Scene 1 drafted, Scene 2 underway

1. Information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom, and wisdom is not foresight. -- Arthur C. Clarke
2. Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? T.S. Eliot

Scene 1 drafted, Scene 2 underway: Am doing at least 2 versions of every scene, playing with various stakes. In one version, her chances at getting the license for a child are good and she approaches the counselor with some contempt; in another her chances are at risk and she's more oily. We aren't going to like her right off, important for education plot.
The outline is a stern taskmaster. A lot more scenes to write. But it's better to have an idea of what they'll be than staring at the blank mind of nothing.

Warren Zevon's cover of Knocking on Heaven's Door a real source of inspiration, if not just a dark, sad, brittle flash of brilliance.

Creating a language for these people; it's modern English (not Nadsat or anything) but there should be a slight linguistic drift. Think of the difference between the way we spoke in 1875 and now, to get an idea the degree of drift.