Question for Question
Posted on 14 Jul 2022 @ 5:04pm by Lieutenant Jai Terys & Lieutenant JG Hannah Wagner
Mission:
M3 - Into the Deep
Location: Sickbay / Quarters.
Timeline: MD4: After Duty Shift.
3071 words - 6.1 OF Standard Post Measure
Hannah had spent the day doing the scheduling and assignments for the next month, from her office. She would post them in a staff only communal area of Sick Bay once she had everything settled. She now had to include refugee rotations, PlanetSide rotations and the general sick-based staff of which they didn't have enough.
Jai had a busy day filled with clients with a range of issues. It was not unexpected nor was he unprepared for it but some were more cooperative than others especially when it seemed sessions didn't go the clients way. It was frustrating when this happened, here he was trying to help and it was being thrown back in his face, an unpleasant reality of his profession.
That aside he was still determined to do his best to treat how he could, be the assistance that was needed, even if that was just a simple sounding board.
She'd been coordinating the departments now, and she had everything laid out on a Holo projector. Her eyes happened to fall on the counselling department, and she saw that Jai had been on emergency intake for the past week. That was an assignment akin to cruel and unusual punishments and she scribbled a note on her PADD to send to his desk reader.
'Rough day?' Hannah.
'Rough is an understatement.' Jai responded as he listened to his patient rant on about the same point for the sixth time already. No matter what he had to say, to suggest or offer it came back to the same topic, the same point and the same advice gone ignored. 'Yours?'
'A bit. I was going to prescribe myself some EtOH. Care to join me?'
Jai read the message then looked at the time. He had 11 minutes left of this session, the last of the day. '15 minutes? Or more if you don't mind me changing out of my uniform?' He sent the message away, listening, waiting to get a word in.
'I don't mind, come comfortable."
'Fair enough, 30 minutes then, after today a freshen up would be ideal.' Sending the message back the rant was still full of steam, not a word could be slipped in from Jai. All he could do was ride out the last few minutes of the session.
She finalized the schedule put a note at the bottom that said if anyone wished to comment that they should contact her directly. Then closing the door to her office she made her way back to her Quarters.
Hiding her ship shoes, she hung her labcoat on a hook she'd hung beside the door. She filled the infuser with a lemon, strawberry and peppermint scent and screwed the top on so the mist would billow out and fill the room with a sweet fragrance.
The session ended and non too soon. Like a switch his patient turns from a ranting individual to a thankful person before walking out. A sigh escaped Jai as he tried to centre himself. The bombardment of the emotions all day proved to be taxing. He closed up his diary, his computer and then headed to his quarters where he planned to freshen up and change.
Hannah glanced at her front room and smiled at the setup, the individual tiny white couches in their alcoves were neat and the bookshelf that spanned the left wall was full of books and other knickknacks.
As Jai freshened up and changed he thought about how dinner had gone, especially since he seemed to surprise her with his request. It went well, at least he thought so and enjoyed the night out. They had talked about a variety of things as the hours into the night burned and it seemed his company was welcome once again.
He changed into a simple shirt and pant pair with black shoes. It was casual enough but nothing overly formal for any particular occasion. He did however have to have the computer direct him to her quarters again, still getting used to the layout of the station.
Hannah untied her hair and let it cascade down her back then went to find something more comfortable to wear. She settled on a pair of navy leggings and a rose shirt with silver trim. She tied it around her breasts and then around her waist in a tiny bow.
The lights blinked his way to her quarters until he found himself standing outside her door. With a breath he pressed the button and waited. This was however a good way to end the day, pleasant company.
The chime made her tug on the tunic self conciously. She answered the door barefoot and with a bright smile. "Come in."
The doors opened and straight away the scent washed over Jai and into the corridor. "Hello there." He spoke as he stepped in permitting the doors to close behind him again. She still looked just as good as she did at dinner, still, last time he was so forward he'd caught her by surprise. He was glad she wasn't drinking or eating at the time lest she choke on it.
"Care to browse my library, while I make the drinks?" She asked gesturing to the wall of books.
"Sure." Jai spoke with a smile. "Did you have time to put away all the.....deeply romantic novels before I got here?" He joked of course but being Betazoid the notion of nudity and intimacy was not something to hide from as other cultures and species tended to.
She snorted in response for that sort of thing you'd have to look up here" she tapped her forehead with a smirk "not on my shelves."
"If that's the case, you might want to avoid some of my readings, might make you blush." There was one side note to that comment, said novels were not in English. He chuckled to himself, it was good to be able to relax, be more himself. People often had issues with Betazoids and the abilities they had, how they were or how forward they could be. To some...it was off putting.
She smirked over her shoulder at him and walked behind her room divider that hid the bar from view. There was the sound of ice clinking and pouring "Fruity sweet or chocolate sweet?"
"Fruity please." Jai spoke as he looked at the shelves. There were some books that he recognised, a title here and there that seemed familiar. He heard the ice in a glass, having high hopes for the beverage that was to come.
There was the buzz of ice being crushed and she expertly mixed gin with lemonade, raspberry juice, raspberries, lime juice and muddled mint. A swift shake later and she was pouring slush into the glasses and putting a skewer of berries and pineapple into each glass which she'd rimmed with sugar.
Jai patiently waited, he was sure that he was going to like what ever was being prepared. "So tomorrow going to be any different for you over today?" Thankfully his was, his last patient didn't have another appointment for another 2 weeks. A welcome reprieve if today was anything to go by.
She emerged with a glass in each hand. "I hope so." She muttered darkly and then handed him his drink. She could see the tension in his lines. "You're cooking a tension headache aren't you?"
"Today was an emotionally bombarding day." He answered as he turned to face her seeing her armed with two glasses. "Some are more difficult to help than others, some more accepting of that help then some."
"That didn't answer my question" she said, setting her drink down on a small wooden table with a mosaic inlayed into the face.
"I'll be fine." Jai spoke. He appreciated her for asking but it was just one of the downsides of the species. "Besides, being here helps a lot, the company, books and drinks."
That did answer her question, and she sighed softly but not without a smile on her lips. "Want to get rid of the headache?"
"I should tell you that I'm a terrible patient and even though you are a Doctor forbidden to do harm we all know you can inflict as much pain as you like."
Everyone has heard of that saying, some even used it to make sure people took care of themselves. "What did you have in mind?"
She chuckled and nodded to the seat in front of her and she settled in on the pillows towards the back. "Sit"
Doing as told he took a seat where indicated. She was going to help and he was fine with that. There was nothing wrong with a little pampering, especially from a striking young lady.
Her gentle hands stroked the back of his neck softly. Fingertips dug in to his hair, and stroked gently down behind his ears.
Jai felt himself relax to her fingers, his eyes closed as he took slow and deep breaths. "You know, l could have done with this during some of my sessions."
"I am sure" she murmered and found the pressure point that was common to all betazoids, just behind the ears and stroked from it down his neck.
"Very hands on hmmm. A perk being a Doctor." The tools of his trade were words and the ability to listen. Though today it sure felt like he did more of one over the other.
"Are you complaining?" She countered, her bare fingers on his neck. A slow deep breath steadied her and her thoughts warmed at her boldness.
"Not at all." He answered as he allowed her to carry out the ministrations to his neck that she was providing.
Her fingers worked slowly, down from where his strong jaw connected to his skull, all the way to his shoulders. "Deep breath Jai" she whispered to him "and let yourself relax."
Relax, relaxing was something of a luxury most times he'd encountered on board while on duty and even off it while surrounded by the emotions of many that needed his focus to keep in check. None the less he took the breath letting Hannah work her magic.
It had been a long time since she'd taken the time to massage anyone. She was out of practice, but her skill hadn't faded with the lack of use. "Let the cares of the rest of the station fade from your thoughts." her words were a soft counterpoint to the strength of her hands.
Since coming on board his cares had been many and yet all things considered in light of the recent arrival to the station he'd found a friend. While sure he caught her off guard with his invitation to dinner it none the less made him happy that she accepted. Dinner itself was pleasant and the venue only added to the moment, which concluded with a dessert and a walk back to her quarters, then his own.
"You don't need to focus here and now" she continued her voice quiet, breath moving the hairs above his ear. Now, she knelt behind him gently easing her fingers into the sensitive areas just at the base of the skull. He was so quiveringly tight that she was certain he suffered from tension headaches and nightmares if she didn't miss her guess.
Jai sat patiently for a while at least until he slowly pulled away. "Sorry, it's just been a while since I was touched like that." While it was not uncomfortable or bothersome, though did help to ease the tension it was something he was not used to, at least from someone else. Jai was the kind of person that would usually just put up with the tension or let it bleed away over time.
"I can tell" she teased him very gently, her disappointment at his moving away clear but she wasn't going to push...yet. Respect his boundaries , a date or two might not mean he's as into you as you think, she thought hard to herself, raising her drink to her lips to sip it. It had been some time since she'd touched anyone because she wanted to, and she'd found herself enjoying it.
"It was nice, honestly. Just...not used to the whole being touched thing." Jai spoke as he rotated on the spot to look at her. It didn't take a scientist to know she was a little disappointed, emotionally or by her expression. "What about you, any dislikes I should be aware of?"
"I hate the scent of strong flowers." she said without missing a beat before offering him a twinkling smile. She wasn't sure if she should take his not used to being touched statement as a deterrant or a challenge. "Lilies, lavender and roses are the worst."
Jai thought for a moment, considering his options as he digested the information. "Same for candles?" He asked knowing they could produce strong fragrances once lit.
"Artificial floral might even be worse than the actual thing" She gave a tiny shudder. "Yuck."
"Alright, what about foods. any to avoid, any you like most?" He asked trying to figure out boundaries and limitations.
"I love coffee, but you knew that already" Leaning back into the pillows behind her she took a sip of her drink and sighed "All kinds, but mocha flavored anything most of all."
"Ok, so movie night with wine and dessert, or a relaxing spa bath with the jets on?" Jai spoke, personally he liked the movie night option but he wanted to see what she thought.
"You have just described perfection itself" she agreed quietly, her smile hovering on her lips as she sipped again, getting a crunch of sugar with the chill of the drink. It made her shiver. "Both options are lovely, must I choose between them?"
"Cant have all your sweets in one sitting." Jai answered. "You do have to leave some things for later. " A grin on his face followed.
A sweet little laugh echo'd back at him "Spoil sport." she teased before Hannah chewed her lower lip in thought. "If I am alone, I would choose the spa. I'm not one to sit and watch a movie by myself. If it's a date, then definitely the movie night, provided we were sharing the dessert."
Jai couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "I'm the same but I do enjoy a good soak, just relaxing in the tub." It had been a while since he managed to get a bath but it was on the to-do list now that his assignment was finalised.
"I think I can picture it, steam filling the bathroom and bubbles up to your ears" The drink was loosening her tongue a little, and she didn't think he would be offended.
"Just have to make sure not too many bubbles. I once bubbled the bathroom and the bedroom because I got carried away. Took days for the aroma and carpet to dry properly." Jai spoke fondly remembering the moment and the subsequent cleaning effort.
Hannah snorted, covered her face with her hand and then laughed outright "What scent was it?" She couldn't help but ask wanting to get a full picture of the incident in question.
"Autumn Haze." He answered. "Lost a good pair of shoes to that too." The bubbles had managed to work past the not fully closed door to his storage unit of clothing, uniform and footwear.
She was familliar with the scent, and she didn't favor it it did conjure a memory of the Academy during the fall months. Apple pie was a common thing for human students to be sent from home, and her smile turned into a giggle. "I can just imagine."
Taking a seat and rotating enough to face her he continued. "So any wild adventures with your hair or nails I should know about? Any questionable experiments conducted?"
"Define questionable" she countered, amused with the banter.
"Oh I don't know, sudden urge for a colour change, a trim to the extream." Jai spoke already trying to picture Hannah with different colours of hair.
"I'm not what most would call extreme, but I do change my appearance from time to time. Nothing wild like pink or blue, but I've gone lighter blonde and red, even chestnut brown once."
"That's something I wouldn't mind seeing." Jai spoke. "I myself, being Betazoid, some might view our....openness...uncomfortable." Which was a common issue for those that are not prepared or knowing. "Though I admit I've not exactly 'put myself out there' so to speak, at least I believe that is the Human term. With my studies I have been busy earning my qualifications."
"Which one would you like to see?" Came the quiet inquiry after she'd listened to his words. Was he worried about putting himself out there? What exactly did putting himself out there mean to him anyway? One question at a time Hannah she told herself Sternly.
"Well I have to admit Red does sound interesting." Jai spoke as he already tried to picture it. Hannah to him was attractive as she was in her current state but it would be rude to decline such an offer if willingly made.
"I'll take that under advisement" Hannah laughed twiddling a curl around her finger "Next time I get an itch to do something to myself, I'll color my hair red again. I did it while in the academy, and it was well received."
"So, did you have any questions from your colleagues about dinner?" Jai was sure he saw others in blue uniforms but being new on board he was not sure which department they belonged to.
"They don't know me well enough yet to question my socializing with anyone. Especially not the handsome new counselor." She gave him a smile that showed her dimples.
Jai had to admire Hannah's forwardness, it was refreshing, welcome and pleasant. "I remember that smile from when I invited you to dinner. Though I admit, when I felt your shock and warmth over my question, I might have enjoyed it.....just a little bit." Jai used a finger and thumb to indicate the 'tiny' part.
"I am not used to being the one getting the attention. I might have enjoyed it just as much as you". Holding up her fingers to mirror his she smirked at him.
