Name your poison

Posted on Thu Feb 12, 2015 @ 4:38am by Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin & Commander Amia Telamon M.D.

1,720 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Eye of the Beholder
Location: Box of Delights
Timeline: MD01 1600

::ON::

The new CMO was finally off duty. She had worked a double shift every day for a week to get herself settled in and had then slept fitfully but now she had a comprehensive mental map of how this particular Sickbay was set up and who the staff were - from actually meeting them in person, not just by reading their 'jackets'. She had met them all individually, run a stock-check, made notes - digitally and mentally - about how the facility worked currently and formed an overview of all this data, then made serious plans about what she would choose to keep the same and what she felt needed to be upgraded.

Armed with this significant amount of information, Amia felt more comfortable and genuinely *in post* at last but she was in need of a break now. It had been an exhausting first week, relentlessly getting stuck in and getting the worst of it done quickly and efficiently so as not to let it become an issue or a longterm, never completed ideal. Satisfied that she had achieved her first stage, the recently married Mrs Telamon now turned her attention back to her husband and feeling bad that she'd been so busy lately, was planning a surprise dinner to treat him. Cade had also been sucked into his own new job, needing even more than his wife, to focus on the new role.

At least Amia had been a CMO for many years before this, but Cade was moving up from a Chief of Helm position which demanded not only his brilliant piloting skills but also a high degree of Operations responsibilities and a lot of very clever astrometrics and starcraft all of which were way over the Doctor's head. She had faith that his particular 'people skills' demonstrated by his brilliant departmental head successes, combined with all his other knowledge and experience would mean that he would make an outstanding Executive Officer.

All he had to do, in his wife's opinion, was to have an opportunity to show his talents and just shine in the way he always did at whatever he set himself to achieve. Amia was totally certain that he would have no trouble at all once he was given that particular opportunity and she was ready to celebrate his successes over the first week. She wanted to get him alone, well, as alone as any couple could be in a crowded restaurant, to hear all about it.

With this intention in mind, Amia ventured out to the four decks the of "The Promenade", seeking out one of the many restaurants that could be found amongst the hundreds of shops and businesses there. She decided, out of about 12 she called into, on a Bajoran Restaurant on the uppermost level where the *Maitre d' * was happy to show her their view out of the plastiglass roof up to the stars. It was beautiful. The tables were segregated with plants and subtly positioned curtains that were looped elegantly and Amia fell so in love with it that she booked it at once.

Thoroughly pleased with herself she walked, or rather ambled, back and took in some of the other sights and sounds. She did a little shopping and passed a little set up which was called "THE BOX OF DELIGHTS". It looked like a night club from one angle and yet in its "day time mode" as it was right now, it looked like a nice friendly little cafe with a fascinating bar tender... or was she?.... a lady who looked like a personification of a species Amia had heard about, seen a vague file on but had never actually encountered. Could that woman be a Bokkai? She seemed to change colour, one shade, then another. Yes, she HAD to be.... fascinated, Amia walked in, trying not to stare.

Approaching the bar Amia perched on a stool until the woman became free and moved towards the newcomer.

"Hello. I'm the new Doctor." she began and held out her hand in introduction.

Yolanthe finished pouring a drink and called for service. Then she wiped her hands on a bar towel and reached across the bar to Amia. "Pleased to meet you. Scuttlebutt says we had a new one on board. Welcome tohe Box of Delights. What can I get you?"

"OH... er.... One of those beautiful Sunrisey things... you know, the one that changes..... " ~oh sh*t~ "No offence, I didn't think that out, let alone realise it was.... thoughtless. Please.... let me buy you a drink. I'd like to try to dig myself out of that clumsiness." she blushed and felt very uncomfortable. ~Don't let her be offended.... what an idiot I am..~ she thought.

Yolanthe's baseline violet shifted into the blue spectrum, "If I was offended that easily, I wouldn't run a bar." She reached down for a long glass. "How do you like your Sunrise? Terran, Cardassian, Andorian, Bolian?"

"Andorian please" Amia replied, relieved.

"Coming right up." Yolanthe turned briefly to assemble the ingredients, and began to pour without using measures. "been aboard long? What do you think of the station?"

"No... not long at all. This is my first visit to the Promenade Decks.... it's amazing. The whole station... just HUGE!" she said with an excited look about her eyes. "It's the start of a whole new life for us.... my husband and I.... damn it's special saying that... I expect it sounds mundane to everyone else in the Universe but it's so new to me and..... well, I love it... and him.. and this.... " she trailed off, realising that she was effusing like a teenager.

"I sound like a kid in a sweet shop don't I. That's hardly the first impression I want to give when I'm trying to convince the occupants of this.... this... CITY in space... that I'm calm, serene and competent enough to deal with all their medical emergencies." she rolled her eyes affably.

"How about yourself? No more about me, me, ME.... have you been here long?" Amia remembered her manners.

"This place can take you like that." Yolanthe grinned at Amia's enthusiasm. "Me? I've been here about a year and a half." She tipped a barspoon into the long glass. "But it feels more like five. This isn't a quiet place. Its all go here."

"I hope so!" Amia smirked with a friendly grin waiting for a chance to slip out quickly behind that little hint. "Is it this bar that's all go, or the station as a whole?" she asked, remembering what the CO had said about a spate of terrorism lately.

"Both," Yolanthe admitted, concentrating on the slow drip of the Andorian Tuber-root syrup down the twisted handle. "Mostly a bunch of pro-human fascists with a hate-on for anyone who isn't federation, and merely utterly prejudiced against federation aliens. But they've been quiet for the last few months. so maybe they've got bored and gone home."

"ha!" Amia uttered a short hollow laugh. "They don't sound like the 'bored, going home' type but let's hope that's it. Don't fancy an epidemic of illnesses or injuries on my doorstep in my first month here." she rolled her eyes and swirled the sunrise to make it change colour in the way that always fascinated her.

"Perfect!" she commented, sipping and then tilting the drink towards her host. "Would you join me? Or are you not supposed to when you're on duty?"

"I'm not starfleet. And what sort of bartender would I be if I couldn't hold my drink." She began to mix. "So what do you think of Sickbay. You managed to miss an epidemic, so you should have a nice quiet start."

"It's a very impressive facility and much bigger than I was used to on my last posting which was a Starship" Amia replied placing some latinum on the bar to pay for both drinks. "We had some pretty challenging cases there though. Radiation poisoning, orbital implants, genetic cross-species mix-ups, not the usual regular issues."

"It's a very impressive facility and much bigger than I was used to on my last posting which was a Starship" Amia replied placing some latinum on the bar to pay for both drinks. "We had some pretty challenging cases there though. Radiation poisoning, orbital implants, genetic cross-species mix-ups, not the usual regular issues. When we got married I thought my husband would get sick of me, especially as somehow we managed to get roped into some crazed Cadet project to fly an old rust-bucket back here and it promised to simply be a supervisory slow cruise across the universe but even that wasn't what we expected and right now I'm trying to book a dinner so i can get to remind myself what he looks like!" she laughed. It was an exaggeration but there had genuinely been those worries along the way.

"I've made up my mind that we must both make a concerted effort to make time to spend together at regular intervals. Like a sort of pact." she looked at Yolanthe. "Does that sound a bit teenage?" she asked.

Yolanthe shook her head. "Not at all. Men need careful tending or they get fractious." She finished making her own sunrise, and took a sip. "My menu is only really light meals and bar snacks, but we can serve in the holospa, so you can have the perfect setting, and guaranteed privacy," She raised an eyebrow in suggestion."

"Wow! Now *that* would be something special, wouldn't it!" Amia enthused. "i would really love that! Can it be as soon as tonight?"

"No problem." Yolanthe raised her glass to the new Doctor with a knowing and suggestive look. "We'll save you a room."

"Fantastic! Thank you." Amia beamed and finished off her 'sunrise' all of a hurry to return to the other restaurant and cancel then get back to quarters to prepare. She stood up quickly and got a headrush. "Woh! I should slow down if I don't want to spend my evening fast asleep instead of out on a hot date." she laughed, walking slowly out, waiting for her head to clear before setting off again, more cautiously this time.

Tbc......

JP Between:

Yolanthe Ibaline
Owner, The Box of Delights


and

Lt Cmdr Amia Telamon
CMO - DS5

 

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