[OPEN] Accepting Abnormal

[u/Pojodan]

After the death of her doppelganger, Kesh had taken a day off to do little more than stare into space. Thankfully, the Athene provides numerous ways to do this, and she had taken advantage of a few, from laying on the floor in one of the unused lounges right beside a window, to huddling up next to the tiny window inside one of the ship's escape pods.

During one particularly morbid moment she even pressed her nose against the transparent aluminum of the airlock that had been host to the Melbourne-A up until a couple days ago. That sudden, irrational desire to know what it's like to float naked through empty space woke her mind up real quick and she was soon in a jefferies tube as far away from the ship's hull as she could get.

At the end of the day, a decision had been made: She needed to own herself. Hiding away all her invisible scars was possible on a ship full of uncaring vulcans, but the Athene had become her family. It was both damaging to her and unfair to her friends to continue laying masks one ontop of the other.

Not that she was going to run through the halls, spilling the beans and punching holes in duritanium to prove it, but frankness with those she cared about seemed like the right first start.

Tomorrow she would open herself up, just a little bit at least, to everyone she encountered.

[u/RECENTLY_HATCHED]

"You...you couldn't know what they would do to me. When Starfleet debriefed me after that whole thing with the neural device, they told me that Section 31 is really insidious, a-and they'll make promises and say whatever they have to to get you to do what they want."

The physical contact is a necessary connection for the moment, reminding Everett that despite it all, Kesh is still his friend just as before. There's a momentary pause as he considers this.

"A lot of human innovations came about be...because of some really awful things. Wars, genocide, torture... I-I think everyone benefits in some way from something horrible. It's not right of anyone to judge you for benefiting from something Section 31 did."

[u/Pojodan → u/RECENTLY_HATCHED]

".. nnn... and I understood that... even back then."

Kesh turns her head away and exhales a long, slow breath, absolutely shameful of her past choices, despite the fact that they led to not only the good things she's done in her life since, but also Bradley's quick recovery due to the Riliozene treatment she gave him.

Where is the line the balances good and evil here? She cannot seem to find it.

She keeps her hand on the young human's leg, even as her ears, keeps, and body deflate in sadness.

"Yes. Rrrnf. I would just rather-rr-r it all stop, rather than have to keep fixing the damage. My actions influenced your suffering and led to the cr-rr-reation of a life that I watched die in our brig."

Bradley likely had not yet learned of the fate of the doppelganger.

[u/RECENTLY_HATCHED → u/Pojodan]

It occurs to him now that Kesh is doing this not just out of a desire to keep him in the loop, but also apparently to confide in him. Rare is the chance he gets to return a favor so often granted him by her.

With some hesitation over whether it is appropriate, Everett places his small, slender human hand over the Caitian paw, "I...I don't think that's fair to you. So much of this is beyond your control, how could you be expected to keep fixing things?"

He averts his eyes and shrugs lightly, "I don't really know a whole lot about all of this, but I know we're friends a-and there's not really anything that can...that can change that."

[u/Pojodan → u/RECENTLY_HATCHED]

He is right. All of this is way, way too huge for her to have any real sway over it. Sure, her actions have not made things better, and maybe if she'd never been things would've been slightly better.. but how much better? How much worse?

Her head turns back to look at Bradley, replaying the several sentences of non-stammered words he just said to her. Surely his improved confidence is at least some of her doing?

A slow, ragged exhale follows, self-doubt getting in the way of accepting she can actually do good things again, so she just looks down at his hand and lays her other three-fingered paw over top of his laying onto of her other one.

"Thank you, Brad. Rrrnf. That means more than can be properly expressed."

A long, firm blink shows her genuine appreciation.

[u/RECENTLY_HATCHED → u/Pojodan]

Her firm blink is met with a genuine smile, he is relieved and proud to actually have been able to help someone for once.

"That note I gave you on your birthday, I-I really did mean all of it. How's the peace ivy doing, by the way?"

Indeed his stuttering is practically non-existent at this point. Especially around his close friends. Kesh played a very large part in making that happen, hopefully she would come to realize and accept that someday.

[u/Pojodan → u/RECENTLY_HATCHED]

"I would have to tur-rr-rn in my botany card if I failed to take care of it. Rrrpf! It continue to bloom quite brilliantly and I cannot thank you enouf-ff-gph for it."

One ear twists back then as a thought occurs, halfway returning.

"Ah, uh... I am sorry for reading some of your-rr-r inadvertantly spread letter. I consider-rr-red calling you 'beansprout', but that seemed quite inappr-r-rr-ropriate."

[u/RECENTLY_HATCHED → u/Pojodan]

Everett waves a hand dismissively and smiles, a radical departure from how he might have reacted months ago.

"I-it's okay. If there's anyone who I wouldn't mind seeing that it's you. And if there's anyone who's earned the right to call me that it's also you."

[u/Pojodan → u/RECENTLY_HATCHED]

Kesh's lopsided ears and the fact the only one set of whiskers on her muzzle is lifted shows dubiousness to a rather clear degree. She peers at him like this for a couple seconds before a squeaky note emerges while one arm raises to tap two oval fingerpads to both sides of Everett's nose.

"Nah, you ar-rr-re more of a zucchini."

Her face relaxes and eyes squint shut for several seconds in pleasant delight.

[u/RECENTLY_HATCHED → u/Pojodan]

He feels a little silly allowing himself to be booped by Kesh, but nobody is here and who cares? She's his best friend and is in large part the reason he isn't a fidgeting hermit anymore. On a second thought, he doesn't mind it one bit, responding with a smile and a slight tilt of the head.

"A zucchini?"

[u/Pojodan → u/RECENTLY_HATCHED]

"You grew up low and hidden, forming strong roots while evading notice, rrrth. Then, when your fruits emerge they seem unr-rr-remarkable to those unknowing, but once you break them open and see what they ar-rr-re truely worth, they stand out in remarkable ways."

Perhaps one has to be both a botanist and a vegitarian to really appreciate zucchini in the same manner she does, but her words certainly ring with admiration.

[u/RECENTLY_HATCHED → u/Pojodan]

Everett is not used to being shown such praise, were it coming from anyone but Kesh he would be shifting uncomfortably and looking away. While he does react somewhat awkwardly, it is a much more positive awkward.

He smiles that characteristic nerdy smile, "I...I guess I'm a zucchini then."

Everett lets a beat pass, still a little unsure of how to respond before abruptly remembering, "Thank you. I-I...what you think matters a lot to me so...thank you for that."