Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau - "The More The Merrier"

[Amanda Nordstrom]

((Betazed - Lumie Family Home))
 
Landin didn’t come out and say it, but there was doubt.  Either that, or he was clinging to the idea that Alora was merely going on a hunch rather than any fact that had been presented to her.  As a scientist, Alora agreed.  They should deal with facts, not instinct.

Except that during her time in Starfleet, Alora had learned that sometimes she needed to listen to instinct.  That twist of the gut that came, letting her know something was off.  She never could quite pinpoint why it happened, but it just did.  On occasion.  And it was happening then, every time she thought about Enzada and her death.  From what little she'd seen, on the books, it was just simply a case of her heart giving out.  Nothing was out of place.  But it *felt* out of place.
 
No.  It wasn’t a scientific way to go about it at all.  But this wasn’t some experiment, this was a friend whose death had been quick and out of the blue.  It needed to be investigated more thoroughly than a simple autopsy.  And if someone suggested that it was simply because Alora was struggling to accept that death...well, she wouldn’t say it was an inaccurate assessment, but it wouldn’t change her mind either. 
 
DeVeau: ~I could be completely off the rails, but if you look at Enzada’s last physical four months prior, there was *nothing* that would have brought about her death.  She was extremely healthy.~
 
Brenna took the report, slowly paging through it, and that expression on Landin’s face indicated he was processing what he heard.
 
Landin: ~There could be something routine scans missed.~
 
Alora nodded.  There could be.  All that had been done were routine scans, and there was little else they could do now, the funeral over with.  Alora wondered if she should have requested a deferment, but it was too late now. 
 
Kirin: ~Does the autopsy indicate anything unusual?~
 
DeVeau:~ From what I’ve seen...there’s nothing to indicate that something  unnatural occurred but...if you’re willing to take some time and delve more deeply into this, I would be most grateful.   The more eyes on it, the better.~
 
Brenna: ~How thorough do you want this to be?~
 
How thorough?  Alora already had the answer.  Her green gaze met Brenna’s black one without flinching and she leaned forward.  She knew she was asking a lot, but that was how determined she was to be certain nothing was awry. 
 
DeVeau: ~Extremely.  Completely.~
 
Brenna: ~If you will allow me, I would like to take an evening and scour this.  Between myself and most of my children we have the medical background to decipher her medical history.~
 
Alora straightened and nodded.  Only an evening?  Could she really ask for more than that?  Could she request that they look further?  Take more time?  She had volunteered, but she hadn’t necessarily volunteered for quite that much.
 
DeVeau: ~Take as much time as you wish.  I will be grateful for any effort to assist.~
 
Brenna: ~May I ask – is there anything in specific you think we might find?~
 
Alora looked her lips.  Oh she had thought about that, to be sure, but she didn’t have any straightforward answers to that either. 
 
DeVeau: ~Something that wouldn’t seem out of place.  Something that might seem normal but isn’t.~

Oh yeah, so very, very helpful.
 
DeVeau: ~Sometimes...well, have you ever done a puzzle, and you get a piece and it *looks* like the shape fits a particular spot, but when you try to slip it in ,it doesn’t *quite* fit.  It looks like it should, but it doesn’t?  Somehow or other, there’s a sliver of a difference that’s just enough to make it off, but you can’t only see it when you compare it to the others?  I feel like it’s going to be like that.  Something that looks like it belongs, but when we start really looking, we find that it doesn’t quite fit.  Something...that’s difficult to trace.~
 
Because if it hadn’t been difficult, it would have already been discovered.
 
DeVeau: ~I promise I’ll repay you some day for this kindness.~
 
And she meant it.  Alora was completely, totally, and utterly grateful for the assistance from the Taybrims, particularly from Brenna.  Even if they found nothing, maybe it would at least set Alora’s mind at ease.  The mental chuckle from the woman surprised her and a single eyebrow arched upward.
 
Brenna: ~Don’t make promises you can’t keep.  The future is never set until it happens.~
 
DeVeau: ~True.  But if there is anything I can do to repay this kindness to me, I will.~
 
In the meantime, she wanted to move on to more pleasant things.  She wanted to spend time with them, all of them, and not just because of Enzada.  She wanted to get to *know* each and every one of them, and that mean moving away from the autopsy.  Moving away from that sort of subject. 
 
DeVeau: ~But...let’s continue this discussion after you’ve had the chance to research it.  For now, would you care for more tea?~
 
Taybrims: ?
 
DeVeau:  Perhaps you would all like to visit the gardens?  And if you wish to stay the night, you are all more than welcome.~
 
Taybrims: ?
 
And the afternoon would continue, focused on brighter, happier topics.  Hopefully, later, they would get answers. For now, she was going to simply take the time to enjoy her company.
 
Taybrims: ?

 
[Can probably end this particular scene here if you like, or we can continue.  I'm good either way.]

-- 
Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau
First Officer
Starbase 118 Ops
al...@blar.net
M239008AD0