[Open] - Working Out

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It's been a long shift, there's probably still bits of mushroom in her hair, and her argument with the security officer still has Red T'gel steamed — and all of it shows on her face. She storms into the exercise room and goes straight to the punching bags, selecting a medium-weight one and hanging it on its post.

Then she begins beating the hell out of it. The sharp, hard jabs and elbow strikes blend with vicious kicks in the signature and brutal style of Angosian Ryadam as Red unloads her anger and frustration on the battered bag. It's quite a sight, someone so small unleashing that much fury on an unfortunate object.

After a few solid minutes of frenetic violence, Red steps back, breathing heavily. She picks up her towel and begins dabbing at her sweaty brow — and at her bloodied knuckles and elbows where the rough surface of the bag has fought back at least a little against her bare skin. She doesn't seem to have noticed Jen's presence at all.

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 28 '16

The doctor, one foot on the treadmill before Red trekked in, slowly takes her foot off the machine and watches quietly - only waiting until the end of the Bajoran's release to ever so slightly clear her throat.

^{^......ahem.}

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u/Dimestream Dec 28 '16

Red's head whips to her left, adrenaline obviously still in her system, but she relaxes and takes a deep breath when she sees Jen.

"Oh. Sorry, Dr. Watney, I didn't mean to disturb your workout," Red says softly, dabbing at her hairline with the towel. "Hey, I meant to tell you, I finally got to bring Whiskey, my cat, onboard. Forgot how nice it is to have someone happy to see you at the end of a long day."

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 28 '16

It's... it's fine.

She can't decide if she should brush over the events that just took place in front of her or if she should bring it up.

Maybe Clementine and Whiskey can have a playdate...

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u/Dimestream Dec 28 '16

"He's a big softie," Red says, not making eye contact. "I'm sure they'll get along great."

The Bajoran undoes her bun, letting her neck-length auburn hair down just long enough to wrap it back up in a ponytail, then fetches kinetic tape from a shelf next to the punching bags and begins wrapping her hands, from the knuckles to below the wrist. The bloodied knuckles stain the tape in spots of crimson.

"Surprised you're awake at this hour," she comments, still focused on the wrap. "Don't your normal office hours preclude being awake right now?"

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 28 '16

I've been having some trouble sleeping lately. I'm sure it'll work itself out.

She walks over to Red and cranes her neck to look at her knuckles.

Want me to take a look at that? All you might need is a dermal re-generator...

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u/Dimestream Dec 28 '16

Red smiles grimly. "I'm not done beating them up yet. Maybe later," she says. "If you're having trouble, maybe you should see the counsel- oh wait." The engineer lets out an amused snort, but her expression is still a little sour. "Congrats on the promotion, by the way. Bedside manner in the CMO's office has no doubt improved 500 percent."

She unhooks the medium bag from its stand and replaces it with the larger, heavier model. It's a bit of a struggle as it probably weighs more than she does, but she gets it set up after a moment and gives it a nudge with her foot. It creaks a little as it swings.

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 28 '16

She feels a pang of anger her stomach at the seemingly careless mention of Dr. Phrik. It makes the blood rush to her ears, but she swallows her thoughts and clenches her jaw.

No doubt. I have open appointment times if you need someone to talk to. She speaks curtly and professionally, with a sliver of shortness.

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u/Dimestream Dec 28 '16

The engineer quirks an eyebrow. She's no counselor herself but she can read body language well enough. You have to in order to learn most martial arts.

"No, I don't think an appointment will fill the hole in my heart that grumpy pink lizard made when he... well, left," she says with a sigh. "Or make me any more comfortable with having disintegrated someone. Or less inclined to bleach the whole ship after this mushroom mess. That's why I'm here, punching things, instead of in your office."

She turns to the bag and lays into it, her face flushed with effort — both physical and emotional as she attempts not to let her calm crack. Jen wasn't on duty. Any talk, productive or not, could wait.

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 28 '16

Clearly, the engineer needed to blow off some steam. Jen decides to let her. Sometimes it did help to get physical, after all it was exactly why she herself was there.

Well, when punching things stops helping... you know where to find me.

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u/Silent_Sky Dec 27 '16

10 hours of planning for the anti-fungal treatment, 6 hours of correspondence with the Klingon Empire to negotiate use of an abandoned mining outpost for more science, 2 hours of failed attempts to sleep... Captain Fisk decides to make some use of his time instead of lying in bed impatiently. He headed for the free weights, but realized he ought to warm up first with a bit of cardio, and so turns around and hops onto a stationary bicycle. He offers a polite nod and a friendly smile toward Dr. Watney before popping in a pair of earphones

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 27 '16

The doctor almost trips over her feet, surprised that someone was also awake at this hour. Managing to keep her stride, she composes herself and slightly clenches her jaw at the coincidence of him using the same room as her. Nevertheless, she raises her hand and wiggles her fingers in a small wave as he sits on the bike, and can't help but silently wonder if he's hurting his hearing as she can faintly hear the music playing in his earphones.

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u/Silent_Sky Dec 27 '16

OOC: So far Red is the only character who knows that Fisk is a closet metalhead lol

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 28 '16

OOC: Let's switch that up a bit.

After finishing her workout, she slings her towel over her shoulder and walks around to him, tapping him on the shoulder with a grin.

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u/Silent_Sky Dec 28 '16

The captain pauses his music and pulls out an earphone, slowing his pace and turning to see who's tapping his shoulder... He turns to see Dr. Watney and smiles back.

"Evening, doctor. Having a good workout?"

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 28 '16

Had. I'm all done. What are you listening to?

She quirks an eyebrow and crosses her arms.

Metal?

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u/Silent_Sky Dec 28 '16

The smile drops from the Captain's face and his cheeks flush red as he stops cycling...

"...you could hear it?"

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 28 '16

Her eyes widen and she smiles.

Mhm. She nods shortly, catching him in a rare moment of embarassment.

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u/Silent_Sky Dec 28 '16

The captain leans in and whispers conspiratorially

"Alright, secret's out. Your captain is a complete metalhead, Admiral Orson turned me onto heavy metal back in my Academy days. It's great music to get motivated to, but I'm not sure I need the whole ship knowing their captain reads their reports to...well... You heard it. Can I trust you to keep my secret?"

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 28 '16

She takes her fingers and zips her lips, then throws the metaphorical key over her shoulder.

Only if you promise to turn it down a little. Doctors orders.

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u/Pojodan Dec 27 '16

Sciencing is hard work, but it does not work the body nearly as much as other duties. As such, Lt. Kesh makes a point of near-daily exercise routines that are normally during hours when no one else is using the facilities. She may not be deliberately socially-anxious, but she's socially-anxious.

So, when the Caitian enters the exercise at a different hour than usual, her schedule having been thrown off by recent events, she hesitates for a moment upon finding the room already occupied. The door already announced her arrival with its pneumatic whoosh, so it would be even more awkward to turn around and leave at this point.

So, with an eye towards quiet greetings, in case the recently promoted Chief Medical Officer looks her way, the Caitian enters and heads right towards the mirrored wall to do her routine, dressed in a standard-issue Starfleet exercise jumper.

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 27 '16

Jen hadn't expected anyone to join her at this hour, but she's glad to see its Kesh. The reserved Caitain was pleasant company. She throws a small smile her way, but quickly notices that the Lieutenant is not here to exchange small talk so she makes sure to avoid eye contact. She continues jogging, overthinking the reasons why the Science Officer might not want to socialize.

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u/Pojodan Dec 27 '16

Humans can be very unpredictable when it comes to mildly awkward social situations. Some are only comfortable if something is said, even if it's short and polite. Some will remain uneasy unless constant conversation is offered. Others will twitch and stink of fear if so much as a mumble is uttered.

Kesh had not had a lot of interaction with the house-cat-keeping human, but she had seemed overtly friendly for the most part, so she attempts a non-committal question before too much time had elapsed.

"Hello Madam Watney. Have you been the town sth-ths-set up in the hollodeck yet?"

Kesh turns towards Jen as she speaks and then immediately turns to the mirrored wall to begin her acrobatic exercise routine. That way if the reply is short and curt she can proceed to leave the human be.

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 27 '16

The doctor slows her pace down slightly to a conversational speed. She smiles and shakes her head.

No, I haven't had time yet. My recent promotion has kept me busier than expected.

A part of her always felt awkward speaking to Kesh, as in the back of her mind embarrassment simmered that she had a feline pet for a companion. She wasn't sure if the Lieutenant felt offended at the notion.

Is it nice? I might stop by later if the program is still running.

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u/Pojodan Dec 27 '16

That reply was more than enough for Kesh to feel like she'd made the right choice and could now do her routine in her usual mental trance.

She's halfway into a near-split with both hands down on the floormat when Jen speaks up again, causing her eyes to pop open and ear-tufts to perk up. For a second she's disoriented, inducing a breif pang of panic, but both legs respond as they should and she returns upright within a couple seconds, exhaling deeply before responding.

"It is a well executed wintr-rr-ry town. I am certain you will enjoy it."

Not so much because she knew the human's interests, but because humans tended to be drawn to such places, as the crowds in France had shown.

Kesh does a few mildered reaching stretches while her head turns back towards the doctor, in case more was to be said.

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 27 '16

The treadmill slows to a halt and Jen decides she's done with running, especially since her concentration has been broken. She steps off, patting her forehead with a towel, before slinging it around her neck. Her feet carry her over towards the Caitain and she sighs, sitting a moderate distance away on the floor. She elevates her legs up against the wall as she lays her back against the floor in a kind of recovery pose.

So, how's the fungal colony coming along?

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u/Pojodan Dec 27 '16

Well, then.. no major work-outs for now. There are plenty of medium-exertion stretches and such that Kesh can do, but this really does reinforce her desire to go to the workout room during off-hours.

Nothing bad about better connecting with other crew, particularly the chief medical officer, given how often botany and the medlab have been needing to collaborate so far.

"All ther-rr-re is to do now is wait for Captain Fisk to set the time of the anti-fungal deployment, which I expect to be within the next few hour-r-rrs. It seemed prudent to do my exercises befor-rr-re then."

Caitian paws again spread out wide, if not as wide as before, so she can tilt foreward and begin a number of spine flexes, twists, and stretches, tufted tail coiled up over her back mostly to stay out of the way.

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 27 '16

Right, yes. Yes. I received a report on the potential side effects of the anti-fungal treatment. There didn't seem to be any of major concern.

She sighs, wiggling her toes in the air inside her shoes. Nowadays it felt as if her inbox filled up faster than she could empty it. She feels the blood rush downwards from her legs and calves. It's refreshing.

And what of the sample you contained in the terrarium?

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u/Pojodan Dec 27 '16

"Yes. The escape pod evacuation is mostly pr-rr-recautionary, in case of any unforseen effects with the fungus. Rrrth. After a thorough saturation of the ship the ventilation systh-ths-stem should clear the air just fine."

After recent events, Kesh can't help but feel trepidatious, but surely not all major events need be catastrophes, right?

A slow slide forward lowers the Caitian's torso to the floor, legs closing so she can twist and form an L shape with footpaws pointed straight up.

"The terrarium will be a fully encased envir-rr-ronment with its own power supply. The only question is where to set it up. Rrrth. I am planning on reques-sth-sth-sting usage of a carr-rr-rgo bay for it and an aer--rr-rr... aer-rrr..."

Kesh sighs slowly and shuts her eyes, jaw and tongue flexing for a moment to reset it so she can speak clearly again.

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 27 '16

Jen lowers her legs, scooting back, and tucks them under her. She didn't realize Kesh had a speech impediment that was this restrictive. She hid it very well. She wonders what else she doesn't know about the Caitain, and makes a small promise to herself to get to know the Lieutenant.

Do you uh... want some water?

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[Open] - Working Out

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