(set: $DEBUG to false)\
(set: $catname to "Wendi")\
(set: $station_name to "Blueberry Station")\
A black cat woke up. She remembered her dream. She had dreamed of visiting Earth, even though she had never been there. The first planet, the origin of all known life. She dreamed of this planet many parsecs away, but she knew it was not her destiny today.
[[Next->Start2]]
(if: $DEBUG is true)[[[DEBUG->Wolf 2 Inside]]]A sleeping pod opened, letting this black cat to get up. Fresh air, artificial gravity, dim blue lights. She put on fresh pajamas and walked out in silence. The other passengers were still asleep.
She took a quick shower and put on her pilot jumpsuit. She grabed her travel bag from her locker.
[[Next->Start3]]She walked through metal hallways and automatic doors until she reached the one labelled "CANTEEN". Inside, a series of empty tables with benches disposed in rows lead to a big cooking robot. The black cat asked for coffee and muffins. The robot complied and served in silence.
[[Next->Start4]]She had travelled for two cycles. Forty eight hours of reading and reminiscing. She had been to some of the most surreal places of the universe, working in stations orbiting near star surfaces, on planets completely made of living matter, on moons so distant that the galaxy would look like a single star in the sky.
Now it was time to relax. Time to reap the prize for good service. This assignment at Space Station Blueberry may be work, but it still was going to be work on the most chill place of the galaxy, according to the advertisement.
[[Next->Start5]]The black cat got into her tiny spaceship and piloted it away from the mothership, into a giant asteroid. She landed in a hangar there, where she was received by a single wolf boy in a lab coat. He brought her to her new boss' office. She had been awaiting her arrival.
[[Next->Start6]]"Welcome" the bear said as she reorganized some papers and opened her agenda. "I am Sapphire, director of Personnel and Medical Attention. I am so glad you are here. Did you have a good travel?"
[[Yes.->Start7]]"Fantastic" she continued "Your interview was impecable, so I'm really happy that you could make it here in such shot notice."
She handed the black cat a contract.
"Please, sign this so we can begin the procedures."
<label for="name">First Name: <input type="text" id="name" value="Wendi" autofocus/></label>
<label for="lname">Last Name: <input type="text" id="lname" value="Maurel"/></label>
(link: "Confirm name.")\
[<script>harlowe.State.variables['catname'] = $("#name").val();harlowe.State.variables['catlname'] = $("#lname").val()</script>\
(goto: "Start8")]"Thank you, miss $catname" she said, shaking the black cat's hand.
"You are now an official employee of $station_name. Welcome to the team."
"As you know, our work here is to ensure our patients recover from their ailments, whichever those are, and can go back to work. You may, however, not be aware of how this is accomplished. We are not just a healthcare institution. We are a community at heart." she continued, showing off some pamphlets "Everyone here works for the benefit of the community, to the extent of their abilities, patients included."
[[Next->Start9]]"Our clients are the companies that contract us to take care of their workers, not the patients themselves. We provide basic livelihood for them, but it is all paid for by our clients. This means we are expected to get our patients into a working state as soon as possible, and that's where you come in. We've been a bit understaffed lately. Hopefully you can make up for it." Sapphire explained.
[[Next->Start10]]Seeing $catname agree, the bear continued her discourse.
"I'm hoping you will have time today to take on some of these assignments I've prepared for you. Remember that however these people may seem, they all have at some point earned their stay. Your job is to make them comfortable with their old jobs again. You will be paid based on how many return to their old jobs, but do not worry, all your basic needs will always be taken care of while you stay in $station_name."
(display: "any_questions")"Any questions?"
[[Should I stick to a methodology?->methodology_q]]
[[Who will be my patients?->patients_q]]
[[Where is my home, then?->home_q]]
[[No more questions.->end_intro]]"Not really." she answered "I am pretty sure you are professional enough to work on your own. Use any method you feel is useful. You can befriend your patients or keep the distance. It's your choice. You will not be held responsible if something goes wrong, because you wouldn't be able to work if that was a limitation. All our clients understand that you will do your best, so don't sweat it."
Sapphire seemed really confident on this matter. $catname's concerns were satisfied. She would do her best to make her patients comfortable and feel safe. That was her speciality after all.
(display: "any_questions")Your first patients will be:
* Dr. Andrew Merriweather. A lovely white rat who has been working for us for a while.
* Mx. Tundrah. A sweet wolf who came here a few months ago. Needs some help socializing.
(display: "any_questions")"Oh, of course!" Sapphire exclaimed "You will be housed at an appartment in sector 69-Y. Our stuff will bring you there and provide you with the keycard and anything else you may need."
$catname smiled. She was itching to get out of her pilot suit. It was a nice, tight suit, but she really wanted to wear a blouse and skirt again. It had been weeks since the last time she could!
(display: "any_questions")The interview ended as quickly and awkardl as it began. Sapphire seemed like a nice person, but she really looked very stressed out about her workload.
Finally at her appartment, $catname had time to revise her patient's documents and decide who to visit first.
[[Dr. Andrew Merriweather->Rat 1]]
[[Mx. Tundrah->Wolf 1]]As $catname entered the pool area, she noticed a thin, pink tail sticking out from the underbrush, lashing the air as the body it belonged to worked unseen.
The cat's footsteps were soft as she approached, but the tail paused its motions as its owner became aware that someone was nearby.
"H-hello?" Rustle. "Is someone out there?"
[[Yes, hello.->Rat 1-1]]"Oh, I'm sorry! Let me just..." The underbrush rustled for a few more moments, then a pair of pink feet emerged as a young white-furred rat dressed in a green botanist's jumpsuit crawled out. Once free of the foliage, shy pink eyes turned to regard $catname and she was offered a buck-toothed smile. "Hi! Sorry! Let me just, uh..."
The rat stumbled to his feet and extended a work-callused paw. "I'm Andrew Merriweather. I'm... I'm a guest botany engineer here, I promise I'm not just creeping around in the bushes for no reason!"
[["It's nice to meet you"->Nice to Meet You Rat]]
[["Botany? What do you do?"->What Do You Do Rat]]
[["Don't worry, I enjoyed the view."->Enjoyed the View Rat]]"Oh! The pleasure's all mine... miss...?"
She told him her name.
"Ah! It's nice to meet you, Miss $catname. It was very nice of you to come introduce yourself; I'm usually too shy to do so."
[["You're a guest botanist, then ..."->Rat 2]]"Oh, lots of things! Just now I was checking on the filter ferns that keep the air in this room so fresh, and prevent mold and mildew from the moisture of the pool. Later, I'll be working on our food plants at the hydroponics lab. Thank you for asking, miss..."
She told him her name.
"Ah! Thank you. It's nice of you to ask, Miss $catname. I can be a bit shy, but I love talking about my work."
[["You're a guest botanist, then ..."->Rat 2]]Andrew blushed fiercely under the downy white fur of his face. "Oh my, ah, that's. That's very kind of you to say, miss..."
She told him her name.
"Miss $catname. That's. I'm... not so used to anyone saying something like that. Thank you."
[["You're a guest botanist, then ..."->Rat 2]]"You're a guest botanist, then," she mused, "that's interesting. Is the station's hydroponics team short-staffed?"
"Oh, I'm a specialist!"
"What kind of specialist?"
His face lighted up. "Oh, thank you for asking! I actually have a doctorate in genetic modification for food science! You know how most of the textured vegetable protein on the station is made from a stable, enriched mycosoy hybrid?"
"Of course," $catname replied, somewhat bemused.
"I invented it!" He beamed. It was cute.
[[(End Demo)->Start]]$catname tapped the "Mailbox" icon on their tablet as she sat on her living room couch. Seeing no change in her inbox's contents since her last check ten minutes prior, she exited the app, closed her eyes, and sighed. Her own impatience annoyed her, but she had yet to hear back from her assignment, Mx. Tundrah. In another thirty minutes, the last of her proposed appointment times would come and go. She decided to force the issue.
Taking a coat out of her closet, $catname put it on over the simple blue blouse and skirt she had picked out to match her client's favorite color. She slipped a box of their favorite fried protein strips into her purse. Her boss had provided them as a gift for the client while strongly hinting that they would serve as an excellent bribe if they proved reticent to cooperate. Given how her three follow-up messages had elicited zero responses (despite being flagged as read by them), $catname expected to need them.
[[$catname put on her friendliest smile and stepped outside.->Wolf Step Outside]]Mx. Tundrah's apartment building lay in the exact center of its residential district, farthest from the public transit terminals that surrounded it. The apartment itself sat at the top-most floor. According to the report on $catname's tablet, her client had specifically requested both, setting them as far away from the rest of the station's residents as possible. According to that same report, Mx. Tundrah had not — with two exceptions — been seen outside of that apartment in the six weeks since they moved in.
[[$catname took a deep breath and knocked on the door.->Wolf Door Knock]]No one answered. $catname furrowed her brow.
"Mx. Tundrah? This is Dr. $catname. I'm here for our eleven-fifteen appointment."
$catname put her ear against the door. Someone shuffled behind the door before a loud crash erupted from inside. $catname's tail shot out straight as she jumped.
In a hurry to smooth out her frazzled fur, $catname jumped again when the door's video screen flickered to life in front of her face. It showed Tundrah's dark-furred, lupine face. They wore their hair cropped short and sported two silver studs at the base of one ear. An instant noodle cup covered their other ear like a hat.
"Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry. I thought for sure I cancelled that."
[[$catname raised an eyebrow.->Wolf Door Knock 2]]$catname raised an eyebrow. Tundrah glanced away from the camera as they typed. They grimaced.
"Oh, dilly-dally. I never sent that reply!"
$catname leaned in closer to the video screen.
[["Do you require time to straighten up?"->Wolf Straighten Up]]
[["I can come back in thirty minutes if necessary."->Wolf Thirty Minutes]](set: $wolf_straighten_up to true)\
Tundrah froze mid-keystroke, eyes wide. They snatched the noodle cup off of their ear and set it down, leaving their head perfectly still.
"Oh, no. No, no," Tundrah replied. "But can I have thirty minutes to wrap up here? I've just about fixed this asteroid-banging bug. Sorry!"
[[The wolf resumed typing.->Wolf Resumes Typing]](set: $wolf_thirty_minutes to true)\
Tundrah let out a held breath as they took the noodle cup off of their ear.
"That'd be perfect," they replied. "I think I can fix this pernicious little beetle-bear of a code bug by then. Thank you!"
[[The wolf resumed typing.->Wolf Resumes Typing]]The wolf resumed typing, their eyes turned away from the camera, without waiting for a reply.
$catname stood in front of the door a moment longer. She resumed smoothing out her fur as she collected her scattered thoughts. "Yes, thirty minutes."
$catname straightened her spine and headed for the stairs. She sat down on a bench in the green space in front of her client's apartment. Closing her eyes, she meditated. The feline spent exactly ten minutes of mindfulness meditation, taking note of the thoughts that percolated up with an express lack of judgement.
[[She spent the next fifteen minutes visualizing her client's case file in her mind.->Wolf Case File]]Picturing her very first office — her preferred "memory palace" — with the files spread across the desk, $catname went over Mx. Tundrah's recent history: an astro-mechanic by trade and a software developer by hobby (mostly of mathematical modeling tools for their fellow engineers), they had spent the better part of two years living and working aboard a cargo ship, a notorously cramped category of vessel, and then in the sardine-packed dormitory space usually reserved for transitory passengers. According to their file, they had saved a considerable sum of credits by taking such measures but at the cost of developing a near-allergic reaction to social contact even before leaving the ship. Their manager had essentially ordered them to take ship-leave and had recommended $station_name specifically.
Her meditation complete, $catname spent a few of her remaining minutes refreshing herself at the water fountain.
[[She then returned to Mx. Tundrah's door.->Wolf Return from Meditation]]The light of the artificial afternoon sun warmed $catname's face as she stood at the railing opposite her client's door. Her time spent meditating on a park bench outside the apartment building had put her mind back at ease. With five seconds left on the timer she had set on her tablet, $catname turned to knock again. The door's video screen activated half a second before she reached the door. Tundrah stared out of the screen at $catname, their paws pressed together. They gave a hasty bow as they spoke.
"Thirty more minutes? Please? Please, please, please. Um, I'm really close to fixing this bug."
$catname nodded. "In thirty minutes, then."
[[Turning around, $catname returned to the park.->Wolf One More Time]]After a repeat of the prior exchange and the extraction of a promise of "Just a //little// bit longer," $catname returned from another stint of meditation in the park.
"Okay," Tundrah said over the video screen. "Okay, okay, okay. So I fixed the first bug but I turned up another one as I was..."
The lupine trailed off as $catname rubbed a paw pad up and down the bridge of her nose. Her decision to make this the last appointment of the day had been wise, she reminded herself.
[["Yes. Of course."->Wolf One More Time 2]]"Yes. Of course. I understand the importance of seeing particularly obstinate problems through to completion."
$catname nearly nicked her nose with her claw as she snapped her paw back into a fist. She hastened to hide the gesture. Her choice of words had allowed for a rather more negative and personal interpretation by the client than intended.
Tundrah's ears splayed as her eyes drooped. "Sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry. I mean, I -"
$catname shook her head. "Allow me to be the one to apologize ..."
[["... I neglected Captain Darvi's own words in the course of making this call."->Wolf Captain Words 1]]
[["... I neglected to mention an old friend of yours who wanted to say hello."->Wolf Deke Intro 1]](set: $wolf_captain_words to true)\
"Wh-what did she say?" Tundrah asked. "About me?"
"That she was indelibly impressed with the quality of your work and that they wanted to see it continue to improve."
Tundrah pursed their lips. "Yeah. She did say she really liked the astro-navigation interface customizations I made for her."
"Correct. She also said she very much would have enjoyed a hands-on tutorial from you, especially given the extent of the changes."
[[$catname mentally reviewed the report she had memorized.->Wolf Captain Words 2]]$catname knew, even before she had read the footnotes on that part of the report, how much of an honor such personal time with the captain represented. She had also anticipated the outcome: Tundrah's insistence on creating a video tutorial from the confines of the private recording stations in the ship. It was this change in behavior, in contrast to their enthusiastic acceptance of two similar, prior offers, that had pushed the captain to order ship leave for Tundrah.
[[Tundrah frowned.->Wolf Captain Words 3]]Tundrah frowned, their muzzle dipping down below the frame of the video feed. $catname had to focus to catch all of the lupine's mumbled words. "I know. I know, I know, I know. The captain's really nice. I just really didn't want to see anybody right then."
"She understood that," $catname replied. "She also had questions about the software, once she began to use it, that she struggled to convey via video in your absence."
"Yeah. I tried to make the changes she wanted but they never came out quite right."
[[$catname nodded once.->Wolf Captain Words 4]]"There is a development technique quite applicable to such situations," $catname said. "I believe the captain expected a stay on $station_name to help prepare you for it.
Tundrah tilted their head to one side. $catname forced down a tiny squeal before it could escape her lips. //So cute,// she thought. She had a weakness for that canine habit.
(display: "Wolf Rubber Ducking Offer")(set: $wolf_deke_intro to true)\
Tundrah looked up, locking their wide eyes with $catname's. "Who-oo would want to say hi to me?"
"Do you remember Deke?" $catname asked. "The software developer you met during your first quarter on the IGCNS Siesta?"
"The squirrel boy? Yeah! He got me into programming in the first place," Tundrah said, beaming.
Their smile faded. Tundrah rubbed at the end of their eyebrows, their ears flat. "I've been meaning to get back in touch with him. Do you know how he's doing?"
[[$catname nodded.->Wolf Deke Intro 2]]"Now that, I did think to investigate. Rather, I investigated that particular topic after my manager prompted that line of research with a question of her own."
Tundrah tilted her head to one side. $catname's eyes went wide and she took a deep breath. //So cute,// she thought. She had a weakness for that canine habit. The lupine just blinked before they spoke. "Is he doing well?"
"Quite well. He named you, specifically, in the credits for his most successful app to date."
"Oh, green fields and daisies, he didn't have to go and do that. All I ever did was bother him with a lot of questions while he tried to program."
[[$catname grinned. "Exactly."->Wolf Deke Intro 3]]Tundrah blinked. $catname continued. "He was employing a specific technique common to software developers."
(display: "Wolf Rubber Ducking Offer")"What technique?" Tundrah asked.
"Rubber ducking."
Tundrah gaped. "That's not something naughty, is it?"
[["It can be."->Wolf Rubber Ducking Flirtatious]]
[["Actually, the entymology of the term is quite interesting."->Wolf Rubber Ducking Professional]]
[["What do you imagine it means, Tundrah?"->Wolf Rubber Ducking Inquisitive]]"It can be," $catname said. "Though I imagine that particular technique would prove far more distracting from engineering work than illuminating."
$catname waggled her eyebrows. Tundrah resumed gaping.
"A discussion for a later meeting, perhaps. Rather, the technique in question is purely pragmatic; an intellectual aid that may incorporate literal rubber ducks."
Tundrah, their ears splayed, interjected. "Does the //other// technique include rubber ducks? Wait. Wait, wait, wait, let's save that one for later. Much later."
[["Prudent, yes," $catname said with a grin. "It is a rather advanced technique."->Wolf Rubber Ducking Flirtatious 2]]"Prudent, yes," $catname said with a grin. "It is a rather advanced technique."
$catname continued. "But nonetheless nongermaine to the topic at hand. In this case, the individual describes the problem at hand to someone who listens with little or no comment. A rubber duck or other toy works particularly well for this purpose, as they can 'listen' for as long as the individual wishes to speak."
Tundrah's ears perked. "Kind of how I talk at that spice rack of mine when I can't decide what ingredients I might add next?"
[["Exactly!"->Wolf Rubber Ducking Flirtatious 3]]"Exactly!" $catname replied.
The wolf continued. "And so that's what Deke was doing with me? I got to play a part in figuring out things even he hadn't figured out yet, even though I couldn't understand half of what he was talking about?"
"Precisely. And he included you in the process both to model that quite useful technique and so that you could gain insight into his particular thought processes, thereby improving your skills as a developer."
[[The wolf frowned.->Wolf 2]]"Actually, the entymology of the term is quite interesting," $catname said. "I have an entire slide deck prepared if you would like to see it."
Tundrah waved their paws in front of the screen.
"Oh, um, don't worry your cute little head over that, Miss $catlname."
The wolf ducked halfway out of the video frame. "Not that I meant to call you 'cute,' miss! That's hardly professional of me at all."
$catname flashed her fangs in a mirthful grin.
[["But appreciated, nonetheless."->Wolf Rubber Ducking Professional 2]]"But appreciated, nonetheless," $catname said.
As the flusterd Tundrah held their muzzle closed in their paws, $catname continued. "'Rubber ducking' refers to the practice of talking out a problem with another who, for the most part, only listens. Some engineers address a literal rubber duck or other toy out loud."
$catname mimed holding a rubber duck up near her face. "The specific addressee does not matter. Rather, the act of verbalizing of the problem helps the engineer break out of mental ruts and to see the problem from fresh perspectives, pointing them at the solution."
Tundrah mimicked $catname's motion. They stared as their imaginary duck. "And that's what Deke was doing all those times; letting me help him solve problems just by being a sympathetic ear."
[[The wolf frowned.->Wolf 2]]"What do you imagine it means, Tundrah?"
The wolf squinted, her eyes crossing as she concentrated. "It's not to do with that Greek fellow and his bath. They didn't have rubber ducks back then. Something to do with with dodging patents? I know that some patent related to rubber and vulcanizing it implicated math, but that don't sound germaine at all."
$catname rested her chin against the ball of her hand, grinning. "I had not considered either interpretation. Impressive. Would you like two hints?"
Tundrah nodded.
[["Very well."->Wolf Rubber Ducking Inquisitive 2]]"Very well." $catname continued. "First, it is related to engineering and inventiveness, so you are on the right right. Second, it is not specifically about the rubber duck; the duck is but a representative stand-in."
As $catname paused to let Tundrah think, the wolf nodded again, slowly. "I do remember a couple times when Deke got all excited while telling me about a problem, only to go and shout the solution at me before he'd even gotten to the end. He figured it all out just by //talking// to me?"
$catname beamed. "Correct! It was the verbalization of the problem and its particulars which steered his toward the solution. Some engineers employ a literal rubber duck or other toy toward that end, as they can listen for hours without complaint, but he included you in the process both to model the behavior for you and to include you in the development process."
[[The wolf frowned.->Wolf 2]]The wolf frowned. "Well. Well, well, well. That was mighty considerate of Deke."
Tundrah paused, their brow furrowed. "And now I'm guessing that's what the captain was trying to do: to be my rubber duck and to help me through my code problems. Now I feel right back about turning her down so much."
$catname nodded. Tudrah stood up. The camera inside their apartment tracking their face as they rose. They closed their eyes as they stretched their arms over their head, showing the curvy fluff of their limbs. $catname could see the edge of a black, high-cut tanktop at the bottom of the screen. Tundrah looked back at the camera. "And I guess that's what we've been doing here just now."
[["Quite astute, Mx. Tundrah."->Wolf 2.1]]"Quite astute, Mx. Tundrah. I believe we have both come to new and valuable insights."
"Oh, um, you can call me Keli, dear."
"$catname."
A sheepish grin crossed Tundrah's face. They pushed a button and a circular green icon lit up on the door panel in front of $catname. "You want to come on in, then, $catname?"
[[$catname pressed the icon.->Wolf 2 Inside]]$catname pressed the icon and took in a sharp breath, preparing to hold it. Concern for her shoes flashed across her mind as the memories of other asocial clients and their particularly unkempt domiciles. The icon split into two half-circles and faded as the door to Tundrah's apartment slid open.
$catname held her breath, but out of surprise. The apartment was spotless. Cleaning compounds tickled $catname's nose as she let the breath out. The standard couch, dark purple and soft, sat against the wall to one side, opposite the inactive holo-screen that covered the other wall. The kitchen lay through an opening in the left side of the far wall, devoid of even a single dirty dish.
[[$catname glanced to the right.->Wolf 2 Inside 2]]$catname glanced to the right when the door to the bedroom slid open to reveal Tundrah standing behind it. The wolf stood about a dozen centimeters shorter than $catname; the top of their head only coming up to her nose. She was a bit wide, the tanktop a smidgen too short for their belly after accounting for what they covered above that.
As Tundrah stepped out of the doorway, $catname a glimpse of the bedroom. Aside from a folded t-shirt with a stain on the corner of the desk, the room looked as clean as the rest of the apartment. Even the noodle cup had disappeared.
[[(End Demo)->Start]]