Sime~Gen Roleplaying on IRC: Snake River Dam Scenario
Episode #178: Ka-ching! (6/7/01)
Prunida kicks her staggering horse down the muddy outskirts of the main renSime encampment.
Prunida is a scarecrow-thin, haggard old renSime who's too ornery to die, much to the distress of her acquaintances and long-suffering family.
Prunida's family just doesn't appreciate the amount of time and effort she puts into promoting their welfare, most particularly the member she is currently pursuing.
Prunida has learned at least a bit from her previous attempts, however, and is attempting her idea of a clandestine approach.
Prunida therefore tugs on the reins when she hears drunken voices coming from a half-open door, jumps off the horse as it almost falls, then jerks the door open.
Prunida is in ~~ need ~~, which complicates her goal of being inconspicuous.
Mardith looks out over the crowd in her solidly walled, freshly painted, and respectable establishment. She tries not to radiate pride, but it is what she has been working toward.
Mardith thinks, may the creator of Simes and Gens bless that Du Wie.
Prunida zlins to make sure her degenerate grandson isn't present, then pushes her way to the bar.
Prunida: Bartender! Bring me a pint, and it'd better come from a barrel, not a horse's bladder.
Mardith cast a jaundiced eye and a quick zlin on the latest arrival. She signals the bartender that she will deal with this one.
Prunida does have a dangerously edgy, almost junct feel to her nager, although she has never killed. Murdered, yes, but not killed.
Prunida is quite fond of pain in other contexts, however.
Mardith draws a mug of her good porstan. That also makes her feel proud. She places it on the bar in front of the cranky Sime.
Mardith: There you go.
Mardith: New around here?
Prunida looks at it suspiciously, takes a sip, then swigs half of the mug down.
Prunida puts it back on the bar.
Prunida: Not too bad. ~~ grudging ~~
Prunida likes to pretend that she's in the habit of drinking good stuff.
Mardith quirks a small smile. It is very "not too bad".
Mardith: Best around these parts for sure.
Mardith: So what brings you up this way? Looking for work?
Mardith doubts that, given the advanced age of the Sime before her.
Prunida leans confidentially over the bar.
Prunida: No, I'm looking to surprise a relative of mine.
Prunida: My grandson, actually.
Mardith: Really? How nice.
Prunida's beady eyes dart around in search of eavesdroppers.
Mardith: I'm sure he will love to see his grandmother.
Prunida doesn't want word of her presence to get to Nick before she can ambush him.
Prunida: Yes, I'm sure he will be.
Prunida: Once I find him, that is.
Mardith changes her original assessment of the old Sime somewhat, putting her poor behavior down to need jitters.
Mardith: Well, that could take some doing up here.
Prunida: I'd gathered that.
Mardith: Lots of folks with no way to be sure where anyone is. People move around quite a bit.
Prunida puts a coin on the bar, which covers the porstan and just a bit more.
Prunida: Perhaps you could assist me there.
Prunida: He's a Gen youngster, very big nager.
Prunida: You'd know him the instant you zlin him. Like someone from Naros, but a field twice as strong.
Prunida: And he's always close to a channel.
Prunida: His name is Nick. Nick Reckage.
Mardith: Oh. Well, you wouldn't find him hanging out down here. You're gonna have to go up to the Sime Sh -- er, Center.
Mardith doesn't count Franses among the Donor set.
Prunida harrumphs, and tries to look ~~ innocent ~~
Prunida: Well, there's the difficulty, you see. I know how demanding a Donor's job is. I wouldn't want to get him into trouble, taking up his time when his channel needs him.
Prunida is, truth to tell, more than a little wary of running afoul of Arat (who has security staff) or worse yet, Snake (who doesn't require security staff).
Prunida: I was hoping to find him when he had leisure time for family, as it were.
Prunida: Surely they let the poor lad out sometime?
Mardith can't help zlinning the discomfort in Prunida's nager at the thought of going to the Sime Center of all places.
Mardith finds her earlier assessment taking hold again.
Mardith: Well, you'll probably want to have your transfer before dealing with going to see him anyway.
Prunida grunts.
Prunida: I'm not due quite yet, and you know the kind of taxes they charge when you go early.
Prunida also doesn't want any alert Sime Center employee making the connection and warning Nick.
Mardith nods in commiseration.
Prunida zlins the others in the bar.
Prunida: Any of your customers here likely to know where a young Donor might spend his spare time?
Mardith: Depends, but Sosu Nick is the Controller's Donor most of the time. He travels in different circles from the ones I do.
Mardith looks around at her clientele. Nick Reckage would travel in different circles from anyone in the room.
Mardith: Everyone usually ends up at the bath house eventually though.
Prunida: The bath house?
Mardith: Yeah, the Narosians came up here and built it. I spend some time there myself when I can.
Prunida: The Narosians built a bath house up here?
Mardith hasn't had time for a good soak in weeks. Before that she just didn't have the money to spare.
Prunida chuckles.
Prunida: Trust the rabbit to build a place to primp!
Mardith has had many an unsavory guest in her establishment so derogatory comments about someone's character spoken or implied are not new to her. Her curiosity about who the title rabbit applies to, though, gets the better of her.
Mardith: Rabbit?
Prunida: Yes. Riyyh. Bunnying is about all he's good for.
Prunida: You say Nick goes to this bath house regularly?
Prunida is of two minds about trying to ambush Nick around his siblings-to-various-degrees.
Mardith: I've seen him there occasionally.
Prunida knows that the Narosians can't stop her, but on the other hand, they are constitutionally incapable of keeping a secret.
Prunida: Is there anyone he bathes with? Or socializes with? Besides the channels, I mean.
Mardith wonders who poor Nick offended to get such a person for a grandmother.
Mardith: Like I said, we travel in different circles. I wouldn't know who he socializes with.
Prunida: Well, then, you wouldn't have any reason at all to pass word to him that I'm here, now, would you?
Prunida suddenly zlins very ~~ threatening ~~
Prunida: I want the boy to be surprised, and I'll know who's to blame if he isn't. Understand?
Prunida picks up her now-empty mug and squeezes it until it shatters.
Mardith zlins equally ~~ threatening ~~.
Mardith: That will be an extra mark for the broken mug.
Mardith motions for Eten to move in closer.
Prunida: Take it out of your tip, there.
Prunida gestures towards the coin on the bar.
Mardith checks the amount and nods.
Du Wie swings happily into the Rising Nager Saloon. This investment is proving to be a very good one. So long as there are drunks she will never go broke. Hee, hee.
Prunida turns with the swiftness of a Sime in need, when an interesting Gen comes by.
Mardith zlins her new partner enter.
Prunida notes immediately that this Gen is not part of the riffraff that patronize this bar.
Du-Wie: Mardith, how's business?
Du Wie makes her way to the bar and stands next to a rather wizened renSime.
Mardith: Brisk.
Mardith: What can I get you Du?
Prunida decides that this better-dressed individual might be better acquainted with Nick's schedule.
Prunida: Say, there. I don't suppose you know my grandson, do you? Nick Reckage?
Prunida: I came all the way from the lowlands to surprise the dear boy.
Prunida tries to look maternal, or at least, grand-maternal.
Du Wie looks quizzically at the old Sime. She can't possibly be any relation to Nick.
Du Wie hasn't gotten this far in life without being able to recognize a predator when she sees one. But that doesn't mean she's averse to dealing with one if there is a bit of profit in it.
Du Wie: Why, I didn't know Nick had any relatives that weren't from Naros. Pleased to meet you...?
Prunida: Oh, I'm the part of Nick that didn't come from the rabbit.
Du Wie had been trying for a name out of the old woman.
Prunida: Prunida Reckage.
Prunida is indeed a wreck.
Du Wie: Du Wie. [inclines her head slightly as she introduces herself]
Prunida raises an eyebrow at this overly-posh mannerism.
Du Wie would never refer to the aptness of Prunida's last name.
Prunida: From your earlier comment, you're acquainted with my grandson.
Du Wie: Well, barely acquainted. [uses the word correctly in that he was bare when she cornered him in the bath house]
Du Wie: I would like to get better acquainted with him though.
Prunida: Yes, he's such a nice boy. What he really requires is a nice girl to steady him.
Prunida measures Du for potential granddaughter-in-lawdom, i.e., the ability to bully Nick into obedience while in turn being bullied by her grandmother-in-law.
Mardith tries to get Du's attention without drawing Prunida's to let the Gen know that things zlin a lot different from how they sound.
Du Wie ignores Mardith's signal and signals her to cut it out.
Mardith shrugs and goes back to monitoring the drunks in her care.
Prunida is pretty much oblivious to Mardith's signals, having amazingly little sensitivity for a renSime, and a personality devoid of concern for others.
Du Wie can't be bullied by the likes of Prunida, of course. However she can certainly let Prunida think whatever she likes.
Du Wie: Well, that's just so very nice of you to say.
Prunida has a tendency to resort to all-out physical attack when bullying fails, but fortunately Du doesn't know that.
Du Wie: Would he be expecting you? Oh, no you did say you were trying to surprise him didn't you?
Prunida: Yes. I haven't seen the dear boy in far too long, and I didn't want him worrying about me making the trip.
Prunida is speaking the absolute truth; she very much didn't want Nick worrying about her arrival and taking precautions against it.
Du Wie: How sweet of you to be concerned.
Prunida gives a broad, almost sincere smile, showing rotten teeth.
Prunida: I don't suppose you know where the dear boy goes, when he has free time?
Du Wie: [doesn't recoil but asks] Do you have lodging already or are you looking for some?
Du Wie would rather not answer that last question just yet.
Du Wie found out all of Nick's favorite haunts when she first tried to get him to talk to her.
Prunida: I haven't had time to find suitable accommodations yet.
Prunida to be truthful had forgotten all about accommodations in her rush to ambush Nick before the gossip-gathering portion of the rabbit genes could provide warning.
Du Wie: Well, perhaps we should get you settled in then.
Prunida: Why, that's very kind of you to offer to put me up.
Prunida reaches out and attaches herself to Du's upper arm, like an elderly leech.
Du Wie: That wasn't what I had in mind. But I do know of a lovely little establishment that rents rooms at a reasonable rate. [nods at Mardith]
Mardith tries to hide a smirk. That woman would find a way to charge for air if there was one.
Prunida is ~~ annoyed ~~ at being foiled.
Prunida: Well, it really is more critical that I amb... er, "greet" Nick properly.
Du Wie: Yes indeed. A room and a bath will put you to rights. The bath tub here is no where near as sinfully wonderful as the ones at the bath house but it will let you get rid of the trail.
Mardith doesn't have Du's absolute love of money but she is thinking "ka-ching!".
Mardith sometimes wonders where that word comes from.
Prunida: Not a room, I think, just yet. But a quick bath to make me presentable, yes.
Prunida is aware that in her condition, she would stick out like the proverbial bruised lateral in the sort of company Nick is apparently keeping these days.
Prunida believes in camouflage when stalking timid prey, and let's face it, Nick is 75% rabbit.
Du Wie: Wonderful! Mardith please see to N'Vet Reckage's comforts.
Mardith does smile this time.
Mardith: Certainly. Right this way N'Vet. [points off to a door near the end of the bar]
Prunida follows Mardith, already scheming how to charge the bath to Nick.
Go on to Episode #179: The Happy Bucket
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