Lieutenant JG Roy Bancroft - Bold Branding
Carter Schimpff
(( Deck Five, Sector Three, Compartment Eleven - USS Artemis-A ))
Bancroft: What’s the verdict? Starfleet Medical everything you dreamed it’d be?
Jaran: It's... letting me do what I need to do. I need to be helping people, and it's hard to deny the opportunity and resources that I get to do that with Starfleet. I took my oaths just like you did. Would you say you do much different?
Roy raised his eyebrows at Jaran’s answer, then tilted his head like he was seeing them for the first time.
Bancroft: That’s a remarkably healthy outlook. Was that pre-installed in the base model Jaran Jira, or did you pick it up aftermarket?
He let the moment breathe, gaze softening slightly as he leaned back.
Bancroft: And for the record – ::leaning back to stretch:: – “I’ve had enough talking for tonight” is a perfectly valid response. Believe me, I’ve ridden that train straight to the end of the line plenty of times. I promise my feelings won’t be hurt.
Roy didn’t need to be a Betazoid to recognize the signs. There was a particular stillness to Jaran’s posture now – a subtle shift in tempo, like a song winding toward its final chord. A slackening of the shoulders. That faint droop in the eyelids they probably didn’t even realize was happening.
It was the universal sign for ‘I’ve had enough talking but lack the cruelty to say it out loud.’
Roy had used it himself more times than he could count – usually somewhere between the second drink and the first overshare.
He didn’t take it personally. Honestly, he found it kind of touching. There was a particular kind of trust involved in letting someone see you power down in real time – especially when that someone might need to fish your spleen out of a bulkhead and reinsert it someday.
Trust didn’t always announce itself – it sometimes just wandered in, yawned, and turned down the lights.
Jaran: I do indeed think it's time for me to turn in. Early duty shift tomorrow, after all. I'll keep the incense to a minimum in the morning. ::winks:: And if I don't see you before you move out, you're always welcome to stop in for an ear grab and head pat exchange.
Roy smiled – one of those lopsided, late-night specials – and tilted his head back against the bulkhead, eyes squeezing shut for a moment.
Bancroft: ::chuckling:: You know, most people offer coffee or conversation. You’ve got incense and unsolicited touching. It’s bold branding, and I respect it. Sleep well, doc– Jara– … er, Jira?
But they were already gone.
He opened one eye, then the other, and checked the chrono. 0200.
oO Sorry for the late-night ramble, roomie. Here’s hoping your next bunkmate comes with a snooze button. Oo
He exhaled slowly through his nose, let the silence settle in around him, and stayed there – just a little bit longer than he needed to – before heading off to his own bed.
End Scene for Bancroft
Thanks for the fun, roomie!
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Lieutenant JG Roy Bancroft
Medical Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240205RB1