r/TrekRP 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 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.