JP: Lt. Quen Deena & Ens. Katsim - “Puzzle Me This” Part II
Amanda Nordstrom
OOC: Takes place before "Cheesecake Gobble Gobble Cheesecake"
IC:
((Infirmary, Deep Space Nine))
Peri definitely would, but something else brought a question to mind.
Katsim: Out of curiosity, why does she ask that?
Quen: Offering a bribe tends to be a good way to get people to come for their physicals of their own free will. ::shrugs:: I must say, it's had a positive effect on outcomes so far…
Katsim: Oh.
Well, that made sense. Peri had no plans to ignore orders for a physical. There /was/ a reason for them after all.
Quen: Any questions for me? Concerns?
Katsim: Um, no, not really. I just have to come in once a Standard year, right?
Quen: Yes, unless anything comes up before then.
Katsim: Then, no. Is there...anything else I need to do?
Quen: No, Ensign - you are cleared for duty and free to escape. Feel free to drop by and say hello whenever you want. I promise we don’t bite often…
Deena smirked, hoping her remark came off as humorously as intended. She paused a moment before speaking.
Quen: Although - if you could help me figure out how twenty padds fit in a case on the way over here, but won’t fit in the same exact case now, I would be most appreciative...
Peri leaned over to peer around the young doctor at the box at which she mentioned. Slowly sliding off of the biobed, she made her way over to study situation in front of her.
Katsim: So...they fit in this before?
Quen: Yup - perfectly.
Katsim: That doesn’t make sense.
Peri crouched down and began to just pull out all the PADDs. Glancing over at the other officer, she queried -
Katsim: So...how long have you been on the Thor?
Quen: Uh - well, permanently for the past five, six months or so, since we detached from the Embassy on Duronis II. I joined there about a year before that as my first posting out of the Academy.
Katsim: What’s it like?
Deena pulled the last couple of padds back out of the box and blew a long pffffft of air through her lips.
Quen: Big. A small starbase disguised as a ship. ::she flipped the padd in her hand so the short side faced the bottom:: Maybe this way? Two rows?
Katsim: I’d turn it so it’s that side down, but flush with the other side of the box. Then stack them side by side and let’s see if that helps.
It was a kind of a puzzle. Peri liked puzzles, it was always interesting to see how they turned out at the end. She started handing Quen PADDS and let the other woman do the stacking. Katsim: I imagine being on a ship is a lot different than an embassy.
Quen: It’s taken quite a bit of getting used to. The crew’s stayed more or less the same. I have to say, though - it’s the longest I’ve ever been in space...
Peri paused and pondered the PADD stacking, then shook her head.
Katsim: That’s not working either. Maybe turn them long side down and hug the edge?
Deena turned two PADDs and pushed them to opposite sides, then set one between them perpendicular.
Quen: Like this?
Katsim: Well, no….but...let’s give that a try. It might actually work. Maybe that was it. The two PADDs would fill in the space between those edges left by the length of the PADDs in between. Well, there was only one way to find out.
Deena continued lining the PADDs up, satisfaction mounting with every PADD successfully placed.
Quen: I miss the rose garden sometimes. I used to like to find a quiet corner and knit. The Arboretum on the Thor isn’t quite the same…
It was interesting the different answers people gave about how they felt about different postings. Peri continued to hand the PADDs over and pondered hers compared to Mister Greaves’. What Quen said, however, sparked a different question.
Katsim: What kind of things do you knit?
Quen: Blankets, clothing. Mostly lace patterns. ::Deena smiled.:: I'm surprised you asked! I usually have to explain what knitting is first, if I'm not already doing it. Do you knit as well?
Katsim: Actually, I don’t knit. I embroider.
Deena's smile grew wider.
Quen: Really?!
Katsim: My mother taught me. Evidently she was taught by my grandmother, who was taught by my great grandmother, and so on. Bajoran embroidery has a lot of symbolism and meaning in our culture, but evidently it’s a dying art. I also picked up Japanese embroidery when my father was stationed at a research facility.
Quen: I've always wanted to learn. Properly, you know? I've made a couple attempts here and there, but I've never been very good. Usually end up with either a giant knot or stitching my fingers together.
Katsim: It’s not easy, but if you start with simpler stuff and work on mastering that, it’s better than trying to move on too quickly.
Deena picked up the last PADD.
Quen: I think… ::slotting it into place:: that does it. Thank you for the help.
Katsim: Great. Glad I could help.
Peri stood up and brushed her hands against her thighs. Nothing like coming in for a physical and working on a puzzle. It at least had whittled away some of the time in good company - and once again, she was able to be somewhat useful.
Quen: We should work together sometime once we get back on the Thor.
Katsim: Don’t worry, I think we’ll have lots of opportunities.
**************
Lieutenant Quen Deena
Medical Officer
USS Thor NCC-82607
E239602QD0
&
Ensign Katsim
Science Officer
USS Thor
M239008AD0
-- Ensign Katsim Science Officer USS Thor M239008AD0