[sb118-artemis] Ensign Tho'Bi - Anxiety Not Fertility

[Tobi]

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((USS Artemis-A - Deck 3, Quarters 1785))

As a child he had never enjoyed practical jokes; No doubt, because he had been on the receiving end of so many.  If the other children had understood how hard he was working to keep his Andorian temperament in check, would they have worked so hard to see him fail?  You might have thought, given the magnitude difference in physical strength, they would have thought better of it; but, they were like gleeful little moths to a little Andorian flame.

Bip!  His Padd flashed up the ship’s time, the Lieutenant’s name and quarters.  He had been tasked with ensuring the various environmental and crew support systems were to the liking of the newly assigned crew.  With a standard-issue engineering kit in one hand, and a Padd in the other, the young ensign hustled along corner; and, upon arriving at Deck 3 Quarters 1785, pressed door chime with the top corner of his Padd.  He dropped the Padd.  As he bent over to pick it up, the door slide open with a swoosh.

The Padd had bounced on impact, and landed behind him.  Without standing back up, the young ensign shuffled his feet rotating his body.  In his rush to retrieve the Padd, the fact that his backside was now ‘facing’ the door, had not occurred to him.  It soon would, though.

Vailani: :: horrified :: Is this some kind of a joke?!

The young ensign swallowed hard; the Lieutenant’s voice was saturated sharp with anger, it shuddered about the corridor and beyond.  He snapped up the errant Padd and, turning on his heels, snapped his body to attention; but, before he had a chance to stutter an explanation, the Bajoran Lieutenant had already began to close in on him.    

Vailani: Listen to me very carefully, ensign. I never cared for JOPA when I was an ensign and I don’t care for it now. If you come here again I’ll -

It must have been quite a sight; a 6 foot 3 inch Andorian, his chin pinned to his chest, not daring to break eye contact, with a 5 foot 6 inch Bajoran; her head tilted all the way back, refusing to break eye contact.  Having perhaps reached the limit of her flexibility, though probably not her anger, the Lieutenant paused for a split-second.  The young ensign attempted to interject, but his nerves got the better of him. 

Tho’Bi:  I I I check (beat) gravity ::looks bewildered chin still pinned to chest:: 

Vailani: Really?! I might be new on this ship but -

It was all the young ensign could manage, he lifted up his Padd, placing it carefully, but quickly between his chin-locked face, and the neck-locked face of Lieutenant Vailani.  The Bajoran rolled her eyes; perhaps because the Padd was too close to read, perhaps not.

Tho’Bi: I (beat) I am here to check the en- (beat) the en- (beat) the environmenta-

Vailani: I’m more than capable of changing the thermometer in my own room.

The Lieutenant paused for a moment, studying his face.  His feet still planted to the deck, the ensign’s upper body and head moved slowly backwards; as though, by some will of its own, it had decided to try to evade her glare.

Vailani: Very well.

The Bajoran stepped aside and the Andorian hurried inside; doing his best to ignore another eye roll.  The ensign stood in the center of the Lieutenant’s quarters; he looked about nervously, his eyes fell on a Horg'ahn; an entire shelf to itself.

Tho’Bi: Oh ::gestures at the Horh’ahn:: y-you have a Ho-rah-aah-uun (beat) on display (beat) in your quarters ::finally looks at Vailani:: and I-I’m talking about it (beat) out loud (beat) (beat) Oh ::looks down at deck:: I need to lie down.

With that, the young Andorian lay down in the middle of the cabin and began taking deep breaths.

Vailani: Response

Tho’Bi: Oh! ::sits up:: I’m not ly-lying down ::gestures at the Horh’ahn:: This is not (beat) not (beat) not a fer-fertility (beat) thing ::perplexed:: ::stands up:: I get anxious (beat) Laying down h-helps.  ::struggling to make eye contact with Vailani::

Vailani: Response

TAG/TBC

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Ensign Tho’Bi

Engineering

USS Artemis-A

A240203T11