A good vintage

Posted on 03 Aug 2016 @ 2:59am by Commander Jayla Kij & Vorian Sulvai

2,182 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Risky Business
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD 0 - Backpost

ON:

Vorian looked in the mirror smiling, or at least what he thought was a good smile. He never could get it right though, the smiling. There had been moments of genuine smile but then again he could never replicate them. Maybe it was just safer to go and look simply Vulcan, after all that's what everyone expected of him. Vulcans do not smile because it is after all illogical. Or so he heard a few people say one time.

Letting out a now characteristically sigh he straightened his uniform and finally tore away from the mirror. As he approached the door to his room he repeated his mantra quietly, getting ready for the abundance of sensory information that awaited him on the other side of the door. Taking a deep breath he opened the door and entered the hallway, not stopping for a second, but instead heading directly towards the Sickbay. Given that this was supposed to be his off duty time, he didn't do a complete meditation cycle, so he wasn't as prepared as he would be during duty for all the stimuli around him.

But gritting his teeth and giving his mind plenty of things to work with, such as a complete mental revision of the ship's power grid, was enough to keep him busy. So well in fact the trick worked that he found himself standing in front of the door to the Sickbay with no recollection of the trip he took from his room to his destination. The mind was truly a curious thing and it held secrets from him still, no matter how deep he would try to analyze and map it.

He took a step forward and the doors opened for him, allowing him to step inside before closing back behind him. Looking around a bit confused he thought of something funny to say but nothing came to mind. It was, according to the human customs he had observed, polite to start with a joke to lighten the mood when entering a room. But this was the Sickbay after all, and that politeness had a certain degree of familiarity required for it to apply. So instead he simply scanned the room, trying to spot the Chief Medical Officer, all the while humming a tune of a classical Terran musician in order to drown out the feelings of pain, suffering, sadness and even anger coming from some of the patients present in the Sickbay.

Of course, there was no pain, suffering, sadness or anger to be found in any part of the woman- and symbiont, of course- that was Jayla Kij. Jayla was, as usual, all smiles and cheerfulness. She radiated charm and cheer as she turned towards the swishing doors of Sick Bay to see a rather attractive Vulcan male standing there, gazing around. He must be new, she thought; she'd have remembered him, for sure. Were his eyes slightly different colors? And a ponytail? most Vulcans didn't have ponytails. Quickly, she pulled up the personnel files on the PaDD in her hand and found a couple of new ones that had not been there this morning.

Vorian Sulvai. Interesting. Yes, that was definitely the man now standing in her Sick Bay. Quickly, she shut down the PaDD and turned, flashing her customary smile as she headed towards him. "Hi!" she said cheerfully. "Lieutenant Sulvai, right? I'm Doctor Jayla Kij."

Seeing the doctor approach him he tried a subtle smile, more of a small smirk than anything as he tried to soften his eyes as well. He knew he looked rather different than normal Vulcans, so he tried to soften his appearance whenever possible. "She is smiling. Maybe this time my smile looks more natural." He bowed his head slightly as polite courtesy demanded in certain human cultures.

"A pleasure to meet you Doctor Jayla Kij. I must admit I did not expect to be recognized so easily. I must offer my apologies for the interruption but I believe I must report for my first medical checkup?" he tried to sound courteous as well, after all appearances did matter most during first time encounters. As he looked at her he noticed her marks, a joined Trill, which cleared the mystery of why he was getting two sets of emotions from her. One was hers and the other was the symbiont. Apparently the two were very in tone with each other and seemed to radiate warmth, compared to what one would expect from a Sickbay.

"Oh, no interruption at all," she replied, giving him another- or a bigger version of the same- smile. "Right this way." She led him over to a bio bed and pulled out her tricorder. "Jump right up here," she said.

Vorian followed suit and hoped on the bed. "May I inquire as to why the endearing smile? Normally when I enter a sickbay all I can feel is anything but cheerfulness and a wide smile. It is quite... curious." he spoke softly and with genuine curiosity as he analysed her features with as much attention to details as her tricorder, as if trying to unravel the mystery behind what he perceived as an unusual disposition.

Jayla grinned again as she started her primary scans. "I've been like this my whole life," she said. "Well, most of it, anyway. There was a dark time when I was first joined, but... well, I got through it. My parents say I was laughing in the pouch, but I think that's an exaggeration. There isn't a single picture of me where I'm not smiling. I guess nothing gets me down. I mean, sure there are injured people here that I have to take care of, but they're alive, right?" She grinned yet again.

"Fascinating." the word left his lips sounded as the most stereotypical thing he could say, but for him she truly was fascinating. "A true optimist maybe? Or a sever case of happiness and joyfulness. I do hope it is contagious Doctor, learning to smile like that would be very desirable." he tried to smile back at her, though this time with little success as he thought and measured how his lips were suppose to bend in this situation.

"Your logic however is pretty good. Being alive at the end of it is a reason can be considered a good reason to smile." Looking at the other patience he shivered for a brief second as he felt their less pleasant emotions wash over him. "Though I am afraid you might be alone in that Doctor, a ray of sunshine in the darkness, as one might say. Apart from you all I can feel are emotions on the other side of spectrum."

Jayla grinned at that. "Light dispels darkness," she said cheerfully. "I'm not sure if I've got quite enough light for this place, but we'll see. She finished the primary scans and switched to secondary. I've often wondered if there's a chemical imbalance in my brain," she said. "You know, like some people don't have enough serotonin? Maybe I've got too much."

He raised his eyebrow at her. "I understand what it means to try and seek a reason for how you are. In my case it is justified, but in yours? Why question that which brings light in the dark? If I were you, I would consider it logical to find a way to replicate the condition, to help offer some light to those who are without." he smiled naturally for the first time since entering, finding his proposal quite amusing. "At least you have enough light to share with others."

"Well, if I could find out why I'm so cheerful, maybe I can replicate the condition," she pointed out with a sort of cocky grin. "But, for now, I just hope it's infectious. Wouldn't it be great if happiness was a virus?"

"That would be interesting if it were true. Many races could benefit from it, but I am not so sure about my kind. I heard it being said that happiness, smiling, laughing, are deadly to a Vulcan." looking serious as he spoke his words he continued. "Imagine if happiness was a disease and it would spread on Vulcan. It would wreak havoc!"

"I doubt that," she said with a grin. "I knew a Vulcan who smiled all the time. Well, she was half human, but even so..." she trailed off as she watched her tricorder. "Having trouble sleeping?" she asked as she saw evidence of sleep aids in his system.

He had a good line to reply to the good Doctor about the smiling Vulcan, however he pushed the thoughts aside as her question reached his ears. "The sleeping pills do little to affect me and most often fail to help me sleep. I can easily tend to the drowsiness they impose on my brain, so my attention span or alertness is not affected. However the same drowsiness helps numb certain parts of my brain that I wish quieted when working. It is not the most efficient solution but it is a solution nonetheless."

"Have you thought about taking some training?" she asked, not cruelly or pointedly, just curious.

"Meditation. But there are times when that does not suffice. I feel the emotions of those around me much more strongly than a normal Betazoid. There are times other methods are required." he answered with his voice calm and controlled, hiding the growing unsettling sensations inside of him.

"I might have some ideas," she said thoughtfully. "I remember reading about neural suppressants somewhere. They were meant to help Betezoid children who develop their talents early from getting too messed up from it, but it may help." She looked at the readout again. "Pain killers, too?" she guessed.

Sighing softly he nodded. "Yes, they help with the headaches, mostly during off duty when I need to relax. They don't help much, not in a small quantity at least, but paired with other substances they help shut things out." Looking at her, his gaze was calm and neutral, though inside he was growing helpful. "I heard so too, but I find that I might be allergic to some of them. I tried a couple when I was a child, the result was not endearing. Nor were my parents willing to find one that worked."

"Perhaps in conjunction with an antihistamine..." she mused, then closed her tricorder. "I'll have to consult with someone in pharmacology, but I'll bet we can come up with something. For now, just try not to give yourself ulcers, okay?" She gave him a grin to let him know she was joking.

He nodded politely, even attempting a smile at her joke. Though the visual aid was not needed as he had been receptive enough of her emotions to know she was not being serious. "Ulcers? Not just one ulcer? You are confident doctor that I will have multiple? Well Doctor, such optimism." he replied trying to sound genuinely surprise for some calculated comedic effect. "I do have to admit, this is not the physical check up I had expected when I walked in your Sickbay. I will even venture to call it pleasant."

"I've been told my bedside manner is second to none," she said. Then, she grinned again. "Anyway, I'm declaring you fit for duty- for now. And I'll be in touch about neural suppressants."

Hopping off the table he made a polite bow at her. "Thank you Doctor, for now." he replied mimicking her. "And I do have to agree, quite excellent bedside manners. If you make a break through with the neural suppressants than it would honor me greatly if we could talk about them maybe over a beverage?"

Jayla grinned yet again. What harm could it do? It was just drinks, after all. "Sure," she said. "I'll be in touch."

"Th'i-oxalra* Doctor Jayla Kij. Rom-halan**!" he saluted informally and made a polite head nod towards her as he turned around and headed for the exist. It had been a rather pleasing experience, unlike any other check up he had during the past decade or so. And with a bit of luck, the good doctor might even find a working solution for his problems.

Jayla blinked at his retreating form. "I have no idea what any of that meant," she muttered with a vague grin. For all she knew, he could have been cursing her out. Well, it had sounded friendly, so she was going to assume it was a thank you. Or perhaps wishes of prosperity. Or even blessings of kittens and puppy kisses. Heck, she'd even be okay with him coming on to her.

That thought made her laugh and she had to wave off a passing nurse who gave her a quizzical look. She made a mental note to ask him about it sometime and went off to file her notes and his scan results.

OFF:

*th'i-oxalra - thank you - literally meaning I appreciate it.
**rom-halan - farewell - a parting salutation; good bye (noun)

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