Alan and Peter leave the dormitory entrance with the slips divided by issuer and arranged in the sequence O’Hanlon established. Geoffrey O’Hanlon remains behind to inspect the other boys.
They cross to the Westcott House Dayroom. The bell hangs ready beside the table, and the senior prefect is sorting fresh errands into neat piles as several younger boys wait nearby.
the senior prefect
Why have you brought those instructions back? They were issued in the proper order, and the Dayroom is not a courtroom for questioning prefects.
Peter Hogg
Sir, Housemaster O’Hanlon examined them. The orders overlap, and he directed us to return them to their issuers for clarification.
The senior prefect takes the slips from Peter, scanning the handwriting and times without inviting either boy closer. The waiting younger boys become abruptly attentive.
the senior prefect
Clarification? You are challenging the established task order because you found it inconvenient. Who decided that prefects must justify every instruction to boys?
He sets the papers down beside the bell and fixes Alan with an irritated stare. Peter keeps his books against his chest, leaving Alan to answer the accusation.
“I insist to the senior prefect that the task order was issued incorrectly, and tell him that he should take the matter up with the Head of Westcott House if he does not accept my explanation.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +0)
Alan Turing
The task order was issued incorrectly, sir. If you do not accept my explanation, you should take the matter up with the Head of Westcott House.
The waiting boys fall silent. Peter’s grip tightens around his books, while the senior prefect studies Alan with an expression sharpened by the direct appeal to Geoffrey O’Hanlon.
the senior prefect
You are sending me to the housemaster because you dislike the answer I have given? That is an impertinent way to address a prefect.
the senior prefect
Yet O’Hanlon has already examined the slips, and ignoring that finding may make this look worse.
He picks up the papers again and compares their times, this time reading them aloud so the younger boys can follow the sequence. The overlap is plain.
the senior prefect
Very well. I shall put the matter before O’Hanlon and ask whether his ruling alters the task order. Until then, the slips remain here.
Peter Hogg
Thank you, sir. That was all we meant, to have the instructions made clear.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the senior prefect’s acceptance of the clarified task order
“I remind the senior prefect that the Head of Westcott House is another senior boy, and that O'Hanlon is merely the Housemaster.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Alan Turing
Sir, I meant that O'Hanlon is the Housemaster, not another senior boy. His ruling comes from the authority overseeing Westcott House.
The distinction settles over the dayroom. Peter glances at Alan, while the waiting boys remain silent beside the stacked errands and the untouched bell.
the senior prefect
I know perfectly well that O'Hanlon is the Housemaster. I am the senior prefect, and my authority comes from him, not from being his equal.
the senior prefect
Turing was correcting the hierarchy, not denying it. That makes the appeal less impertinent than it first sounded.
He gathers the slips into a single stack and writes a brief note across the top, recording that the Housemaster has already examined the conflicting instructions.
the senior prefect
The order will remain suspended until O'Hanlon confirms it. Hogg, take your books upstairs. Turing, you will accompany me when I report this.
Peter obeys at once. The senior prefect carries the slips toward the housemaster's room, and the accusation of defiance gives way to a formal request for clarification.
“I suggest to the senior prefect that he and the other prefects are able to judge my innocence or guilt themselves, and that there is no need to bother the Housemaster with the matter.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -3)
Alan Turing
Sir, you and the other prefects can judge my innocence or guilt yourselves. There is no need to trouble the Housemaster with this matter.
The senior prefect stops beside the housemaster’s door. The waiting boys listen closely, while Peter disappears upstairs with his books and leaves Alan alone before the prefects.
the senior prefect
Very well, Turing. The prefects will decide whether your conduct was proper, and I shall not trouble O’Hanlon over this particular dispute.
He brings two other prefects from the dayroom and lays out the slips. Their examination takes several minutes, delaying the next errands and drawing a sharper audience around the table.
the senior prefect
The instructions did conflict, and your appeal was properly addressed. You are not guilty of disobedience, though your correction of me was needlessly public.
the senior prefect
You may return to your duties. I shall record the ruling here, but understand that the prefects will remember your readiness to question an order.
He writes the decision on the task sheet and dismisses the younger boys. Alan has avoided the Housemaster’s intervention, but the prefects now watch him with deliberate suspicion.
Quest Complete
Secure the senior prefect’s acceptance of the clarified task order
Skill Upgrade: Writing Good→Great