Sleep when your dead

Posted on Fri Nov 8th, 2019 @ 8:27pm by Lieutenant Commander William Rogers & Commander Ichiko Gail

Mission: Sounds of Silence
Location: Officer's Mess?

Bill slumped in his seat, poking listlessly at the plate of pancakes in front of him. Dark circles sat underneath bloodshot eyes. He forced a smile, trying to ignore the pounding at the base of his skull. It was beginning to feel a lot like he was sick. It was a feeling he'd not had in a long time, and he didn't care for it.

Taking a seat near him was the ship's second and one of the resident children of Ts'usu, Ichiko. Her hair was a mess, but still somewhat constrained. Her ears were drooping, her expression was pained, but she still made it to the table. Breakfast? Lunch? She wasn't certain. For the first time in her life she was uncertain of something, and it bothered her as much as it excited her.

"Hai." she gave Bill a nod. "May I join you?" having already sat down, it was more of a formality.

"If you like." The helmsman muttered before he looked up. "Uh," He scrubbed a hand over his face. "Sorry, ma'am. Didn't realise it was you."

"It's me." she said, mildly amused. "Be at ease. That's the term for it, yes?" she offered. Her head was pounding, but it wasn't the lights. She was actually accustomed to the fact that Federation lighting was infuriatingly bright. "Ichiko Gail, ship's second. And you are... the singer from before?"

"Turns out Earth doesn't need another 20th Century tribute act, so I had to get a proper job."

"Never caught your name though. Trust me, I never forget a face." there was a smirk, but it didn't reach her eyes. An ancient joke, that long outlived its own punchline.

"I am." The comment about his being a singer brought a slight smile through the fog. "William Rogers. Head of Flight Control and third place winner at the 1989 Brooklyn Battle of the Bands."

Ichiko gave a deep nod. "William Rogers. Flight Control, Singer." she repeated, as though committing it to memory. "I'm pleased to meet you." she took a nibble of her food. It looked like something between breakfast and lunch. There were strips of beef, strips of bacon, eggs and pancakes... she was all over the map on her food. "I couldn't decide." she offered as explanation. "I'm usually a bit more of a conversationalist, but I fear I'm coming a bit under the weather."

"Nice to meet you too." Buck replied. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. Tired. He glanced over at some of the other crew in the mess. "I think I might be in the same boat. Didn't think I could get sick anymore. Guess it's one of your future diseases."

"If it's happening to you now, it's a Present Disease." she corrected, an attempt at mirth. It sounded a bit short, though. "Must have been something they brought back from shore leave. And here I thought the expression was that what happened on shore leave stayed there." she shook her head. "I trust you'll check yourself into Medical if your condition worsens?"

The helmsman scowled slightly, not catching the humour. "Yeah." He croaked the word out and frowned, rubbing his throat.

"Take care of that voice of your's." she stated after a moment. Her attempt at humor failed, though that could just be the fact that despite every advancement of diplomatic technology, humor was the one thing the Universal Translator couldn't pick up. That and subtlety. Or most of the Ts'usugibito language.

"I look forward to your next concert. Should there a reprise be in the future." she took a nibble of her breakfast. "This is the worst I've felt in years."

"There's bound to be. I don't care to perform for holograms, but I'll take any opportunity to sing for a live audience." He offered a faint, sympathetic smile. "Well, my mom always told me you fed a cold and starved a fever and since I haven't got a fever..." he indicated the plate in front of him.

She gave a nod, "We have a similar saying, but it doesn't translate well. So in that case, let's eat." she offered a smirk, "... to our health, of course."

"I'll drink to that." Buck replied. He smiled weakly, not managing the energy for his usual wide grin. He ate slowly for a little bit. "Does it seem odd to you that this bug is hitting everyone on the ship the same way?"

"With all the species variance on this ship, that *is* a bit odd." she remarked. "Considering even the differences between humans and other near-humans, there should be some who are unaffected."

"In fact, I don't even think humans could catch our version of the flu." she started to think about it a little more. "This... needs to be addressed." a pause, "After food."

"Still blows my mind that the flu evolved on more than one planet."

"If a planet's species has lungs, they have the flu. Though, it isn't always called the same thing. Your name for it is just easier to say right now." she admitted with a smirk. "The sheer number of things like that. Parallels. In the whole of the universe just amazes."

"I'll tell you my favorite when we're feeling better." she offered.

"I'll take you up on that." Bill replied with a grin. "I can tell you everything that speakeasy of Voroshilov's got wrong in return if you like?"

The rabbitess gave a soft smirk, "It's a date."