AUDIENCE FOR: Rupert

[guestservices]

Comments

[guestservices]

I'm supposed to be the one asking you about that, y'know!

[ warmer, again. ] 'm alright. Promise. I appreciate you asking, but really.

[agleam]

Hm... If I promise to come to talk about to you about it later - how I'm doing, I mean, will you promise that's definitely true?

[even if it feels a little too raw for him to get into tonight.]

[guestservices]

[ they tilt their head, left to right, thoughtful. ]

Promise. On my honor. [ a pause. ] Well, maybe that's not the best thing to put it on. Iunno. On my... uhhhh. On my coworkers. The ones I like.

[ wow. they're joking, though. maybe? ] I'll hold you to that, Rupert.

[agleam]

Of course.

[after a moment:]

Just two more questions, I think.

[guestservices]

Let's hear em.

[agleam]

Where it mentions additional incentives or rewards... Do you know what it's referring to?

[guestservices]

About you making deals with us, you mean?

[ they tilt their head. ] Well. You guys are pretty creative. We can sometimes cut deals for you doing certain things, but, the deals sort of have to be in the spirit of the hotel. Y'know? Everything has to have a justification.

[agleam]

Can you give me an example, or...?

[guestservices]

[ aquila shakes their head. ]

Sorry, bud. No can do. But, if you come up with something, we can talk about what might work or not.

[agleam]

...Would I be able to get, like, some kind of upgraded version of the first aid kit? Or something that could refill on its own?

[guestservices]

[ they make a thoughtful noise. ]

How would you justify it relating to the contract?

[agleam]

I mean, if someone goes on one of those adventures and dies because they got stabbed somewhere life threatening and we don't have enough to stabilize them before you guys can get here to heal them... They're not going to be able to entertain your boss anymore, right?

[guestservices]

[ they shake their head. ]

Mmmm. That's not gonna work - you gotta think about it from his perspective, not yours. Something like that's way too flimsy.

[agleam]

[pausing for a long moment.]

If it was something that replenished only once a week, or only enough to help one or two people at a time... It'd be funny for him to watch us try to pick out who to help, right?

[guestservices]

Hmm. [ thoughtful. ]

Are you asking for one for yourself? Or upgrades for the ones we sell in the gift shop as a whole?

[agleam]

That depends... How many would be upgraded if I went with the second option?

[guestservices]

Well, the reasoning you just gave wouldn't really work if you did it for a lot of them. Why upgrade them, then? Wouldn't having smaller ones be better? More, y'know, suffering.

[ aquila folds their arms. ]

[agleam]

Right... I just offered that because you mentioned upgrading the ones in the gift shop as a whole. Would that not be possible?

[thinking, thinking.]

Maybe we could upgrade half of them, and that way nobody who buys them knows whether they're going to get one that replenishes on its own, or just one of the normal ones. I bet if they hear the kits got better and then they got a normal one, they'd be pretty angry.

[guestservices]

Now you're talking.

[ hmm. ]

So. Upgrade the medkits that are currently in our stock, but only upgrade half. Same price. For the reasoning that it might piss people off if they didn't know what they got, and... then what happens?

[agleam]

[thinking, thinking...]

Then they start thinking that the people who got the better kits did something extra to earn them, and they're just not saying anything about it, even though it would help people if they explained...?

[guestservices]

Which then might do what?

[agleam]

It might make them angry at the people who got something better, or mean they trust them less.

[guestservices]

Hmmm. So, breaking up relationships of trust and causing problems by fucking up the medkits a little bit.

[ they tilt their head back and forth, back and forth... and then make a little noise. ]

Y'know what? I think that'd do it. Alright, Rupert. Nothing comes free, so you gotta do something for me in exchange. So, tell you what, since you're gonna be doing something with the gift shop, let me have you do a task like an employee.

Monday morning, you know how things change over? I want you to work a shift at the front desk. Get a uniform like the staff's from the closet. Hat included, but it shouldn't have a veil or anything. Stay at the front desk for an hour, answer people's questions about the hotel. Really sell it like you work here.

If you do that, tomorrow, come back to me, and I'll see your deal through.

[agleam]

Yeah, upgrading the kits would be really mean and cause a lot of problems and I think we should do it.

[he pauses, and then nods.]

That's easy enough. I'm guessing I'll be able to find something in my size?

[guestservices]

[ that makes aquila snort, and they nod. ] You'll find whatever you need, yeah. You gotta really impress me, Rupert! But if you do that, it's a deal.

Shake on it? [ they hold out their hand to shake! ]