly damp and she doesn't want to get her red leather shoes with the gold stitching that her mother Emerald had made specially to go with the coat, damper then necessary.
Merlia: Well... yes, come to think of it.
Merlia tries to look like it hadn't occur to him before.
Merlia: How silly of me. Maybe we should skip the mill, then?
Merlia is perfectly willing to take the blame if it'll keep Ruby from blowing up at him.
Ruby stifles a impatient cry which rings silently in her head "damn all channels!" and turns around.
Ruby: You could have told me you know. I don't know this town very well, it's unlikely that I would have slammed you across it.
Merlia walks at Ruby's side.
Ruby wonders if she can ask the Tecton for a holiday.
Ruby wonders what it would be like never to have to give transfer again.
Merlia: It's OK, I thought you just wanted to take a walk, I didn't know it had to be the Festival.
Ruby is willing to risk any side effects at the moment.
Merlia is in the dog house and he knows it.
Ruby: I thought the idea was to go to the festival to work.
Merlia sighs, thinking all a channel can do is his best.
Merlia nods.
Merlia: I think that's an excellent idea.
Ruby decides that silence is worse then idiotic small talk.
Ruby: So Merlia, how long have you been with the Tecton?
Merlia: I changed over 27 years ago, and I started working as a channel right away.
Merlia is about 40 natal years.
Ruby: You have been with the Tecton for 27 years?
Ruby: ~ amazement ~
Ruby: Don't you get sick of it? Ever want to settle down?
Merlia: Settle down?
Merlia: I've been living here for ten years.
Merlia: I like it here, too, and nobody else is fighting me for the post, so I can probably stay here as long as I want.
Merlia's post is so boring nobody would want it, mainly.
Ruby: What about your Com... Donors? Don't you ever want to settle down with just one rather then having a parade passing by?
Merlia looks at her oddly.
Merlia: I don't want to be in a dependency, if that's what you mean.
Merlia: What if something happened?
Ruby feels a bit odd, talking about it.
Ruby: Well, I didn't mean a dependency, exactly.
Ruby: I mean, get to know them better, to have them around, to, oh I don't know.
Ruby: ~ down and a bit grumpy ~
Ruby sighs.
Merlia: Well, it would be nice if some of the other staff members stayed longer. [admits]
Merlia's post is boring and he's the main channel there. For everybody else, it's even more boring.
Ruby: It must be hard to make lasting friends when you don't know who will be sent where, when.
Ruby is grateful he understands what she was feeling, even if she didn't have words for it.
Merlia: I do have a number of friends through the mail, though. Some of them pretty good friends.
Merlia: And I go and visit my... [starts to say "family", then thinks the better of it] ... friends back home, once a year.
Ruby hears the word "home" and her spirits, already low, sink further.
Merlia zlins that he has failed utterly.
Merlia reaches out to touch Ruby's shoulder lightly.
Merlia: Sorry.
Ruby: I never go home.
Ruby cringes away, and then stops.
Ruby: I'm sorry, it's not your fault. It's just been a very bad year.
Merlia is amazed at her reaction to his touch.
Merlia: You don't want to talk about it?
Merlia keeps his hands to himself, just to be on the safe side.
Merlia: I won't ask, if you don't want me to. But it sounds like you have a lot on your mind.
Ruby stops suddenly.
Ruby: It's my father you see we were to be married and then he is my father and suddenly he is everyone's father and there is no hope of every marrying anyone in the whole household and we never knew so you see....
Merlia is nearly bowled over by the flow of information.
Ruby: And then when I opened the door this morning and there he was! and it's like been so long and now he seems to be everywhere just like before.
Merlia is confused.
Merlia: There who was?
Ruby pulls off her red beret and sobs into it.
Ruby: My Father!
Merlia: Oh.
Merlia wipes his brow, which has unaccountably become rather sweaty.
Merlia: There, there.
Merlia wonders if he is allowed to put his arm around her shoulders, something he usually doesn't have to wonder with assigned Donors.
Ruby wishes she could lean on him.
Merlia zlins what he thinks is permission, and cautiously puts his arm around her shoulders.
Merlia: It'll be all right.
Ruby sniffles again and pulls the beret away.
Ruby: I'm sorry, I must look awful.
Ruby: I shouldn't do that to you either.
Ruby: I mean, I know better than that! I'm not First Year.
Ruby: Please forgive me.
Merlia: OK. Just as long as you're OK. [smiles]
Merlia is just a little bit worried at this point, though.
Merlia is definitely planning on doing some investigation.
Ruby: Would you mind awfully if we went back? I must look a sight. I'd really rather not be out in public I think.
Merlia: Oh... all right.
Merlia would rather have a happy Ruby than see the Festival anyway.
Merlia turns back toward the Center, arm curled protectively around his Donor.
Ruby leans against him gratefully.