(Skeleton Keys) Nursing time

[Aileen McFarlane]

Thanks to her talk with Dr Redfill, Aïleen had at least the beginning of a plan. She was to try and use a CT scan. It was yet another opportunity to learn, grow and change, and so she tried to see it with the positive spin only the faithful can muster. A few hours of intense web-searching later, the Mekhet was confident she had at least read enough to operate it, if only to a basic level.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-04-10 15:44:54		Aileen rolls 8 to Int 5 + Comp 3 to learn CT scan handling (10 Again)		3, 5, 9, 3, 6, 4, 2, 1		1 success

Now came the tricky part, she was to find access to one. Of all the suggesion from the Gangrel, she thouhgt the hospital one to be the most accessible, and decided to risk it. After a cursory search, the Mekhet decided to try her luck at UC Davis's Medical Center. It was big, and that had two advantages. It was more likely to have a CT scan, and she would more easily blend in a crowd of unknown faces. Parking on V Street, she approached from the North, and hoped to pass for some late family paying visit to a patient if anyone asked the unobtrusive young woman what she was doing there.

[Wolven Pryde]

I think it's safe to narrate quite a bit of this along

The fact that UC Davis is so damn big is very much a blessing and a curse. As long as one doesn't loiter too long without some obvious objective, most people don't ask. But finding one CT scanner in the proper radiology department can be maddening without assistance.

Nevertheless, patience wins in the end.

It takes Aïleen the better part of an hour just to locate the correct ward in the facility. Another half, to locate a prime candidate for a room past a waiting area. It's not one that sees a great deal of use, especially in the evening. Long hallways are mostly vacant. A janitor pushes a mop bucket around a distant corner. And the only sentry that the Mekhet will be forced to deal with, or not deal with, is a nurse manning a desk outside the lab itself.

He is tall, thick without being overweight, and gradually losing short, close-cropped curly hair to male pattern baldness. Deep in filling out countless paper trails, he is unaware of any pass Aïleen has made to case the situation.

No scheduled appointments this late. Unless there is some emergency that requires computed tomography at this time of night, the largest hurdle will be this one person.

[Aileen McFarlane]

After a quick assessment of the situation, Aïleen decided that the less compromising route to the room passed by the janitor. Walking to the person in relative quiet, she hailed her, and asked with her voice down, as if ashamed. She barely looked the janitor in the eyes as she talked.

"Sorry, you are the cleaning crew, right ? I'm Veronica, you've been told about me ? I'm on probation and I'm supposed to help you, like relieve you... right ?" she tried her best to look like a young miscreant on her way to redemption, or at least like someone who would do the ungrateful cleansing job in the janitor's stead...

[Wolven Pryde]

I decided that it had a chance to work without any coercion at all, and turned to the mighty diceroller:

  nope

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-04-26 08:34:22		ST rolls 1 to see if that's believable enough not to require a roll (10 Again, Chance)		2		failure

But the mighty diceroller insists that Aïleen pass a Manipulation + Subterfuge roll

[Aileen McFarlane]

  All pray the migthy Dice Roller !

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-04-26 08:49:50		Aileen rolls 3 to More dices for Man 2 + Subt 2 (10 Again)		3, 8, 6		1 success
2014-04-26 08:49:21		Aileen rolls 1 to Man 2 + Subt 2 (10 Again)		10, 10, 2		2 successes

[Wolven Pryde]

The janitor out in the hall has a long, sallow face that merely blinks at 'Veronica' for a moment. He looks down, then back up to her eyes, and sort of shrugs. He has wiry dull gray hair that sticks out in every direction when he lifts his cap to scratch the bald spot on top of his head.

"Right. Uh, sure." The cap is replaced to its normal position. "Must be one of Doc Maven's new things. She's hell on you interns, I hear."

But it's not his problem. Sam, the name tag says. It ain't ol' Sam's problem.

"I got all of the labs and halls on this wing back that way," Sam gestures with a thumb over his shoulder. "Just keep makin' your way from here back toward the nurse's station, and I'll see you after my lunch."

He takes a dirty rag from a pocket and drops it into a basket attached to the mop bucket, which holds some various smaller cleaning agents and a few rolls of paper towels.

"Don't forget the bathrooms."

After an absentminded scratch of his balls, he moves away without a backward glance.

[Aileen McFarlane]

Thankfully, Aïleen didn't have to expand on her explanation, and she silently thanked whoever was watching over her. She even got a name should it be needed somewhen. "Yeah, will do..." was all she said to the man as he left.

Taking the mop and all other paraphernalia with a mock look of disgust on her face, she started cleaning the hallway at once, going into each room dutifully as she was expected to. She still needed to be done before the janitor's lunch was over, though, and tried to be as quick as possible without attracting unwanted attention. Not long after, she was cleaning the waiting room leading to the CT scan, and about to enter it.

[Wolven Pryde]

The nurse filling out and filing away stacks of paperwork at the desk outside the lab finally looks up as Aïleen nears pushing the mop bucket. At first there is confusion, but then amusement written across his mild features.

"Heeeeey," he says slowly, but the suspicion is a playful one. "You're not Sam!"

It must be his way of asking what a little lady like her is doing with a job like that. Not the smoothest icebreaker in the world, but there have been worse.

[Aileen McFarlane]

Intent on playing the part of the disgruntled but submissive youth, Aïleen aka Veronica grumbled something inaudibly, before saying more loudly "Nope... name's not Samantha..." and she shrugged. If she had had chewing-gum, she would have popped a bubble for added effect. As it was, she merely replied, her tone flat and vaguely bored "Veronica..." as if it said it all.

Only then, as if it was an afterthought, did she wipe her hand clean and extended it to the nurse.

[Wolven Pryde]

"Garret," the nurse responds as he shakes the offered hand. "Nice to meet you, Veronica. Though I guess it's not very nice for you. Stuck with the dirty work, and all."

Chatty Cathy alert.