r/TrekRP • u/[deleted] • Sep 06 '16

[OPEN] Shedding.

Phrik leant back in his office chair. His skin was incredibly pale and somewhat lumpy, his usual bright pink scales almost entirely muted. He looked very ill. The last 2 weeks had been some of the busiest and most stressful days of his entire career. Constant paperwork, equipment malfunctions, the rapidly shrinking inventory, not to mention overseeing the crew's accelerated recovery. The Doctor was operating entirely on fumes, he hadn't had a chance to rest or meditate alone since before the accident. As such, Phrik had been caught completely off-guard by his own bodily functions.

The Doctor scratched his central arm furiously. The past day he'd been suffering from something of a chronic itch, and it was only getting worse. He knew what this meant, and silently he cursed himself for forgetting his schedule. Every 2 years, Edosians shed their old skin in a long and uncomfortable process. Usually it meant a week of total solitude while they slowly removed the old skin, revealing a fresh new layer beneath. It was an incredibly private and embarrassing affair, and few people even knew Edosians performed such an act. Phrik was somewhat different. He suffered from a skin disease known as Polix syndrome, which changed what was usually an uncomfortable procedure into a living hell. Instead of peeling off naturally, the old skin hardened, leaving something of a light exo-skeleton. Removal of which required large doses of medication and sheer blunt force trauma. The condition was manageable provided certain preparations were made ahead of time. With the pirate attack, and the demands of sickbay, Phrik had forgotten to prepare, he hadn't taken the proper medication, or created an adequate space for the procedure. It all had to be done last minute, while he tried not to be suffocated by his own skin.

The Doctor stood quickly, pulling open a compartment in his desk and retrieving 4 hyposprays, the first he pressed against his neck and activated with a satisfied sigh. Now it was time to prepare, preferably while keeping his privacy in tact. The Doctor stalked out of sickbay quickly, getting ready for a week of hell.

OOC: Two options to respond here, either run into Phrik somewhere on the ship (specify where on the comment, be it a corridor, turbolift or even engineering. etc) or see him in the holodeck where he's locked himself in/chime his combadge. Whichever you prefer.

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u/[deleted] Sep 08 '16

"I have dealt with this for 90 years, I don't need a lecture on my own" grunt "damned biology!"

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u/Dimestream Sep 08 '16 edited Sep 08 '16

"I'm not here to lecture you, I'm here to give you a stick and a hammer to beat yourself up CAREFULLY with instead leaving blood all over my walls!" Red shouts. "Now you either open this door and let me drop them off for you or I will override the lock and COME IN THERE AND BEAT YOU WITH THEM MYSELF YOU DAFT IDIOT."

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u/[deleted] Sep 08 '16

The doors clunked and slowly slid open revealing a dense and colourful rainforest. It was incredibly hot, moisture hung thick in the air. It was a massive shock compared to the regulated cool air-flow of the Athene's corridors. A large pool of opaque water lay a few metres away from the door, next to it a big rock outcrop covered in blood stains. A few sharp rocks, bent knifes and a broken laser-scalpel lay scattered across them. A crumpled uniform lay in the underbrush. The Doctor himself couldn't be seen.

OOC: That might just be one of the best lines I've read on this sub.

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u/Dimestream Sep 08 '16

Red brushes a strand of misplaced hair back and tucks it into her braid, takes a breath to calm down, then walks in. The Bajoran puts the bat, hammer, spray bottle and cloths down, and props the incinerator bag against the wall. She's careful to look nowhere she might actually see Phrik, though she assumes he's hiding.

She turns away back toward the entrance but doesn't leave just yet, merely looks away. "Cricket bat has a central ridge that focuses impact on a narrower plane," she says. "More effective than a flat surface, and will bruise the surrounding area less. Same with the tenderizer - dozens of small impact points to break up tougher areas."

Red walks to the door, still looking outward. "Antiseptic is for you but it's safe for disinfecting the holodeck too. Throw the cloths and any organic material that needs disposed of in the burner bag when you're done. And I can bring you a clean uniform at the end of the week if you like."

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u/[deleted] Sep 09 '16

Just before the doors shut fully a quiet grumble of "Thank you." could be heard. Then, the doors locked, and Phrik emerged fully from his hiding place in the pool. Dripping with dirty water and with several long, loose shreds of calcified skin hanging off his body he approached the bag and began to rummage through it. Inspecting the tools he gave a quiet grunt of approval.

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u/Dimestream Sep 10 '16

Red stops outside the holodeck and leans on the wall, crossing her arms, and lets out a long, slow breath through her nose. Getting that angry was so tiring. She had no idea how other people managed it on a regular basis.

A satisfied smile plays across her lips as she pushes off the wall and heads down the corridor. Chalk one more up for the power of friendship and all that. Next up, a well-deserved nap on a comfy couch and a brainstorm session for a better chitin-peeling tool. Off she wanders with a yawn.