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Post by Jules on Mar 2, 2009 1:54:36 GMT -5
Camilla felt a little bit like a hypocrite when she reached out and took Genn's wrist gently in her own, leading her slightly away from Donovan. What the Princess was doing to herself was no worse than what Camilla was doing (she was pissed because none of her pretty clothing even fit anymore), but she was a young girl, still growing and her father was a frightening man when angry.
"Genn, I don't want to be mean, but you won't be allowed to volunteer at the hospital unless you start eating properly, alright? If this continues, I'll tell your father." She didn't like being the enemy, and hopefully the Princess wouldn't be too mad, because her help was valuable, but she wouldn't have the girl too weak to even lift jars. She turned back to Donovan and had a brilliant idea. He was less likely to be surely around the gorgeous Genn. "This is Princess Gennvieve, and she'll show you around. You'll be working under her."
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 2, 2009 2:13:07 GMT -5
Their 'tour' was interrupted by a feminine voice calling, "Hello Camilla! They stopped. She was young; pale skin, and a little shadowed under the eyes; eyes the same crystal clear blue of a freshly frozen lake.
She was, easily, the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life. She so far surpassed anything else, he had nothing to compare it to, and it thus felt dreamlike, or at best a trick. It intimidated him to have his body react to something without his consent. His mouth had gone dry and he'd lost the ability to blink. He dipped his head and turned slighly in the other direction so his hat hid most of his face, somewhat hating this girl he'd never met before.
And then Camilla introduced her. His head snapped up of its own volition. Princess? Not only a Nightmare, then, but also a member of the family he so very much despised. "No," he said, before he could stop himself.
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Post by Princess Katie on Mar 2, 2009 2:25:01 GMT -5
Genn felt like screaming. All of this work for nothing, just to get caught. But of course, she instead smiled and nodded, “Yes ma’am. There’s no need to tell Daddy. Not at all.”
She would reform her plan later, for now she’d try and help as much as possible. She beamed at Donovan and held out a hand to shake, “Hi, I—“
No.
“No? Don’t worry, you’re not really serving under me, I’ll just show you the ropes today and then you can be on your own!” Genn laughed a little, “Besides, I’m a kind overlord. The total opposite of Draconian.”
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Post by Jules on Mar 2, 2009 2:28:57 GMT -5
Camilla studied her a moment longer. "I'm a Doctor Genn, I'll be able to tell, and I won't hesitate." She sighed and backed off for now, however. In front of Donovan wasn't really the place to be holding the conversation anyways. Or the patients, for that matter.
"Donovan, stop being a jerk and just do it. I don't have time, really to show you around, I have all these people to tend to and then the ones that are actually hurt. Suck it up, butter cup, Genn's your tour guide."
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 2, 2009 2:39:47 GMT -5
He stared at her outstretched hand as if it were a poisonous snake. Sparing Camilla one final venomous look, he allowed the temporary partnership. Allowed meaning, said nothing and generally looked moody.
Draconian. She was all charm and grace and wit. He hated people like her. What was the matter with him?
"If you could talk as little as possible," he said dryly, "I'd be very obliged, Your Majesty."
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Post by Princess Katie on Mar 2, 2009 20:56:31 GMT -5
Camilla knew that Genn was just placating her, but it wasn’t going to stop Genn from doing so. “Yes ma’am. I’ll eat.” Maybe she could pass it off as a diet. Say she wanted to lose weight…pressures of society and all that. Hmm.
Genevieve frowned at Donovan and retracted her hand once she realized that the man was not planning on shaking it. She was hurt, definitely, that this absolute stranger had so much anger toward her. But Genn was well trained in handling rude, sarcastic people. With very few exceptions, her entire family was rude and sarcastic. “Oh, it’s ‘Highness’, actually. ‘Majesty’ is reserved for Mother and Daddy,” she corrected, cheerfully. “But above everything, I prefer Genn. It’s much easier.” She placed a hand on his shoulder to steer him toward the storage room.
“This,” she said, indicating to two stacks of paper, “is all the official stuff. We’re having everyone take a number, and when they come up to the front desk, we give them either a Nightmare or a Dream sheet, and they fill it out and give it to us when we call their number. Easy. Then it gets filed back in these cabinets here. This is all the easy part. The hard part is the customer service. I mean, people who are starving to death and watching their children go hungry are understandably desperate and therefore short. We have to be patient with them.” Genevieve felt the need to stress this fact because Donovan seemed short in the manners department from the get-go. “Patient. Questions so far?”
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 2, 2009 23:03:03 GMT -5
Her hand over his shoulder had set his nerves to a point that put his capacity for good customer service right on the edge of murderous, but he didn't say anything. He was dying an inch at a time under her attention (something he didn't like to begin with, but with her it was somehow worse).
He eyed all the stacks of papers and other 'official, yet easy' stuff with something like bewilderment. For some reason, he'd gotten the idea he'd be providing food for the hungry... and that was it. What was with all of this delegation stuff?
Steeling himself, he forced himself to make eye contact again, with the barest hint of desperation. "Your Highness," he began, emphasis on the correction, "I don't think I'm... qualified to do this."
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Post by Princess Katie on Mar 2, 2009 23:25:17 GMT -5
"I'm sure you're perfectly qualified," Genn dismissed, "You're an able-bodied Nightmare; that's the only qualification there is. If it's all this paperwork that's scaring you, don't worry about it, I can do yours." She smiled reassuringly, even though she had every reason not to offer any reassurance to this guy. "I'm sure you'll do just fine anyways. Come on."
She beckoned Donovan toward the food supplies, "This is obviously what we're going to be giving out. As you can see, the stockpile of Fear is much bigger than the stockpile of Joy-- Camilla's the only one supplying the hospital with that right now, and it's pretty much killing her. She mentioned that she heard about some guy who she could maybe get to help, but I don't know how that went..." Genn glanced at him apologetically. Truly apologetically. Not sarcastic. "Sorry, I'm talking too much. I'll cut it to only instructions."
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 2, 2009 23:44:53 GMT -5
His eyes --really the only visible part of his face-- creased into an expression of amusement. His facial muscles, not recognizing such a foreign contortion, floundered at the sudden (sort of) smile. He could understand-- he knew he didn't look like the type to elicit joy from anyone.
"That's me," he said. "Some guy. And it's not the paperwork. It's the customer service."
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Post by Princess Katie on Mar 3, 2009 0:22:21 GMT -5
Oh! Genevieve would have never guessed he was a Dream. Frankly, he was scarier than she was. “I’m so sorry! It was rude of me to just…assume that you were a Nightmare.”She blushed and began smoothing out the imaginary wrinkles in her skirt. That was one of the reasons Dreams hated Nightmares so much. They were presumptuous.
“But, as for the customer service, I can help you. You just need to be sympathetic when they need it or cheerful when they need it, and smile…oh.” Genn pressed her fingers to her lips. She was saying lots of rude things today. She didn’t know that he had a purpose to keep his face covered, but she figured. Most people removed their face-coverings indoors unless they had reason not to. “Ughhh. Sorry, again.”
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 4, 2009 20:31:06 GMT -5
Watching her stumble through a few social faux pas gave him a perverse sort of satisfaction; perhaps it was knowing he wasn't the only one. Incredibly, she didn't annoy him. The terrible, painful truth was he could have listened to her blabber on, blush and apologize (on repeat mode) for hours.
He could have reassured her, but he didn't. While she may not annoy him, the fact that she didn't... did. Undoubtedly spoiled, he told himself. And a Nightmare. Reason enough to hate anyone. And, regardless of her mistaking him for a Nightmare, the issue of his scarf was not something he wanted to chat about.
"If you'd give me an hour," he said, "I could come back with more joy."
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Post by Princess Katie on Mar 4, 2009 21:44:11 GMT -5
Donovan was obviously not so keen on being here. Was he trying to ditch? Genn raised an eyebrow suspiciously at him. So far, he hadn't been particularly kind, but neither had he really given her any reason to distrust him. Genn bit down on her lip as she wresled with the decision to let him go or not and secretly, deep down, she thrilled, just a little, at being asked permission to go. She was in charge.
"One hour," she sighed, "please be on time. I don't want Camilla to get mad at me for letting people go willy-nilly. Please?"
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 4, 2009 22:01:43 GMT -5
Something very-near amusement passed through his eyes at her use of the words 'willy-nilly'. He touched the brim of his hat and gave her a gentlemen's nod. Leaving the hospital was easier than entering it, people generally scurried out of his way as he stalked to the exit.
------
Fifty seven minutes to the second, he came back to the hospital, a large pack slung across one shoulder. Occupied (to the extent of hazard) Camilla didn't notice as he slipped back into the room where Genn had first informed him of his 'duties'. She wasn't in there-- no doubt helping a patient-- and he began unloading the multiple jars onto the shelf.
He felt a bit worn out. He'd never pushed himself so hard before; it was an impressive load, if he was any judge. And although he wasn't entirely sure why he'd been so eager to do so well this time, he could guess, and it was not a pleasing answer.
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Post by Princess Katie on Mar 4, 2009 23:52:46 GMT -5
Indeed, Genevieve was helping a patient. When Donovan stalked in, not just on time, but early, Genn was on her hands and knees, playing with a little, pigtailed, Dream girl who had been crying as Genevieve made her rounds.
"Oh, my, you look just like a princess!" Genn cooed as she took a bracelt from her own wrist and slipped it onto the wrist of the tiny Dream. The girl was delighted, turning her chubby hand this way and that to see the bracelet glimmer. "Now, you be a good girl for your mommy, okay? Princess Genevieve needs to go check on her friend."
With a final smile at the girl, Genn stood and navigated through the sea of bodies to get to the back room. "Punctual," she said approvingly, lingering in the doorway. "Oh, wow! You weren't kidding when you said 'more' joy. What a spread!"
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 8, 2009 19:17:56 GMT -5
He glanced up when she came in, at the very least acknowledging her presence, but he didn't say anything. He wasn't in the habit of speaking unless he had something to say, and she hadn't actually asked a question. His conversational skills were grievously lacking, and usually he didn't notice or care, but now it made him uncomfortable. Wishing to be anywhere but in the same air space as her.
He picked up one of the Dream forms, scanned over the name, then handed it to her, complete with the appropriately measured amount of Joy.
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