Unexpected Friendships

Posted on Tue Oct 18th, 2022 @ 10:08am by Lieutenant Commander Michael Ki & Lieutenant Commander Finnley Keating VII

Mission: Character Development
Location: Mess Hall
2390 words - 4.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Finn walked into the mess hall in the mood for tacos, but as of late her new digits had been acting up and everyone knows you can't eat tacos without all of your fingers. Maybe it was a mental block, or something else, she wasn't quite sure yet. With a sigh, she ordered a sushi roll instead. At least chopsticks only required one hand.

She found a table in the back corner of the room and claimed it. She had always preferred one of the tables along the edge of the room, it provided a way to watch people without being seen much yourself and if there was anything Finn was interested in lately, it was not being seen.

Ki usually took his meals in Sick Bay. He was not a people person and rather liked the solitude of his office. There he could continue his life's work while taking a meal. However, he had been encouraged as of late to get out in the crew as it were. There seemed to be some complaints that the was missing from the general ship life. He ordered two of his favorite sushi rolls, salmon to be exact with a spicy sauce. Along side it was a small ceramic pitcher with two small glasses. This was a sake set. Ki always took his lunch with sake followed by a nice cup of green tea.

Once the tray had materialized he looked about the crowded Mess Hall for an empty table. An audible sigh of exacerbation left Michael's lips as he realized there were no empty tables. He was about to give up and return the try to the reclamat when he spotted Lieutenant Keating sitting by herself eating sushi no less. Ki would never admit it to anyone but he found Finnley not only attractive but he found her intriguing as well. As he approached the table his face lit up with a smile. "Is this seat taken Lieutenant?"

Finn groaned internally. She didn't really want to socialize, especially not with the doctor, but it would be rude to deny him the clearly empty seat. "Feel free," she motioned towards the empty chair with an accommodating smile.

Ki sat down and poured a cup of the warm sake. "Can I offer you a cup of sake. It pairs well with good sushi and helps relax the nerves as it were." He was not too good at breaking the proverbial ice so he hoped the sake would do it for him.

Finn waved off the offer. "No, thanks. I can't say I'm much of a sake fan myself. I'm one of those weird people that likes water more than most other drinks. I'll have my fair of rum and cokes at the bar though. Do you drink anything other than sake or tea? I don't think I've seen you consume much else."

"No not much else, save water of course. My secret is most of the sake I drink is synthahol or non alcoholic. One never knows when a doctor will be needed." Ki said with a broad smile. When he smiled his cheeks made it seem that his eyes just disappeared. He took a bite of his sushi carefully placing some wasabi and ginger on the piece and then he dipped it into the soy sauce. Michael placed the bite into his mouth and savored the sushi. "You know we are not too different, you and I. I maintain and keep the crew healthy and you do the same for the ship. I guess you are the Athena's doctor."

"I guess," Finn shrugged. "I haven't really thought about it that way. I just have one ship though, you have thousands of people of different biological makeups. I think I got the easier assignment," she chuckled slightly.

"mmmm Perhaps... But I prefer to look at the unsolvable. Being a Doctor aboard a starship is not where I want to be. But it is where they want me to be. I am Diagnostician, I like to cure the unknown. The Sherlock Holmes of medicine if you will. Right now I am working on curing Bendii Syndrome, although I am far from an actual cure." Michael paused for a moment as he realized that he monopolized the conversation with this beautiful woman. He continued the response to her statement. "But perhaps I don't have the easier assignment. I mean to have to keep the ship together during massive onslaughts is no small feat."

"Can't you request an assignment at a lab on a planet if you don't want to be on a ship?" Finn asked, thinking it was insane to not want to be assigned to a starship. Anything else would be boring, at least, that was her point of view. "Keeping the ship together is relatively simple. I work with plain machinery and materials. It's just a matter of prioritization and execution."

"Unfortunately for yours truly any request that I make will be denied. Lets just say that I do not have too many friends in Starfleet Medical, well I do not have many friends for that matter." Michael said and then took another bite of his lunch. "I still think it is the same. I have triage and then care which can be the same as prioritization and execution. What do you like to do when you are not keeping the ship together." Michael turned on the curmudgeonly charm that only he had.

"Catching up on engineering research or working out. I love surfing when I can snag some holodeck time," Finn looked at him inquisitively. He was right, they did share similarities in their jobs, and in fact, perhaps they were more alike than she had ever cared to realize in the past. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot..." Michael replied and smiled. He appreciated her varied interests. In fact surfing was something he actually had an interest in trying. Perhaps she would teach him. For the first time in a long Michael found himself interested in what someone had to say, that did not have to do with research or a patient. This was rare for the man as he usually had a one track mind and that did not involve people on a personal level. At the moment he waded into uncharted waters.

"Why don't you have many friends?" Finn asked, point blank. Some may have considered it rude to be so blunt, but Finn had a feeling like Ki appreciated a straightforward approach as much as she did.

Straight to the point Michael not only admired that in a person but he found it attractive. "I think it is my blunt personality. I feel that life is entirely too short for me to be anything but up front. I do not soften any blows, for example if you were dying of something I would tell you without pause. You should know so that you can enjoy what you have left, or to make preparations at the very least. I think that most people to not like this and tend to shy away from people who act like this. It is just as well as the lack of a social calendar while grading at times allows me to pursue my cures." He paused for a moment as he pondered where the question may have come front. "But if I may be so bold would ask the same for you. It seems to me that you are a bit of a loner as well."

Finn shrugged, unphased at his return question. "I actually think I have a good number of friends. I just haven't felt like socializing much lately," she confessed. "I tend to be pretty straightforward too, but I've learned to temper that for those that need it. Certainly helps in running a department anyway, I find. I feel like I have to relate to my engineers on a certain level and build trust with them. It helps with that."

"That makes sense. I have been told that I am a brilliant doctor with the worst bedside manner. But I feel that a bedside manner is not needed and should never be needed. It is best to tell patients directly what their prognosis is and allow them to prepare than to give hope where there may not be any." Michael continued to speak in a business tone and then he paused for a moment as he pondered whether or not to give voice to the thought he had. Ultimately, after a sip of his tea he decided to speak up. "I usually do not like to socialize. However, after I met you I seemed to want to get to know someone. I am sorry if that made you uncomfortable, but I did want to say thank you."

"You can be straightforward and still temper it with a soft touch you know," Finn chuckled slightly. "I find that works best when working on the Athena actually. Sometimes, you've gotta talk to her to get her to cooperate." She took a sip of her drink as she debated on how to respond to the last part of his statement. "I'm not sure what made you want to get to know me, but you're welcome I guess?"

Ki knew that she was correct, however, he often found himself not wanting to temper himself. He mostly wanted to be left alone. But, he knew that he could not say that to her, for that would have the opposite effect that Michael wanted. "So when you are not tending to one of our most important patients what do you enjoy doing?"

"really nothing more than what I mentioned earlier," Finn took another bite of sushi. "Though, you haven't told me your hobbies. What do you do when you aren't fixing the rest of us up?"

"I like to work my way through old medical cases and see if I can find something that the Doctor of record missed. But what really relaxes me is the violin and fiddle. I love to play and it helps me concentrate." Michael sipped his tea as he regarded the woman across the table from him. He had an urge to make sure that Finn liked him.

"Interesting. Why see if other doctors missed something? Why not investigate things like unsolved cases?" She asked with a curiously arched brow. Dr. Ki was turning out to be a much more intriguing person than she may have given him credit for.

"It helps me challenge my own skills as a doctor in particular as a diagnostician. Can I come up with the diagnosis before the doctor of record is my ultimate goal. It has the added benefit of allowing me to see things from a different perspective which allows me to work on current illnesses better. You would be surprised by exactly how much everything is connected. I usually take what I learn and apply it to unsolved cases. Currently I am working on a treatment and possible cure for Bendii Syndrome." He smiled and chuckled before adding. "Imagine the look on the Vulcan Science Council's face when a human cures their worst ailment."

"Now that, I would love to see," Finn chuckled. "Speaking of things to see...do you ever put on concerts featuring your violin skills?" She asked.

"I will make sure that you are invited to the ceremony when the time comes. That is if the events of this ship would ever give me enough time to continue my research. As to the concerts I would love to do them, just not alone. I feel that violin music when performed on its own is not pleasing to the ear. Do you play an instrument?" For the first time Michael felt like he may be making a connection with a woman.

"I can't say I do. Sports were always more my thing. I'm not sure I would've had a talent for music, though my mom did play the viola and she was pretty good at it. What made you decide to pick up a violin? Like what inspired you to first start playing?" Finn asked.

"In short my fictional idol... Sherlock Holmes. The great detective inspires me and is someone that I look up to. When I learned that he played the violin I decided to learn. I feel a kinship with Holmes as I believe myself to be a medical detective. What is your favorite sport?" Michael was slightly surprised at himself. He was never one for small talk and yet with this woman he found that he wanted to learn all he could about her.

"Surfing for an individual sport, basketball for team sport. Assuming I'm playing and not just watching," Finn smiled and finished the last of what food she had. Getting to know the doctor had been valuable, if nothing else, because it made her slightly more comfortable around him. That said, idle small talk wasn't among her more favorite things to do and since her plate was now empty, Finn made an attempt at a polite goodbye. "I hate to run, but I think my lunchtime is about up and I need to get back to engineering. It was nice talking to you," she smiled.

"Indeed it was nice to talk to you. Perhaps dinner when there is not so much work to be done." Michael said with a smile. He was usually not one for things like this, however, this woman was quite captivating and he hoped that she wanted to see him again.

"Perhaps, when things aren't so busy," Finn said, unsure if she actually meant it. Not that it necessarily mattered since she couldn't recall a time when she hadn't been busy, even if it was usually self-induced. Finn regarded Ki with a nod as she hopped up from the table. "Have a good afternoon," she stated with a smile before walking off.

"Same to you Finn" Michael said with a smile and air excitement for the future. He watched her leave and realized he was a man who hoped for the best but expected the worse. In this case the best was dinner and perhaps a relationship. The worse was not even bad, it would be a new friend. Now Michael wondered if it were possible for him to have friends.