application for Ariane Emory II (C.J. Cherryh, Cyteen series)
((ooc note: Ariane Emory II is taken from after the events of Cyteen (1988) and Regenesis (2009). Expect thorough spoilers for Regenesis. ))
State your full name.
"My full name, and not my CIT number?" Ari spoke aloud. This was force of habit. She was used to interviews, appointments, press conferences, debriefings all being conducted aloud: the data from voice analysis could be vital.
The quill pen lying on the rostrum, beside the funny-looking paper, had to be an antique. Ari assumed it was there for show, not for use. Its plume was certainly not a chicken feather, and chickens were the only birds approved to exist planetside. Someone had gone to some trouble to gather the items for this setting, and they were making free with artifacts that probably ought to be conserved under plexiglass.
At first she was surprised when the quill began to move of its own accord. Watching the words form, she realized it was taking dictation, which took the edge off her reaction. Dictation made a little sense. Not so much sense if the session was being recorded, but more sense than an automatic pen moving for no reason at all.
She liked there being reasons for things. Liked it better when she knew the reasons, or could find them out.
"My name," she stated, enunciating clearly for the record, "is Ariane Emory. CIT 201 08 0089."
She kept an eye on the secretarial quill to make sure it didn't miss a digit.
1. What is your favorite cheese? Why is it your favorite?
"Keis, actually." As so often in press conferences, Ari reminded herself to consider her audience. Outside Reseune, planetbound CITs and azi wouldn't have much reason to eat Keis, or maybe even know what it was. Reseune had to import it downworld as it was. She explained: "It's a synthetic cheese -- it's made of salted yeast. Spacers like it. The first Ariane Emory favored it, and I share many of her tastes." Many, i.e., not all. Ari smiled. "Mostly you eat it sprinkled onto other things, for flavor."
From the first Ari, that might have sounded didactic. From this Ari, Ari II, it was easier and neutral-to-friendly. Since her childhood she'd been explaining things in a straightforward and engaging manner for the benefit of the Novgorod press. Her interests became Cyteen's fads. Guppy-raising was a favored hobby thanks to child-Ari's enthusiasm.
Reseune didn't manufacture Keis, so there wasn't a profit motive behind her digression.
2. Who would you kill first, Barney or Carrottop?
Ari shrugged. "I don't think that question deserves to be entertained. For one thing, it demands that I agree I would kill one or both of these persons. That's a psych. I am not in the business of killing, never have been."
3. What time is it where you are?
She checked her watch. "1530. Why? Are we on a time-delay?"
4. If you were Albus Dumbledore returned from the dead, which member of the Order of the Phoenix would you sexually harass? How would you harass them? If you are Albus Dumbledore, please answer as if you were Sirius Black.
"Another psych." But Ari winced. "That's a low blow, that's what. Dr. Warrick's testimony has made it clear that my genemother's personal life was not blameless. What does anyone have to gain by dredging that up, except to harm Dr. Warrick and his father? It's a cause of personal pain for real people. Not an opportunity to score points, and I won't let it be used as one. Next question."
5. If you are pushing to be in:
A. Slytherin - please state the clever, witty name of the bar in which you bartend, in the dark.
She started to laugh. Obviously no one was accusing her of being a barmaid, so what kind of psych could that be? It was just funny, that was what. "I'll admit, I haven't paid as much attention to that aspect of hospitality as I might have. I rely on my staff to mix drinks. One of these days I'll get around to studying up on cocktail recipes, I promise!" Someone wanted her to name a bar, hmmn? She wondered how long it'd take for the hypothetical to become actual. What should she name it for? Rejuv, she thought cynically. Now, what was a name that could actually be used ... She'd named Strassenberg for Jane Strassen, her maman. "We could call the bar Ollie's, after Ollie Strassen, who's very dear to me. Yes, the Ollie Strassen who's currently director of RESEUNESPACE," she anticipated the question.
B. Gryffindor - Debate whether Harry should ultimately end up married to Fred or George. Use examples from a variety of world mythologies to bolster your argument.
"Who are they, and why do they want to get married? I'm happy to entertain your hypotheticals, but you have to give me more data to work with."
C. Ravenclaw - You guys are supposed to be smart. Explain why my desk is inundated with paperwork at all times, even though I’m constantly disposing of it.
"I recommend a complete audit," said Ari seriously, "and you'll need to pay attention not just to the processes in your office, but to the people who carry out the processes. Have you assigned a key task to someone who'd really be better suited to something else? Do your team members mesh well? All that paperwork goes through plenty of hands in order to reach your desk. Ultimately, the administrator is responsible for any inefficiency. That means you."
She was remembering what Ari One had recorded for her in Base One. ("Delegate paperwork. Insist the preparers of reports include a brief summary of content, conclusion and/or recommended action; and that they follow strict models of style: this will appear petty, but I refuse to search a report for information which should have been prominently noted. Give directions and reprimands early and clearly: an administrator who fails to make his expectations and his rules clear is inefficient; an administrator who expects a subordinate to pick up unspoken displeasure is wasting his time.") She'd internalized those lessons so well that it really didn't feel to her like a recitation, and it definitely didn't sound like one. But when she realized what she was doing, she smiled.
"Or you could read my predecessor's book, In Principio. You ought to be able to access it for free at any library. She has a lot to say on the subject of administration."
D. Hufflepuff - Prove you are not useless.
That could be a harsh joke, or a dead-serious challenge. Ari was all too aware that some parties still considered her a figurehead or a puppet of old-guard Reseune powers-that-be. "The burden of proof falls on the accuser," she answered smoothly, having decided that feigned outrage or hurt would not be the right tack to take.
"Show me where I've fallen short of usefulness. I've been in Reseune administration since I was fifteen. Wing Supervisor for most of those years" (a whole three!) "with a stint as acting Administrator of Reseune, a position I preferred to hand back to Yanni Schwartz as soon as the political situation permitted. Likewise, I have served as Proxy Councillor for Information upon the death of Councillor Catherine Lao, because she named me as her Proxy. That is also a position I prefer not to keep longer than necessary. You can't accuse me of being power-hungry," she pointed out with a grin.
"In all seriousness, I am just eighteen years old, and I have my predecessor's projects to think of. My predecessor lived to be one-hundred-and-twenty, and while the manner of her death is never far from my mind, I like to think that I have a long career ahead of me, and ample opportunity to serve Union."
6. Offer a bribe to the members of this community so that they will not squib you. Items used in bribery do not necessarily have to belong to the person offering the bribe. Do not threaten us rather than offering a bribe. A threat indicates you either don't really want to be here, or don't have enough sense to answer the question properly. The hat will automatically squib you, regardless of other votes, if you do.
Again, she decided against indignation, choosing instead an open smile. "I don't bribe anyone, though I won't deny I can be generous to my friends. What's squibbing, and why should I want to buy my way out of it?"
ooc disclaimer: I have read the [info]hogwarts_hocus faq, and understand it is a crazy, cracktastic sorting community and RPG. AEII
I have read the [info]hogwarts_hocus rules and agree to abide by each and every one of them. AEII
I agree to be a good sport and not get my knickers in a bunch. AEII
One day, marmalade will rule the world. AEII
State your full name.
"My full name, and not my CIT number?" Ari spoke aloud. This was force of habit. She was used to interviews, appointments, press conferences, debriefings all being conducted aloud: the data from voice analysis could be vital.
The quill pen lying on the rostrum, beside the funny-looking paper, had to be an antique. Ari assumed it was there for show, not for use. Its plume was certainly not a chicken feather, and chickens were the only birds approved to exist planetside. Someone had gone to some trouble to gather the items for this setting, and they were making free with artifacts that probably ought to be conserved under plexiglass.
At first she was surprised when the quill began to move of its own accord. Watching the words form, she realized it was taking dictation, which took the edge off her reaction. Dictation made a little sense. Not so much sense if the session was being recorded, but more sense than an automatic pen moving for no reason at all.
She liked there being reasons for things. Liked it better when she knew the reasons, or could find them out.
"My name," she stated, enunciating clearly for the record, "is Ariane Emory. CIT 201 08 0089."
She kept an eye on the secretarial quill to make sure it didn't miss a digit.
1. What is your favorite cheese? Why is it your favorite?
"Keis, actually." As so often in press conferences, Ari reminded herself to consider her audience. Outside Reseune, planetbound CITs and azi wouldn't have much reason to eat Keis, or maybe even know what it was. Reseune had to import it downworld as it was. She explained: "It's a synthetic cheese -- it's made of salted yeast. Spacers like it. The first Ariane Emory favored it, and I share many of her tastes." Many, i.e., not all. Ari smiled. "Mostly you eat it sprinkled onto other things, for flavor."
From the first Ari, that might have sounded didactic. From this Ari, Ari II, it was easier and neutral-to-friendly. Since her childhood she'd been explaining things in a straightforward and engaging manner for the benefit of the Novgorod press. Her interests became Cyteen's fads. Guppy-raising was a favored hobby thanks to child-Ari's enthusiasm.
Reseune didn't manufacture Keis, so there wasn't a profit motive behind her digression.
2. Who would you kill first, Barney or Carrottop?
Ari shrugged. "I don't think that question deserves to be entertained. For one thing, it demands that I agree I would kill one or both of these persons. That's a psych. I am not in the business of killing, never have been."
3. What time is it where you are?
She checked her watch. "1530. Why? Are we on a time-delay?"
4. If you were Albus Dumbledore returned from the dead, which member of the Order of the Phoenix would you sexually harass? How would you harass them? If you are Albus Dumbledore, please answer as if you were Sirius Black.
"Another psych." But Ari winced. "That's a low blow, that's what. Dr. Warrick's testimony has made it clear that my genemother's personal life was not blameless. What does anyone have to gain by dredging that up, except to harm Dr. Warrick and his father? It's a cause of personal pain for real people. Not an opportunity to score points, and I won't let it be used as one. Next question."
5. If you are pushing to be in:
A. Slytherin - please state the clever, witty name of the bar in which you bartend, in the dark.
She started to laugh. Obviously no one was accusing her of being a barmaid, so what kind of psych could that be? It was just funny, that was what. "I'll admit, I haven't paid as much attention to that aspect of hospitality as I might have. I rely on my staff to mix drinks. One of these days I'll get around to studying up on cocktail recipes, I promise!" Someone wanted her to name a bar, hmmn? She wondered how long it'd take for the hypothetical to become actual. What should she name it for? Rejuv, she thought cynically. Now, what was a name that could actually be used ... She'd named Strassenberg for Jane Strassen, her maman. "We could call the bar Ollie's, after Ollie Strassen, who's very dear to me. Yes, the Ollie Strassen who's currently director of RESEUNESPACE," she anticipated the question.
B. Gryffindor - Debate whether Harry should ultimately end up married to Fred or George. Use examples from a variety of world mythologies to bolster your argument.
"Who are they, and why do they want to get married? I'm happy to entertain your hypotheticals, but you have to give me more data to work with."
C. Ravenclaw - You guys are supposed to be smart. Explain why my desk is inundated with paperwork at all times, even though I’m constantly disposing of it.
"I recommend a complete audit," said Ari seriously, "and you'll need to pay attention not just to the processes in your office, but to the people who carry out the processes. Have you assigned a key task to someone who'd really be better suited to something else? Do your team members mesh well? All that paperwork goes through plenty of hands in order to reach your desk. Ultimately, the administrator is responsible for any inefficiency. That means you."
She was remembering what Ari One had recorded for her in Base One. ("Delegate paperwork. Insist the preparers of reports include a brief summary of content, conclusion and/or recommended action; and that they follow strict models of style: this will appear petty, but I refuse to search a report for information which should have been prominently noted. Give directions and reprimands early and clearly: an administrator who fails to make his expectations and his rules clear is inefficient; an administrator who expects a subordinate to pick up unspoken displeasure is wasting his time.") She'd internalized those lessons so well that it really didn't feel to her like a recitation, and it definitely didn't sound like one. But when she realized what she was doing, she smiled.
"Or you could read my predecessor's book, In Principio. You ought to be able to access it for free at any library. She has a lot to say on the subject of administration."
D. Hufflepuff - Prove you are not useless.
That could be a harsh joke, or a dead-serious challenge. Ari was all too aware that some parties still considered her a figurehead or a puppet of old-guard Reseune powers-that-be. "The burden of proof falls on the accuser," she answered smoothly, having decided that feigned outrage or hurt would not be the right tack to take.
"Show me where I've fallen short of usefulness. I've been in Reseune administration since I was fifteen. Wing Supervisor for most of those years" (a whole three!) "with a stint as acting Administrator of Reseune, a position I preferred to hand back to Yanni Schwartz as soon as the political situation permitted. Likewise, I have served as Proxy Councillor for Information upon the death of Councillor Catherine Lao, because she named me as her Proxy. That is also a position I prefer not to keep longer than necessary. You can't accuse me of being power-hungry," she pointed out with a grin.
"In all seriousness, I am just eighteen years old, and I have my predecessor's projects to think of. My predecessor lived to be one-hundred-and-twenty, and while the manner of her death is never far from my mind, I like to think that I have a long career ahead of me, and ample opportunity to serve Union."
6. Offer a bribe to the members of this community so that they will not squib you. Items used in bribery do not necessarily have to belong to the person offering the bribe. Do not threaten us rather than offering a bribe. A threat indicates you either don't really want to be here, or don't have enough sense to answer the question properly. The hat will automatically squib you, regardless of other votes, if you do.
Again, she decided against indignation, choosing instead an open smile. "I don't bribe anyone, though I won't deny I can be generous to my friends. What's squibbing, and why should I want to buy my way out of it?"
ooc disclaimer: I have read the [info]hogwarts_hocus faq, and understand it is a crazy, cracktastic sorting community and RPG. AEII
I have read the [info]hogwarts_hocus rules and agree to abide by each and every one of them. AEII
I agree to be a good sport and not get my knickers in a bunch. AEII
One day, marmalade will rule the world. AEII