Ensign T’Fearne - Secrets of the Orient
teayl.thorn
((OOC: Bingo! Reposted to the correct group.))
((Time Skip, Sickbay, Deck 11, USS Ronin))
Feeling properly chastised by the lieutenant’s admonishment, the sting of the hypospray she administered and slightly embarrassed that her folly had been witnessed by the new Ops officer whose dinner she had ruined.
oO I will ensure to replace his dinner. He is new and surely does not know yet about the Musashi bar in the battle module. Oo
With a small sigh, she rubbed her neck and glanced up to meet the lieutenant’s gaze.
T'Fearne::: Wincing:: You are right. I will be more careful in any case. I did assume the replicators were calibrated to serve safe… :: To Avae:: No, no, what are you doing?
The sight of Avae casually popping a piece of the burning blue fruit into her mouth caught T’Fearne by surprise, an exclamation slipping from her lips before she could stop it. Avae blinked, startled, and then a smirk spread across her face as she looked at T’Fearne with an air of mild amusement.
Avae: Excush you, Enshign? Thish ish perfectly shafe for me to eat. ::She held up the scan comparison she’d just taken of herself by facing the tricorder towards T’Fearne:: I made sure it was okay before I did. Besides, I just spent five days in the isolation chamber with the plague so I understand risk. ::she giggled innocently::
The room fell into stunned silence.
T’Fearne quickly hopped off the biobead, almost unconsciously positioned herself between the blond Human and the lavender-haired Antosian, though there was little good she could do to stop the spread of a plague.
Evinrude: The...plague? Which plague? Are you alright?
T’Fearne: Erm, apologies, Lieutenant, but you have something contagious? Should you be exposing yourself to the crew?
Without missing a beat, Avae waved them off, another piece of fruit in her hand as she continued munching.
Avae: I wouldn’t be out here when we have an isolation chamber if I was a danger to anyone. I got to test the isolation chamber first and it was really great because we needed to make sure it was working properly and since the bubonic plague is mild I only needed to be in there for a few days and it was so refreshing to be able to infect myself with something even if it was basically just a cold for me. It’s been too long.
The ensigns stared as the Lieutenant's whiplash style of conversation first reassured them, then grew more concerning.
Evinrude: ::He looked back and forth between T'Fearne and Wyla.:: The bubonic plague, scourge of my species several hundred years ago...is like the cold for you? ::Then he shook his head.:: Actually wait, the more important question here is that you find it refreshing to infect yourself with diseases?
Avae shrugged, utterly nonchalant as she chewed her fruit. Her casual demeanour helped to assuage the security officer's concerns as she took the time to show that the blue fruit didn’t have the same effect on her.
Avae: Antosian immune systems are considerably robusht. ::She said mid chew of another fruit:: Part of our studies include exposing ourselves to numerous diseases so we can experience the symptoms firsthand. Helps us to understand how patients feel through each stage. But it also means we recover considerably faster than others. Anyways, the swelling looks to already be reducing. I’d estimate that you should be back to normal within a couple of hours. Though you’ll probably have a blue tongue and lips for a few days. Maybe a week...how many did you have?
T’Fearne::: still slightly stunned:: Just the one piece, fortunately.
The lieutenant happily zipped away to continue her duties, still chewing her fruit that had sent the Vulcazoid to sickbay. T’Fearne called after her, half-heartedly.
T’Fearne: Please, enjoy the fruit as my thanks for your assistance!
Evinrude turned to face her, a small, relieved expression on his face.
Evinrude: A blue tongue for a few days isn't so bad. ::he said with a relieved smile.:: I remember being a kid on the Astraeus, and an officer who worked with my dad gave me some candy he'd acquired on shore leave. It turned my mouth black for almost a week. ::He laughed.:: Any medical officer who talked to me in the corridors nearly fainted.
She gave a blue smirk at his story but caught the edge of some complicated emotion from him that quickly faded his humour.
oO That was interesting! Oo
Evinrude: Are...you ready to leave? Thinking of...that candy made me hungry again. ::That last sentence was a fabrication, but his next was genuine, touched with care.:: Oh...will you be able to eat, or does it still sting?
Standing barely feet away, T’Fearne tried to ignore the fuzzy scratch of deception from Evinrude. Everyone lied sometimes, for countless reasons. Usually, she afforded other beings as much privacy as she could manage, but maybe this was one of those times when asking would help.
oO No harm in asking! If he doesn’t wish to discuss it, he won’t. Oo
She gestured towards the sickbay exit.
T'Fearne: It’s no worse now than a bitten lip. I will be fine. :: slight pause:: But will you be alright? Apologies if this is prying too much for a new colleague, but you seemed uncomfortable here.
She tilted her head slightly, a Betazoid gesture that brought a pointed ear to face a person, indicating an offer to listen to a person’s troubles. For a moment, she thought he might brush it off, but as they put a little distance from Sickbay between them, he seemed to come to a decision. Exhaled deeply.
Evinrude: I...was uncomfortable in there, yes. But not because of you! Like I said, you're good company.
It hadn’t even occurred to her that she would be the cause of his discomfort. She hadn’t even slightly menaced him and wouldn’t try until she had adequate time to study Commander Alieth more closely.
T'Fearne: Thank you, Evinrude, so are you. Was it the lieutenant’s plague? :: Trying to reassure:: She is a superior officer and a medical professional, I’m sure she would never risk harm to the crew.
Evinrude: ::A small laugh.:: No, no, though her Antosian disease resistance is fascinating...and mildly concerning.
They arrived at the turbolift, and T’Fearne signalled the lift.
Evinrude: T'Fearne, would you like to continue our meal somewhere?
The Human clearly wanted to say something, and maybe all he needed was a different location to be more comfortable.
T'Fearne: Yes, I would like to repay you for the meal you lost, but no replicators for now. I have a place in mind. As long as you don’t mind a long walk to get there?
((Musashi Lounge, Level B, Battle Module, USS Ronin))
T’Fearne led the way along the Ronin’s starboard catwalk on deck 2, walking towards the fusion generators at the back of the ship, up the walkway through the pylons that connected the catamaran to the Battle Module, until they reached the cozy little Japanese-style café lounge nestled between the torpedo launchers. The air was rich with the scent of sizzling marinated meats, sweet rice, and the sharp tang of rice wine. It wasn’t too late for breakfast; only a few crew members were scattered around the lounge, quietly finishing their meals.
T’Fearne greeted the cook behind the teppanyaki grill with a nod and led Evinrude to seats at the deserted end of the bench. She waited for him to take in the atmosphere, watching his reaction closely to see if this was a place he would feel comfortable eating.
Evinrude: Response
T’Fearne nodded, her posture relaxing slightly.
T'Fearne: It is one of the Ronin’s hidden treasures. I recommend the nigiri. But honestly, everything I’ve had here is good. You can get the Bento Boxes as a “toogo”. Perfect for a quick mid-duty meal break.
She glanced at him curiously, wondering if he would talk more about what was bothering him, but eventually, she decided not to press for the moment. Circling back to their initially interrupted conversation.
T'Fearne: I believe we were at the point of exchanging stories of how you came to be here—and you are not a “Starfleet brat”, but a “goodie-two-shoes”. So your parents are in Starfleet? What do they do?
Evinrude: Response
T’Fearne raised an eyebrow.
T'Fearne: What’s the detour that led you to this duty station? Unless that’s private, of course.
Evinrude: Response
[Tag, You’re It! / TBC]
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Security Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
R240107T14