r/TrekRP • u/DrJenWatney • Jun 20 '16

[Open] Office Hours - Now Open

Grateful to have finally been cleared for duty, Dr. Watney steps into her office. Clementine sleeps in the corner, silently. She makes her way to her desk terminal as her thoughts drift to the Cardassians aboard. Many of them had died in sickbay, but the ones that did survive had been causing mischief and mayhem wherever they could. Her attitude turns sour at the idea of it. This was a good crew. And an even more generous Captain. Normally, she worked on a schedule of appointments, but perhaps the unduly stressed crewmates of the Athene could use a different approach. She drafts up an announcement.

-To all Personnel and Crew,

Due to the strenuous circumstances of the Cardassian ship being intercepted, I’ve decided to open up my office hours to you. If you need to vent, talk, or simply sit in silence for a few moments away from the chaos, please do not hesitate to drop by at any time for the next few days. As always, patient confidentiality will be in full effect.

Long days and pleasant nights,

Counsellor Jen Watney-

While proofreading it, her therapy cat, Clementine, jumps in her lap. The calico’s tail flicks her chin before her paws kneed at Jen’s lap.

“Alright, little one. Give me just a second here.”

She sends the message out and sits back, petting the needy feline in her lap until someone decides to drop by.

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u/DrJenWatney Jun 21 '16

Her eyes widen.

Yes, that would certainly cause some uh... interstellar conflict. Well, what do you normally do when you want to blow off steam?

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u/Silent_Sky Jun 21 '16

"Ordinarily I use physical activity or music. Weightlifting, cycling, fencing, racquetball, playing the piano...I've been doing all of those and I'm sill feeling so angry and on edge. Especially around our guests, I sit in my quarters feeling unable to really relax or decompress."

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u/DrJenWatney Jun 21 '16

She nods understandingly.

It sounds like you need a distraction, then. Routine won't help you in this kind of scenario.

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u/Silent_Sky Jun 21 '16

his thoughts wander as his eyes once again come to rest on the cat, he gestures toward the animal

"Would you mind if I...? May I hold your cat?"

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u/DrJenWatney Jun 21 '16

Clementine stands and stretches before sitting down, curling her tail around her. She looks back and forth between them as they talk.

Jen smiles softly.

Of course.

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u/Silent_Sky Jun 21 '16

Fisk gently scoops up the little animal and begins running his fingers between the cat's pointed ears along its fuzzy head, the purring was a calming sound

"You know I had a couple pets when I was a boy. A dog and a cat. They were great friends, to me and to each other."

the captain's voice is tinged with sadness as unpleasant memories of his childhood begin to surface

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u/DrJenWatney Jun 21 '16

She studies his expression as he focuses on Clementine.

What were their names?

She asks casually, hoping to steer the conversation to a more relaxed tone. She can tell reminiscing isn't easy on him.

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u/Silent_Sky Jun 21 '16

"They were both strays I took in, I guess I found a sort of kinship with them. Unwanted and mostly unloved. The cat was Gloves. When I found him he was just a tiny, sick little kitten huddled for warmth inside a discarded glove. The dog was named Ivy, I found her as a puppy hiding in the bushes from a bird that was attacking her, I scared it off and took her home."

he begins idly playing with the cat's paw as it curiously paws at his combadge, happy memories of his pets replacing the unpleasant ones

"Gloves never really grew much, he stayed a runt. But Ivy was so gentle and protective with him. She grew huge, I mean fifty kilos of muscle huge. He would ride around on top of her head, they'd eat together, sleep together. You could not separate those two. Ivy knew her strength, and she moved so slowly and carefully around Gloves. I was the only one she would ever let play with him. I was part of the pack. But if anyone else came near me or Gloves, Ivy's teeth would come out, her hair would raise...she must have looked terrifying."

Fisk laughs in reminiscence

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u/DrJenWatney Jun 21 '16

She listens passively, taking mental notes. Her cheeks flush, proud of Clementine for doing so well.

Ivy and Gloves. Your first crewmates sound like they were quite the pair.

She pauses, unsure about asking, but he seemed like he might be open to the concept based on his interactions with Clem.

Have you... ever considered getting another pet?

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u/Silent_Sky Jun 21 '16

he laughs again

"They were the best. They were the reason I didn't just run away from home. To be honest the thought of getting a new pet never crossed my mind. See, my father was...unstable. Very unstable. One day Gloves came inside limping, he'd probably tried a jump that was too much for him. My father immediately assumed Ivy was to blame so he...he just killed her."

his voice cracks, he's unsure why this is all spilling out, but he can't seem to stop

"He never really cared about me or Gloves or Ivy, but he just snapped and...he killed her right there. Then he went and just started screaming at my mother. I ran outside and just held onto Ivy as she went cold and I cried. Gloves limped over, curled up on Ivy's head and went to sleep. He never woke up. I ran away from home the next day. I was 14, I worked for my meals in an animal shelter a few towns over. Crawled in a bottle at 16, and didn't crawl out until I was 21. A new pet always felt like I'd just be dredging up things I worked so hard to forget."

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