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Post by spacedaisy on Jun 14, 2022 10:26:14 GMT
A Familiar Face Stardate 12206.11
Penny slowly walked the corridor toward the sickbay. She had a lot on her mind and it showed in her countenance. When she stepped in the sickbay she noticed a handful of staff clustered together on the other side of the room, whispering amongst themselves.
Vott came out of the surgical bay and smiled widely as he saw her. She appreciated his presence in the sickbay. Maybe it was a characteristic of the Bolians to be somewhat jovial, but she found his optimism helped keep her anxiety at bay sometimes. It was probably what she needed these days. He was carrying a padd and he stopped where she stood as she asked, “Is something going on?”
“What do you mean?” Penny pointed and he looked over at the group and then looked back to her with a smile, “Oh! They just met the new Doctor you’d chosen to replace Julie.”
Penny turned a confused gaze on Vott, “I didn’t choose anyone yet.”
It was Vott’s turn to look confused. “Well, someone did, because he’s in your office right now. I was just getting the personnel files he asked for…” he indicated the padd in his hand.
Penny grabbed the padd, “I guess I should go meet him then.”
Vott watched her with wide eyes as she stormed across the room. She’d been under a lot of stress recently and he wasn’t sure what exactly she was going to do.
She entered her office with a forcefulness that could be felt even though she was such a slight woman, like a gale that can’t be seen but can certainly be felt. “Lieutenant Oromar tells me you have been assigned here, but this is the first I’ve heard of it. And you are…?” she inquired in an icy voice.
The sandy haired man standing with his back to her as he looked over a lab specimen, finally turned to her. “Evans! What took you so long?”
All the force was suddenly drained out of her as it registered who was standing in her office. “Declan?”
The familiar boyish grin spread across his face and he gave a dramatic bow, “At your service mademoiselle.”
“How are you– why are you here?” Penny crossed the room and sat down in her desk seat, pointing to the chair opposite her desk for him as she did.
He shrugged as he sat down, leaning comfortably back in the chair, “I heard you had an opening here, thought maybe it was time for a change.”
“You were acting CMO when I left the Chiron, why would you leave that for a step down?”
“Oh, come on, Evans! You and I both know I wasn’t getting promoted.” He tapped his fingers idly on the arm of the chair, “I figured my chances of getting there someday would be with a doctor I knew had a vision for things.”
She looked more confused than ever, “Vision?”
“Yeah, I think we work well as a team. You and I think outside of the box, not a lot of doctors do. I want to work for a boss I can respect.”
Respect? That was the last word she expected Declan Rand to use to describe her. “Wait, what? You respect me? I thought you found me annoying? I mean, I thought you didn’t even think I deserved the position!”
He shrugged again, his eyes slipping to a point just right of her as he averted his gaze from her own in embarrassment at his past behavior. “I never said that, exactly… you’re a great Chief.”
Her mind was still reeling at all of this, “But I never saw your application for the position, how did you get assigned to me?”
“We did good work together before, I mean, look at Migonna’s implant. They’re making new tech from that now. I guess HQ just recognizes the making of a good team when they see it. It’s not like you get final say on assignments.”
She recognized the look in his eyes, there was something he wasn’t telling her, but she also knew him well enough to realize he wasn’t going to tell her. “What about Sylvie?”
“Sylvie Janek? We broke up ages ago, before you even left the Chiron. Jesus, do you ever keep up with what your staff is doing, Evans?”
Despite his mocking words, there was kindness in his eyes. A pang hit her chest as she realized she had missed that. Even when he seemed utterly annoyed with her, there was always an underlying concern there. The words spoken by her little holographic intruder still rang in her ears, “nothing and nobody.” She blinked at the tears pricking at her eyelids, and scooped up the padd she had taken from Vott. Circling the desk she held it out to him, “The files you asked for.”
He knew it meant she had accepted the situation and he took it from her with a playful sparkle in his eye, “I wanted to see if there are any cute nurses on staff here.”
Penny rolled her eyes and groaned, “Oh my word, Declan! Do you ever think of anything other than women?”
His expression sobered a bit and for a split second Penny thought he was going to say something serious, but then just as quickly, he gave an exaggerated eyebrow waggle and retorted, “Not if I can help it.”
She leaned back against the desk behind her, “Did they get you into quarters on the station yet or were you just going to keep quarters on the ship?”
“I haven’t really decided yet, they’ve got me guest quarters at the moment. Most of my stuff is in storage still waiting for the Tempest to get here. The guest quarters they put me in are fairly small, it’s pretty crowded over there right now. I’m definitely ready to get into something a bit more permanent. Do you keep quarters on the station?”
“Yeah, but my time is split between the ship and the station so it made sense to have my quarters there. I really just keep minimal things here for when the Tempest is sent out on mission.”
“Will I be splitting my time as well?”
“No, the position you’re in is assigned exclusively to the Tempest. I mean, I might pull you from time to time if I need you, but primarily you’ll be here.”
“Well then, it would make more sense for my quarters to be on the ship, I’d think.”
“Ok,” she straightened up and went back around to use her console to see what quarters he’d been assigned to on the ship. “Looks like you’re in 2028.” She looked up at him again, “The Tempest is just a little bigger than the Chiron, want me to show you the way?”
“Please! The last thing I need is to get lost wandering the bowels of the ship.” He practically hopped out of the chair and picked up a duffel he had in the corner that she hadn’t noticed before.
She laughed, “Boy scout, huh?”
“Never hurts to be prepared. Who knows when you’ll need an overnight bag.”
“Forget I asked,” she shook her head at his insinuation.
Vott looked up from what he was doing as they entered the main sickbay. “Lieutenant Oromar, can you make sure everyone here gets relieved of duty, bring in a standby skeleton crew for the Tempest so the staff here can have a day off. Yourself included. I’m going to show Dr. Rand where his quarters are.”
“Of course, I’ll get right on it.” He thoughtfully watched the pair leave before he turned to the crew milling about, pretending they hadn’t been eavesdropping. “You heard her, get out of here. Go enjoy some time off.”
As they rode the lift and walked the corridors, Declan shared some stories of what had happened on the Chiron since she left. It made her feel a little homesick. She remembered when she started how inadequate and lost she had felt there. Penny would never understand what Captain Sumner had seen in her back then to put her in the CMO position. Now she wondered if she would ever feel as at home on the Tempest and Odyssey station as she did back there. They reached his door and she stopped, “Here you are.”
“Are you on this deck too?”
“I’m actually up on deck 3,” she said almost apologetically.
He chuckled, “I see how it is, stick the underlings in the deepest decks of the ship.”
“Hey,” Penny held her hands up, “I’m not in charge of assigning quarters, so don’t shoot the messenger. Plus, you’re closer to sickbay than I am so your trip to work is quicker.”
“Small consolation there, Evans,” he said with a grin, then he tipped his head toward his room, “Want to come in and tell me how cozy it is too?”
She hesitated, it seemed like she should be saying no, but being around someone from the Chiron was surprisingly comforting right now.
Nothing and nobody.
“Sure.”
Penny followed him into the quarters and they both looked around for a couple moments. To say it was cozy was probably generous. Granted, he hadn’t had a chance to personalize it yet, but it was definitely sparse. It was an inner room, so there was no viewport. There were only a couple chairs in the living space, each with a small side table. Crowded into a corner was a table that would seat only two people. It lacked any kind of office space whatsoever, and judging by what she could see of the bedroom, it probably just had enough space in there to get around the bed.
“Well…” she searched for something to say, “you won’t have to do much cleaning.”
Declan laughed, “You would say that.” He dropped his bag on the tiny table, “Grab a chair, I’ll get us a drink. Wine? Brandy? What’s your poison?”
“Uh,” she felt a little panic, “no, I shouldn’t drink. Maybe just a water.”
He studied her quizzically over his shoulder, “I thought you were off duty?”
“I–” she took a deep breath, “I had some trouble with drinking too much during my first couple years in the Academy. After a few incidents I decided it might be better if I avoid drinking as much as possible.”
“Oh, I didn’t know.”
She bit her lip nervously, “I don’t usually tell people about it.”
He gave a slow nod and then held up a finger as though he had a thought. He turned to the replicator, “Computer, two sparkling grape juices in wine glasses please.” Once the drinks materialized he took them over to the seating area and handed it to her with a little flourish, as though serving her the finest of wines. “For you, my dear Doctor Evans.”
Taking the glass she lifted it as if in toast and then took a small sip, watching as he sat down across from her.
“As much as possible, huh? That means there are occasions when you have drank or might drink?” he asked her.
“Only in situations I think I can exercise restraint. If I’m afraid I might overdo it, I try to avoid it altogether. I’m not a teetotaler or anything.”
The corner of his mouth teased into a smirk, “So what you’re saying is you don’t think you could exercise restraint with me?”
Penny rolled her eyes, but couldn’t stop the blush from coloring her face, “You are pretty persistent, and arguing with you is like arguing with a brick wall,” she retorted.
“That’s just because I’m usually right,” he said before he took a drink. “But I hope you know that I’ll never put you in a compromising situation, Penny.”
“That’s the first time you’ve called me that.”
“Must be the sparkling grape juice, gone to my head.”
She knew he was joking, and she wondered if all that bravado was to cover something up. When she finally spoke again, her words were chosen carefully, “I have found that I don’t usually fit in with other people.”
He bit his tongue to keep the instinctive joke from coming out, because he could see it wasn’t easy for her to verbalize this. She went on, haltingly at times, “I– felt more at ease, and less anxious when I was drinking. So– in social situations–” she shrugged a shoulder, “I leaned on it like a crutch, I guess. Probably a little too much.”
When her eyes found his face again, she was met with a sincere and reassuring smile, with no trace of mockery for once, “You don’t owe me or anyone else an explanation for why you don’t drink, but I appreciate that you felt comfortable enough to share that with me.”
“Do I need to schedule you for a physical? Because I’ve never known you to be so kind before, so clearly, you must be sick.”
“Hey! I can be kind.” He downed the last of his juice. “I am a doctor, after all. We’re the very picture of kindness and empathy.”
“Right, this is why you constantly yelled at me on the Chiron.”
“Did I? I don’t remember that.”
She just laughed in response. He stood up and crossed to the replicator again, “Would you like another?”
“No thanks. In fact, I should get going. It’s been a long mission and I am ready to be back in my quarters on the station and sleeping in my bed again. I just want to put the whole mess behind me until I’m forced to deal with it again.” Penny tried not to think of Adria as she said this, rather unsuccessfully. She quickly finished off her own juice and carried the glass over to the replicator for reclamation. She smiled at Declan for a second and then impulsively gave him a hug.
He was shocked at first, but quickly wrapped his arms around her. The top of her head tucked next to his chin, he breathed deeply. She smelled vaguely of raspberry and he savored it for a moment, thinking of how often he had imagined being like this with her. She pulled back, bringing him back to reality. This wasn’t love, this was friendship, and she was his boss. “Thank you, Declan. I’m glad you’re here.”
He grinned and ran a hand through his hair nervously, glad she hadn’t noticed. “Hey, someone’s got to make sure you’re doing things right.”
With a laugh Penny headed for the door. “Wait!” She paused and looked back, waiting to see what he wanted.
“Can I see you again soon?” His next words tumbled out quickly after the question, “I mean, I don’t have any friends here yet and you’re the only person I know.”
“Sure. Since I’ve got a little down time, want to have brunch tomorrow?”
“I would love that. What time?”
“How about 1100 at Across the Universe on the promenade?”
“Sounds perfect. I’ll see you then.” He watched her leave and then went over to the bedroom where he flopped on the bed and stared up at the ceiling plating. Before he came here, he thought he was safe, that he had gotten over this a long time ago. Now he realized he was wrong.
“What am I doing?” he asked the empty room.
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Post by spacedaisy on Jun 24, 2022 5:17:09 GMT
Dinner And a Show With Pezzley as Commander Talius Exeel
“You’re twenty minutes late, I was about to give up on you,” Penny commented as Declan took the seat at her table.
“Good morning to you too, Sunshine. I got lost. Twice,” Declan replied as he grabbed the menu.
“I’m pretty sure the waiter thinks I was stood up for a date or something. He gave me two free cups of coffee because he felt sorry for me.”
“Maybe he was flirting with you.”
Penny’s green eyes widened in surprise, “What? No. No way,” she paused for a second as she played back her interactions with the waiter in her mind, “Do you think?”
Declan laughed and shook his head at her, “You’re a lost cause, Evans.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Never mind. What’s good here?” He changed the subject abruptly, not enjoying this line of banter much.
“I haven’t had anything I didn’t like, but then I’m not big into experimenting. I usually go with an Earth dish. I’m craving crepes today with strawberries and bananas.”
“How can you be all the way out here and not try something from another world?” He looked over the dishes. “How about groatcakes? They even have squill syrup!”
She scrunched her nose up, looking particularly unconvinced.
Undaunted, he tried something else, “Ok, no groatcakes. How about some fruit? Looks like they’ve got a gesper based fruit salad.”
“I don’t think fruit would be filling enough…”
Declan sighed, “Ok, how about this. They have uttaberry crepes. You already wanted crepes, just get them with a Betazoid twist.”
She smiled and conceded, “Fine, I’ll get uttaberry crepes. But if I hate them, I’m blaming you.”
The infamous waiter approached their table with padd in hand, looking a little disappointed, “I thought maybe your date wasn’t going to show,” he made a half-hearted joke.
“And yet, here I am.” Declan replied dryly, breezing right past the bit where he’s claiming this is a date. “I’m going to have the groatcakes, and she wants the uttaberry crepes.”
“Sure, sure,” the waiter glanced between the two as he tapped in the order, “Syrup of squill with those groatcakes?”
“Who wouldn’t? And I’d like a coffee, please. Blonde roast, black.”
The waiter took their menus, glancing once more at Penny, “I’ll be right back with your order.”
“I told you,” Declan commented as soon as the waiter was out of earshot. “So,” he changed the subject again, “what’s the plan for today?”
“I thought I could start by showing you some of the medical facilities here, and introducing you to Emily. Then we can head over and I’ll show you the arboretum. If that sounds alright to you?” She never knew how to plan for things with friends. What if they didn’t like the sound of what she picked to do?
But he didn’t seem at all put out, in fact he seemed pleased with the idea, “That sounds like a great plan to me.”
After they had finished brunch, they made their way through the station to Main Sickbay. As they approached the doors, Penny explained, “You’ve already met Vott, so I figure the other person you really should meet is Dr. Reed.”
The doors swished open and the pair entered the reception area. It was a sterile space, with a circular desk in the middle for patients to check in. There was a young Andorian woman in civilian’s clothes sitting at the desk. She smiled at them as they came into the room, “Hello Dr. Evans, nice to see you back!”
“Good to see you too, Soli. Is Emily in her office or in the sickbay?”
“She’s in her office. I’ll let her know you’re here.” The receptionist pressed a discreet button and as they passed on toward the aforementioned office, they could hear her informing Emily they would be there in a moment.
Declan gave a soft whistle, “This is all certainly a step up from the Chiron,” he said as he peered into the doorways they passed, checking out the equipment and capacity.
“The station has quite a large crew complement, not to mention all the civilians on board,” Penny replied as they stepped into the office where Emily was waiting for them.
“There’s over 35,000 people on the station, give or take,” Emily jumped right into the conversation as she extended her hand, “Emily Reed.”
Declan gave her a handshake, “Declan Rand.”
“Nice to meet you. I hear you’re the new replacement on the Tempest?”
“Yeah, just shipped in from the Chiron.”
“Isn’t that your last posting Dr. Evans?” Emily looked curiously at Penny.
“Yes, Dr. Rand and I worked together on the Chiron.”
“That’s nice, it makes it an easier transition if you already know how you work with each other.”
Penny explained to him, “Emily was actually in your position on the Tempest originally, serving under Dr. Kestran.”
“Feels like ages ago,” Emily commented with a laugh.
“I’m sorry, did I see you guys have a third gen phoretic analyzer here?” Declan interrupted, obviously still in awe of the tech and facilities.
Emily nodded, “Yeah, they just installed it last month, we were one of the first to get one. It’s just two doors down from here if you want to go check it out?”
“Definitely!” He looked at Penny, “I’ll be right back, Evans, don’t go anywhere.”
After he disappeared out the door Emily looked curiously at Penny, “Evans?”
She shrugged, “We started out together as Ensigns, I ended up promoted to CMO eventually, but he never got out of the habit of just calling me by my last name.”
“It doesn’t bother you? I mean, it probably will look a little informal to the rest of the staff.”
“Not really. Vott just calls me Doc. Sometimes you call me Penny.”
“Only when we’re off duty,” Emily protested, “I’d never undermine your authority in front of the other staff!”
“He’s not undermining my authority. Besides, I’m kind of used to it at this point. It wouldn’t feel right if he was suddenly formal with me.”
“I see…” something in Emily’s tone made Penny uncomfortable.
“You see what?” she asked, trying to will her cheeks to not turn red.
“I see that he’s an attractive guy that you seem pretty comfortable with, which is no small feat for you.”
Penny shook her head, “Why does everything have to be about that? Why can’t it just be that he’s my friend?”
“Ok, ok. If you say so, I believe you.”
Declan came back in the room, looking a bit like a kid in a candy store, “I knew I wouldn’t regret this posting. The facilities here are amazing!”
“This the main sickbay here, so it’s the largest capacity with most of the heavy duty equipment. We also have auxiliary sickbays, which you can find on the specs listed as medical offices,” Penny explained their setup. “Then Dr. Kestran keeps a private office here as well. Some of the civilians feel more comfortable with her either because they are wary of Starfleet or because they want to continue being treated by her after she resigned."
“Why did she resign just to keep being a doctor here at Odyssey Station?”
The two women glanced at each other. “Maybe you should explain since you’re close to her?”
Emily nodded in agreement, “There was some difficulty between the Tempest’s previous XO and Captain Savage.”
Declan only looked more confused, “What does that have to do with the Chief Medical Officer?”
“Captain Savage and Dr. Kestran are involved. She felt like their relationship was undermining his authority. Instead of ending the relationship, she chose to resign.”
“Ah, I see. Has that made your transition in the position more difficult, you know, with the previous Chief still hanging around the station?”
“Not really, Dr. Kestran is really supportive and most of the staff have been as well,” Penny smiled gratefully at Emily as she said this. The woman had been a huge help to getting her situated here.
“Most? Is that why I’m here?”
Penny shrugged, not about to speak poorly of Julie, “Not everyone’s personality will mesh well is all, and that’s ok.”
“Well, I’m grateful to whoever left the post, because now I get to work with this kind of staff and equipment at my fingertips!” Declan commented with another appreciative glance around the room.
“If he gets this excited about work, wait until he sees all the interesting things there is to do when you’re off duty,” Emily joked to Penny.
“Well, I’m taking him to the arboretum next.”
“A must-see attraction for everyone who comes to the station,” Emily commented approvingly of the plan.
Penny looked at Declan, “Ready to explore the station a bit now?”
He smiled widely and gave a nod, then looked at Dr. Reed, “It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Emily.”
A short while later, they could be found wandering in the arboretum. At first, he was in awe at the sheer size of the place and the meticulous detail in making it feel like an authentic outdoor space mimicking so many different environments. However, they soon fell into easy conversation as they walked along one of the many paths through a wooded area. They came upon a clearing where one branch of the river cut through. There was a small cabin, some seats and a large metal box.
Penny headed over to the box and opened it, explaining, “These contain some of the basic supplies for camping, should you ever need anything. Most of the cabins are booked out weeks in advance. I checked the schedule though, and this one won’t be occupied until later tonight, so we can sneak some time to relax here by the river.”
She withdrew a large blanket and two fishing poles. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, “You fish?”
“I grew up in the country on Earth, of course I fish!” There was a small scale replicator within the large box as well and she replicated some bait for them. He took all the fishing supplies while she spread the large blanket close to the river bank. Kicking off her flats next to a tree, she carefully settled herself on the blanket, maneuvering the skirt of her sundress so as not to be inappropriate.
Declan stood, clutching the poles and container of worms as he watched her get comfortable in the warm sunshine of the clearing. He wondered if this could be more perfect until she looked up at him curiously, “Are you going to sit down or what?”
“Oh– uh, yeah, sorry.” He awkwardly plopped onto the blanket, narrowly avoiding dumping the worms on her.
She retrieved a worm from the container and carefully speared it on her hook. With a fluid motion she flicked the rod back and forward again, sending the line sailing gracefully into the river. The small bobber landed with a quiet splash, sending ripples out across the surface of the slowly flowing river.
As he followed suit, she commented, “The fishing is relatively new. And we can’t actually kill the fish or anything. It's a mandatory catch and release. This is the first time I’ve actually got to do this since they started it.”
He wound the reel a bit to drag the bobber along the river, “So what you’re saying is I’m your first?” He snuck a mischievous glance at her and was surprised when she actually laughed at his joke. Was it possible Penny had started to learn how to loosen up a bit since she left the Chiron?
“You’d hardly be my first, Declan,” came her amused reply, which only left him a bit confused.
“It was a joke, you know, like an innuendo? Your first.” Somehow it seemed less funny when he tried to explain it. It just seemed crass.
“I know what you meant.” She replied coolly, just as she got a nibble on her line.
She left him to wonder what that meant while she went into a flurry of trying to pull in the fish, unsuccessfully. They fished for the better part of the afternoon, and in the end he had caught five small fish, and she had caught nothing.
“I thought you knew how to fish?” Declan teased her as they packed up the fishing equipment.
“I never said I was very good at it!”
She tucked the equipment back into the box and nodded toward the exit, “I’m starving, let’s go get some dinner.”
The pair meandered back through the arboretum and ventured into the busy promenade once more. “There’s this new place on the promenade I’ve been wanting to check out,” Penny explained as she led the way, “It’s totally kitschy, supposed to be like a 1950’s Earth diner, like a lunch car I think they called them. I hear they make great burgers there.”
Before they got to the diner, they walked past a group of ‘street performers’ who had built up quite the audience, playing what seemed to be twentieth century country music. The members of the band were of various races, playing on not necessarily the appropriate instruments for the music they were playing and the whole affair seemed to be very impromptu.
One of them looked familiar, singing along whilst strumming at the guitar. Then underneath a thick brimmed hat, Penny recognised a particular boyish grin, and realised they were floating atop a hoverboard; rising up as he sang the final lines “Ghooooost Riders Iiiiin The Sky….”
There was a brief cheer and applause from the crowd, and Talius did a little bow and waved to people, before coming back down to the ground. “Ooooh guys, we gotta do this more. Seems the people love it.” He said to the band, gesturing to the crowd… before he saw a familiar face amongst them. “Oh shit…!”
Penny stopped short as it hit her what she was actually seeing. “Exeel?” she wondered out loud in surprise.
Declan stopped as well and turned around, confused, “What?”
“Commander Exeel is… singing,” she replied as if that should have made everything clearer, which it decidedly did not.
He looked to the group of musicians in cowboy hats, “Who is Commander Exeel?”
“He’s the one on the hoverboard.”
“No, I mean who is he?”
“Oh!” she understood finally what he was asking, “He’s the Ex-Oh of the Tempest, you should probably meet him, though technically, I don’t think you have to…” she wondered why she is feeling so conflicted about introducing them.
“Wait, he’s the Ex-Oh?” Declan asked dubiously.
“Yes.”
“He’s very informal for an Ex-Oh.”
“You’ll get used to that. Come on,” She moved forward through the small crowd to reach the front. “Commander, I didn’t expect to see you performing on the promenade today,” Penny said in an awkward greeting.
The Trill leant in toward a four armed Terellian, whispering to him. “I’ll be right back, watch my board.” He nodded, turning to the crowd. “Remember to donate some latinum to these fine musicians. Just because the Federation doesn't use it, doesn’t mean other places do likewise; and I think they are going places.” He gave a wink to the group, as the odd punter chucked a slip or strip or two into a hat on the floor.
He lifted his strap off, and placed the guitar on his board, hopping off; taking a deep breath before he continued. “Heeeey Penn… Pene… Doc. Hey Doc.” He fumbled anxiously. “How you doin’?” He beamed that grin of his at her, not even noticing the other person with her yet. “You’re looking very lovely this after-eve-morn…ing-noon?! What ya doin’ in this part of town?”
He turned slightly to the side and eyed a tall and gruff looking Catian in the band. “Ya never know what kinda reprobates yer gonna find this time-a-day!”
“I will end your centuries of existence worm-gut!”” The Caitian roared.
“Bring it on, Lion-O.” Talius flexed mockingly, before laughing, and waving him off; turning back to the good doctor. “But seriously, how ya doin’?” It was at this moment he noticed who Penny was with, locking a look with him for a second, saying nothing, and looking back to her and smiling again.
Declan watched all this unfold, casting a disbelieving look at Penny, surely she was joking about this being the Ex-Oh.
Unsure how to take the scene with the Catian, Penny opted to just answer his question, “We were just going to get some dinner at that new place on the promenade, HubBub Hop, I think? Then I saw you here. Good performance, by the way.” She stood there for a second, unsure what to say when she realized she hadn’t introduced Declan yet. “I’m sorry, this is Dr. Rand, he was just assigned to take Julie Carmichael’s post in the Tempest sickbay with me.”
Normally Declan would feel he needed to salute when being introduced to his superior officer but given everything he had just witnessed, he opted to extend his hand for a handshake, “Commander.”
Talius took Declan’s hand and shook it firmly. “A pleasure to meet you, Doctor Rand.” He shook hands for a while, until it was becoming uncomfortable; before stopping abruptly. “I take it you’re getting the tour of the place, from our beloved Doctor Evans?” He frowned at himself, thinking that sentence sounded a bit weird even for him.
“I didn’t really expect to see anyone from the crew down here.” He quickly changed the subject, turning back to Penny. “Since I’ve been posted here, I have barely come to the station. I think the longest time I was down here was when we bumped into Professor Hamlet and Doctor Cre’el, in the… uhhh… Arboretum.” He cleared his throat. “But y’know, sometimes things happen; and I’m playing guitar for a band one day, and being chased by the rozzers on my hoverboard the next; and then obviously casually finding myself wandering to the previously mentioned arboretum.”
“I’m rambling. I apologise.” He desperately held back a blush.
Penny smiled at the mention of Hamlet, then turned to Declan with a curious look, “Why didn’t you come visit when the Chiron was docked here?”
Declan felt this conversation had somehow gotten away from him, “I wasn’t on board at the time, I was away for a conference.”
“Oh, yeah, I suppose that makes sense.”
She looked back to Talius, “Declan and I served together on Chiron as well, that’s where he just came from actually. And as far as seeing the crew here, I’m probably the one you are most likely to see since I’m CMO here. If I’m out with the Tempest, Dr. Reed stands in. But I’m around the station quite a bit when we’re here. I keep quarters here too. Perhaps I’ll get to see another musical performance of Talius and the Ramblers,” she quipped, making up a western sounding name on the spot.
He couldn’t hold the blush back and his cheeks gently tinted a rose colour, and he anxiously rubbed at them. “Really?” He cleared his throat, and straightened himself out. “That’d… that’d be cool.” He fumbled with his hat, tilting it toward her. “Also, I really like the name.”
“We are not calling ourselves that!” Barked the Caitian.
“Just cuz you have stripes, why you gotta hate on the spots, Tony?” Exeel grinned, knowing full well he wasn’t gonna get that reference either.
Talius returned to the more important conversation at hand. “But yeah, you pick the time and place.” He gave her another warm smile. “I probably shouldn't keep you, you have old style Earth cuisine to partake in…" that felt like another weird sentence.
“It’s nice to see ya, Doc. Y’know outside of work.” He grinned at her again, before turning to Rand. “And, yeah, it was nice to meet you Doctor. Welcome aboard the Tempest.” He did some fingerguns. “Catch you around.”
Her stomach rumbled at the mention of food, “Oh! Yeah, we should get going if we want to get a table.” She smiled at Declan, “Ready?”
Declan nodded to her and then gave a tight lipped half smile to the Ex-Oh, not feeling too excited to catch him around anywhere anytime soon. Then they headed off again down the promenade toward the restaurant. He seemed noticeably quieter now, as he tried to sort what just happened.
“Declan?”
“Hmm?” he asked, realizing he had zoned out completely.
“I was just asking if your stuff had gotten delivered to your quarters yet.”
“Oh, yeah. I didn’t have much room though, so about a third of it had to go into storage.”
They reached the restaurant and bolian woman in a cardigan and a poodle skirt greeted them at the hostess stand outside the door, “Table for two?” She led them inside, where they found the interior had perfectly replicated the look of a 1950’s lunch car diner. The long counter top decorated in a retro pattern in pinks and blues faced a window where they could see through to the grill area. Along the other side of the restaurant were booths in pepto-bismol pink and white vinyl. The wall even had a holographic image generator to give the impression of looking out onto a small town on Earth from the time period. They slid into a booth and they looked over their menus silently.
Finally Declan set the menu down, “I’m sorry, I have to know. Did you just ask the Ex-Oh out on a date?”
Penny looked up, thoroughly bewildered, “What?!”
“Just now, it seemed like you asked him out a date…” he kept himself from saying in front of me. He knew he had no claim on her, but it still bothered him. “You know, the whole name the time and place stuff.”
“No, not at all! I was just saying that since I’m on the station a lot I’d probably get to see him perform again sometime.”
Declan stared at her in a mix of relief and disbelief that she could be that oblivious. “He thinks you asked for a date, Evans!”
“Don’t be silly, he’s got a girlfriend or I don’t know, something…” she didn’t want to talk about Adria and wasn’t really sure what was going on there anyway. “Trust me, he isn’t looking for a date with me, and I am definitely not his type.”
He shook his head and laughed, truly glad it wasn’t what it looked like. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t. Seems like that didn’t work out so well for your predecessor’s career. I can’t imagine it would be a good idea for you either.” He didn’t want to think about the fact it was probably a bad idea for him too.
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Post by spacedaisy on Jul 9, 2022 0:15:45 GMT
Escape Stardate 12206.25
The Captain’s surprise party was still going. A few people had left, but most seemed content to laugh, and drink, and eat cake for as long as they could. Penny tapped the side of her cup with her index finger, like a little telegraph message with no recipient. Except there was someone who noticed and could read the anxiety ridden message written there in her fingertip on a paper cup with no more than a couple swigs of punch left within.
Declan leaned over to her, “I’m feeling a little warm, want to get out of her with me? Maybe get a breath of fresh air?”
God, did she ever. The urge to drink was strong, and normally at a party she might allow herself a drink or two, but with the awkwardness of her admission to the Captain that she questioned Commander Exeel’s judgment where Adria was concerned, she felt a lot more anxiety interacting with them than usual. It was probably not a good idea to drink right now.
She finished off her punch and nodded to him, “Yeah, I could use a stroll somewhere less crowded at the moment.” The pair said their goodbyes and wished the Captain one last happy birthday before they made their escape. The holodeck doors slid shut, dampening the sound of honky tonk piano music, laughter, and chatter. Penny sighed in relief, it had become a bit overwhelming for her.
They walked along the corridor without speaking for quite a while. Finally he broke the silence, “Let’s take the back route.”
She looked at him in surprise, “You’ve learned a back route already?”
“I might have studied the station schematics to find less crowded ways to get there.”
“Get where.”
“Oh you know, around.” He didn’t want to admit that he had looked specifically for less crowded ways to get to her quarters. It might look a little obsessive, when really he just knew she hated the crowds on the promenade and wanted to help her feel comfortable. “Come on,” he grabbed her hand and hung a right where she would normally turn left. They strolled through smaller corridors, passing by crew quarters and the occasional storage room or other odd communal space until they finally reached a set of double doors.
“What’s this?” Penny asked curiously.
He just grinned at her and hit the door button. They slid open to reveal a back entrance into the arboretum. “Most people don’t use this entrance unless they live in this section because it’s so out of the way. But there is a footpath that runs right by here. If we follow that we can take the lift that goes along the inside of the arboretum up to your deck.”
She stepped inside and closed her eyes with a smile as the cool, night air hit her face. There was a stillness here in the night that she had never noticed in her visits there during the day. They set off down the path, their footsteps muffled on the packed dirt path.
“Sorry I didn’t tell you about the party, Evans. I should have.”
A pang of guilt cut through her as she recalled chewing him out at the party. “No, you were right. It’s not your responsibility to keep track of my schedule. I just felt really out of place at that moment.”
She was clearly agonizing over her social faux pas, and Declan decided that even if she didn’t expect it and it wasn’t his job, he would try to protect her from having to feel that way again. “The Captain didn’t seem too bothered by it. It’s not like everyone who showed up got him a gift. I didn’t.”
“But you barely know him, I’ve been serving here for quite a while now.” Her voice trailed off and in the darkness he couldn’t see her face to tell what she was feeling. “I have good days, where it feels like I make progress and I can talk like a normal human being to the Captain or Commander Exeel, or Lieutenant Idaris, but then I have nights like tonight…” the darkness swallowed her words again.
“What was wrong with tonight? It was a fun party and people were happy you shared it with them.”
Maybe it was the darkness that made her feel safer speaking her anxieties out loud. But as they walked along the inside wall of the arboretum, with the holographic stars twinkling overhead, she bared her soul for just one moment. “I just wish for once I knew the right thing to say or do. I feel like I should be someone else just so I could fit in for once.”
The words were laced with pain and disappointment and he wished he knew the right words to make her feel better. They came to the glass lift and stepped inside, riding it up to her deck, watching the trees of the arboretum descend silently below them. The doors opened and she stepped out and pointed to the first door on the right, “This is me. Thanks for walking me back, Declan.”
“Don’t mention it. Goodnight Evans.” He was about to take the lift back down, but he quickly stepped back off, “Wait!”
The door to her quarters stood open, with her standing in the door frame, looking at him curiously, “What?”
“You shouldn’t worry so much about fitting in, Evans. You were born to stand out. You’re special.”
She leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek, but she had an almost sad smile as she replied, “You’re sweet Declan. Thanks.”
He watched her go inside and then he retreated to the lift once again, wondering what it would take for her to believe those words were true.
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Post by spacedaisy on Aug 14, 2022 0:47:45 GMT
Confession With Pezzley as Commander Talius Exeel
The sickbay was buzzing with activity. Even though the files were kept backed up, they wanted to ensure that the most recent updates and patient notes had been secured. The last thing anyone wanted was corrupted medical files. While med techs, doctors and nurses fluttered around, they chatted about what was going on. Everyone was intrigued by the coming shut down. They didn’t happen all that often.
Meanwhile, Penny was hiding out in the little medical lab just off her office. It was quiet here. She could shut the door and get a little time working on some project or other without being bothered. Most of the time they didn’t even realize she was back there. She stood at the steel table, which came to about her waist, with a container in front of her with twelve empty pots lined up in it, two rows of six. Penny carefully scooped some soil into one of the little pots and then gently repotted the small plant sprout into the pot, before adding a little more soil.
The door chimed. “Come in,” she called out without looking up from her work.
“Figures, the whole sickbay is going crazy and you’re back here playing in the dirt,” Declan teased.
Penny just nodded, she didn’t want to think about what was going on out there. She was too afraid it wouldn’t work, and then where would they be? Who knows what Adria might do in response?
“Some of the staff are looking for direction on a few things. Nothing major, but just some general guidance.”
“Declan, I just can’t– I don’t think I can– Would you–” she fumbled with how to admit she didn’t think she could handle the activity in the sickbay at the moment.
“Don’t worry, Evans. I can take care of it.”
She looked up for the first time since he came in the room and offered him a grateful smile, “Thanks.”
There was a momentary kerfuffle just outside the door, as Rand left Penny to her devices. “Oooh, so sorry Doctor Rand…” A voice said. “Wasn’t looking where I was going. Is uhhh… Is Pen… Doctor Evans in here somewhere?” They continued. “In there?” They asked, sounding quizzicle.
She knew she couldn’t shut out the ship forever. Still, Penny kept methodically transplanting small plant sprouts as she called, “I’m in here. Come on in.”
Talius poked his head in sideways through the door, the way he did it looking almost cartoonish from the inside of the room. “Heeeeeeey Doc.” He blinked his eyes a few times, gazing over the small room. “I shoulda figured you’d have a little cubby hole tucked away somewhere back here… ooooh, what ya growin?” His attention shifted almost immediately. “Guess I don’t need to ask what you’re up to?” He poked his head further in the door, and threw her a warm smile; a shiny glint would have appeared in his teeth if he had been a cartoon.
“Hello Commander, come on in. The longer you stand there with the door open, the more I risk my staff coming to ask me questions,” she glanced up for just a brief moment while greeting him before answering his question. “These are some plants that a survey team brought back to the station a couple weeks ago. I’m growing them so I can do some research into their possible medicinal properties.”
Penny took another handful of the damp soil pausing for a second, feeling it in her hand then put it into another pot, “I like the smell of it,” she commented, perhaps a bit abruptly and with very little explanation as she placed another small plant in the soil and added some extra to cover the wispy roots.
He conspicuously inconspicuously looked around behind him, before stepping inside the room plodding up behind her, leaning in and watching her work over her shoulder. He sniffed the air, getting a faint whiff of the plant; it was kind of minty but also kind of lavender-y. Then he took an awkward step slightly to the side of her, unbeknownst to Penny he noticed how she smelt and noting that he noticed made him uncomfortable.
“The staff can ask questions about me all they want; my name’s Talius, I have a wyrm in my belly, and I like listening to classic rock on the open road. Nothing much more that’s special about me other than that.” He grinned at her, before looking back to the sprout. “Those roots look nice and white, and that tiny little leaf has a nice healthy looking green.”
He blinked as he thought to himself. “Medicinal you say?” He nodded before smirking a little. “Recreational?” The smirk grew wider, before poking his tongue out jokingly.
Penny stood there, looking at him curiously and with some confusion, a handful of soil in one hand as she sorted everything he just said. “I meant just questions about work. I usually come in here when I want to be alone. I doubt they will ask any questions about you.” At least, she hadn’t thought that before, but now she was wondering if they were going to gossip. Surely not, after all, he is her boss. It isn’t that unusual for your superior officer to visit you for a conversation.
She brought the handful of soil a little closer and inhaled slightly, giving him a bit of an embarrassed grin at having admitted to liking the smell of dirt, before she put it in the pot. “And yes, the plants are all fairly healthy so far, but it’s early yet. We’ll see if they take in the next couple weeks. But no, they aren’t recreational. This one–” she moved another plant into the tray as she said this, “is in a family of plants that some less common analgesics are derived from, so it might be an option for something to use for someone who has an allergy to the main pain killers we use.”
“Well hello, little friend.” He gazed down at the tiny plant she had just potted. “We may become acquainted one day. The wyrm makes me allergic to a bunch of things, like insects, and probably some meds. So we could become close friends, you and I… ummm… Clodagh, if you grow big and strong. And the doctor here will even take care of generations of your sapling and cuttings and clones.”
Penny chuckled to herself at this odd exchange with the plant, but didn’t interrupt.
He turned back to Penny, and smiled goofily at her. “I can leave you to it, if you want. I didn’t wanna disturb you or nothing, if you’re busy doing stuff.” He looked back toward the door. “I just wanted to see if you maybe wanted to grab some lunch or something?” He cleared his throat, then stood up straight, going a bit rigid.
“Oh… no, you aren’t interrupting. I was actually hiding out.” She hadn’t expected that was what he wanted and it caught her a bit by surprise. Penny glanced at the chronometer and realized it was indeed lunchtime. “Sure, lunch would be good. Just let me…” She brushed by him to wash her hands in the small sink behind him. “Can you hand me that towel over there?” She nodded to the towel sitting at the end of the table.
He gazed blankly at her for a second, before it sank in that she’d said yes, and then catch up to register the towel. “Oh, sure… yeah, of course.” He turned as he cleared his throat, grabbing said towel, and quickly passing it to her.
“Y’know you mentioned, when you caught me busking the other day… I didn’t think you’d be up for music, so maybe lunch would be a better substitute.” He grinned at her. “Unless I am in the category of people that you’re hiding out from. In that case I could ask Idaris out for lunch.” He smirked. “I’ve done stupider things, right? That couldn’t possibly be the fastest way to get myself shot, could it?”
Penny dried her hands off and dropped the towel on the counter, uncharacteristically calm despite the situation. Probably because her mind was too preoccupied with other things to recognize this is anything other than a normal colleague request. “No, I’m mostly just hiding from my staff with everything that’s going on. And going to get some food is a good excuse to not be here to field questions. As far as Idaris, it’s hard saying. She might go to lunch, if just to be close at hand to deal with shenanigans quicker,” she grinned, only half joking. “So, lunch. What did you have in mind, Commander? Lounge?”
“I was thinking one of the Cafés on the station, if you don’t mind the walk; get you really far away from people with their questions. Personally I’m feeling partial to the idea of a bacon sandwich, and then a couple of chelsea buns for some nice cakey afters; and some kinda tea.” He rubs his stomach thinking about it, a low grumble blurting out. “Bacon and sausage sandwich…-es.”
He nods to himself a moment, before looking back to Penny and smiling. “Whatcha think?”
“That works for me,” she said with a nod, leading the way out through her office and into Main Sickbay. Declan looked up as they came into the room and she commented to him, “I’m going to take my lunch. Let me know if you need anything.” Once out in the corridor, she realized quickly that she would have to make small talk. “I didn’t realize you were such a foodie. And you seem to enjoy Earth dishes quite a bit. Was one of your former hosts a culinary expert?”
“Oh no, this is aaaaaalllllll me. Well… most of it is. A couple of my past hosts had some experience with Earthy things. But, I tried a bunch of stuff when I was at the academy, and got into old earth music and such. And now, any future hosts are gonna have to deal with that.” He chuckled, as he strode alongside her. “Also, I just really like food; and ever since the blending I’ve been hungrier more, for obvious reasons.”
“Eating for two,” Penny commented with a smirk at the pregnancy joke.
“I don’t think you’re Doctor Rand likes me very much. When I asked about where you were, he… he gave me some nasty scowl. I hope I haven’t offended him in any way…” He blurted out as they approached the nearest turbolift.
“My Doctor Rand?” She shot him a puzzled look as she stepped into the lift. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I’ve always found Declan to be a little opinionated and maybe a little competitive, but he’s a good guy. He was a little difficult for me to get to know at first too. He’ll come around.” She recalled many times he got annoyed with her on the Chiron.
“Well, he is a Doctor, called Rand, and he’s under your direct command. So, you’re Doctor R… y’know forget it.” He cleared his throat again as he stepped into the lift next to her.
“So what is your favorite Earth food you’ve tried? And what Earth thing that you’ve picked up do you think will most annoy future hosts? Also, is there something from your past hosts that annoys you now?” Penny rapid fire shot the questions at him, and not because she was nervous this time. Mostly because she was truly fascinated by the host/symbiote experience.
“Whoa… ok. Ummmm… I really like Spaghetti Bolognaise and things like that… Pastas… so many kinds of pasta, so many things you can do with it. It’s great.” He looked between her, and the lift door, thinking to himself, but also wondering why the rapid fire questions, but also also being his usual uncomfortable self.
“So that was “Favourite Earth Food”… Ummm, all of the sweets and candy and things. I have a sweet tooth. And they are gonna crave gummy bears and the like one day, and that amuses me.” He smiled at her again. “As for past hosts… Well I hear some of them sometimes… and the last host was a bit of a dick. So I’m annoyed by his opinions on things.” He glanced off to the side for a moment, and frowned, before reengaging with Penny.
Penny glanced at him curiously, and felt a little guilty for quizzing him about past hosts. It seemed to bother him, though she wasn’t entirely sure why.
“But there is something I crave sometimes at night before bed, from a way long ago host, not even sure which one… it was a fruit, really juicy like a pomegranate but less seedy… but it went extinct like 300 years ago. So that’s fun.” He shook his head with a sad smile on his face.
The lift stopped, depositing them not far from the airlock, and Penny stepped out, before the two of them walked into the station. “300 years, hm? It’s not even something that can be replicated then. I can see why that would be annoying.”
As they came into the larger corridor along the promenade, she walked a bit closer, as the people tended to crowd in. “Sometimes I crave a cup of hot cocoa with those mini marshmallows in it before bed. Thankfully, cocoa didn’t go extinct 300 years ago though,” she said with a small laugh as they made their way to the café.
“I do like a nice hot chocolate, and marshmallows, and chocolate powder… and maybe just some blocks of chocolate melted in there for good measure. Because mmmmmmm… chocolate.” He grinned with a childlike energy.
“What uh, what other things do you like, Mrs Questionpants? Anything on Earth you like more than anything you’ve found out there so far? Anything you’ve tried from another world that you’re like, this is with me now? Anything the “opposite… y’know except obviously gagh?”
They found a nice cozy spot in the corner, away from most people; Talius gestured and waited for her to take her seat before taking his own, throwing her that warm smile of his as they got comfortable.
She blushed as he returned the favor of the rapid fire questions. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to grill you or anything… I was just curious, I guess. Sorry if I was being nosy.” Penny smiled at the waiter as he approached and she ordered a turkey club sandwich with a side of mixed fruit and an iced tea with a sprig of mint in it.
Penny waited while Talius ordered before answering his questions. “Yes, there is something from back home that I’ve yet to find anything that I like better. Blackberry cobbler. My grandmother’s recipe, in particular. She used a streusel topping on it and it was just perfection. I don’t care much for most Cardassian foods in general. And the food I’ve picked up and really love is probably Bajoran kava rolls. My roommate at the Academy was Bajoran and she would make a batch every Saturday morning. They were heavenly.”
He chuckled as he saw her eyes light up at the memory, blushing and looking away. “I’ll have to see if I can find a recipe for those, they sound nice.” He hummed to himself before replying to what she was saying before. “ And I didn’t think you were being nosy… those questions just came hard and fast. Like you were… interrogating me?” He raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re not being some kind of sexy spy are you? Prying into my life, see what makes me tick, before BAM, kidnapped and replaced.”
He grinned at her for a long while, before it dawned on him what he’d actually said, his face dropping; with him going awkwardly silent for another long moment. “I-I mean… ummmmm…” He made a sequence of noises that in Mr Derix would have been gears grinding to a halt. “So Kava rolls!” He panicked and reset to the first thing that came to mind.
Penny’s eyes widened a bit and she shook her head slightly, looking a bit flustered, “I think maybe you have me mistaken for Adria,” she finally replied. She nervously traced an invisible pattern on the tabletop, “But I apologize for making it seem like I was interrogating you. Sometimes when I am interested in something, I just kind of get carried away learning about it.”
“Ooooh, I was tryna be funny… and I failed.” He cleared his throat again, fidgeting anxiously in his seat; before a smirk appeared on his lips. “Something she’s interested in?” He thought to himself, blushing some more. “It’s ok. I was teasing, and now we have had an awkward moment, and it’s all my fault; my bad.” He smiled at her reassuringly, trying to get himself more relaxed in his seat.
“This shouldn’t be so hard.” He thought to himself. “It’s just a casual lunch with a colleague… and friend. Why am I so bad at this?” His eyes glazed over a little as he stared at her, trying to act cool.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that, about Adria and all,” Penny apologized. Hardly seemed a good way to maintain a friendly relationship with your boss, insulting his girlfriend. Or pseudo-girlfriend? Whatever. Luckily, the waiter delivered their food at that moment, so Penny had a moment to collect herself and try to redirect the conversation back to something safer.
“I miss thunderstorms.” Penny said rather abruptly. Her face went a little red as she realized how weird that probably sounded coming out of nowhere, and she explained, “The arboretum has simulated weather patterns, but they don’t really do thunderstorms. When I was little, I used to sit on the front porch, we had one of those old porch swings, have you ever seen those? Well, we had one and whenever a storm was rolling in I would sit out on the porch and watch the lightning and the rain pouring down. I miss that.”
He threw a wide and warm smile at her as he listened. “I miss them too.” He sighed happily, then looked down at his three sausage and bacon sandwiches, before quickly getting stuck in; having half of one gone before Penny even took a bite of her meal. “I think I’ve seen the type you’re talking about.” He finally said, swallowing his mouthful down. “I always listened to them from a little boat, in the creek we had out back.”
And then the whole first sandwich was gone, and he was one to sandwich two. “Used to watch the water tremble at the rumbling, and reflect the flash, so it’s like the lightning is all around you.” He finally sipped his tea, washing down the sandwiches.
Penny eyed him in mild surprise, her fork poised above the half eaten fruit salad. She wasn’t sure what response she had expected, but it wasn’t that. It made her wonder what he was like before he was joined. She glanced down at her food and realized maybe she hadn’t been as hungry as she thought, or maybe her nerves were getting the better of her. She speared a strawberry with her fork as she commented, “Sounds like you were braver than I would have been.”
“I uh.” He went red as he stared across the table at her. “I guess I was just more certain about things then. And I felt pretty safe in the boat.” He finished his second sandwich, and took a small bite of the third, before sipping his tea again; and then he tilted his head up and looked at the ceiling for a bit. “I used to like boats and then I got into flying, and then that got me into space.”
He looked at her face, and tilted his head to the side, looking her over quizzically. “Why d’you say that, anyway?” He blinked at her innocently, suddenly worried he’d said something that had made her uncomfortable. “You ok?”
She gave a small shrug, “I don’t know. I just can’t picture myself leaving the safety of the porch in a storm is all I meant. I suppose I’m not exactly known for my bravery though.” She gave him a smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “And I’m fine, why do you ask?”
“I dunno you just seem… I… I haven’t freaked you out or anything have I… asking you out to lunch?” He looked down at the table. “Or y’know, one of the several stupid things I’ve said since we got here…”
“Sorry…” He continued eating his last sandwich, staring off down at the table, going quiet.
Penny frowned slightly, a little confused by the shift in the conversation. “You haven’t freaked me out,” she answered honestly, “and if you said something stupid, I didn’t notice it. I’m sorry if I seem off, I just have had a lot on my mind lately.” She pushed the remaining fruit around the little bowl a bit, debating whether or not to tell him about her conversation with the captain. She felt like she was being dishonest, but she was also unsure how he would take it.
“I feel like I should tell you, Commander, that I spoke with Captain Savage recently about the fact I was concerned your judgment might be compromised when it comes to the AI Adria program.” She lifted her eyes a little fearfully from the bowl of fruit. She wasn’t afraid he would be angry, but she was afraid he might be hurt by the admission.
He stopped chewing, then locked his eyes on hers; at first he stared at her with shock and surprise, which became a heavy frown, before glimmering sadness. “Oh.” He let out simply, going quiet again for a long time, eventually breaking his eyes away, swallowing the rest of his sandwich, and shuffling anxiously in his seat; looking like he was thinking about getting up. “I should… I should… I should go…” He fiddled with his hands for a while, before finding his feet. “I’m s-sorry I’ve made you feel that way, Penn-... Pene-... Doctor…”
His head dropped as he turned away, his feet dragging on the floor as he started to walk toward the door; they felt really heavy for some reason. He turned back to her, unsure what to do, unsure why he felt so upset about what she’d told him; was it just that she thought his judgement was compromised, or was it that she thought it.
Her stomach knotted as she watched all this unfold. It was exactly what she had most feared would happen. She felt the overwhelming desire to explain, to make it all better, even though she wasn’t sure that was even possible. So when he turned back to her, she felt hope, “Commander, I–” for the life of her she couldn’t find the words to express that and all she could say was, “please don’t go.”
He gazed back at her, looking back to the door, then turning to her again; seeing a sad look in her eyes that made it hard for him to leave. So he slowly approached the table again and eventually sat back down. He was uncharacteristically quiet, his shoulders hanging by his sides as he sighed sadly.
“I’m sorry I’m a disappointing Ex-Oh.” He finally whispered out. “That I’ve made you feel that way.” He let out a long, quiet breath. ”I don’t… uh…” He trailed off, his attempt to avert his gaze from her eventually falling back on the look in her eyes, and finding himself lost for words.
Penny couldn’t have imagined how much it would hurt her to know she’d made him feel like this. She knew she was afraid to hurt him, but she couldn’t have anticipated how she would feel at this moment.
“You aren’t a disappointing Ex-Oh. I am so sorry that I’ve made you feel that way, because I don’t think that. I don’t doubt your abilities to lead the crew, I was only expressing a fear that there is a blind spot when it comes to her…” she sighed and anxiously tucked her hair behind her ear. “She did things during that mission that worried me, and I felt like I had to point it out. I had the same concern about the Captain for a while too. She is… “ Penny wanted to say manipulative, but she thought better of it, “charming, in her own way. But I am afraid of her cruelty, and I had to say something, as the Chief Medical Officer.”
Penny leaned forward now, her eyes pleading with his to believe her, “You are a more than competent Ex-Oh. I truly mean that. And I’m sorry if this has made you feel undermined by me, because I never meant it that way.”
“As far as I understand, almost everyone in her life has tried to either hurt her or use her and hurt her, and then everyone else has been people sent after her to kill her; like the Hyperion’s captain Rome, and he sent a known Section 31 torturer and mass murderer after her.” He sighed. “I just figured, maybe, showing her some kindness, some trust… give her a chance to be something different to the person she’s based on.”
He looked down at the table, resting his arms on it. “I just wanna be… a good person …” He reached for the rest of his tea, sipping it slowly as he thought. “If she betrays us… Well then we’ll know I’m a soft fool won’t we? But if she doesn’t, and she is able to change, to become something more than just a copy of someone, to have her own choices and her own life… isn’t that doing something good in the world?” He shared a look with her again, this time it was him pleading for her to understand.
Penny hadn’t had any intention to debate over Adria. She closed her eyes, giving a small shake of her head and drawing a deep breath before she looked at him again. “You talk about it as if being a good person by trying to show her trust and also being wary about her are two mutually exclusive things. It is possible to give trust without giving carte blanche to do anything. Because if you are wrong, it likely won’t just mean you looking like a fool. It could mean someone’s life.”
She looked away for a moment, feeling the anxious tension twisting her insides. This wasn’t the conversation she expected to be having today, but maybe it needed to happen. She tried to calm her nerves a bit before going on, “I’ve never said there isn’t the possibility she could be something different. I’ve only ever said I’m concerned that we are ok with her doing things and having access to things that someone who is a known terrorist should never in a million years be given access to. And it’s very difficult to sit back and be ok with my life or the life of one of my staff or crewmates being placed in the balance like chips in a poker bet. Trust doesn’t have to be blind. Your conscious decision to turn a blind eye to the possibilities that exist, the potential for serious harm, is exactly what I’m concerned about. It feels like you are choosing her over us.”
“I…” He went pale, pawing at his chin with one hand, then went red but not the blushing kind, accompanied with the scowl and then a frown, and then he went pale again. His hand fell back down, and he found himself grabbing Penny’s hand. “I am not choosing her over you…” He quickly let go, anxiously stuttering before continuing. “The ship… the crew… I’m not choosing her over you.”
As he grabbed her hand, Penny gave a small, slightly startled jump. The sudden outburst of what seemed to be rapidly shifting emotion was unexpected and confusing. He released her hand almost as quickly as he had taken it and she stared at her own hand for a moment before looking back at him.
He crossed his arms defensively. “And I’m not turning a blind eye. I’m trying to be delicate. I know she’s dangerous, and that she’s got access to things she shouldn’t… and now we’re taking steps…” He was somewhere between angry and sad. “I want us to find the best outcome for everyone; I guess along the way I’ve lost your trust… and faith.”
Penny shook her head slowly as she considered what he was saying, “No, you haven’t. I’ve spoken my piece. You’re my Ex-Oh, and if you say you aren’t turning a blind eye, then I believe you. I’ll trust that when it matters, we can rely on you. And for the record, I hope I am wrong about her.”
“So do I.” He said quietly, looking back down at the table. “I’m sorry.” He let her words sit with him silently, unable to find the words to say anything else. He didn’t know what it was that seemed to hurt him so much. Maybe, he thought, it was her specifically calling him her Ex-Oh in that moment, and that was why she was trusting him; not that they were friends.
He sighed as he finally looked back up at her. “I’m sorry…”
She wondered why things still felt off and if she had done irreparable damage to their relationship. Penny bit her lip as she worried, wondering how to fix things. Finally she shook her head and replied, “No, I’m the one who should be apologizing, Commander. Maybe I should have come to you first. I don’t know. I’m not good with conflict and I just…” she sighed and her shoulders drooped thinking what a mess she’d made, “I’m sorry.”
“You dont have to be sorry, Penny… It’s my fault.” He placed his arms back on the table. “I’ve given you reasons to not believe in me. I’ve ruined our lunch. I shouldn’t have disturbed you in your lab.”
His mention of her lab served as a reminder she couldn’t hide from her responsibilities forever. “I probably should get back.” Penny stood up, leaving most of her meal untouched still, but not seeming to notice. Just as she was about to leave she suddenly turned back, “You didn’t ruin our lunch and you didn’t disturb me. It didn’t go exactly as planned, but I’m glad you invited me to have lunch with you and that we could talk about everything. Maybe this could be the start of rebuilding trust in each other again…” She sounded almost hopeful as she said it. “ and we can do it again sometime.” Penny flushed and hurriedly tacked on, “I mean, if you want to.”
“Of course, Penn… Doc.” He frowned at himself, not sure why it was so difficult to talk to her. “I’d really like that. I hope that we can… rebuild… as you said.” He stood up as well, smiling down at her, unsure what to do now. “Would you… like me to walk you back to sickbay?” He asked with a tilt of his head.
She gave him a bit of a bashful smile, “If you don’t have somewhere else to be, that would be nice.”
He thought for a brief time and he was fairly certain he did have somewhere to be, but at that moment, he couldn’t for the life of him think of where that was. So he just grinned at her. “Lead the way.”
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Post by spacedaisy on Nov 27, 2022 9:14:36 GMT
Of Gravity and Blood A joint log with Babs as Dr. Rousseau and Pezzley as Commander Talius Exeel Stardate 12211.12
Penny looked up at the stranger in the EVA suit, offering to have them beamed over to the Zorya sickbay. “Yes, now please.” Her voice betrayed the urgency of the situation. Penny looked at Captain Savage, “and if gravity isn’t restored as soon as possible, we need to evacuate the patients to other ships that still have it, because losing blood in zero gravity is practically a death sentence.” She didn’t have time to hear his response before she saw the darkened bridge of the Tempest disintegrate in a field of sparkles around herself and the Ex-Oh.
As they rematerialise on the other side, Talius continues to deteriorate; his eyes rolling in his head as he slowly slips in and out of consciousness.
Penny looked down as soon as they materialized. She steadied his head with her hand and as his eyes closed she lifted his eyelid to check the dilation of his pupil, “Stay with me, Commander!”
Like ants in a kicked anthill, the Zorya's medical staff swarmed around the incoming casualties from the thousand-ship battle raging outside. Within minutes of their arrival, the pair were whisked to a biobed by a nurse, vitals taken and Exeel's puncture wound was attended to so he wouldn’t bleed out on the table; a nurse cleaned it and added a sterile gel sealant under a compression bandage, that kept the bleeding at bay until he could receive surgery.
Unfazed by the frenzy of activity in the Zorya sickbay, Penny stayed close by the biobed. She occasionally murmured answers to questions or gave instructions they didn’t really need, because much like her own staff, they were very good at their jobs.
Shortly after, Izzy emerged from the fray, face streaked with blood and soot, singed and torn patches on her uniform, looking as if she hadn’t slept in at least a week. She caught sight of them and rushed over, grabbing a PADD from her pocket and looking it over quickly before speaking. “Doctor Evans… and Commander Exeel? Hell of a way to meet again.”
Penny nodded, “Thank you for taking him. The Tempest lost gravity and he was bleeding out.”
Izzy nodded, waving over a nurse. “Dej, I’m gonna need 3 units of blood. Trill, ZG positive.” Nurse Dedoja disappeared and returned with the requested blood, beginning to hook them into Exeel’s IV.
Talius was starting to go pale, with even his spots losing their usual deep colour. He muttered and shivered, his head lolling side to side. “Sooooo…. Tired.… Penny.” There was a whining and gurgling sound as he exhaled deeply, forcing a bloody cough out of him. His eyes briefly opened and he reached out for Evans, momentarily clasping her hand before he was gone again; his grip slipping and his arm flopping to the side. Feeling his hold on her hand go slack, Penny grasped onto it.
Izzy brought up Exeel's scans, giving an inward gasp as she saw how close the shrapnel had come to piercing the symbiote. "Dr. Evans, he’s going to need surgery as soon as he’s stable enough, to repair the wall of the symbiote pouch. There’s also damage to his stomach, spleen, and his intestines. I’ve got all of my surgeons on other cases at the moment, but… “ she checked her console for a quick second. “There’s one OR available. How do you feel about assisting?”
Penny nodded weakly, of course she would be assisting. She hadn’t thought through the fact that his case would be someone else’s once they arrived. This wasn’t her sickbay, she wasn’t in charge here. It was probably better this way anyway, why did everything feel like it was moving in a whirlwind right now? Penny glanced at the hand that still held his. She was covered in blood, most of it Exeel’s, but by no means was all of it his. “I need to scrub up.”
"And, because of the bleeding in the pouch, we might need to remove the symbiote temporarily."
She looked at Izzy in alarm. “Dr. Rousseau, his symbiote is very old. As far as I have been able to tell, it’s the oldest on Starfleet’s records. I haven’t accessed Trill records. They may have older symbionts, but I don’t know. And the joining was an emergency measure, he wasn’t prepared. I believe it’s caused a sort of fracturing of his personality that isn’t commonly associated with joining. We’ll need to minimize the trauma to the symbiont as much as possible or I’m afraid it won’t survive. It’s not as strong as most.”
Talius' head tilted up, with a cold and stern look in his eyes. "Exeel will be fine. The creature is strong!" He said with a growl, before his features changed; softer, but seemingly more strained. "I don't think he is, he's an old boy and it's getting harder for him to meld… I don't think Talius will survive either…"
His eyes rolled back in his head, as he went quiet again. The symbiote's movements could suddenly be seen under his uniform, Talius awaking with a pained cry. "Where am I…?" He slurred, panicking, and trying to get up off the table. "Why is it so loud… so many voices."
Penny leaned over him, gently holding down his shoulder, to keep him from getting up off the bed. She looked down into his face, trying to get him to focus on her instead of the voices. “Talius? I need you to lay still or you could exacerbate your injuries.”
"Exa-exasss…" He lets out a childish chuckle. "-erbate. Hehehe." He narrows his eyes, realising who is holding him. "Oh no, I haven't upset you have I? I'm sorry… I don't mean to… I'm just stupid is all…" He squeezes the hand he didn't notice he was holding. "You look sad… don't be sad. Y'know… you're still really beautiful, even when you are sad… and covered in someone's blood." He snickers. "That's fun… but don't be sad."
He turns his head to the side, noticing Izzy. "Heeeey I know you…You're not my doctor!" He turns back and casually nuzzles the hand on his shoulder. "Penny takes good care of me, even if I'm a shit boss." He lets out a cackle, his eyes closing as he falls silent again, before sighs and pants are all he's letting out.
"I understand your concern.” Izzy replied to Penny, checking on Exeel’s bandage to tighten it, adding additional pressure on the wound. “Of course we'd do everything we can to make sure the symbiote and host remain together. It's just that the wound is millimetres away from where the ganglia connect to the host… there's not a lot of room for error here." She enlarged the image that showed the shrapnel injury. "Microsurgery to repair that section would probably be our best option. But if it did become necessary to remove him, it would likely just be for a few minutes at the very most. But you will get final say since he's your patient.”
Penny shook her head, “No, no, you’re right, I just–” she closed her eyes for a second, internally chiding herself to get it together, “I just needed to make sure you were aware of things that aren’t reflected in his medical files.” She glanced at him again and then back at Izzy, “Let’s do this.”
Izzy nodded, giving her a kind smile. She knew that look, and the worry that went with it was an all too familiar feeling. “He’ll get through this ok. I’ll do my best to make sure of that. Let’s get prepped and scrubbed.”
Penny finally released his hand, resting it on the bed and let the nurses do their thing to prep him. She glanced down at her uniform, in much the same state of disrepair as Izzy’s, “I’ll need a surgical frock too.” She looked around the unfamiliar setup of the room, once again reminded this isn’t her sickbay. She looked back at their host, “Maybe I should let you lead…”
Izzy looked down at her own uniform. Even though it had been quickly stained and torn from immediately being thrown into battle the instant they returned through the gate, it was preferable to the one she’d worn just hours earlier in the Mirror Universe. That one would have been very difficult to explain to anyone coming in from a different ship. She nodded to Penny, “The scrub room is this way… they’ll bring the Commander in just as soon as they finish getting him ready.” She paused for a bit, letting Penny follow, and then moved off in the direction of the operating theatre.
Penny followed Izzy in, and once in the scrub room she set to work cleaning and sterilizing her hands and arms. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and saw she had smeared blood on her forehead and there was a scrape on her cheek from where she had been sent sprawling. She used a cloth to clean her face off before doing a final sterilizing pass on her hands before slipping on the frock and some gloves. Penny took a deep breath, trying not to think about the fact she didn’t know if Declan and Elianna were ok, or that she left all the patients in her sickbay, and especially that she was afraid that Commander Exeel might not make it through this. Giving a little nod to Izzy that she is as ready as she’s going to be, Penny passed on into the OR.
Talius just laid there silently on the table, his body only moving the barest amount, from his laboured breaths; without that, his skin tone and amount of blood that appeared to be on him as opposed to in him would indicate he was dead.
The sight of him lying there, with the look of death, made Penny’s breath catch in her throat. What was wrong with her? She could usually just be about the job, why was this so difficult now? Penny circled round to the far side of the table to give Dr. Rousseau plenty of room and turned her fearful eyes to her colleague.
Izzy was now scrubbed in, hair and lower face covered in a red cap and facemask, and enveloped in a clean red surgical gown with red surgical gloves. She noted Exeel’s pale complexion and checked his vitals one more time. “We’d better move quickly, he’s still losing blood. Isoboramine levels are currently low, but they’re not quite in the red zone. I’ve instructed the prep nurse to add a Benzocyatizine drip, so they don’t go too far down. If they go below 40% though, the symbiont will need to come out.” She attached another transfusion bag to his IV, nodding to the anesthesiologist to keep the sedative steady. “First we’re going to seal the damaged artery. There, between the pouch and the ganglia.” She stretched her hands in the air above Exeel, enlarging the 3d holo display for the microsurgery unit. “Suction the blood from the area, please, Dr. Evans.”
Penny took a deep breath and leaned in, a Poole suction tube in hand. Penny carefully took it into the cavity and began drawing the blood out to clear the way for Dr. Rousseau to see where she is working more clearly. She carefully gave a bit more attention to the blood pooling around the symbiont as well, and once satisfied, she moved the suction tube back a bit, so it is out of Izzy’s way, but still suctioning any additional blood and fluids to keep the surgical site clear and visible.
Izzy carefully controlled the microsuture wand to the deepest part of the wound where the damaged artery was leaking blood. Once the tiny instrument found its mark, she began the delicate manoeuvres to seal the artery wall and stem the blood flow. Second upon precious second went by as she worked. Little by little, Exeel’s blood pressure began to come back up, as the artery became whole again. While she was working, the lights dimmed and flickered and the display fuzzed out for a second, and came back on. “Great… we’re having power fluctuations. Let’s hope the auxiliary power holds.”
Penny was too focused on the work to think about the power. She had finally been able to switch into “Doctor Mode” and if she thought about anything else too much, the fear would get a foothold again.
“Let’s move on to the intestinal tear, then the spleen and stomach.”
She nodded and located a retractor to keep the abdominal wall out of the way and to protect the intestines while they worked on the injured portion. Penny attached the small device to the surgical bed, and gently held back the wall and initiated the device, which essentially tractored it into place once set. Then she took up the suction again. The bleeding was minimal now with the artery repaired, but there was still some blood to keep clear from the other wounds. Penny looked up at Izzy and gave her another small nod to indicate it was ready for her.
Izzy moved the microsuture wand to the intestinal walls, then the stomach perforation and finally, the spleen. "Ok. Keep suctioning, there's some gastro fluid leaking through still. Almost got it…" she zoomed in to the tear, carefully aligning the damaged tissues together again like a complicated puzzle.
"We're going to need to add antibiotics once we close him up. He's going to have a hard time fighting infection on his own."
“Once you’re finished closing, I can see to the antibiotics,” Penny murmured as she moved the suction a bit to capture the leaking fluid and watched Izzy’s expert work. In truth, a nurse could probably handle the antibiotics but she was feeling slightly useless at the moment.
Penny attached the suction to the surgical support frame, carefully positioning it to continue collecting any fluid that might be leaking. She then grabbed a nearby osteogenic stimulator. “I’m going to set these cracked ribs really quickly while you finish with his internal organs.” After ensure the ribs were properly in position she initiated the osteogenic stimulator and watched as the bone began knitting together. She glanced over to the vitals display as an alarm sounded, “The isoboramine levels are nearing critical.”
“Computer, Increase benzocyatizine dosage by 20 percent.” Izzy anxiously watched the iso levels on the display, as the numbers hovered barely above the forty percent mark.
Penny looked up at Izzy again, feeling strangely calm now, “Dr. Rousseau, we need to finish as soon as possible. I’ll watch the levels while you work. If we need to take action, we can. But if we delay…” she left the thought unspoken.
Izzy nodded, eyeing the display as it slowly climbed back up. She could practically fill in the end of that sentence, the sense of urgency was palpable. “Agreed. Last thing we want to do is take the symbiont out if we can avoid it. That should be all the deep tissue damage, let’s start closing him up.”
Penny set aside the suction and quickly disengaged and removed the retractor so that they could close up the abdominal wound. She leaned back again to be out of the way, keeping an eye on the vitals, as promised.
Talius' unconscious body shuddered and shivered, unaware of what was happening around him, or how tenuous his situation was; his lips silently mumbling before he abruptly cried out "Penny!" Then back to wordless murmurs.
Her eyes flicked down at him for a second and then back to the vitals. As she watched the levels, she slipped her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze to try and calm him.
He let out a becalmed sigh, grasping her hand surprisingly tightly for someone who was under anesthesia. "I'm sorry…"
She frowned a bit, unsure what he’s apologizing for and glanced at Izzy, “I think the sedation is wearing off, but with his vitals so tenuous, I don’t know that it would be a good idea to administer more.”
Izzy's pale blue eyes widened under her red headcovering. "That's… unusual. I've never had someone wake up before. Ok. I'm just about done with the muscle layer… " her hands were occupied, closing the wound from the inside out. "Gonna need a delta wave inducer, please. It should keep him out safely for the rest of the time. It's just over there." She nodded with her chin in the direction of a shelf nearby.
Penny crossed the room and grabbed the delta wave inducer from the shelf and brought it back over. While Izzy worked on closing him up, she fitted the device against his forehead and initiated it, commenting as she did, “Great idea, the increased endorphins should also promote his bodies’ natural healing ability.” She checked the vitals again, this time looking at his brainwave activity and noting with satisfaction it seemed to be working.
Talius’ body quickly relaxed as he fell back into unconsciousness, his breathing falling to a quiet rasp with his head lolling to the side; leaving him unaware that he’d just woken up on the operating table.
"Thank goodness." Izzy let out a breath of relief as Talius slipped back under. "Alright, regenerating the dermal layers now.'' She made a few more passes with the dermal regeneration wand, closed up the final layer of skin, and retracted the surgery tools away from Exeel's prone body.
"Let's get him into post op and recovery. And keep the inducer on until he gets to the recovery room."
Looking at the nurse there with them Penny asked, “Can we get an anti-grav lift so we can move him?”
The nurse left and Penny looked back at Izzy, realizing for the first time since she got here how tired she felt and how tired her colleague looked. “As soon as he is stable, I’ll get him transferred back to the Tempest. I don’t want to take up one of your beds while you have plenty of people on your own crew who can use them.”
Izzy nodded, finally allowing herself a rare chance to breathe, nearly the first since the Zorya had burst through the gate and into the maelstrom surrounding it. “That makes sense, but you’re welcome to stay here as long as you need, until the Tempest gets power and gravity back up and running. We can accommodate you until then.”
The nurse returned with the stretcher and Penny assisted as they moved Talius onto it. She lets the nurse guide the stretcher out of the room toward Post Op. Penny turns to Izzy as he is removed from the room and gives her a tired smile and a grateful nod. “I appreciate it. As soon as I hear we can go back, we can transfer him. Thank you for your help, really.”
“You’re very welcome, Dr. Evans.” Izzy gave Penny a warm smile. “We’re glad to be of assistance. Let me know if you need anything else while you're here."
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Post by spacedaisy on Nov 27, 2022 9:30:10 GMT
Paradigm Shift Joint log with Pezzley as Commander Talius Exeel Stardate 12211.19
After catching lunch with Idaris; spending the time swapping their usual jibes, and watching the ex-protestors who were now sharing in the same lunch on the promenade as them; Talius decided he should check into the infirmary. After the Battle Of The Azure Nebula, and the injury he sustained at the end of it, he’s continued to feel a sharp pain in his stomach… and he likes having an excuse to see Penny.
“Penn-Pene-Doc?” He poked his head in the door. “You about still?”
Penny was conversing with Emily over the rather extensive list of supplies they would be requesting this week. The battle had left them at low levels for most supplies. She looked toward the reception area when she heard Exeel call her name. “It looks good to me, just go ahead and send it off. I think we’ll be lucky if we get half of what we ask for. Excuse me.” She and Emily parted ways, with Emily heading back toward her office while Penny went in the direction of reception.
“Commander, I wasn’t expecting to see you here today. Did you have a check up that I forgot about?”
“Probably…” He chuckled nervously, reaching his hand up to scratch the back of his neck. “I’ve uh… been having some pain…” He rubbed his stomach, suddenly feeling really uncomfortable for some reason, sweating slightly. Its just the sickbay, he thought, after what happened. “Its… its probably nothing. I can come back if you’re busy…”
She smiled, “I’m not busy, we can take a look and see if there is anything to be worried about and get you something for the pain. Come on,” she motioned to follow her and led him down the hallway from reception back into the rather expansive main sickbay. It was much brighter than the sickbay on the Tempest, and it had a very new feel to it. She patted a biobed, “Have a seat here,” and then reached over to initiate the sensor cluster.
“How was the food?” Penny asked as she watched the readings scrolling slowly up onto the display.
He cautiously took a seat on the indicated bed, and sat rather awkwardly and rigidly. “Yeah it was nice. They had the right idea of things getting it out there. And me and Idaris didn’t bicker too much as we scoffed it down.” He snickered.
“How… uh… how have you been?” He watched her do her thing.
“I’m ok. Just trying to get back to the routine after everything.” She was quiet for a moment as she read the results. And then she moved to the wall and opened a drawer to take out a hypo and a vial of liquid. She carefully measured out the appropriate dose and loaded the hypospray.
“Have you been very active since you were discharged after your operation? Riding around on your hoverboard maybe?” She said it with a slight smile, but she really was hoping to find out if maybe he had strained the sutured tissues.
“Not really…” He thought for a moment. “Not since I ran after you the other week… that really took it out of me.” He looked down and away from her, thinking mentioning what happened at the party might make her uncomfortable, so quickly decided to change the subject. “But with the Temp still being repaired… I haven’t had an awful lot to do.”
“Just looking pretty, me.” He chuckled nervously.
“I had forgotten about that…” rather she had tried not to think about it. “I’m sorry. I hope that didn’t tear any of the tissue. I’ll take an image of the area in a second. But first,” she held up the hypospray, “This is 10 ccs of terakine. It should help with the pain you’ve been having. If you would like?”
He tilted his head and exposed his neck for her. “Thanks, Penny.” He smiled at her, before clearing his throat, feeling like he was staring at her. “I don't think I hurt myself doing that. Even if I did… it was worth it. You were missing the accolades and the party, and… I couldn’t let you be sad and alone like that.”
“So I came to the rescue and you were sad with annoying company instead.” He laughed trying not to panic.
Penny gently rested her hand on one side of his neck as she pressed the hypospray against the other side he was offering her. “You weren’t annoying. You were kind,” she replied softly as she slipped the hypo into her jacket pocket and found herself looking into his eyes for a moment. Then she realised she still had her hand on his neck and her eyes widened as she quickly withdrew it. Blushing, she offered a quick apology, and then went on, “If you can lay back, I’ll get the image.”
He had noticed; also going a shade of scarlet. “Uh-uh… ok…” He coughed, clearing his throat, doing as he was told and laying down. He let out a brief wince of pain, before settling down. “That’s nice of you to say. Running past the Chiron’s captain and her… friend… I felt like I was being creepy… and then I was worried I was being too… being overly… uh…” He let the end of his sentence trail and go unsaid.
“I hope you’re doing better.”
She thought to herself that she didn’t think it was possible to do better, it just was the way she was and she had to learn to deal with it. But not wanting to focus too much on all that she instead answered the rest of what he had said as she pressed a button and the arc closed up over his midsection. “You weren’t creepy, at least I didn’t think you were creepy. I don’t know what anyone else thought. I just thought you were being nice, worrying about if I was ok after I sort of freaked out.” Penny’s smile faded slightly as she mentioned it, and then pushed past it, “But it’s fine. I can’t change the past. And I appreciated your concern.”
She tapped at the console on the device now arching over the bed, leaving him very little room to move. An image began forming on the screen, and she zoomed into a particular area and studied it thoughtfully for a moment.
“Yeah, I think there might have been some microtearing in the muscle layer. Thankfully, none of the tissues of the organs seem damaged though. So it’s not too bad.” She once again turned a smile on him.
“Well that’s good… right?” He looked up and into her eyes, starting to sweat more, his heart racing; the monitors on her display indicating that very loudly. This only made him more nervous and he looked away. “You’re smiling… it’s a very pretty smile.” He said the last bit very quietly. “So it must be something that’s no big deal?” He asked again, more hopefully.
Penny blushed again, hearing his compliment and then busied herself with the machine, “Not a big deal at all. We can use the cellular regenerator right now…” the underside of the arch lit up with a blue light emanating down onto his abdomen. “And the tears are small enough that it should be able to stimulate the cell growth and strengthen the muscle.” It ran for just a couple minutes and then powered down and the arch separated and rolled back. “And that’s all it takes.”
“Oh…” He blinked at how quick it was. “That was all it took?” He slowly sat up, looking down at the floor for a moment, before finally meeting her gaze again. He suddenly realised he didn’t want to leave sickbay quite yet, and that was a startling revelation for him, because then he didn’t know why he was nervously sweating. “Thanks Doc… Penny.”
He went quiet, staring at her, and just sitting there. His cheeks were going red again. “I uh…” He uttered after a long while, before going quiet again.
Penny turned off the sensor cluster again and took a padd out of her pocket to add notes to his file about the visit, then she looked up at him and asked, “Would you like to take a walk with me?”
This practically floored him, as he jumped to his feet, going stiff as a board. He was locked like this for a while, gasping little breaths as he pulled himself together. “S-sure… Of course I would.” He looked around sickbay. “Are you sure you aren’t busy?”
“It’s nothing that can’t wait, we have plenty of personnel, they had diverted us extra before the war ended and they haven’t been reassigned yet. They can do without me for a little bit. I have something I wanted to talk to you about and I’d rather not do it here. I just need to drop my stuff in my office on the way out.”
She led the way back down the corridor and stopped at her office, shedding her medical jacket and setting the padd that she almost always seems to be carrying down on her desk. Then she smiled at him and nodded toward reception, “Come on.”
As they passed through the reception area she gave some instructions to the young Andorian girl seated at the intake desk. “Emily’s office door is closed, so I didn’t want to bother her. But I need to step away, so anything critical should be sent to her.”
Soli nodded, “No problem, Doctor Evans.”
“Thanks Soli.” She looked at Talius, “Ready?”
“Yeah…” He nodded, having been following awkwardly behind her the whole way through sickbay. He blinked, worrying, as he wondered what she wanted to talk to him about. “What’s wrong? Has something happened?”
“Is this about the other day? Or is it about the operation and my symbiote? Or have I done something?” He smiled weakly.
As they stepped out into the corridor outside the main sickbay, Penny looked at him in concern. “No, no it’s nothing like that. You haven’t done anything wrong! I didn’t mean to worry you,” she tried to reassure him as they walked down the corridor outside the sickbay.
“So… uh…” He looked behind him back toward sickbay, then back around at Penny. “What do you need to talk to me about?”
She smiled, “I’d rather talk somewhere we can sit down, relax, have some privacy. I found this spot the other day with a fantastic view. I thought you might like to see it.” She led the way to a lift and waited until he was in to say, “Central Core, Deck 40.”
The lift sped downwards passing from the upper spire into the central core and then coming to a stop at Deck 40. “This is mostly crew quarters up here,” she explained, “So not a lot of people are in here if they don’t live on this deck.” She took him along a couple hallways until it opened up into a lounge kind of seating area overlooking the arboretum. “This is the top of the arboretum, you can see down into it from here.” Penny smiled and grabbed his wrist to pull him over to the seating area for a better look, “See? Isn’t it beautiful?” She let go of his wrist as she looked down into the arboretum, taking in the view from above the waterfall.
At first he just gawped at his wrist, not even noticing the view. Then he found himself staring at her; there was something about the lighting that cast on her, really highlighting how beautiful she was. “Yuh uh.” He nodded and babbled. “It really is.”
He shook himself out of his reverie, and finally looked at what she was indicating. “Oh, wow. You’re right it is.” He smiled at her. He was feeling really happy, but also, really nervous, and he didn’t understand why. “How did you stumble across this place?!” He deflected, asking curiously.
Penny turned and settled down on one of the couches there on the observation deck, “I told you I hate crowds. Sometimes I just explore. I like to find places where other people don’t go.” She shrugged like it was normal, “A lot of the best kept secrets are scattered around the arboretum. Do you want to sit?” She motioned to the seat next to her on the couch.
He quickly and seemingly uncomfortable took the offered seat, tight next to her; gulping nervously. "I guess I'm too busy zooming through the corridors to notice." He chuckled, deflecting again.
"So…" He looked back at her; the glimmer in her eyes, the smile on her face… it made him blush and fidget. 'What did you wanna… talk about?'
“As you know, the injuries you sustained in the battle were pretty severe. Dr. Rousseau is a very capable doctor and I’m very glad she was there. There was a moment, though, when we thought we might have to remove the symbiont, and I felt fairly certain that would kill both of you.” She snuck a worried glance at him as she remembered the moment, “I may have overreacted a bit when she suggested it, but the fact is, I only have pieces of information about Exeel. And I know you don’t like talking about it. But it was a pretty scary moment, and I don’t want to go into something like that again without the information I might need to keep you alive.”
She was looking down at her hands, confused by how upsetting it was to relive the moment now, and worried about how her prying into something that was clearly difficult for him might be taken.
He immediately became flustered, gasping and coughing. He was feeling a bunch of things in that moment; he had thought this conversation would go a different direction, but he was also captivated by her and feeling conflicted about it, but also the question fully knocked him off his feet. He slumped back in the couch, having vague flashes of holding her hand, and seeing Penny standing above him.
"What… what would you like to know?" He finally squeaked out."
“Why don’t you like talking about your past hosts? I mean…” she tried to sort out what she was trying to ask, “Is it that you just don’t like to think about something that happened or is there something wrong with the symbiont that is affecting past memories?”
"It was never meant for me." He said coldly, staring off into the distance. "I'm not like what the Joined are meant to be like. They always talk about these memories like they were there. I did this, I did that. Well me and the wyrm aren't melded like that. I didn't do any of those things, I wasn't there, they aren't me."
He started to shuffle in his seat, closing himself off. "I just see flashes, and hear voices… so many voices." He found it difficult to look at her now, the conversation really putting him off kilter.
Penny could feel the distance that was growing there between them as he retreated inward. She reached out and placed her hand over his and gave it a soft squeeze, hoping to bridge the divide a bit. “It’s ok, you don’t have to go into too much detail, I’m sorry. I can tell how hard this is for you.”
"They'd remove it if they found out…" He shuddered at the thought. "Cut it right out of me, and leave me to die."
The statement shocked her and she realised she would never be able to request more information from Trill regarding the symbiont if it would put him in that kind of danger. Penny found the thought very upsetting.
He squeezed her hand. "I'm basically a freak of my kind. I hear some of the voices really prominently now. Cerenar, Reagan and now Nora. But there are like twenty, thirty other ones all whispering but s-s-shouting… But then sometimes there's this other one that makes them all go quiet, and he… I think he's Tygerius, the first host… but I don't understand what he's saying. But there's something discomforting about it…"
His eyes seemed to glaze over as he continued to stare off into infinity. His hand jerked slightly, thinking to pull away, but finding comfort in her touch. He looked back to her, tears forming in his eyes as he looked into hers. "Why am I such a screw up Penny?"
Penny felt the tables turn and she found herself on the other side of what happened at the event. She had a strong urge to wipe away the tears and hold him, and Penny found the urge confusing and a little disorienting. She held back, opting instead to take his hand in both of hers, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb without realising it, “You aren’t a screw up. You did a good thing by taking the symbiont. It was a selfless thing to do. And it isn’t your fault it hasn’t melded properly.”
"But what if it is? What if there's something wrong with me?" It took him a long while before he realised the sensation on his hand, gasping and looking down at it and back to her.
He took a long deep breath, before leaning in close to her, gently pecking her on the cheek and sitting back. "You're always really kind to me." He smiled, not even really thinking about what he just did.
She sat stock still for a second, a bit like a deer in the headlights. Not because of what he had done so much as how confused and flustered it left her feeling. She tried to dismiss it, telling herself it was probably a friendly gesture of appreciation. If she told herself that, she didn’t have to figure out whatever the heck she was feeling about it. “I– I’m not being kind, it’s the truth. You aren’t the first Trill who was unprepared for joining. As far as I can tell, this didn’t happen to them.”
"So then it could be me…" He could hear a change in her tone when it dawned on him what he did. "I…" He started to freak out, panting and breathing panickedly. "Shouldn't of…"
He jumped to his feet, pulling his hand from hers and pacing around in front of her. "I shouldn't have… and you probably think… but I…I…I… not that I don't-wouldn't… uh… but you don't-wouldn't… I'm-I'm-I'm not…" This was it, he thought, he'd ruined their friendship now, and he couldn't imagine what she thought of him.
"I really…" He backed up against the window, trying not to meet her eyes. He was flustered and panicked, blushing, and nervously scratched the back of his neck and ruffling the back of his hair.
Penny stared at him, bewildered by what was happening. ”Have I been overly familiar with him and now he’s uncomfortable?” She wondered inwardly. “Commander–” she addressed him more formally, believing that would help set him at ease, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just– I could understand what you were feeling and I wanted to– “
"Make me uncomfortable?" He looked back up at her, his eyes looking sad. "You really are amazing… I kiss you, and you ask if I'm the one who's uncomfortable." He gulped. "I just… you're just so…" He slowly stepped closer to her again. He looked over his shoulder back at the window then back to Penny; she really was beautiful, he was reminded.
He sat back down beside her and took her hand again, staring at her, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb like she did his.
She felt lost at sea, he was acting so erratically and she had a hard time just understanding people when they were acting normally. “If that is what is bothering you, I didn’t read any meaning in it. You don’t have to worry that I got the wrong idea.” Penny looked at the hand he was now holding again, and had so often recently actually. She wasn’t sure how they ended up here when this had started as a conversation about a medical situation.
Penny thought about the party and how he had made her feel calmer, and supported when she needed it. “I just want to show you the same kindness you showed me and tell you that you are not a freak or a screw up. You belong here, with this crew, and you’re a good man.” She wasn’t sure she had said it well or even if it was the right thing to say to begin with. She already felt like she had gotten lost somewhere along the way. But Penny really hoped it was helpful for him in some way, because she didn’t like seeing him in distress.
He smiled at her, his eyes lighting up; but there was still a slight sadness behind them. "I really like you Penny…" He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to hers for a momentary kiss. "You always show me kindness and make me feel like I belong. Even when I don't think I belong anywhere."
He looked down and away, letting out a sigh; he didn't freak out this time, but he was sure she was going to. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, before preparing for her to run away from him.
She reached up and touched her fingers to her lips, looking at him in surprise. “I– but you–” Penny stammered. “I thought–” she tried to piece things together. He wasn’t looking at her and the hand that still hovered near her mouth reached out to rest on his cheek that was turned away from her. “Talius?” She said as she gently guided his face back toward her.
"Penny…?" He shuddered slightly as he stared into her eyes, his breathing staggered.
Without thinking, Penny impulsively just leaned forward and kissed him.
He cupped her cheek, the shock that she didn't just run going over his head, as he pulled himself closer to her. He never realised how soft her lips were, and until this moment how much he'd wanted to kiss her.
He pulled back and regarded her for a moment, he laughed, just amazed for a while before nuzzling her nose and loving his lips to her's; savouring every moment for as long as it lasted.
Penny leaned back, surprised at herself and feeling a bit like her head was spinning. “I– I need to think–” everything had changed very quickly in a very short amount of time.
"O-ok…" He pulled back and let the hand slip from her cheek. "I'm sorry… I've…" He gulped, his other hand letting go of her's. "Please don't go…"
“I’m not going anywhere,” she murmured. She wasn’t sure she could if she wanted to. “I’m sorry, I just– this is very unexpected. I didn’t know that I– and I thought that you–” she shook her head in confusion.
"I've screwed this up haven't I? You don't feel… like that… and I've pushed you…" He averted his eyes, feeling sort of ashamed of himself. "And I've ruined our friendship…"
“No, that’s not it at all. You haven’t ruined anything.” Penny answered, her voice quieter than usual, “I just thought there was someone else. And you’re my superior officer so it’s just not as clear cut as it might be if you weren’t.”
"Oh…" He hadn't really thought about that, hadn't wanted to; he found it hard to see himself as her boss. As for the someone else, he had a feeling he knew who she meant, and he didn't know what to say about that. It was complicated to begin with, but now he was pretty sure that was over "I-I-I shouldn't have kissed you, should I?" He replied sadly. "After everything that's happened recently… just made me realise how important you are to me."
He shifted uncomfortably. "But the last couple of weeks I've been having dreams, and you were there standing over me smiling and holding my hand. I think I had been sleeping in the dream, but instead of being freaked out, I felt at ease because it was you; and this little laugh you have that makes me smile, and then I go back to sleep…"
"Nnnnnn…" He winced at himself. "That's totally creepy and inappropriate, dreaming about you… telling you about it just after I… and then you telling me off about it and how I'm your ex-oh."
She noticed he hadn’t acknowledged the someone else, but decided not to press that particular issue. Penny was looking down at her shoes, and she could see his hand so close. The urge to hold it, to comfort him when she could feel the sadness in his voice was strong, but she refrained. “I wasn’t telling you off, I was thinking out loud. I don’t know if you should or shouldn’t have. I kissed you too, so I don’t have any room to judge either way. But you aren’t being creepy. The dreams are probably just a holdover from your injury.” It wasn’t uncommon for someone to fall for their doctor after a brush with death like that. Maybe that was what this was. For him anyway, she hadn’t expected and couldn’t explain what she was feeling.
He didn’t know what that all meant in the end; how did she feel about what happened? How did she feel about him? He felt like, contrary to her words, what he’d just done was going to ruin their friendship now. She kissed him as well, but did she feel like she had to, to appease her boss? Did he force her into an uncomfortable situation?
He saw her hand just beside his, and he started to reach out to take it, but stopped himself as his hand hovered above her’s; starting to shake in fear of how badly he’d made this all go. He lowered it back to the couch, as well as his head in desperate sadness. “Why does something have to be wrong with me, to feel something for someone? Can’t I just feel something for someone and it be all me feeling it?” He mumbled to himself all downtrodden. “Can’t I just like you because you’re you…?”
Penny felt suddenly very agitated. She stood up and paced over to the overlook into the arboretum, then spun around and paced back over. Her mouth opened like she was about to say something and then she shook her head and paced back to the window, where she stood, arms crossed and looking moodily down at the waterfall. She spun around again, clearly upset, “I didn’t say something was wrong with you! I said the opposite of that. Here I am trying to reassure you that what you said isn’t creepy and it’s turned around on me. It’s not fair.” She paced back and forth in front of the windows now, “Is that what you want to hear? I barely have time to even realize how I feel. What do I do with that? Most people get to just enjoy it, kiss who they want to kiss, feel what they want to feel. It’s not fair that the person I figure out I have feelings for, the one person I want to kiss is the one person I’m not supposed to be with! And I can’t even win, I can’t say the right thing to you. I don’t know how to make you feel better when I barely know what I feel or how to make myself feel better right now!” By this time her frustration gave way to angry tears and she covered her face, upset at herself now for freaking out once again.
He just watched her pace, staring up at her from the couch, with a deeply anguished look on his face. Look what he’d done to her; this has started with them happily going for a walk to see a new beauty spot, and now she was crying… because of him. Large chunks of what she had said hadn’t been processed yet, just the pain in her voice and the tears in her eyes, and he just wanted to hold her; like he did at the party, but knew that he couldn’t, and after today, he probably wouldn’t again.
“I’m sorry.” His arms went slack and his head fell, defeatedly. “I think I always liked you. Like way back when Hamlet and Cre’el first bumped into us together…” He spoke quietly, unsure if she could even hear him. “I just never thought you’d ever be interested in me, or ever become so important to me…” He trailed off, before going quiet.
Penny gathered herself before finally lowering her hands and drying off her face. She sniffled and crossed her arms, looking down at her feet again. “Where do we go from here?”
“I don’t know…” He croaked. “I guess… nowhere.” All his usual energy had been drained away, the reality hitting at how close they had become and how far and how quickly they were now falling apart. He finally drew his eyes up, finding it difficult to look at her; feeling guilt and shame, exposed and vulnerable, but to top it all off the one thing he didn’t think he’d be feeling today or any time soon; heartbroken. He slowly started to slump in his seat, his hand rubbing chest, legitimately feeling it; like a dull hollowness.
She nodded slowly, then crossed back over to the couch and reached out to stroke his cheek. Penny wasn’t sure why she did, she just couldn’t stand seeing him so despondent. Just as quickly she felt self conscious since he basically just told her there was nothing for them, and she drew back. “I– I should go.” Looking at him for a second more before she walked away toward the lift that ran down the inside of the arboretum.
He started to panic and hyperventilate; he couldn’t let her leave like that. He jumped to his feet and ran after her. “Penny, wait… please.” He pleaded. As he caught up with her, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder, and walked around her to face her. He panted, both from the running and the rush of emotions he was feeling. “Do you like me?” He asked with some urgency.
“Do I like you? Talius, were you listening to anything I said?”
“Yes. But I’m so confused…” He slid his hand down her arm, before taking both of her hands in his. “I have feelings for you. Do you have feelings for me?” He just wanted to make this all as simple as possible, and just stop misunderstanding everything between the two of them, and boil it all down to the most basic question. He squeezed her hands, rubbing them with his thumbs as he looked into her eyes, anxiously awaiting her response.
She looked at him a little sadly as she nodded and whispered, “Yes.”
“Then that’s all that matters…” He lifted her hand to his lips and tenderly kissed her fingers, before resting his forehead on her’s. “...Right?” Her eyes were right there, mere inches from his; and they made him feel weak, his hands slowly dropping from between them. He looked down at her lips and tried not to think about how much he wanted to kiss them, to make the sadness on her face go away; but he was afraid to do it again, and seal this as an utter disaster.
Penny looked into his eyes, wanting to believe that was true, that it was all that mattered. She freed one of her hands to reach up and run her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck before finding his lips with hers. When she broke the kiss, she closed her eyes, resting her forehead against his again, “I hope so.”
“So do I.” He whispered; kissing her on the cheek and holding her close, gently swaying side to side.
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Post by spacedaisy on Nov 27, 2022 9:43:49 GMT
Insomnia Joint log with Pezzley as Commander Talius Exeel Stardate 12211.19
It had been all day since Talius and Penny had confessed their feelings for each other. It was unexpected and turbulent, and whilst they parted on good terms; she had told him she needed to think about everything and get back to duty. Well duty shift was over, it had been over for hours, and Talius found himself lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, unable to sleep; he hadn't heard from her since.
He couldn't take it the tossing and turning, the thinking and the waiting, anymore. He rolled over and out of bed, and had been thinking to just leave; but stopped himself, proceeding to put on some pyjama bottoms and throw a dressing gown over himself as he slid into some slippers. Then he left, running out of the room, then his quarters; and didn't stop rushing until he found himself at Penny's door.
"Shit… what am I doing here?" He paused with his hand at the chime. "It's like 2-3 AM… she'll be asleep. She doesn't have time for your nonsense and twaddle." He turned his head slightly thinking about leaving. "But, she needed to think, and I've been thinking all day… and I need to talk to her, and find out what she's thought."
His hand trembled. "Am I-are we worth it?" He pushed the button. "I have to know…"
Somewhere in her sleep-addled brain, Penny became conscious of the sound of a door chime ringing. She sat up and rubbed her eyes in the dark, trying to figure out what was going on, when the bell chimed again. She crawled out of bed and padded barefoot out into the living area and to the door. She paused for a second, looking down at the loose sleep shorts and tank top she was wearing. Then she looked at the chronometer and decided that if someone was coming to her door at 2:45 AM, they could deal with her being in her pjs. She hastily tamed her hair and then opened the door.
Penny looked in surprise at the Ex-Oh standing there in his dressing gown and slippers. “Talius? What’s going on?”
“I…uh…” He fiddled nervously with his hair, looking down at her. He had never seen her in a tank top or shorts before, and suddenly the indefatigable certainty he’d come down here with had vanished. “Hey… Penny.” He tried to force his eyes to fall on hers and keep them there, as opposed to everywhere else. “I couldn’t sleep… I really needed to speak to you.“ His eyes wandered down; there were some things about her he didn’t really realise, until this very moment; and whilst they aroused his attention they also made him incredibly uncomfortable.
“I-I-I’m sorry I shouldnt have woken you, I should go…” He took a tentative step back.
She looked confused and stepped back, motioning for him to come in, “I’m already awake, you might as well come in if you needed to talk to me.” She didn’t wait for him, instead heading for her bedroom to find a robe or something so she didn’t feel quite so self conscious. As she went into the bedroom, Penny said to him, “Make yourself comfortable, I’ll be right back.”
He cautiously followed her into her quarters, watching her dart into the bedroom; gasping at her form as he did. He promptly sat down in the first spot he found, crossing his legs, and making sure his gown was tied tight; suddenly feeling incredibly self-conscious all of a sudden. “I’m sorry I woke you…” He called after her.
He fidgeted in his seat. “I just really needed to talk to you, about earlier…” He whispered to himself.
Penny shuffled through her room looking for a robe. She opened her closet and saw a satin one and she frowned. Definitely not the vibe she was going for. She glanced over and saw her fluffy bathrobe on the floor on the far side of the room and she grabbed it and slipped it on before heading back into the living room.
“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting company.” Penny shifted a little awkwardly before asking, “Do you need something to drink or…”
“I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat. “I just really couldn’t sleep after today.. After uh…” He gave her a blank eyed stare as her question registered. “Maybe… hot chocolate… shouldn’t have tea, or something stronger right now… uhm… please.” He smiled awkwardly at her. He would have thought that after the day’s events it would be easier to talk to her, but somehow it felt harder.
Penny retrieved a couple of hot chocolates with extra chocolate and whipped cream on top and sat down on the couch, handing him one of the mugs. She angled a bit towards him so she could see him better and tucked her still bare feet under her to keep her toes warm.
“It’s ok. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you after work, I just was really spent after the day was done.”
“Thank you.” He took the proffered mug, warming his hands on its sides. It felt really odd to be curled up on a sofa in dressing gowns with Penny; the situation made him giggle, and blush when he realised he was giggling. He stared at his drink sheepishly for a moment, before taking a scoop of the cream with his finger, and licking it off; calming his nerves.
“I’m really sorry I woke you.” He looked back to her with a smile. “I just really needed to… All I could think about was you, and I had to talk to you. I’m sorry I decided so late…”
“You don’t need to apologize. You’re here now,” she offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile, “What do you need to talk about?”
He lowered his drink a touch, and looked at her in surprise. “You’re kidding right? Us…” He cleared his throat realising he was sounding overly critical. “You said you needed to think; I wanted to find out what you’d thought.”
Penny was taken aback, “I didn’t mean what in the abstract sense, I assumed it was about today, but I didn’t know what exactly about it you felt the need to get out of bed at two in the morning for.”
She took a nervous sip of her hot chocolate and then lowered the mug, clutching it in front of her and staring down at it. “I’m not like you. I don’t jump into things feet first very often,” she frowned, “or ever, really. So when I said I needed to think, I didn’t mean I was making some decision about us. I just meant that I needed to process everything. Before today I didn’t even realize how I felt about you, let alone how you felt about me. Everything changed very quickly with us and I just needed to let my brain catch up with my heart,”
She stared down at the whipped cream floating on top of the dark liquid, feeling a little self conscious and very vulnerable. “I wasn’t trying to stress you out.”
His eyes went wide as he looked at her from over his drink. “I’m sorry, Penny…” He timidly sipped his hot chocolate, before taking a bigger gulp, tilting the mug up some. As he lowered it, he revealed a creamy moustache. “When you left I thought we ended well… but I thought, after the day to think and not hearing from you… I thought you might of decided… We weren’t… Worth… it.”
He fidgeted, with those big sad eyes of his glimmering back at Penny, having still not noticed the cream on his top lip. “And now I’ve seen you; and I’ve pushed you again, and made a fool of myself… as usual.” He sighed.
Penny reached up and wiped the whipped cream off his upper lip with her thumb and licks it off her thumb without really thinking about it, then she reached back up and rested her hand against his cheek, “Can we just try not to jump to conclusions? I’m not thinking anything bad about you, and I’m not trying to run away.”
“O-o-ok.” He gasped, as he watched her wipe the cream off his lip, his cheeks going scarlet, and his heart racing as she licked it off of her thumb. “O-o-o-ok.” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, whilst feeling conflictingly soothed by her hand on his cheek. “Ok, Penny. I’m sorry.”
He reached up to the hand on his cheek and gently grasped it, stroking her fingers with his thumb, then kissing her wrist. “It's really great to see you, for the record.” He chuckled, trying to slow himself down and stop panicking.
She blushed at the kiss and freed her hand from him so she can put her mug down on the coffee table. Then Penny snuggled up next to him and slipped her hand into his, “You wanted to know what I thought about. Well, I thought about this.” She gave him a somewhat bashful smile, a little nervous about if it was ok that she got so cozy next to him.
This was unexpected; he took another quick sip of his drink, before reaching out to place it on the table. He sat back, and got comfortable, finding himself wrapping his free arm around her waist. He then smiled back at her, hoping this was ok. “You thought about us being cuddled up on the sofa, in pyjamas, late at night?” He snickered.
Her eyes widened and she blushed as she realized that’s how it sounded, “No, I mean all day I worried that because of our professional situation that maybe we wouldn’t get the chance to have all the normal things most couples get.”
Her calling them a couple made him feel giddy inside, and he sighed happily as he snuggled up close. “Why not? Why do other people get to have them, and not us?” He planted a tender kiss on her cheek, savouring how happy he realised he felt just sitting here with her in his arms.
She rested her head on his shoulder, “Because I’m worried that you being my Ex-Oh will end up being an obstacle.” Penny closed her eyes, trying to quell the fear and just enjoy the moment.
“I’m basically just Ollie’s assistant.” He laughed, at his own expense. “Besides, when it’s really important, you outrank either of us.” He gave her another kiss, this time on her temple, then took the hand from her waist, and started playing with her hair absentmindedly; his other hand tickling her’s.
Penny leaned her head back against the back of the couch, while still leaning it against his shoulder, so that she looked up into his face, “How are you so sure?”
“I’m the Ex-oh.” He smiled and winked at her. “It's part of my job, to be overwhelmingly positive and unshakably confident.” He looked down at her, something about the look on her face made him want to kiss her, but she needed him to reassure her. “It won't get in the way…” He trailed off, before eventually continuing. “God, I really wanna kiss you.”
Feeling sleepy and snug, it’s the first time hearing him say something like that didn’t make her blush or feel awkward. Penny just smiled up at him and asked, “Then why don’t you?”
He blushed and giggled, before doing as he was told, leaning in close and kissing her. He reached up and stroked her cheek, running his fingers through her hair. “That was good advice, Doctor.” He smirked.
She gave a soft, happy sigh and lifted her lips until they were almost touching his, but not quite. Then she said with a smile, “You taste like hot chocolate.”
“Hope you don’t mind.” He trailed his fingers down, tickling her neck; before pecking her lips again.
“Mmm,” she shook her head slightly, “No, I like it.” She pressed her lips to his again, this time in a longer kiss.
He kissed her for a long while, savouring every moment of it; feeling her lips on his, tasting her breath, nuzzling her nose with his. “I don’t feel quite as bad for waking you at 3 AM, now, by the way.”
She laughed, “We’ll see if you still feel that way when you have to be up for a duty shift in a few hours.” Penny suddenly remembered something he said. “Hey, you said you were thinking about me all day. What were you thinking about me?” Her green eyes studied him quizzically.
“Totally worth it.” He smiled, finding himself lost in the emerald sparkle of her eyes. “I was… I was just thinking about you.” He blushed. “Like remembering all the times we’d talked before today. About you smiling at me; you have a pretty smile. And, I was imagining doing things like this… being able to cuddle up with you, and know what it’s like to kiss you and it not feel… like earlier.”
A concerned look came over Penny’s face, “Was it not a good kiss earlier?”
"It's not that… I'm finding out right now just how much I like kissing you." He tenderly pecked the areas of her face that were showing concern. "It's just that earlier we were both…" He wasn't sure how to word what they were. "Things got a bit heated and… well, I was worried you might have thought it was… they were bad kisses."
She turned more towards him so she could reach up to the back of his neck and pull him closer and kiss him again, “If they were bad kisses, do you really think I would come back for more?” Penny stole a couple more kisses after pointing this out.
His eyes rolled in his head, as his stomach was a flutter. "You could be a glutton for punishment." He stole a few more of his own, before playfully nibbling her neck.
She laughed lightly and snuggled in closer again with a sigh. “We should get at least some sleep before we have to be back to work.” She didn’t sound like she really wanted to say it.
He made an over exaggerated groan, although his disinclination to leave was very genuine. "I suppose I should go back to my quarters, shouldn't I?" He sighed.
He smirked, looking at her in her gown and pyjamas. "I guess I did wake you up in the middle of the night… I hope it was worth it?"
She tipped her head, giving him a half smile, “That depends, do you feel better now than you did before you showed up at my door?”
"What depends? Me having to go back to my quarters, or whether it was worth it? Because, I absolutely do feel better, you've got an amazing bedside manner, doctor." He smirked, stroking her cheek and planting another kiss on her lips.
“If it was worth it,” she answered, running her fingers through his hair.
"So… was it?" He chuckled at her. "Because I think so."
Penny nodded and smiled, genuinely glad he felt better, “It was worth some lost sleep.”
"I'm glad." He sighed, nuzzling her nose. "Wish I didn't have to go, wish I could just cuddle up with you."
“But then we wouldn’t get any sleep at all.”
He gasped, going scarlet at her words. "Totally worth it…" He chuckled uneasily, not wanting to push it. "But I may be biased."
She gave him a peck and stood up, collecting the half drank cups of hot chocolate and taking them over to the reclamator. “You are biased, but I need to be able to function tomorrow–” she frowned a bit as she thought about it, “Er, today. Whatever.”
"Oooook." He sighed, as he got to his feet. He plodded over to her at the reclamator, wrapping his arms around her waist, and started kissing her neck and nibbling her shoulder. "I'll let you get back to sleep, love. But I want it on the record that I'm doing it under protest." He squeezed her close and let out a little contented groan. "Have to cuddle up all night, another time."
Penny had been leaning back into his embrace, resting her head against his, but she stiffened when he called her love. She pulled away so she could face him. “Commander–” she shook her head at the habit of addressing him that way and started over, “Talius, I don’t want to rush this and risk messing everything up. If things were to not work out, we still have to work together.”
He looked back at her in confusion with those big sad eyes of his, tilting his head like a puppy. "W-w-what did I do?" Her pulling away from him in that moment, felt very much like someone pulling off a bandaid; and he'd thought they had gotten more comfortable with each other. "I'm sorry…"
She stepped in closer again and cupped his cheek, a worried look on her face, “Just please, promise me we won’t rush this?”
He nodded, looking at her just as worriedly she was looking at him. "I promise… what did I do? Was it coming up behind you? Or did I say something? I don't wanna push you or freak you out…"
Her cheeks burned because she felt silly saying it, “You called me love.”
"Oh… I didn't notice. I'm sorry. You just made me feel really happy and comfortable and safe and…" He saw how red her cheeks were and thought she was mad at him, before frowning at himself. " I won't call you that again."
“It’s not about the name, I just heard it and– I just got scared that we might move too fast and mess it up. I’m sorry.”
"Ok." He planted another kiss on her lips, and smiled reassuringly at her. "I promise we won't move too fast… I don't wanna ruin this. Don't wanna lose you, when we've just started… dating?!" He felt so unsure as he said the last word, finding it felt strange in his mouth as he said it, blushing at Penny as he did.
“Thank you,” she smiled at him, feeling much more relaxed now. She leaned forward and gave him another kiss, “Now really, you should get going so we can sleep.”
"Ok Penny." How little he wanted to leave her was clear on his voice, but he wasn't going to mention it, or push her. He reached down and held her close, giving her an affectionate hug; before making his way to the door.
"I suppose someone might see me, if I were to give you a goodnight kiss at the door…" He joked.
Penny walked over and gave him one more kiss and when she pulled back, she explained with a grin, “No one’s awake around here right now anyway.”
"Goodnight Penny. Sweet dreams." He leaned in and gave her a passionate goodnight kiss, cupping her cheek and running his fingers through her hair; letting her know just how hard it was to go. "I'll see you in the morning."
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