Not the Best First Impression, Part 3

Posted on Sun Mar 27th, 2022 @ 5:19pm by Lieutenant Didrea Zade & Ensign Kateyo Fenn

Mission: Character Development
Location: USS Athena, Gym
Timeline: Between missions
2480 words - 5 OF Standard Post Measure

Jenkins started to grin, seeing Teyo basically one punch away from defeat, and he turned to Merrick and said in a taunting voice, "I have the perfect outfit in mind for you, by the way."

Merrick was shocked at the turn of events, the only evidence of it being a raised brow and a slight frown. Teyo was doing so well, what was he doing??? "Not if I can help it," he growled at Jenkins. Cupping his hands, he shouted to Teyo, "come on, Teyo! You got this!"


Teyo looked from Merrick to the female Trill, his eyes were dark with anger. He didn't know what had fueled him when he started this fight but he sure knew what he wanted now. All the cockiness and bravado had vanished, all that was left was pure loathing and seething anger. Why wasn't she ending this? He thought to himself, scared at the prospect and excited about it all in one. He took a step towards her and pushed her with all his might. "Coward! Why did you stop? All talk and no action? Guess you're not as good as you thought you were," he said, goading her into striking him again.

The push was enough to knock Zade to the ground after several failed steps to try and retain balance. She heard a wave of "ooooooh" from the crowd and shot them a glare before turning her attention back to Teyo. "Sorry to disappoint, I don't knock out crewmates unless I have to," she responded, standing. Despite the impeccable cleanliness of the ship, she still brushed her hands on her leggings. "I'm only holding back because I know something's bothering you and you are clearly too blinded by your feelings. It doesn't take an empath to see that." Zade calmly walked up to him until he was within arm's reach... then slapped him across the face. "What did I tell you about protecting your head?"

Teyo saw red, again. She didn't know him, how dare she presume what was wrong with him or troubling him, she didn't have the right to do so. He held his face where her hand had made contact; partly trying to take away the sting, partly in shock that she had just done that, and in front of all of these people too? Without thinking he punched her as hard as he could in the face. He felt his fist make contact with the side of her cheek. That will show her, he thought as his breathing deepened.

Zade's head jolted to the side, and she winced at the pain that the punch brought with it. Ok, I may have deserved that, she thought, working her jaw as she slowly turned back to stare down Teyo. Somehow, that punch didn't break her jaw, but she did taste something coppery in her mouth. "Huh, case in point," she commented. Anticipating another attack, Zade tensed her body. The rapid change in emotions from him was difficult to keep up with, but she knew her speculation was right. Granted, she was the cause of some of his anger, especially now. Despite an annoyed expression, inside she couldn't help but feel concerned.

She was giving him that look, the kind of look as though she was seeing straight through him, into his soul. He didn't like that look and he wanted her to stop, anyway he could. Teyo saw his opportunity and went to strike her in her stomach, but he wasn't quick enough this time, she had seen it coming a mile away.

Seeing the punch she anticipated, Zade used one hand to block as she stepped diagonally forward. The hand she used to block twisted to grasp his wrist, and Zade turned to face his back as her free hand went to his tricep near the shoulder. She then twisted his arm enough to lock it and secured his wrist at her hip, using her other hand to apply pressure to his tricep to secure the lock. It was also to prevent him from rising and to control where his body went. "This is what I mean," Zade said, widening her stance so she'd have more control. "You're too clouded by your anger to anticipate what I was going to do." Her grip on his wrist was like a vise, and his arm was twisted enough that it would hurt if he tried to move it too much. "I don't know what emotional baggage you walked in here with, but learn to channel it instead of letting it control you."

Teyo was trapped, and he knew it. It didn't matter which way he tried to move, her hold on him was too strong. He had got cocky, arrogant, and now he was paying for that mistake. In a way he knew he deserved this, he had come at her at warp speed. But she had also brought this on herself too, she was just so annoying. "How about you let me go before you regret your actions here?" He said, in a dark tone.

Zade couldn't help the small 'pfft' that escaped her lips. "How about you make me?" she challenged, maintaining her pressure. While one of his arms was under her control, she knew she was vulnerable to an attack because both of her hands were occupied. If he attacked right, she'd have to let go to defend herself. "You have three limbs available and you know precisely where I am, so get out of the lock yourself, Muscles."

Teyo knew what game she was playing and he was no longer interested in playing by her rules, he was in charge of his own destiny, no one else. He thought back to when he was four years old, a hyperactive, energetic child. There was a tree in the back of their house that he used to love to climb, despite being warned multiple times that he would fall and break something. However, he was invincible, he wouldn't fall, and he definitely wouldn't break anything, until the day that he did, the very arm that the woman was clutching in her vicelike grip. Flash forward a few years, in his early teens, during the time when he tried to focus this same hyperactive and energetic levels into sports. He loved all sports, especially contact ones. He was playing Parrises squares, once again something his parents discouraged heavily. But Teyo back then, much like now, wouldn't be told, he wouldn't be tamed. His destiny was his for the taking, but destiny fought back and snapped the same arm again. The third break was his worse one yet, it involved an angry Klingon, a lot of blood wine and something about a lack of honour.

Teyo wondered if this particular arm was cursed, or maybe he was? Maybe he just couldn't help but get into these situations or maybe Xavier was right; he was a trouble maker who loved chaos? Chaotic evil was the phrase his friend used and Teyo had to admit, it was rather fitting. Whatever the reason, the Trill knew he could endure the pain of life and still come through the other side, stronger. So he changed the rules, changed them to his rules. As the women applied more pressure, Teyo slightly moved in the opposite direction, against the natural bend of his arm. There was a loud crack and his arm flopped in the woman's hand.

There were few things in life that made Zade want to vomit. The sound of a bone breaking was not one of those things, but the sound coupled with feeling the vibration of it certainly was. Feeling his now slack arm made a shiver run down her spine that was comparable to being the recipient of Karav's death glare. A disgusted knot forming in her stomach, she immediately let go of him and backed off. "Dude, what the hell??" she practically shouted at him. "I meant find a sensible way to get out of it!"

The crack was audible to the group watching the fight, who gasped and murmured in response. Jenkins' jaw went slack as he gaped at what just happened. "Merrick, did you see that???" He turned to his partner in crime, only to see the Vulcan's face paler than usual. "Don't tell me that made you squeamish..."

"Not... at all..." Merrick lied through gritted teeth. The sound of the crack echoed in his ears, and seeing Teyo's limp arm bend in an unnatural way made him start to feel really queasy, the kind of queasy expected from the first time spacewalking. He could feel a cold sweat beading on the back of his neck, and a ringing was starting to form in his ears.

Jenkins saw through Merrick's lie and could see him get even more pale. "Sit, before you pass out," he said, gently pushing on Merrick's shoulder. There was no objection from Merrick as Jenkins helped him sit on the floor, and Jenkins told another crewman to get some water. "You know this doesn't get you out of our bet, right?" Jenkins commented, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Shut up..." Merrick murmured. He put his head between his knees and focused on taking slow breaths to keep himself conscious.

As prepared as he was, Teyo had to admit that that hurt, a lot. He bit down on his bottom lip so hard that he nearly tore it off. The pain that coursed through his arm was intense, and he wanted to pass out, but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. "Friendly spar?" He said loud enough so the entire room could hear. "If you can only win by cheating, it clearly means a lot to you."

This was not how Zade wanted this to go. She wanted to give him a space to let him vent his frustrations so he wouldn't take it out on someone else, not give him the opportunity to act careless. Just what was he trying to prove? That he could get his way? Whatever the reason, she now couldn't avoid an incident report, and the idea of doing that paperwork started to anger her, especially after just getting her new position. "You can't cheat in a game where the only rule is 'don't die'," she snipped back, some of her anger slipping into her voice. Some of what she was feeling could be described as disrespect. To her, sparring was a form of self discipline where the parties practiced on equal terms. She gave him a chance, but he was so self-centered that it ended up creating more risk than it was worth.

Get a grip! She thought to herself. As much as she wanted to take her anger out, she knew it would accomplish nothing. With her position, she couldn't stay involved in something like this. Taking in a slow breath, Zade then dropped her defensive stance but not her guard. It seemed like no matter what she did, he would get upset over it, and it was growing tiresome. "Call me whatever you want if it makes you feel better, but we're done here." Zade's eyes narrowed as she turned to walk back to where she placed her things. "I'd offer to escort you to Sickbay but something tells me you won't accept it."

Teyo wasn't sure how he felt after his bout with the Trill woman. He thought he would feel something, victorious? Triumphant? However, the only thing he felt was empty and a little silly. He had naturally taken things too far and wished the day had turned out better than how things currently were, but he had made his bed now and he had to lie in it. "I'm pretty sure I can make my own way to sickbay," he said as he cradled his broken arm and tried to appear braver than he felt. "Maybe you should make your way to the security office, or the brig?"

Zade didn't say anything at first, taking the time to grab her locket and secure the clasp behind her neck. If she weren't annoyed, she would have chuckled at the idea of arresting herself over something as petty as this. "What a coincidence," she said flatly, putting on the jacket and zipping it to hide the necklace, "that's where my office is."

Teyo was confused at first, her words didn't seem to make sense, but then it all came rushing to him like a 10ft wave on his surfing program. The fact he hadn't seen her on the ship before, the jacket, her office, her fighting skills; she was clearly the new chief of security. You idiot, he thought to himself as he slightly hung his head. If there was any way this day could get worse then that would be it. Making frienemies was nothing new for the engineer, but making an actual enemy of the chief of security was a bold move, even for him.

Turning to address the group of onlookers, she said, "I know you all were placing bets on us. Next time, don't." Zade then gave a little 'come here' wave to Jenkins, who was kneeling next to a Vulcan who looked like he was on the verge of fainting, and to a Bolian who was part of the group as she closed the distance to them.

The group nodded before starting to disband. A knot formed in Jenkins' chest when Zade silently told him to stay behind. He gave Merrick a gentle pat on the shoulder, "I'll be right back." Standing, he walked over to Zade with the Bolian. Seeing her neutral expression with a hint of anger in her eyes intimidated the hell out of Jenkins, and he was fully expecting to be scolded. "Y-yes, Chief?" he asked, hesitation in his voice.

Zade looked between the two of them before briefly closing her eyes and sighing. "Please see to it that Teyo and the crewman with his head between his knees get to sickbay," she said quietly.

Surprised, but also relieved, Jenkins and the Bolian nodded. "Yes, Chief!" they responded in unison. Jenkins went back to Merrick and told him to get up, while the Bolian tapped his badge to alert sickbay of some minor injuries before approaching Teyo.

Turning her head, she gave Teyo one last glance over her shoulder. It was partly to remember his features so she could look him up in the system when she had to do the report, but it was also a silent apology for the way the conflict turned out. She knew that she met him on a bad day and she was partly to blame for the escalation, so she didn't blame him if he held a grudge against her. With nothing else to say to him, she turned and headed for the exit.