You Know What They Say

[butterfly_kiss]

WHO: Tae Takemi
WHERE: Agrii Ship
WHAT: Health Care Work
WHEN: February
WARNINGS: N/A

A. Doctor My Eyes

Work may be consuming her life. Okay, no, it's not. But it's not like there are clubs or music venues to get to. Plus, of course, an important patient. So there Tae is, sitting in the Medical Bay. She finishes bandaging up a small burn on the side of one young Blue-Faction Agrii's hand and she nods as he goes.

Then her eyes turn back to the not-quite-glass window in to the area she had set up as the ICU. Where she watches her most important patient.

"You all just have to make things difficult," she sighs as she looks at it. "Wake up, Ny Ak. I think your people need you. And that kid too."

B. The Wonder of the Stars

At least there's a good way to unwind when she's not hovering over patients. When not eating, sleeping in a room provided for her near the Medical Bay, or hovering, Tae found herself winding up here time and time again. The Green Area. Sure, she can't go deep, the Blues wouldn't let even her do that, but she could get just close enough. She could get here. Could get to where she could sit on a bench and smile up at the stars.

They were the clearest she'd ever seen.

Hearing another person approach she spoke without looking toward them.

"They're beautiful from here. You can't see them in Tokyo of course. Too much light pollution. What a wonder."

Comments

B

[faceguy]

Leo makes his rounds around the Agrii ship, because at this point he's made too many promises to keep the Blues safe to not stay here. It makes him a little itchy, being away from Donnie, especially because his brother decided to go to Temba without him. Leo knows that Donnie doesn't want to feel like Leo is babysitting him, but he can't help feeling like something terrible is going to happen.

So he's focused on the Blues to not focus on that. He's so focused that he doesn't even realize another He Row is here - until she speaks to him, anyway.

He jumps, his hands coming up to protect himself, before he realizes it's just that one doctor. Ah...

He looks up where she's looking. He likes the stars. He'd probably like being in space, if it weren't like this.

"New York is like that," is all he says.

Re: B

[butterfly_kiss]

"I imagine it would be," she agrees, lowering her gaze to Leo with a brief nod. "Your, what is it called... Time Square? It is like many places around the city. Even the quieter parts have too much light."

It's hell on the circadian rhythm and she's had to tell more than a few patients in the neighborhood to get darker curtains, but does anyone listen? Hardly.

[faceguy]

You don't have to worry about dark curtains when you live in a sewer, at least!

"Yeah, but you don't have to go to Times Square for lights. It's the City that Never Sleeps, and all that."

He shrugs. "I liked it. Made it easy to run around at night. But you couldn't see the stars."

[butterfly_kiss]

Now that would be a fair point indeed. But how did one light the sewers?

"I hear that of it. From my experience that is true of Tokyo as well, especially certain areas. It's so busy. Not that I begrudge it that. But this..."

She gestures up at the stars.

"Compelling. They were never a part of my life growing up."

[faceguy]

String lights and lanterns at first. Having a genius turtle kid who can work out how to divert power from NYC's grid later.

Leo looks up at it again. It really is pretty cool. He's always liked space, even though his experience of it has mostly been through TV - Jupiter Jim in particular.

"I guess I kinda saw stars when I went camping that one time... They didn't look like it does from here, though."

[butterfly_kiss]

Yeah, that would probably help.

"I imagine not. I seem to remember something from school about the atmosphere providing a filter that can reduce some light," she says with a sigh. "Less than whatever makes up this massive dome, clearly."

To the best of her knowledge (not that she had much cause to wander at night in Temba) even the planet didn't get this good of a view.

[faceguy]

Ugh, that sounds like science talk. At least it doesn’t go on too long, though.

“Well yeah, obviously if you’re closer to the stars you can see them better!”

That was not what Tae meant, but Leo seems convinced of it anyway.

“What are you doing here, anyway? I mean, instead of back on our ships.”

Leo’s here to watch the Blues, but it’s… kind of weird. Knowing the spawning is happening not far from here. It’s kind of gross, especially for a fifteen(?)-year-old for whom sexuality is more of a theoretical concept than something he’s engaged with.

[butterfly_kiss]

Oh. Well that's an easy one to answer. The doctor sighs and crosses her legs as she leans back on the bench.

"There is a lot of medical care that needs to happen up here. So I'm trying to take care of what I can. Therefore I've been staying on this ship and sleeping near the medical bay."

It's just been easier. Not to mention monitoring Ny Ak.

[faceguy]

“Oh, okay… So Ny Ak still isn’t better?”

That’s what he’s reading into this.

B

[tempredmental]

"Yeah... even in the desert, it doesn't look the same as it does from space," Keith said. Less color, and Keith was aware that the atmosphere refractions made stars 'twinkle' and give off more colors than they do from space. There were still some, and you had the nebulas and dust clouds, but those were farther apart than they appeared.

"A friend of mine reminded us that most of space is just big gaps of nothing," he said. "And, when you don't have a shortcut, it can take a really long time to get between things like stars and galaxies... even just planets in the same system."

He stared through the glass, or whatever that dome up there was made of. It felt like standing in the main operations room of the Castle of Lions again.

[butterfly_kiss]

"Your friend is really familiar with astronomy," she notes with a smile, but her eyes don't move from the view. "I didn't get to see this growing up much, and this is way better than in Temba."

Not that she leaves the hospital at night as much as she could.

"So it's a nice way to unwind. Cheaper than a planetarium too."

[tempredmental]

"We all are," Keith said. "Well, my team... from back home. We were training to be space pilots and explorers. We kind of had to learn astronomy to help with navigation.

"I grew up in Arizona... in the US. Dad's land was out in the middle of nowhere, but, after he died, I ended up in a group home. Didn't see it as much after that as there were too many lights around," he said. "Not as much as like Phoenix or something, but still more than where Dad's land was. Not until I was studying at the Garrison."

He nodded, though.

"Yeah... it's quiet... let's you clear your head."

He also maintained his gaze out into the void behind, staring at those little pinpoints of light.

[butterfly_kiss]

Does it? How intriguing.

"For me a slow cup of coffee used to do that. Because I would focus in on the quality of the brew. It helped."

It was not as easy to get it as commonly here.

[tempredmental]

"Mm." Keith knew others like that, too.

"I think it's because I associate this with being out in the wilderness back home," he said. "Quiet, either by yourself or with just people you want to have with you..." He shrugged slightly.

"You can just let go and forget about everything else for a while."

[butterfly_kiss]

"Wilderness and I don't know each other very well," she admits with a chuckle. "And alas, I cannot often keep my brain from running."

[tempredmental]

"That sounds like someone else I know," Keith said. Pidge often couldn't stop her head from running places, and she definitely didn't like 'outdoors'. "At least it's easier here than out in the woods?" He shrugged a little.

[butterfly_kiss]

Yes, there was that. She chuckles and shakes her head.

"I am not a woman made for the woods, that's true."

A (Backdated late feb, say after Gladio encounter?)

[thepurpleone]

There's a light knock against the side of the door after Donnie steps in. At least he'd known where to find Tae, and he feels better meeting her in person than contacting through the network, even now that he'd reacquired his tablet.

His own eyes drift towards the area that's been separated off, his mouth drawn in a thin line, hands burrowing deeper into the pockets of his hoodie. Sighing quietly, he turns his attention to the doctor, extracting his hands to pull his bag around in front of him, opening the flap to bring out a thermos.

"Coffee break?" he asks, smiling awkwardly.

(sounds good)

[butterfly_kiss]

Tae looks up from a report she was writing and smiled when she saw Donnie. A smile that grew larger at Donnie's offering.

"If you were older, I would think you were seducing me. Thank goodness you're not. Come on in."

[thepurpleone]

Donnie blushes brightly at that, looking startled at the suggestion. He coughs into a fist. "-not my intent, even if you're the prettiest doctor I've ever met. But that's not saying much either given how short a list that is," he amends.

Stepping into the medbay, he unscrews the cap of the thermos, looking to see if Tae's got any mug of her own handy.

"Um. How've things been here?" he asks

[butterfly_kiss]

"I know it isn't," she chuckles over his embarrassment. "And I'd never refer to my colleague as pretty, so I imagine it's the smallest list possible."

She reaches for a mug she keeps on the surface she turned into a desk, and holds it out to him.

"Less busy. But that means I have more time for more thorough discussions with the ship to learn about Agrii biology."

[thepurpleone]

Carefully he pours her coffee, nodding a little.

"Guess it helps that the Agrii are preoccupied with other things." He's also glad that that gives them some respite. His attention drifts back towards where he knows Ny Ak rests.

"Is it very complicated? Like...how different are their biological systems? I know they prefer more humid atmospheres..."

[butterfly_kiss]

"Yes. Though I prefer not to think about it. My brain goes some weird places."

And she doesn't want to think about it. As for the other thing...

"So far as Wesker and I can determine, it's quite different. I'd say if I had to compare them to a species back on our planet I'd probably go with a salamander. An amphibious species that as it matures moves into a more heavily terrestrial lifestyle but still is capable of handling water, and even appreciating it. Their skin stays moist to retain their internal water levels, like a frog, and it is very necessary to them. The teeth intrigue me, but I don't know what to do with that or the extra appendages. I have not, and will not, test if they can regrow lost or damaged parts of their bodies. But because they are amphibious they have different manners of processing what they need for respiration."

She gestures toward where Ny Ak lays.

"While I can't be certain, I think his terrestrial respiration system was slightly damaged in the attack. That, along with blood loss, has led to a shock to the system. An Nu has helped me keep him hydrated as this is apparently vital to their aquatic respiration system, but I can't tell how. I did find that their legs are insanely powerful, probably to compensate for movement through water given they have nothing fin like about them and they are not light."

[thepurpleone]

Donnie nods thoughtfully as he fills the thermos cap with some coffee for himself. "That's an interesting comparison, but I think I can see it. I'm figuring the teeth are part of their true nature. The arms..." He shrugs. "But they're actually kind of scary strong with those so it might also be in part with the aforementioned," he mutters, thinking about when he was trying to wrestle his garden hoe away from one.

"Maybe it's all through the skin? Have you looked into those stasis pods below? I wonder if they're equipped to treat Agrii, but if they bring in who knows what from anywhere and they get warped into one of those, then...maybe they're built for general use?" He huffs, wishing he'd been able to figure it out, but after almost getting killed by one and scaring Leo, Donnie's been reluctant to try again.

[butterfly_kiss]

"Oh yes, they are clearly evolved that way. But I do wonder as to what the purpose that motivated it was. Evolution was not really a specialty for me of course."

As for the rest, she shakes her head in quiet denial.

"I don't really feel like heading down there. They place gives creepy vibes."