Corruption at Purity Hospital IC

[Bennosuke]

Act 1 Scene ii

Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides.

-Andre Malraux

While rest comes uneasy to both Johnny and Ethan, rising the next afternoon is even harder. Despite both men having become somewhat adjusted to the nocturnal lifestyle, their heads are just that much more clouded and heavy the day after Mr. King's death.

Ethan shows up just a little later than he usually does, to the frustration of his anxious Day Residents. The Resident who had cared for Mr. King asks Ethan a million questions about the nights events, and thanks him repeatedly for everything that happened. None of this makes the young Doctor feel any better, and in fact, he finds himself wanting to throttle the other Intern several times. Despite the fugue, Ethan's hands refuse to steady, and he cannot shake the dreams he had of something crawling on the floor, just about to catch him. These thoughts, more impressions than images, make it that much harder to concentrate as well.

When Johnny arrives, the other security guards seem to be acting like the previous night's events never happened. Clarita is just as cold to Johnny as she's ever been, and Steve seems to have only one or two words regarding what happened. In fact, it may just be in Johnny's head, but it seems like the other guards seem to avoiding him.

Fortunately, the beginning of the shift is quiet so far, and neither Johnny or Ethan are too tied up in their responsibilities when the sun sets.

Spoiler: OOC

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Please describe what your character is doing following the initiation of their shift. This can be work or investigation related. Please be clear as to where your character is in the hospital when the scene begins. Also, in case you have not see, please see my most recent OOC post.

[XianTheCoder]

Spoiler: Character Box

Show

Health: ◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️
Willpower: ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️
Conditions: Spooked
Tilts: None
Beats: 2

Spoiler: Aspirations

Show

1. Manipulate Chris into breaking his moral code, disappointing his family, or engage in an action that would be considered unprofessional while on the clock.
2. Convince a patient to disclose something they haven't told another doctor
3. Seduce an admin/receptionists/nurse/or similar into giving up information that they shouldn't

When Ethan's alarm finally sounded, he groaned loudly and hit snooze.... for the third time. If it wasn't for his biological needs, he would have hit snooze for a fourth time, but he managed to roll himself out of bed and drag himself into the bathroom. It was mornings like this that Ethan appreciated his white doctor's coat, it would hide any wrinkles in his clothes that survived a rushed morning ritual. Knowing he might have to deliver bad news to the King family, Ethan selects a shirt that he believes makes him look more empathetic.. blue... apparently a nice soothing and compassionate color. Ethan had no idea why people were calmed by a simple color, but it worked, and that's all that matter.

When he finally arrived at the hospital Ethan was annoyed with himself for hitting snooze that last time. Promptness was important, it made people trust you and believe in your abilities. Again.. Ethan had no idea why, one's ability to get out of bed had little to do with their mental or physical faculties once out of bed, but again... people were strange creatures that seldom made logical sense. Those gaps in logic were easy to manipulate once you understood their fault lines.

After clocking in, Ethan puts his belongings in a locker [or wherever they put their personal stuff] and takes a walk around the General Medicine floor, stopping by each patient in turn. While his patient's talked Ethan did his best impression of someone paying attention, but his mind wasn't with it today, the old man's words and his dreams, the bizarre circumstances of patient King's fall.. it was all to distracting and Ethan very nearly rushed through the last few patients. he was sure that the last patient probably felt rushed and maybe slighted a bit, and Ethan knew he'd have to fix that later, but he needed some answers, he needed to speak with Mr. King, and if that wasn't possible, then he needed to speak with his wife. Ethan tries not to look rushed as he goes to check on the status of Mr King.

Spoiler: OOC

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So two things here:
1. I'm assuming that Ethan can look up the status of Mr. King (or have someone look up the status) in the hospital computer system. Assuming that is accurate, he would do this first. If Mr. King died then he'd want to find out of the family had already been alerted. Ultimately, he wants to speak with the wife since Stella believes that Mr. King was trying to call her right before the incident and presumably succeeded. If Ethan needs to actually walk over to the SICU to get the status of Mr. King, then he would do so.
2. In the scene intro Ethan speaks to the Day Resident, is he still available to chat with Ethan by the time the scene is open to player actions? Ethan may want to ask him some questions (and he probably knows the status of Mr. King, thus saving Ethan a trip to the SICU).

[Ichneumon]

The next day, Johnny had trouble concentrating on his job. In his head, he kept analysing the events that had occurred yesterday, as if he was constantly rewinding and re-watching a movie over and over again. What am I missing?

The situation seemed very surreal to him. A man had died yesterday, under very unusual circumstances. A man had fallen out of a window. Whether he had jumped, was pushed or thrown, was still up in the air, but that a man had hit the pavement and was now dead, that was very clear. There is no doubt about that, Johnny thought. During his break, he just sad in the Main Security Office, gazing into nothingness. Not even touching his sandwich.

If someone had attempted to kill Mr King, to make him silent, they had definitely succeeded. This is all very suspicious, very unusual, yet everyone around me acts as if it's just a regular day. As if nothing happened. Why? I know it is not normal. Is there some kind of conspiracy going on? Are they all in on it? For a moment Johnny thought he was becoming paranoid. The fact that the other guards seemed to avoid him, didn't help. I should be careful. I shouldn't do anything that is too out of the ordinary, at least for today.

After finishing his sandwich, Johnny decides to check the roster first, to look at the working schedules of the different security guards. He hopes to find the schedule for manning the video room. If someone asks me why, I can just say I am looking if there is a chance I might take a day off soon.

Spoiler: OOC

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After checking the roster, Johnny has 2 main goals. First, he is going to search for ways to get access to the security footage, maybe through some other guards. Second, he think the other guards are acting suspicious and he will likely try to socialise with them / spy on their casual conversations, to understand why they are avoiding them and what's going on

[Bennosuke]

After checking in, Johnny quickly opens up his email, to review the schedule. The Supervisor ([email protected]) sends out an email every Thursday with the next week's schedule. In reviewing the most recent one, it looks like Francis does three to four day blocks, alternating with another officer named Larry; another officer that Johnny does not know. Francis is on tonight, then one more night. Everyone in Security force has received this email, so it should be pretty easy to figure out how to email any officer.

Spoiler

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OOC: Sorry for the short email. I figure this allows Johnny a way to check the schedule and an easy way to communicate with the Supervisor. I've asked Xian one last question, which I will wait for before "starting" his IC scene.

[Ichneumon]

Johnny starts writing a short e-mail to the Security Supervisor in which he simply asks if it would be possible to be scheduled in for the video room sometime. He motivates his request by the fact that he is new, wants to try different things and thinks he'll be good at it. There really is nothing all to suspicious about my e-mail, Johnny thinks as he is typing.

After he sends it, he takes his mobile phone and sends a text message to Ethan: "Hey Dr. R, did you have a good night sleep? When you got the time, let's meet up. There is lots to discuss."

[Bennosuke]

Ethan sat across from Becca, the last day resident. He could tell she had waited to sign out to him last. Ethan covered about three day residents' services. During the night, it was his job to "put out fires", medically speaking, and to help with admissions that came in through the emergency department. Most sign outs consisted of the day resident rushing through their patient list, repeating, "nothing to do, nothing to do", and stopping at a patient or two to really explain what was going on, and if Ethan needed to be mindful of anything overnight. Usual requests were "don't give him any extra pain meds, he's a Seeker", or "follow up on the abdominal X-ray way ordered; it's to rule out small bowel obstruction". The other day residents had exhibited bilious frustration with Ethan's late appearance and sluggish appearance. It wasn't anything to take personally, they all just wanted to go home. They all just wanted to get the hell out of there.

But Becca was nervous; twitchy. Ethan knew that Mr. King had been her patient, and he knew that Becca was just a little too soft, and a little too hard on herself. She was the type of resident that didn't take constructive advice, let alone criticism well.

Her first words to Ethan had been, "I'm so sorry", and it looked like she was about to start crying. But she didn't. Instead, after batting at her eyes a few times, she had asked Ethan every question under the son about what had happened. Ethan had done her best to answer her questions, but it was her last question which nearly left him speechless, "Why did this happen?"

************************************************** ********************************************

After finishing his email, Johnny looks up from the computer. Clarita is playing some game on her cellphone. Steve has just laid out a set of cards to play solitaire with. Another guard that Johnny does not know as well, maybe his name was Mickey, was watching the TV. One of those UFC caged fights, where two overly tattooed goons paint themselves in each others blood was playing. Mickey, if that was his name, was a younger man who had joined the force maybe a few months before Johnny.

The room seems charged, as if each person was intentionally avoiding the other. It had never been like this before.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Thank you for the patience these last few days. Ich, please roll Presence + Persuasion for the email. Also Ich, I think you have forgotten about one lead, I recommend you read the first IC page. Last hint.

[XianTheCoder]

Ethan had done her best to answer her questions, but it was her last question which nearly left him speechless, "Why did this happen?"

Caught somewhere between glee and disgust, Ethan watches Becca. Zero control over her emotions... pathetic, really. Knowing that someone else was nervous did make Ethan feel better about his culpability. If Becca was taking things this hard then it was likely she thought she was to blame for what happened… and she was just enough of a martyr to give Ethan a scapegoat if eyes turned towards him. It's not that he disliked Becca, he didn't really know her that well, but he was certain that he liked himself and his reputation more.

Trying his best to look empathetic and equally distraught over the previous night's events, Ethan will attempt to mimic body language that suggests he has similar feelings as Becca while not saying much beyond answering her questions. When the final question came, Ethan sits quietly with a frown on his face for several long seconds. Finally he answers in a quiet voice, "I spent most of last night asking myself that same question, and I don't think that there is a simple answer. Ethan will reach across and lay a consoling hand on Becca's shoulder, You look like you could use a friend to talk to… someone who is feeling the same thing you are feeling.

Spoiler: OOC

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So there are a few things going on here:
1. Ethan sees Becca in a fragile mental state, giving him an opportunity to be a "friend" and build a relationship with her.
2. Ethan wants to feel Becca out and see if he can position her as a scapegoat if needed, this requires her to trust him.
3. Ethan sees Becca as a challenge to break given her personality traits.

Ethan is attempting a Social Maneuver on Becca. Ethan's intent is to break through Becca's mental defenses to get her to open up and discuss what she is feeling about this whole situation. Once Ethan has broken her down, he would use the opportunity to find out what she knows about Mr. King and seed the conversation with options for getting closer in the future. Ethan will NOT use Sympathetic in this situation.

Man + Per or Emp (9-Again for either): (6d10)[5][5][10][9][8][9](46)
As Needed: (5d10)[10][6][9][8][2](35)

[Bennosuke]

Spoiler: OOC

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Holy heck that was a good roll! I would go with empathy, but 5 successses. Excellent. Ethan is entrenching himself really well with the hospital staff. From the below response, Ethan knows that Becca implicitly trusts

Becca's eyes well up with tears, but she smiles at Ethan. "Thank you for being so sweet. Ya, this is my first patient death. I don't really know how to handle it. I mean, there's nothing I could have done, right? I just... I just don't know what to do, but I have this sick feeling deep in my stomach; you know what I mean?". She reaches out and squeezes Ethan's shoulder. "Thank you again."

[XianTheCoder]

Spoiler: Character Box

Show

Health: ◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️
Willpower: ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️
Conditions: Spooked
Tilts: None
Beats: 2

Spoiler: Aspirations

Show

1. Manipulate Chris into breaking his moral code, disappointing his family, or engage in an action that would be considered unprofessional while on the clock.
2. Convince a patient to disclose something they haven't told another doctor
3. Seduce an admin/receptionists/nurse/or similar into giving up information that they shouldn't

Becca's eyes well up with tears, but she smiles at Ethan. "Thank you for being so sweet. Ya, this is my first patient death. I don't really know how to handle it. I mean, there's nothing I could have done, right? I just... I just don't know what to do, but I have this sick feeling deep in my stomach; you know what I mean?". She reaches out and squeezes Ethan's shoulder. "Thank you again."

Ethan nods in agreement, Yeah, I couldn't sleep. Every time I close my eyes I see the image of him laying on the patio. Ethan's eyes turn inward and he looks like he's seeing the image again right this moment. After a second his eyes focus back to the present, There was nothing suggesting this was going to happen, you did great work with him, he was healthy and going home. During my last round he even talked about how much he liked 'The pretty doctor that's here during the day'. Ethan tries giving a consoling smile that possess just a hint of mirth, an attempt to lighten the mood. Getting a sense that his manipulations have worked, Ethan decides to take a riskier tactic than he normally would. While looking into Becca's face Ethan leans in and speaking a bit more softly, Honestly, I'm not convinced he jumped. Ethan pauses for just a second before continuing, There were no signs he was suicidal, I think this was a flukey accident. Maybe he tripped while walking to the bathroom? Or maybe he was looking out the window and the window gave out through some bizarre circumstances. I read about this house that unexpectedly collapsed for nor reason. Police thought it was foul play, but it ended up being 40+ years of vibrations from the nearby airport that loosened the nails until eventually it just collapsed. Sometimes... weird unexplainable seemingly supernatural things happen. Ethan looks down towards the floor. The delivery of his theory held a hopeful tone, like Ethan didn't want to admit that he missed the signs that Mr. King was suicidal, and this would weigh less heavily on his heart. Has his family been notified yet? Did you talk to them? The night nurse told me he was trying to call his wife last night. I can't imagine what she must be going through right now.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

When Ethan pauses, it's to try and read Becca's reaction. Is she surprised, nervous, fearful, relieved, etc.? Basically Ethan is looking for signs that Becca knows more about the situation than she has let on. Perhaps she suspects something or has seen something (I.E. Slithering and clawing monsters in the shadows) or perhaps she's in on a mass conspiracy and feels guilty for the collateral damage? When Ethan continues with the theory of it being an accident, he's saying this to walk back on any potential red flags he raises (if Becca really knows something or is involved in some scheme). The usage of the word 'Supernatural' is always placed purposefully, Ethan would watch Becca's reaction here as well for signs that she may know something that he doesn't.

The last few questions that Ethan asks are where the investigation side of the conversation starts. He's trying to be subtle about the whole thing, because IF there's some truth to what the crazy old man was yelling, then Ethan doesn't want to let on that he's investigating the incident.

Spoiler: Ich

Show

Ethan will respond to your text message after his chat with Becca.

[Bennosuke]

"You don't know", Becca says with surprise. "Oh god! Well it's just awful. I honestly don't think I can talk about it! And I probably shouldn't say anyways. I mean, I called Mrs. King up early and discussed everything with her. She was so torn up, and it's pretty private." Becca now looks very uncomfortable, and maybe a little embarrassed. She clearly feels uncomfortable discussing her conversation with Mrs. King.

Spoiler: OOC

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I think I'm gonna make you roll to get her to spill her guts. Manipulation + Persuasion seems obvious. I'd give you a -3 because Becca has a strong moral code, but I'll also give you a +2 for having gotten into her head with Empathy. So Man + Persuasion -1

[XianTheCoder]

Ethan leans in to listen as Becca begins to speak. At her hesitation Ethan attempts to appear as concerned and understanding as he can, I understand why you would want to keep it private, but Mr. King was my patient too and I could really use the closure. It's probably selfish of me to ask, but I just keep seeing the image of him laying there, and I keep remembering that he really wanted to speak to his wife... it's heart-breaking.

[Bennosuke]

"I know, I know." Becca smiles, nodding to Ethan. "He was your patient too." She takes a a deep breath before beginning, "Well apparently Mr. King's son had been killed in a car accident yesterday. We don't know for certain, but that's apparently why he jumped out the window. The police still have some investigation to do though. It's just, so awful! Mrs. King is just beside herself. And she refuses to believe he". Finishing this, she looks Ethan in the eye, trying to gauge his response.

[XianTheCoder]

Spoiler: Character Box

Show

Health: ◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️
Willpower: ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️
Conditions: Spooked
Tilts: None
Beats: 2

Spoiler: Aspirations

Show

1. Manipulate Chris into breaking his moral code, disappointing his family, or engage in an action that would be considered unprofessional while on the clock.
2. Convince a patient to disclose something they haven't told another doctor
3. Seduce an admin/receptionists/nurse/or similar into giving up information that they shouldn't

Ethan doesn't need to fake his surprised reaction, part of him really believed that this was going to turn into a conspiracy, but it was simply a matter of chance combined with the fragile human mind. It explains the sobbing, the suicide, probably even the overturned nightstand. He was distraught, he threw some stuff around in a tempter tantrum, then in the midst of the anguish he jumped through the window. It all makes sense. A part of Ethan was disappointed, there was something exciting about grand conspiracies.

Leaning back Ethan is quiet for a moment as he stares towards the ground in thought. Finally, he looks up into Becca's face, quietly he says, It explains everything, in a tone that indicates a feeling of closure. That poor woman... to lose them both in one day... she must be a complete mess. Sounding as sincere as he can, Ethan will thank Becca, Thank You for telling me all of this.

[Bennosuke]

"Of course" Becca says with a smile. "Just, keep it a secret please. I mean, it's the family's private business." She looks down and takes a deep breath in and out. When Becca looks back up, she looks as if a great weight has been lifted from her shoulders. "Thank you for talking with me, and being so kind. Well, do you have any other questions about the sign out before I go?"

[XianTheCoder]

Spoiler: Character Box

Show

Ethan Roberts
Health: ◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️
Willpower: ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️
Conditions: Spooked
Tilts: None
Beats: 2

Spoiler: Aspirations

Show

1. Manipulate Chris into breaking his moral code, disappointing his family, or engage in an action that would be considered unprofessional while on the clock.
2. Convince a patient to disclose something they haven't told another doctor
3. Seduce an admin/receptionists/nurse/or similar into giving up information that they shouldn't

Spoiler: Attributes/Skills

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			ATTRIBUTES
	MENTAL		PHYSICAL		SOCIAL
POWER	Intelligence:	⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️	Strength:	⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Presence:	⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️
FINESSE	Wits:	⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Dexterity:	⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️	Manipulation:	⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️
RESISTANCE	Resolve:	⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️	Stamina:	⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Composure:	⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️

			SKILLS
	MENTAL		PHYSICAL		SOCIAL
	Academics:	⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Athletics:	⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Animal Ken:	⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️
	Computer:	⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Brawl:	⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Empathy:	⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️
	Craft:	⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Drive:	⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Expression:	⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️
	Investigation:	⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Firearms:	⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Intimidation:	⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️
	Medicine:	⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Larceny:	⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Persuasion:	⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️
	Occult:	⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Stealth:	⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Socialize:	⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️
	Politics:	⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Survival:	⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Streetwise:	⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️
	Science:	⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Weaponry:	⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️	Subterfuge:	⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️

Ethan smiles, No, I am good. Ethan attempts to make 'Good' sound as if it's loaded with deeper meanings. As Ethan stands he will extend his hand to assist Becca in rising from her seat, using the contact to then initiate a warm and friendly hug, intended to come off as consoling and appreciative. Enjoy your time off and try and get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow evening. After a long moment, Ethan releases the hug and backs away from Becca, giving her one more smile before departing the Residents Room.

Unless something disrupts Ethan he would go to perform any initial administrative work that he needs to perform followed by an initial Round with his patients to let them know he is now on the clock. Once he is done with his rounds he'll want to make it a point to travel over to SICU to learn what happened during Mr. King's surgery. When Ethan gets Johnny's text he will respond back, "I'll be walking from M3 to SICU in about [Benn, please insert Ethan's time estimate here], you free to join me for the walk?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Anyone else feel like Ethan is just loading up the double and triple meanings in this scene? It must be exhausting manipulating people all day long...

Re Mr. King: So Ethan's initial thoughts are that the story makes sense, and could explain everything about Mr. King (he doesn't know about the silhouetted figure or the odd behavior in the Psych Ward to cause him to believe that there still might be something larger happening). Going to SICU is really to close the chapter on the patient and to give him a reason to continue building relationships within the hospital.

Re Becca: Ethan feels like he hit it out of the park during his interaction with Becca and would want to further capitalize on it. Since she is emotionally distraught and told him something she shouldn't, Ethan believes that some kind of action that implies appreciation and understanding would further solidify his relationship with her. So Ethan would spend some time this evening trying to learn what he can about Becca, specifically her likes and dislikes or hobbies. Basically, Ethan wants to buy her something (or do something) that says, "I'm thoughtful, I did my research, and I got you something to both show my appreciation of you and to help take your mind off of what happened". An example of the type of thing he'd consider would be tickets to her favorite play/musician. I'm not sure how you want to handle this. I could either carve out specific investigative time later in the evening or we could handle it as an ongoing investigation where he takes opportunities through his nightly activities to try and learn things. I think a lot depends on how much the night staff knows about Becca, if there isn't much they know, then Ethan probably needs to carve out time where he can do a deeper investigation and maybe use some google-fu. If Becca is known by the night staff, then Ethan probably could use the latter method and learn what he needs through normal hospital interaction. Just let me know how you want to handle it.

Re Johnny: Since Ethan is now under the impression that Mr. King probably did jump, he wouldn't be so concerned about secrecy. So now Ethan would want to be seen talking with Johnny to help support the reputation he's trying to build as a person who is nice and approachable, treating everyone with respect. His hope is that the other support staff see the interaction and eventually seek out Ethan when they have issues in hopes they find a doctor with a sympathetic ear. Also... Ethan is dying to know about the two nurses that were hooking up, and last night wasn't the proper time to ask about it.

Re Stella vs Becca: Ethan would be careful when asking about Becca's interests. He doesn't want to give the wrong impression to someone who may turn around and give Stella something to go crazy over.

Re Old Crazy Man: Now that thoughts of a grand conspiracy seem unlikely, Ethan would bring his focus back to wanting to speak with this man again. Ethan's intention would be to try and sneak for a quick chat after visiting the SICU.

Re Aspirations: Are we counting this interaction with Becca as the completion of "3. Seduce an admin/receptionists/nurse/or similar into giving up information that they shouldn't"?

[Ichneumon]

For moments Johnny watches the other guards. What is going on here? Why are they avoiding each other? He is uncertain about what to do next, afraid to make a mistake.

Then he knows, he stands up and walks towards the television. Mickey... that was his name right? Johnny takes a seat next to Mickey, pretending to be interested in the fight as well. God this is awful. They call this type of television 'entertainment'? How could anyone watch this mindless violence and be entertained?

After a while, during the commercials, he breaks the silence. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name's John. Nice to meet you."

Pointing at the television, he adds: "Which of the two are you rooting for? "

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Since I am a bit late, I propose to largely skip over interacting with the other guards (that can wait for another time). Johnny's main objective here is to just get a better impression of Mickey. Who he is, his personality etc. and hopefully make a friend. After some quick small talk, he will answer Ethan and meet up with him, to tell him about all the things he hasn't told him before.

[Bennosuke]

Mickey had a long gaunt face and a strong chin. Strands of brown-blonde hair hung just too perfectly in disarray from his head down to his shoulders. He was long and thin, and very confident in how he appraised Johnny. "Nice to meet you John", he says as if trying a foreign taste in his mouth for the first time. His eyes roll back up towards the TV, "Eh, this is just the prelims. I don't really know either of these guys." He watches for a second as one man with a mullet climbs behind his enemy and begins choking him. "You like MMA?", he asks with piqued interest.

The others in the room seem to be watching out of the corner of their eyes, trying not to show discomfort with the disrupted silence.

************************************************** ******************************************

After parting with Becca, Ethan begins to head towards the floor to make a quick rounds. His phone buzzes, pulling it out there is a text message; 'Hey cutie. I just wanted to say thanx for being so sweet last night' The text ends with an emoji blowing a kiss, followed by an emoji of a big smiley face with hearts in its eyes. The text is from Stella.

[XianTheCoder]

Ethan would ignore the text for the time being, not wanting to respond until he knew how best to play the situation. Also, he may decide not to respond at all, since he'd be concerned about there being "evidence" that she could use against him later if she felt slighted.

[Ichneumon]

Johnny was somewhat relieved from Mickey's reactions. At least someone was still acting normally.
"To be honest, I have never actively followed the championships on television before. But I did take some basic martial arts lesson's while in college. I really enjoyed the thrill and found the techniques I learned quite fascinating, but I've been out of the sports for a few years now. What about you?" , Johnny said, genuinely interested.

Furthermore he adds, speaking somewhat softly, "By the way, is it just me or is everybody acting a bit weird and quiet?" The only way to find out was just to ask it directly, Johnny figured.

[Bennosuke]

Ethan finishes rounding quickly. During rounding his phone goes off, but he ignores it till he is done. This is when Johnny's text comes in. Ethan responds, "I'll be heading to the SICU soon, can meet there in 10-15 minutes", then he decides to head up to the SICU. This would give Ethan some time to wrap up with Mr. King before joining up with the security guard.

He heads to building H, the surgical side of the hospital. Stepping through the double doors that separate the two buildings is like stepping into a different dimension all together. While the walls in building M were a tarnished stucco egg shell, the walls of H were freshly painted and blazing perfect white. The fluorescent lights were twice as strong, and the sound of air conditioning was like a jet engine. Overall the change in environment was like an assault on the senses, at it took at least 10-15 seconds for Ethan's eyes and brain to adjust.

He took the elevator up to the top floor and came to a series of doors marked General SICU and Neuro SICU, each with their own card swiping panel.

************************************************** ********************************

Mickey tears his eyes from the screen, "I mean I play some basketball and things like that. I don't fight or anything," he says with a chuckle. In response to Johnny's second statement, Mickey's voice becomes hushed as if talking about someone's dead grandma, "Ya, the police showed up earlier today and were questioning everyone about what happened. I mean, no one was at fault, but I guess it put everyone on edge a little bit." He picks up a coke bottle, uncaps it and takes a long swig of the caramel liquid.

At that moment, Johnny's phone buzzes, and he gets a text from Ethan, "I'll be heading to the SICU soon, can meet there in 10-15 minutes"

[XianTheCoder]

As Ethan walks he's struck by the differences in appearance between the departments. It seemed contrary to reason that the surgical unit would be more well-kept than the General Medicine floor, in SICU most of the patients were unconscious and couldn't appreciate the effort, but on M3 the patients were all conscious, the whole thing seemed like a colossal misallocation of hospital resources. Well I guess we know who the cool kids are. I wonder how we squeeze some money out of the budget to get a sexy sleek looking paint job for M3? Mr. King's acrobatic performance probably cost us any money we might have gotten anyways. Putting his jealous thoughts aside, Ethan steps into SICU and walks up to the nursing station, looking to see who is working this evening.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

So generally speaking, what is the protocol when a doctor from one department enters another department? Does the Dr. need to alert the staff or anything, or does he pretty much have free reign as long as he doesn't touch anything?

[Ichneumon]

Johnny smiles and listens as Mickey talks about his hobbies.

"Oh I see, I missed that. Now I understand," Johnny replies to Mickey's statements about the police. This explains a lot. I figured the police might show up sooner than later. I wonder what they found... Would there be any way to find out?

When Johnny gets the message from Ethan, he jumps up from his chair. "It was very nice talking to you, Mickey. I'm afraid I don't have more to sit and watch the fight. Let's do this again sometimes. " he says, while nodding politely and leaving for the SICU.

Let's see what state of mind Ethan is in.

[Bennosuke]

Mickey looks up at Johnny with a look of casual surprise, one eyebrow cocked in mock questioning. "Suit yourself man". His eyes slide back to the TV, and he again becomes oblivious to Johnny. With nothing more to say, Johnny gets up and begins to head towards the door. As he is leaving, he hears Clarita over his shoulder. "And where are you going?", she scolds, looking up from her cellphone. She does not look truly angry, more uncomfortable or anxious.

************************************************** **************************************

Spoiler: OOC for Ethan

Show

In general Ethan should be able to walk around, though it would be polite to introduce himself. Usually there are many more nurses on the floor than residents. I usually introduce myself to a nurse, explain why I am there, and either ask to see the patient or the resident covering the patient.

Ethan steps into the SICU. It is strangely familiar in that it is essentially a larger version of the MICU, only with newer equipment, brighter lights and a cleaner paint job. It is also bigger overall; except the patient rooms are smaller. The nursing staff seems to be made up primarily of petite 20 something females scurrying from room to room, with the exception of a few sedentary, larger, and older senior nurses. The ambient noise of patients moaning and heart monitors chiming is almost familiar at this point.

Sitting at a computer station with a "pan-optic" view of the floor, is a group of younger men who are clearly residents, despite their lack of white coats. One still has his surgical hair net on. The four look like they could be high school football team flunkies, all muscle and bone and extra padding.

[XianTheCoder]

As Ethan steps up to the desk where the residents are seated he will put on a smile and speak to the group, Hi Guys, I'm Ethan Roberts, from M3. I was patient Joseph King's night Resident last evening. Could one of you kindly tell me who I can speak to about his surgery?

[Bennosuke]

The four residents look up from their conversation, perhaps frustrated by the interruption. They seem to scrutinize and size up Ethan before one speaks up. He looks like some Middle Eastern Prince, dark skinned, muscled, and hair perfectly pompadoured. "Nice to meet you Ethan", he says with a smile that may be more "at" than "for" Ethan. "What would you like to know? I mean the surgical reports are all in Valiant." One of the others, a heavy browed Neanderthal of a man, gives a short low chuckle. The others just smirk.

[XianTheCoder]

Ethan looks at the wise-ass with an unruffled gaze, So much unwarranted arrogance. I believe a personal touch is required in my area of medicine. I realize robots are replacing much of what you do, but sadly, my specialty can't rely on computers to do the thinking for us. So I'd love if you can point me to the doctor who performed the surgery on Mr. King. Ethan's smile is sharp, it's a look that reads, "Tread carefully if you plan on getting into a battle of wits with me."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

So this is the first time where someone in the game has been directly disrespectful or dismissive of Ethan, and Ethan doesn't like it (we ignore the opening scene because Ethan realizes that the Attending was looking for an outlet and it wasn't personal). Ethan wouldn't be directly confrontational, but he is going to respond in such a way that these four think very carefully of disrespecting or making sport of him in the future. Ethan's goal here is to produce a sharp enough wit that these four think carefully about how they interact with him in the future. Ethan assumes the speaking resident will likely dislike the response, but he's hopefully the other three will be amused enough by the exchange that they don't really care about departmental loyalty.

This feels like Presence + Persuasion... ?

Pre + Persuasion (9-Again): (5d10)[4][3][4][9][8](28)
As Needed: (5d10)[6][10][4][10][3](33)

[Ichneumon]

"Don't worry, I just really need to stretch my legs a bit." Johnny says, trying to sound casual. I must avoid eye contact. People can tell if I lie... I've never been good at lying... "I'll be back in sec. Promise." Why have I never felt comfortable lying to people?, Johnny thought. Other people lie all the time. Even though I know it is justified, it doesn't feel completely right...

Quickly, walking out of the room, hopefully before Clarita can ask him anymore questions, Johnny starts marching towards the SICU, where he'll hopefully find Ethan.

[Bennosuke]

Johnny offers up his excuse and tries to get out of the room as quickly as possible. However, before he can turn heel, Clarita calls out, "Well, keep your radio close". It sounds like more of a request than a command, "The city police are going to be coming by again tonight, and I think they want to talk with us. I know Steve already spoke with them, but they left before we got in." It seems like there is something more she wants to say, but her words seem to trail off.

************************************************** ********************************

"Well that escalated quickly," a skinny resident with long oily brown hair chortles. The others chuckle in response, except for the one with the surgical cap who remains silent.

The "Prince", whose name tag reads "Fadi Shah D.O.", grins. His teeth are perfectly white and straight, but his eyes are full of mischief. "Bro, chill out. No one is challenging your wits." He looks over his shoulder at the others, who each half laugh under their breaths. "I just asked you what it was you wanted to know." He stands up now, hanging a good number of inches over Ethan so that he is looking down at the Medicine Intern. The others look on with wide eyes and growing excitement. There are now a few nurses paying attention too.

"I mean, not all of us can be brilliant Medicine Residents", his tone implying that specializing in medicine was nothing special. "So, Ethan, how can I help?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

For the most part, Ethan's roll was not good enough

[XianTheCoder]

Ethan looks up at the Resident in front of him, seemingly unconcerned with the height difference, I would just expect to receive the same level of professional courtesy and respect when entering the SICU that I would show any of you when entering my department. The look Ethan gives them each indicates disappointment in how they've chosen to carry themselves and how they have behaved. Turning to the oily haired Resident and ignoring the 'Prince', Ethan says in a tone that indicates exasperation, I've asked twice now already, can one of you please tell me who performed Mr. King's surgery and where I can find the doctor?

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Ethan realizes that there's far more downside for him than upside by continuing this dialogue. Ultimately, he's looking to appear as though he's taken the higher road, and end the conversation while not appearing to have been cowed. The 'Prince' looming over him is actually a good thing for Ethan, as Ethan would view this as an opportunity to create the appearance of a four on one bullying session of a doctor who simply came to check on his patient's surgery. Nurses gossip, and most wouldn't have witnessed/heard the initial dialogue, allowing Ethan to spin what they do see into what he wants them to think they see (IE that Ethan is a caring doctor who is trying to get simple answers about his patient, but these four would rather harass him than be helpful and answer his questions).

I think this qualifies as a Manipulation + Persuasion roll (it's subtle, the goal is not obvious, and what and how Ethan says things both matter. Subterfuge could also work, but the dice pool and modifiers would be the same so it wouldn't make a mechanical difference). If you disagree then feel free to adjust the roll accordingly.
Man+Per (9-Again): (7d10)[10][4][4][6][1][3][8](36)
As Needed: (5d10)[3][5][1][10][4](23)

[Bennosuke]

The oily haired resident shrugs. "Well that would be Dr. Shah," he says with a shrug. "I mean, you were with Dr. Merchandani, right?" he says to The Prince, "but I mean, it's only us residents in house right now."

The oily haired resident seems less malicious, but he still smiles at Fadi knowingly.