#93 Empathy among friends

Posted on Mon May 24th, 2021 @ 10:57pm by Chief Warrant Officer Niraasha "Nira" Whisperwind

Mission: Planet Savai
Location: USS Amandora
Timeline: current

ON:

By now, with who she was both professionally and off-duty, Miss Kelliza had met, in-passing, every member of the crew. Some she had stopped and bumped hips with, clapped hands with, snapped fingers and rocked with. All briefly, of course. It was what Kelliza Kahn chose to do as she did a walking patrol of the ship herself, solo, almost every day. With her earbuds in, set to mute when spoken directly to or called on comms, Liza liked to jam human music, of various genres. The rhythm and beat of it all was just...brilliant. So, as she walked along corridors she would reach out and take a random person in hand and hip bump, wiggle, or clap hands as she waas just listening to a song and felt the need for such actions right then and there. Now, Miss Kelliza was known throughout the ship. And that is the way she preferred it.

Today she realized she had navigated her arse up to the VIP deck in the Primary Hull. Knowing Nira was housed here, close to Sickbay and Bjorgo, Liza veered that way, coming to a stop before Nira's door. She tapped the chime key. It showed it was working, but no answer. She tapped it again. Nira's voice came through the speaker at her door panel. "What want?!" She sounded perturbed.

"Nira, it's Liza. Are you okay?"

"What iz diss 'okay'?"

"Uhmmm..okay meeeeeans...are you all right? Unharmed?" Liza had to think fast, her brain stalling at being summarily interrogated by a being she considered a friend.

"I good. What want?"

"I want to come in and say hello, you ninny. May I?" Liza was now curious if her friend really was alright. They had finally given her quarters after she passed all the non-lethal Starfleet screenings. Bjorgo had spent months in isolation with her, preparing her for this lifestyle aboard Amondora. And, she was just now beginning to venture out on her own, and a few incidents had occurred due to her own misunderstanding. But, no one stayed angry long. Nira's innocence was so child-like that no one could stay mad at her long.

"Seh seh. No stay long." The door split open and Liza was met with vines and hanging plants, in full leaf, with an earthan tunnel/cave leading around what should have been a foyer. Entering the main room she found a a veritable jungle, with the stars not blocked and on full display. Where she stepped the turf glowed with bioluminescence. And, in the center of the glade/grove/living room, sat Nira in a pool of crystal clear water, the bowl shape beneath her biolumicescent in the same blue-white glow of plasma leads.

Liza could see that Nira's ears were drooped, as were her whiskers. Without even hesitating she stepped into the pool to cross it to get to Nira, then sat down right next to her friend without a second glance at the water. It was warm and soothing, which somehow Liza already knew. "Hey, what's wrong? I can feel your depression across the room."

"I no fit." Said Nira, matter-of-fact, in that child-like tone she could pull off so well.

"Oh, stop it." Liza slapped her shoulder playfully, then said out loud. "Computer, put my earbud tunes up in speaker, conversational level."

Paul McCartney and Wings were playing Band on the Run. So, since it was now live in the room Kahn took Nira's hands and stood her up, and just started a silly wiggle dance to the song. "Smile, Nira. Nothing lasts forever. Come, let's sit in a dry place and talk. Don't make me call Tore," she gave a crooked grin at that, which Nira reciprocated. "There ya go. Smiles, not frowns, sister."

END: