Clash of the Titans

[HYWASaint@aol.com]

Following is the log of an RP session betwixt myself (Cesare) and the Moritani
House Mentat (Valentina), who logged it.  It is a good example of In-House RP
and I thought it a nice change from most of the big events which make up this
list's logs.
--------------------------------------------------

Director's note:

This all was sparked because the intercom system 
in our Embassy did not seem to include
the Suk Laboratory. Apparently, IC, Cesare had 
been ringing her, and she had
not been responding.

Happy reading! :-)

Val.
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Suk Laboratory -- Moritani Embassy (Kaitain)

        You step out of the austere hallway into 
a room which seems rather out
  of place. Through this expansive room are 
rather low work tables, with short
  stools situated around a few of them. A 
counter also spans the the length of
  the four walls, except near the door which is 
flanked by tall, steel
  cabinets. Each table holds it assortment of 
various scientific instruments,
  except for two of them which look much more 
like large dissection tables,
  with movable lighting fixtures set above them. 
The wall counters have a few
  sinks and other various gas valves and the 
like. The room is tinged with the
  smell of melange, and some other drugs, such 
as elacca and sapho, mixed in
  with the strelie medical smell of alcohols and 
other liquids.
        The space along the far right wall 
corner has been partially partioned
  off, though you can see some of the furniture 
behind the long curtains: the
  corner of a bed, large easels with a few 
paintings, and several large wooden
  crates. A large, mahogany two-person desk, 
covered in various papers,
  instruments and data pads, and a high-backed, 
swivel chair set on one side
  sit on this side of the partition. Set on the 
back of the chair is a doctoral
  hood and cowl of the Suk Imperial Medical 
School. On the wall to the right of
  the desk is a large tapestry bearing the crest-
shield which is halved between
  House Moritani's symbol and that of seal of 
the Suk Imperial Medical School.
        The room overall is in a bit of disarray 
as the new Suk for House
  Moritani settles her belongings in, and 
customizes the office to her liking.

Players:
 Valentina                            
Exits:
 Stone Doorway <O> leads to Staff Wing -- 
Moritani Embassy (Kaitain)
Cesare comes through the Stone Doorway into Suk 
Laboratory.
Cesare has arrived.
Cesare storms into the room, his face livid with 
anger.
The Doctor's sihloette can be seen against the 
curtains that separate her
  private living space and the laboratory proper.
Cesare booms, "Doctor! Where the bloody heck are 
you?"
It's also sorta obvious she is dressing.
Valentina's voice sounds puzzled, "In my 
laboratory, as always, as you insist,
  M'lord," she half-says, half questions. She 
hastily pulls a dress over her
  head and you can see she is buttoning it up.
Cesare snaps viciously, "Hurry up, madame. I am 
angered enough with you at
  present and am NOT accustomed to waiting on 
the whims of staff."
Valentina says cooly, "My Lord, I do apologize. 
I was unaware you had summoned
  me, for indeed noone was sent to tell me you 
were in need of my services,"
  she says, with a tone that still holds some 
respect, but almost as though she
  were explaining something to a angered child. 
She comes out a moment later,
  still towel-drying her hair.
Valentina steps into her slippers that are just 
on this side of the curtain,
  and walks towards you, "What is it you need, 
My Lord?" she asks. She finishes
  towel drying her hair, tossing the cloth onto 
a nearby laboratory table. She
  runs fingers through her short locks, to keep 
them from drying mostly skewed,
  and awaits your instructions.
(OOC) Valentina says, "Let me know if you've 
looked about the lab at all btw"
(OOC) Valentina says, "Since I don't own it, I 
gotta @emit all the stuff."
Cesare places a hand on one of the dissection 
tables, taking on a posture of
  severity. "I understand you had a 
slight...disagreement with Mentat Virgil."
Valentina looks slightly puzzled, 
"Disagreement?... well now that is a bit of a
  harsh way to say it," she says, more to 
herself than to you, "If you wish to
  call it that, then yes, I guess we did."
Valentina does not seem the least bit 
intimidated by you. This may or may not
  be apparent.
Cesare states bluntly, "I wish to know exactly 
what was said. Some of the
  servants overheard you and such disturbances 
cannot be overlooked."
Valentina rolls her eyes, and does not even try 
to hide this from you, "He came
  in, and insisted that I conduct another series 
of ... physicals for all your
  soldiers, M'lord. Even though the previous Suk 
had just completed such duties
  right before her depature.... upon my arrival 
I saw how current the records
  are, and did not think another round would be 
necessary. He seems to think
  otherwise. Since he has suddenly aquired 
medical training, I agreed, after a
  slight moment or two of disagreement, to carry 
out his orders.
Valentina sounds almost bored, talking of this.
A small tiger-striped cat dashes across the 
laboratory floor, and pounces up
  onto the table nearest Valentina. She reaches 
out to scritch the little cat,
  then scoops him up into her arms, holding him 
gently, feeling his rumbling
  purrr beneath his fur. She looks to you while 
continuing to scritch the cat
  beneath the chin, "Is there anything else, 
M'lord?"
Cesare slams a fist on the table, his face again 
going quite red, "In the
  future you shall refrain from correcting your 
superiors, which include the
  House Mentat. Regardless of what you think of 
the orders, you shall carry
  them out without question. This is not a 
request. It is an order."
Valentina actually jumps a little, and the cat 
leaps out of Valentina's arms
  and goes scurrying off to hide in a corner.
You say, "I was merely trying to keep your men 
working, and not dawdling,
  M'lord. But rest easy, the summons for the 
physicals were sent upon the
  Mentat's departure."
Valentina then adds, "And remind me... the next 
time I see the Mentat, I will
  give him a tatoo like mine... so he can 
continue to make such... decisions,"
  she finishes, her tone not even hiding her 
contempt.
Cesare says coldly, "Regardless of your eventual 
complicance, you bothered to
  question orders. There is a concept called 
"loyalty" and I am not so certain
  that you are acquainted with it. In order to 
make sure that you have learned
  from your mistakes, you are hereby confined to 
the embassy for the next three
  weeks. For no reason whatsoever are you to 
leave. I do not care whether you
  agree, it is a matter of following orders no 
matter your feelings on them.
  This should teach you well. If I am informed 
by anyone of your leaving this
  embassy for any reason within the next three 
weeks, I shall take my
  perogative as Siridar and shall have you 
summarily executed. Do not think to
  trifle with me, madame."
(OOC) Cesare says, "That's the next RL week, 
BTW."
(OOC) Valentina says, "oh wow."
Valentina looks to you, her eyes blazing, 
"Well... I see why you lost the last
  Suk so quickly," she says.
Cesare walks over to a shelf and removes a glass 
container of some sort of
  yellowish liquid. Then he hurls it at the 
wall, shattering it and spilling its
  contents. "For that crack, you may remain in 
the embassy for the next month!
  You will NOT question me nor see fit to make 
snide remarks."
(OOC) Valentina says, "so that's... two weeks 
RL?"
Cesare walks up to you, stoping only inches from 
your face. His eyes peer into
  yours, his eyes sparkling with anger and 
determination, "You may think
  yourself a strong, stubborn woman. I, however, 
am a far stronger, more
  stubborn man and you shall find your opinions 
and concearns only matter when
  I say they do. I will allow that you have the 
right to say what you want if
  you allow that I have the right to shoot you 
for it."
(OOC) Cesare says, "Right"
Valentina looks back at you levelly, "Would it 
make you feel better?"
(OOC) Valentina says, "Yikes. Blah! I hate it 
when char's get like this."
(OOC) Valentina has lost one too many due to her 
quick tongue and fast typing...
Cesare throws his head back and laughs, "Aha ha 
ha ha ha! Madame, if you think
  that I should hesitate to have you executed 
for any reason, you are sadly
  mistaken. I keep you here because you are a 
superlative Suk. However, there
  are plenty who are at least your match, and 
FAR more complacent. You may be a
  doctor and one who holds the lives of many in 
your hands, but do not forget
  for an instant that I hold your own life in MY 
hands. If I think for a second
  that you are disloyal, I shall squeeze every 
drop of vitality and will from
  it, leaving an empty shell of a woman who 
shall spend the rest of her days
  babbling incoherently in a sanitarium. Your 
tongue may be quick, but it is
  nowhere near as sharp as the knife I wield."
Valentina bites down her her lip, to keep from 
hurling further words... she
  merely just looks at you, her eyes narrowing.
Valentina finally does say, "I assure you, 
Siridar-Count, you need not worry
  about my loyalties. I am still here, yes? I 
have not run back to the school
  that you ripped me from, or taken home in 
another Embassy... my loyalties
  should never be something for you to worry 
about."
Cesare grins wolfishly, "You do not leave 
because you cannot. For a Suk to
  desert her House would be to bring dishonour 
upon her so great that she would
  never find work again, no matter her skills or 
medical prowess."
Valentina turns her back to you.
Valentina then says, "You may take your leave," 
in a tone similar to that she
  used earlier today with the Mentat... only 
with slightly less... disgust.
Cesare places his hand on your shoulder and 
forcibly turns you around, "How
  DARE you! I do not take my leave of you when 
you demand it! These quarters
  are not your property! You ungrateful and 
insolent wench! All that you own,
  have, and are is due to the magnanimity of 
House Moritani."
<Moritani> Valentina laughs and laughs
With your hands on her shoulders like so, you 
can see that yes, maybe finally,
  you are getting to her. Her breath comes a 
little harder, and indeed she is
  shaking some. She says nothing though at 
first, merely looking to you. After
  a few moments of more awkward silence, she 
says, "And in exchange for House
  Moritani's... generosity, I serve her... there 
surely is not more you
  require."
Cesare cocks his head to one side, gauging your 
reaction. He rights himself and
  speaks with more than mild amusement in his 
voice, "Ah! Indeed I do! You
  shall do more than serve. You shall obey."
Valentina says quietly, "They are one in the 
same."
Cesare shakes his head vehemently, "No! They are 
not. One can serve and not
  obey. To obey means to submit. To make one's 
own will the same as that of
  one's master, indistinguishable from each 
other. It is to give up all that
  you are for the greater cause, that being in 
this case the will and desire of
  your superiors in House Moritani. You may 
request permission to give your
  opinions, and when you do so it shall be in a 
servile manner, not this wicked
  tongue lashing to which you are so accustomed. 
You cannot fight me, Doctor.
  Your will shall melt like wax in the presence 
of the fire which burns within
  me."
Valentina looks to you, "I was unaware that my 
authority was to be trascended
  when it came to medical matters, M'lord... 
that is all the trouble here. The
  rest of what the House does matters not to me. 
I am here to insure the health
  and well-being, yes? And so now the Mentat can 
tell me how to do this job and
  go about it? Perhaps he would like to perform 
the next surgery as well? I
  will not... I /will not/ be second guessed or 
have people who have no such
  knowledge peering over my shoulder. A medic, 
fine, a political advisor, no.
  Not even yourself. I am here to insure we are 
all healthy and well. I cannot
  do this if you strip my authority from me like 
this. Anything else...
  politics, religion, anything you wish there, I 
will submit, and I will obey,
  and I will honor and cherish all that the 
House does... but medicine is mine,
  and you will /not/ take her from me.
Valentina bursts this out, rapidly, 
passionately...
Valentina continues, "For taking medicine from 
me takes me from me, and that...
  you will not... you will never, do."
Cesare thinks upon it for a second and then 
replies, "You may have your
  medicine, but you will follow orders unless 
they are detrimental to the
  House. In that event, you shall not correct 
the one ordering you. Rather, you
  shall agree and come to see me privately 
later. If I am the one giving you
  the order, you may make your conceans known, 
but you will NOT tell me what I
  shall and shall not do. If once you have made 
your argument I still disagree,
  you shall follow orders. You are the Suk and I 
trust your judgement...most of
  the time. You must understand that I am 
responsible for every facet of this
  House, even your domain."
Valentina nods, "Very well," she says, "Then I 
wish to protest the orders of
  these.. physicals.. when the ones on the books 
are less than two months old
  anyways... I do not know what possibly could 
change so dramatically. The
  Mentat.. indeed any of you, are welcome to 
look through existing records...
  but requiring me and your men to take time out 
of their... military duties to
  perform physicals that are uncesssary... it is 
just plain stupid," she pauses
  a second, then tags, "m'lord," to the entire 
bit.
Cesare grins, this time a hint of kindness in 
his countenance. "There we are.
  That is all I require from you, a calm, 
rational argument without all the
  tongue-lashing and beratement. I agree with 
you and order that there be no
  new physicals until a year after the records 
of the present ones expire.
  Yearly should be quite enough."
Valentina does not warm to the kindness. She 
merely nods, "Good," the slowly, a
  devilish grin rises to her face, "May I tell 
the Mentat?"
Valentina burst into giggles with this...
Cesare laughs hartily and answers, "Yes, you 
may. I am not above letting people
  have their fun every once and a while."
Valentina then bows, properly (or as proper as a 
gal can with still damp hair),
  "Thank you, M'lord."
Cesare nods curtly, turns on heel, and strides 
out of the room, a rather smug
  look on his face.
Cesare goes through the Stone Doorway into Staff 
Wing.
Cesare has left.
<Moritani> Valentina says, "Thanks for not 
killing me :)"
<Moritani> Cesare says, "Clash of the Titans, 
eh? :)"


Erin K. DeMoranville
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
And God created woman.
She had two arms, two legs, and three breasts. 
And it was good.  
And God asked woman what she would like to change about herself. 
And she asked for her middle breast to be removed. 
And it was good.
And she stood with her third breast in her hand and
   asked God what should be done with this useless boob.
And God created man....
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