Chief Petty Officer Annamae Barberra - What Doesn't Kill You
Wil Ukinix
((Patient rooms, Bashir wing, Medical Centre, Amity Outpost))
Annamae put her knees back down in the bed, and politely rested her hands on her lap, interlocking her fingers like she was some sort of Envoy in the FDC or something.
It was time to strike... for purely entertainment purposes.
Barberra: ::excitedly:: So. What happened.
Iko/Shortrith: With what?/ ::at the same time as Bec:: What… Happened?
Barberra: Between you two. Why did you break up?
Chief Petty Officer Annamae Barberra reached for her PADD that had her theories of Quantum Immortality on it (oh and that whole telemetry thing about underspace, now boring in comparison), and switched to note taking mode.
Barberra: Don’t sugar coat it. I want juicy details. Gory even.
She started running her finger over the screen, and wrote “analysis” then underlined it.
Iko: Annamae…
Annamae glanced toward Bec, and heard the warning in her tone.
Shortrith: Why?
But she pressed ahead, despite the small part of her brain that told her to stop…
Barberra: ::To Renaie:: Lieutenant, you mentioned that Bec needed to get out of there. ::looking up:: What did she need to get out of, and why?
Shortrith: ::Bluntly:: Sydney. Her bad home situation.
Annamae nodded in agreement. She knew that story, it was how her girlfriend ended up in the Delta Quadrant.
Iko: Like you and Muncie—Annie you know this!
She sure did.
Barberra: Bec, you mentioned that you were going to go your way, and Lieutenant Shortrith was going to go theirs. What were the ways?
There was a long pause between the pair. Annamae’s finger went to work on her PADD. “Some tension noted”.
Iko: Dealing with problems and running away from them.
The Chief Petty Officer glanced at Lieutenant Shortrith for a moment. They didn’t seem happy.
Barberra: Lieutenant, you said you like to dive into researching interesting things. Was your implication that Commander Iko didn’t appreciate that’s what you liked?
Shortrith: No, it's not that. It was claimed that I was spending too much time-
Iko: I always asked! And if you needed to study I let you, and If I needed to study you let me—
Barberra: ::dictating written notes:: Misunderstanding… about… study-time--
Shortrith: ::to Annamae:: Stop it.
She instantly followed the Lieutenant’s instructions, then jumped a little when Bec shouted--
Iko: I SCREAMED AT THEIR DAD, OKAY?
Annamae’s jaw dropped. oO Too soon? Oo
Shortrith: You didn't have to!
She said nothing, but just leaned in a little.
Iko: That’s why we broke up. I was at Renaie’s place and their parents were ignoring the non-binary thing and calling them this other name and I got angry and I shouted and then got plastered with that “dishonouring Renaie” bull$#@^ and then they got mad that I was fighting their fight and then it spiraled—
Shortrith: I could deal with it myself! It was fine! They weren't going to listen! The same would have been with your Mum if I'd tried.
Now there was a strange feeling rising a little inside of Annamae. The one named “guilt”. While not a completely rare emotion for her, she knew it was important to experience it sometimes to make her realise when she had hurt someone else.
Like this time.
She let the PADD drop on her lap.
Barberra: ::deadpan, slight remorse:: Oh.
Iko: And there was that whole “why don’t you spend time with me” too. And I was going to talk to you about it later. And really that was my jealousy about how you were going so well in the Academy and it was only your first year and was working my arse off to just try and not fail.
Shortrith: I wanted to spend time with you. I couldn't find the time.
Barberra: ::Eyes up, left:: Oh…
Iko: ::to Annamae:: Happy now?
Her eyes shifted back to Bec for half a second, before they returned up and left to look at nothing in particular at the top of the wall.
Barberra: …no? ::squints eyes::
Shortrith: Bec, you didn't have to…
Barberra/Iko: Response
Renaie stepped away.
Shortrith: I shouldn't have mentioned it. Seriously.
Barberra: Actually, I think I may have started it.
She added a note on her PADD. “Slight thawing after confrontation.”
Iko: Response
Renaie took another small step inside.
Shortrith: Would it have bothered you that much?
Iko: Response
Renaie turned to Barberra.
Shortrith: Found out what you needed?
Barberra: Yes.
She consulted the notes on her PADD.
Barberra: Firstly, I should have been more sensitive and tactful, apologies. Second, while I am not a qualified counselor, my opinion is that there were circumstances beyond your control that led these unfortunate events. Thirdly, while it hurts to go over old ground, I feel that you should both now look at where you are. While I don’t believe in a deterministic universe and am convinced there are multitudes of ethereal forces on our very reality, science tells us that cause and effect cannot be ignored. You are both better for the experience, and are good people.
And now she had a little cheat sheet. “How to ensure Bec and my relationship stays strong”.
(She still couldn’t deny the entertainment factor either. But she got way more than just that. She hoped they did too.)
Iko: Response
Renaie still seemed tense and uncomfortable. Annamae tried to say something to address it.
Barberra: I’m sorry what happened between you two. ::To Bec:: Both of you.
Iko/Shortrith: Response
Barberra: But as they say, what doesn’t kill you, is likely a shift to another plane of existence on the road to quantum immortality. You will survive the heat death of the universe, and be better people for it.
Iko/Shortrith: Response
Barberra: Are you able to check on me to see if I can be discharged now?
Iko/Shortrith: Response
Tags/TBC?
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Chief Petty Officer Annamae Barberra
Science Specialist
Amity Outpost
V239511WU0