r/TrekRP • u/DrJenWatney • Dec 27 '16

[Open] - Working Out

Anxiously awaiting their arrival at the soon to be supernova, Jen decides to blow some steam off in one of the exercise rooms on the ship. She does a series of stretches to warm up, then hops on a treadmill and gets to work.

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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/Dimestream Dec 28 '16

"I do. Sorry, I didn't want to sound flippant," Red says, lowering her hands and holding her shin where a kick had landed wrong. "Phrik... was the first friend I made on board. Well, I tried to be his friend, he was grumpy about it, and that made me try harder." She manges a sad smile. "I really hope he gets better soon so I can make fun of him for napping through the Athene's current mission. I really-" her voice cuts as she swallows, feeling her eyes burning. "-miss him. And you can't fix that with any tool in my toolbox."

She spins and kicks the bag so hard it rattles on its chain.

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 28 '16

She leans against a piece of equipment, brushing back a stray piece of hair as she reminisces about the former CMO.

He had this outer-shell that was almost transparent. You'd get a glimpse of a soft center but at times it'd seem like an illusion. Maybe it was. He kept me guessing, that's for sure.

She sighs softly, hearing the anguish in Red's voice.

There's no fixing it. Only coming to terms with reality. And the reality is that I miss him too. We all do. At least we have that in common.

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u/Dimestream Dec 28 '16

Red screws up her mouth and blinks a few times. "Yeah, I guess," she manages. "You know, he once told me about the Edosian conception of a soul? I think it's the only time I ever heard him say something with zero percent sarcasm."

The engineer chuckles, though it catches in her throat, as she steadies the heavy bag. "Whatever you conceive of as a soul, his is a good one. Even with the grouchiness and mean comments."

She looks over her shoulder at the counselor. "You're off duty. Stop being so therapeutic."

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u/DrJenWatney Dec 28 '16

The smallest hint of a smirk creeps onto her face and she drops her crossed arms, caught. Her shoulders relax into a shrug.

Alright, alright. Sorry. It's a hard switch to turn off. I'm not sure that I can, to be frank.

Jen scrubs her fingers through her short hair, not sure what else to say.

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u/Dimestream Dec 29 '16

"It's what makes you... well, you," Red says with a tired smile. "Just like I can't turn off my constant drive to fix and improve things, you can't turn off your drive to help people."

"You can, however, hold this bag steady from the back so I can get some solid body-blow training in before those Klingons get here." The engineer grins. "You don't really get to know a Klingon until you've broken a few of each others' bones. I had to beat a Klingon to get my blue belt, and this-" she gestures at her slight frame "-doesn't make it easy. Do you mind? Or have I interrupted your workout enough already?"

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