Posted by Lieutenant Eleyr of House Em’ujo (Chief of Keeping Our Brains Healthy (CNS)) in A simple courtesy (Tag CNS)

Posted by Lieutenant Andromeda DeLion (Chief of Keeping Our Bodies Healthy (CMO)) in A simple courtesy (Tag CNS)

Posted by Lieutenant Eleyr of House Em’ujo (Chief of Keeping Our Brains Healthy (CNS)) in A simple courtesy (Tag CNS)
Posted by… suppressed (8) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Andromeda pressed the chime on the counseling office with an almost imperceptible grin on her face. She held a black bag, a welcome aboard gift for the new counselor. With four counselors in recent times, this was the one she was most excited for, even if the Klingon woman was bound to tower over her.
-Andromeda DeLion, CMO

Eleyr’s doors parted, not with a schliiik but roar– “You vile, ignoble eight-legged fiend!” A shoe hurled past Andromeda’s head, clapping against the opposite wall with a terrible bonk! But it was no match for the scene within.

A massive, fire-eyed Klingon crouched atop her chair, fingers locked around a regulation boot and shoulders wide in a ‘power stance’. She eyed a wooden crate not two metres away, a vein pulsating at her temple as she awaited the moment to pounce. If Andromeda peered closely, she might notice the black speck of a jumping spider mimicking Eleyr with its feeble little legs. Klingons didn’t appreciate such mockery.

“You bring dishonour to your family,” Eleyr growled and edged closer. The spider took its chance and flung itself from the crate. “ARGH!!” Her howl pierced the air in violent stride, a flurry of arms and incessant wacks devastating what semblance of peace remained. A meagre standoff had turned to war. Now, it was Klingon vs. Spider.

And the spider was winning.

“Get off of me or perish!” Eleyr growled, a final blow throwing the spider from her shoulder. She flung around, eyes narrowed in search of her adversary, but it was nowhere to be found in the sea of dark shades that consumed her office. “That’s what I thought,” she huffed. Straightening her stance, Eleyr tugged at her uniform and proudly turned to face the door.. only to find a witness to their war. But if the Klingon was chagrinned, it wasn’t evident in her large, toothy grin.

“Ah,” Eleyr extended her arms, “welcome to my cave. I trust you enjoyed the show?”

– Lt. Eleyr, CNS

Andromeda grinned right back. “I am unbelievably entertained.” She picked up the boot before entering, offering it to the other woman. “I hope I’m more welcome than the spider.” Andromeda offered a hand, smiling up at Eleyr. “Andromeda DeLion, CMO.”
-Andromeda DeLion, CMO

Eleyr reclaimed her boot, shook it and promptly thrust it behind her. “I would welcome a Denebian Slime Devil sooner than that beast,” she curled her upper lip into a sneer. “But you, good doctor, are always welcome.” She grasped Andromeda’s hand and gave it a short, vigorous shake, then released it into a gesture inside. “Come– sit wherever you like!”

The Counsellor’s cave was just that — a cave. Deep, palpable crimson and onyx wove through every fibre of her mix-patterned rugs. Some were Vulcan in design – a homage to one of her dearest friends – others bore a distinctly Klingon design. Atop them, cushions large enough to seat the Gorn heavy-weight champion huddled around an oaken table in the company of crouched chairs. Her table was adorned by knickknacks from the shell of a Betazoid mollusc to an eerily one-eyed clay doll, each with a story Eleyr would joyously tell. If Andromeda’s gaze were to drift, she might notice a wall adorned in weapons of all character and design. On either side, a tapestry protected them with honour and vitality in equal measure. It was more-or-less a dwelling than an office.

“Tell me, doctor..” she settled on a cushion worn by years of use “..what brings you here today?”

– Lt. Eleyr, CNS

Andromeda grinned at the sight of the wall of weaponry, more and more certain of her choice in gifts as time went by. “Well, even the CMO isn’t exempt from mandatory evaluations. I figured I’d do you the courtesy of appearing in a timely manner.” She sat down on a large cushion, making herself comfortable. “And of course, a welcome present.” The black bag contained an elegant dagger with a blade of steel, colored glass set into the hilt. She placed the bag down with a flourish, hoping she had surprised the taller woman.
-Andromeda DeLion, CMO

“I suppo—” Eleyr’s eyes gravitated to the table, sorrel depths romanced by intrigue. Her taloned fingers crept forward, calmly tugging the black bag from its perch. “—for me?”

She pried open its tired jaws, peering past the dark fabric into its belly. Confusion broke into thunderous peals of laughter that ripped from the deepest recess of her soul, a crooked smirk bound to her lips. “Bless the gods!” She withdrew the dagger from its nook, carrying it into the air with fondness swimming through her cast. Catching the fluorescent light, it bathed her mocha skin in an array of colours serving to intensify her vigour.

“I shall honour this blade for eternity and carry it with me into the glorious Sto-vo-kor!” Eleyr sprung from her cushion and marched to her wall, plucking a mangled knife from its surface and flung it to the side. In its place, she planted Andromeda’s dagger, adjusting it so the light would catch its radiant face. She returned to the CMO a moment later, her eyes occasionally flickering to the brilliant gift DeLion bestowed upon her.

“Now,” Eleyr grunted in a gesture for the CMO to lead the conversation, “my battles are spoken for in these blades… let us discuss yours.”

— Eleyr, CNS

Andromeda grinned madly at Eleyr’s enthusiasm, but as soon as the conversation shifted to her, she was back to the slightly grumpy CMO. “What do you want to know? Life story? We could be here a while if that’s what’cha want.”
-Andromeda DeLion, CMO

Eleyr watched her levity fade into ill-temper, leaning forward to open her palms in a ‘hit me with your best shot’ gesture. “That is for you to decide,” she raised her bushy eyebrows, “what do you feel is pertinent to know?” Her grin returned in an alternative question. “What tale would you bellow from the peak of Mount Ever-est? For all Earth-dwellers to hear?”

— Eleyr, CNS

bumpity-bump!

OOC: Thank you!
IC:
Andromeda floundered for a moment, then began hesitantly. “I started helping out in Sickbay as a little kid. I grew up on a cargo freighter, so we never had enough. Enough business, enough hands, enough equipment… My stepdad was the ship’s doctor, and he taught me how to jury-rig just about any piece of equipment you can find in a Starfleet sickbay.” She was proud of that, no matter how much she hated that he’d had to do it. “We would go down planetside sometimes, just the two of us, when colonies had broken medical equipment or their doctor had died and they were waiting on a new one.”

Eleyr tipped forward, resting her arms loosely about her legs. Admiration flickered through her hostile gaze, but it never made it to her tongue. Furrowing her eyebrows, she occasionally bobbed her head and listened. Hesitation melted like wax to a flame. Sparks of passion, pride, and venom licked at the air around them. The distance between them was short, but Eleyr felt its energy swell as though she wavered centimetres from it. Something was about to resurface.

“I… I went down on my own once, when I was 21. There was an earthquake while I was there, knocked out communications, messed up transport, and destroyed the only clinic, with the doctor still inside.” Andromeda was starting to seem far away, as though she was looking at the scene rather than describing it. “I had the two nurses, and the three of us made our way through the whole disaster. 539 people were in that colony before I arrived, 462 were still alive when Starfleet showed up a week later.” She laughed bitterly. “Their CMO called it a testament to my endurance and creativity. Said I was resourceful, and Starfleet material. I went to the Academy fourteen years later on his recommendation.” She’d been a decade older than her classmates, and the only human that didn’t speak standard as a first language. “So here I am,” She finished awkwardly, having just gotten into the swing of talking when her story was over.
-Andromeda DeLion, CMO

Eleyr sat witness to the distance that consumed Andromeda. It seemed to wiggle and writhe, transporting her from Constellation to that colony harrowed by disaster and deprivation. She knew nothing of the incident. But she watched the way emotions flashed across DeLion’s face, dampening and kindling her aura until it all came to an unwieldy close. “How patronising,” Eleyr spoke candidly, her words laced not with poison but mangled empathy. “To be deemed ‘resourceful’ and ‘creative’, when you and your team single-handedly preserved the lives of 462 people. Without supplies nor sufficient support, that wasn’t simply creative nor resourceful – it was honourable.”

Andromeda snorted. “There’s nothing honorable in failure,” she muttered, averting her gaze.

“What delayed your decision to apply to the Academy?” Eleyr’s tone softened (as much as a Klingon’s could), as she tugged the PaDD from the nearby table.

— Eleyr, (a somewhat opinionated) CNS

Andromeda sighed, seeming to sag. “You can’t be a doctor on a ship that’s been retired. The systems were old, the people were old… They just picked a planet to settle on and I couldn’t bear being stuck on the ground in one place. Paul could tell I wasn’t satisfied, even though I pretended I was.” She scowled suddenly, mock offended. “He sent in an application for me, can you believe it? Nominated me as his student!” Her face smoothed before she spoke again. “I was so happy when he told me I could leave.”
-Andromeda DeLion