Hack & Slash pt2

Posted on Sat Dec 28th, 2024 @ 4:43pm by Lieutenant Commander Savin & Lieutenant Ame Solis M.D. & Lieutenant Inara Deyren

Mission: Character Development
Location: (en route to) sickbay
Timeline: MD3, following pt1
4125 words - 8.3 OF Standard Post Measure

The length of time spent on the holodeck was unknown, but it was likely it had gone well beyond the reserved time. If anyone had walked in to observe the two sparring individuals, it had gone unnoticed.

Savin was actually slowing down now, not because he was holding back again but because he was actually getting tired. It had been quite some time now since he had engaged in such a sparring session with an actual opponent. His bare upper body was shimmering in the artificial light and he was sporting quite a number of bruises. Thanks to the (lowered) safety settings however, neither of them showed any bleeding cuts. He was however sporting the early stages of a black eye where she had been faster than he, and he'd misjudged the direction of a last minute change in attack causing her to strike him fright in the eye. He limped a little too, though he couldn't quite piece together how that had happened but walking was particularly painful now that he became aware of it

"I believe we should head to sickbay," he said as he lowered his sword to watch his opponent and long-time friend.

Inara lay sprawled on the floor, her blades discarded at her sides as she let out a quiet groan. “You’re not supposed to move into my attack...” she muttered in protest, her voice tinged with both exhaustion and mild reproach. With an exaggerated sigh, she scraped her dishevelled hair back from her face, then carefully pushed herself into a seated position, legs splayed like a child unceremoniously plopped on the ground. Her gaze shifted to Savin, and she winced as her eyes settled on the dark swelling encircling his.

“Are you okay?” she asked, concern softening her tone despite her weariness. Her eyes narrowed slightly, assessing the state of his injuries with a practised familiarity. “This doctor of yours, friend, right? Because I’m not exactly dressed for formal apologies.” She quickly folded her arms across her chest and crawled across the mat to retrieve her criss-cross wrap coverup.

Hesitating he considered saying he was fine but he reconsidered. "No," he answered, "but you need not worry. And yes, I suppose the doctor may be considered a friend." He held out a hand to her. "Do you require assistance? Are you alright?"

Threading her arms through the sleeves of her criss-cross wrap, Inara tugged the grey knit fabric over her head, wincing slightly as the material clung to her sticky skin before settling into place. A shiver ran through her, the cool fabric a sharp contrast to her overheated body. “I’m fine. Nothing food, a sonic shower, and some sleep won’t fix.” She flexed her elbow experimentally, then grinned. “Though I think my elbow’s a little sore from bouncing off your ridiculously hard head.”

She approached him, hands on her hips, her grin widening as she tilted her head up to meet his gaze. “Need a hand?” she offered, her tone teasing. Despite her playful demeanour, she assessed him carefully, ready to help if he truly needed it. “And good. I don’t want to irritate your colleagues before I’ve even had the chance to meet them.”

""Yes." There was no denying that he needed help getting to sickbay so he might as well admit it. He cast her a rueful smile. "Vulcans supposedly have hard heads," he chuckled, "I do not know if this is true about Romulans." He gratefully accepted the offered assistance as they struggled their way to sickbay. "Ame?" He called out when they crossed the threshold to the medical facility.

Without hesitation, the Betazoid looped her arm under his to steady him, pausing only to scoop up their boots and his discarded tunic. She tied the tunic into a makeshift bag with an efficient tug, slinging it over her shoulder. “Well,” she said with a grin, adjusting her grip to take the weight off his injured foot, “I’m sure the good doctor can clear that up for us. After all, the age-old combat wisdom still holds true: use your head.”

At the sound of Savin’s voice, Ame’s eyes widened, her earlier resolve to avoid him momentarily forgotten. She’d promised herself she’d catch up with him eventually when she was ready, but the unexpectedness of his arrival, paired with the unfamiliar voice accompanying him, sent her heart racing. “Savin?” she called out, stepping out of her office. Her gaze landed on the dishevelled duo, and she froze mid-step, momentarily at a loss for words. Bare-chested, bruised, and leaning heavily on a woman she didn’t recognise, Savin looked more like a rogue gladiator than the composed counsellor she knew. “What in the Prophets' name happened to you? Or do I not want to know?” she managed, her tone teetering between concern and incredulity.

"Sparring on the holodeck," the counselor answered ruefully, "but with the safeties mostly engaged." He gestured to his supportive companion. "This is Lieutenant Inara Deyren, an old friend of mine. We spar, whenever the opportunity arises." He paused, sighing softly. "I suppose, we got carried away, I assure you this does not normally happen." Looking sideways he gestured at the Bajoran woman. "Doctor Solis Ame," he introduced her.

“Hi,” Inara offered with a half-wave of her free hand, her words tumbling out in a slightly flustered stream. “I’d say it’s not what it looks like, but honestly, it probably is. He moved forcefully into my elbow, and as for his foot…” She trailed off, glancing up at Savin before shifting her gaze to the doctor, her lips pressing into an awkward line. “Usually, I’m the one covered in bruises.” With a gentle tug, she encouraged Savin toward the nearest biobed. “Let’s get you patched up before this looks any worse.”

The Bajoran offered a small, wry smile as she stepped away to retrieve the dermal regenerator. “I’m starting to think I should send out a bulletin on responsible holodeck use during free time.” Her tone carried a mix of exasperation and amusement as she glanced back at the pair. Inara’s feisty demeanour and easy rapport with Savin were evident, painting a picture of a close, well-worn camaraderie. It was an unexpected pairing, and for a fleeting moment, Ame might have mistaken their arrival for a clumsy romantic misadventure, if not for the quick and candid explanation. Still, she knew from experience how chaotic things could get when time or circumstances ran tight. Thankfully, this seemed to be more a case of overzealous sparring than anything else.

Easing himself up, he cast the doctor a sheepish smile. "That might not be unwise though you have my word, the safeties were on, and we did not use live blades." He grimaced briefly, minutely enough to miss it if one wasn't looking. "And Inara is correct, usually she is the one in bruises, but she has improved greatly and I was... holding back. It was not appreciated."

“Do you really want your first big initiative to be a Health and Safety announcement?” Inara teased with a playful challenge. “You’ll have to keep an eye on him—no more half-measures.” Even with Savin seated on the biobed, she found herself tilting her head up slightly to meet his gaze. Methodically, she untied his makeshift tunic bag and set it aside with their boots, neatly arranging them beside the bed. She cast him a mock-stern look, lips quirking into a grin. “Next time, no excuses. Injuries or not, you’d better do better.”

Ame tilted her head slightly, taken aback by the audacity of the woman who had injured her colleague yet remained so brash. “I’ll make sure to consult morale support before issuing my bulletin,” she replied dryly, her gaze shifting to Savin. “May I?” she asked, raising her hand toward his face while deftly flicking open the tricorder with practised ease. Her attention flickered briefly to Inara, watching her with quiet curiosity. There was no distaste in her expression, just confusion at the wild, effortless dynamic between them. Surely they’d been a couple at some point? Or perhaps something even more complicated?

Sensing the confusion, Savin nodded slowly. "You may," he told Ame, "Inara and I have been sparring partners since the academy. We usually do not look this .. unpresentable. And I do not need watching, I can take care of myself." While his last words we directed at Inara, he kept his eyes on Ame. He was well aware of how he looked, bruised and disheveled as he was. "I was trying not to aggravate a still healing injury, I was too careful and in doing so...I overcompensated."

Obviously, he wasn't telling her everything, but then, he wasn't required to divulge private matters, was he?

With his approval, the Bajoran gently hooked a finger under his chin to steady the scan. No fractures, just bruising. Her gaze lingered on his face, her curiosity piqued as she tried to decipher what might be going through his mind. “So, just to clarify… you two aren’t a couple? Just very good friends from, what, decades ago?” She started down toward his foot to find exactly what the two of them had been up to.

There was a beat of silence, broken only by Inara’s grin as she caught Savin’s subtle deflection. She’s cute and a bit mean. Too fluffy to kick your ass? Sounds like she’s interested … Her thought floated lightly, laced with amusement before she turned her focus outward again with a knowing look. “I’m glad to hear it,” she replied with mock seriousness, narrowing her eyes as though giving weight to Ame’s earlier comment. “I’m sure morale support will have excellent advice for maximizing the impact of such announcements.”

Her attention shifted as she caught sight of the time on the edge of the biobed’s monitor. “Wait. How long have we been here? Wescott’s going to have my head if I’m not back on duty soon.” Her words tumbled out in a rush as she adjusted her tunic and sniffed experimentally, wrinkling her nose. “I still need to sleep, eat, and…” A sheepish grimace broke across her face. “Take a shower, apparently.”

"Decades?" Savin arched a single eyebrow at Ame, "just how old do you think we are?" His gaze shifted as the stray though reached him, and he simply stared in genuine surprise without explaining why. "I do not know how much time has passed, and hour perhaps? Surely, you can use the sonics here in sickbay? After the doctor has given you clearance to leave."

He winced as the dermal regenerator briefly touched his cheek. "I can wait, if you are in such a hurry. I have no shift to return to right now."

Ame’s brow furrowed, confusion flashing across her face at the whiplash of their conversation, one moment insisting they weren’t a couple, the next suggesting Inara stay and use the sickbay showers. “That’s not what I meant; I just…” She trailed off with a quiet sigh, rising from her squat after finishing the scan of Savin’s leg. Her attention shifted to Inara, her tone brisk. “Are you injured, Lieutenant?” She didn’t wait for an answer, already running the scanner over her. Betazoid, mid-thirties, excellent health, impressive musculature. The readings were clear, but Ame couldn’t help wondering how these two maintained such a chaotic yet seamless dynamic.

“What? No! I’m fine.” Inara protested flexing her arm. “We can catch up again, once all of this is done. Give you a better chance not to get elbowed in the face?” Her eyes shot to the doctor picking up the loud thoughts of medical diagnostic thoughts. She quickly pushed her feet into her boots and leaned up to wrap her arms around him in a tight hug followed by a kiss on the cheek. “Please don’t be a stranger. Who else besides Jerr is going to keep you straight?”

Not expecting the hug, Savin held perfectly still and didn't return it. His expression was one of surprise as he couldn't recall she had ever done this before. "I have never been a stranger to you," he managed, visibly flustered by being kissed even if it was only on the cheek. "And we will, before the ship departs. Jerant will be less than pleased at having missed you and.. I have no doubt." He sighed softly as he watched her hurry off. "Please be careful," he implored her before looking back at Ame. "I did not expect this to happen," he confessed, still failing to tell the doctor the whole story.

The whirling dervish of a woman left just as quickly as she’d arrived, leaving Ame standing momentarily stunned before she covered her mouth to hide a smirk. “You didn’t expect this to happen? I didn’t even know you had friends like that,” she quipped, shaking her head as she crouched again to finish her scan. Her gaze flicked up briefly before settling back on the scanner. “You’ve got a very minor sprain in your knee. Did you twist it awkwardly when you landed, or should I say, fell?”

"Obviously, you do not know me that well," Savin answered calmly, "and we have been sparring for years. Except this time I sought to be careful because I was still recovering however in my excitement I failed to tell her. Suffice to say, she was ...not amused at that." He considered his next answer for a moment. "Perhaps a combination of both," he guessed, "she did manage to sweep me off my feet at least twice." The last was mentioned perhaps a little too innocently, just to gauge her reaction. "I will recover," he added l, calmly once more, "this is not the first time and I doubt it will be the last. And where is the challenge with holographic weapons, if the safeties are on full? There were lowered, within safety margin."

“Of course, I don’t know you that well. We’ve known each other for what? A month.” She answered with a chuckle. Aside from tending to his black eye and diagnosing the knee, there was little she could do to help. “You know the drill for looking after your knee, rest, ice, compression and elevation.” She slipped the scanning node back into the tricorder and returned the regenerator to its home.

“Given what you explained to me about your previous injuries, it doesn’t surprise me that you’ve got friends who like to push your limits. Like you’ve said, you will recover. If you're still struggling with those micro-tears we can use the Myelin regenerator again. Perhaps you’ll be able to give her a run for her money?” Her hand hovered over the item in question, it had been quite some time since they had first met and she had reviewed his injuries. Maybe it’s not just tears?

Or maybe he'd been too careful building up, and then careless with going all-out. "I am," he confessed to her, "no matter how careful I am with building up, or even this, it is still painful. You have my word that we did do a proper warming-up. She got mad at me for holding back and punched me, that may have aggravated it again." He gave her a thin smile. "I usually do give her a run for her money, this time it is she who got me."

Savin arched a single eyebrow at her. "Why? Do you wish to try too?"

A forlorn sigh escaped her as she picked up the myelin regenerator and wasted no time in retracing her original treatment for him. “I don’t doubt that as a trained physician you took ample time to train appropriately or face the wrath of your CMO who has already treated no less than a dozen sprains from holodeck-related antics.” Ame smiled at him with a knowing raise of her brows.

It had been too many times when she had taken a playful swipe at Jackson after he’d pushed his luck. Given what she’d seen of the two of them, there was no malice just a playful interaction. “Well we’ll get you back to tip-top health.” Her eyes returned to his chest as if she would see any nerve damage with the naked eye. His comment about wanting to try, caught her off guard, “Uh, right and spar with you or …” There was a look of concern, the unsaid hitting her cheeks especially given the very personal conversation she’d had with him earlier that day.

"No ma'am, I would not like to face the wrath of my CMO," he answered with a smile, "and yes...spar. do you not have exercise requirements, same as everyone?"

There was a brief moment of relief before she screwed up her face in mock disgust. “My exercise requirements have been very well fulfilled since I’ve joined this crew … all thanks to giant murder birds I have been on run on the holodeck with Jerant … kind of and then I’ve done some kind of Jeffries tube security race with Ensign Iska and then I did an Andorian martial arts class with Astrja this morning.” Ame was most certainly proud of herself. She’d never had such a social life in the last two years. During her moment of triumph, she realised she’d leant herself against the biobed and his leg in the process. “Sorry.” She moved herself a step back, she wasn’t Inara after all.

"Indeed." Savin shifted his leg to make room just in case. "Sounds like you have been busy. Running with Jerant? Really? Looks like he finally found someone to run with then. Did he make you climb walls or jump buildings?" He smiled again, shifting to ease himself back in the bed. "What is your preferred means of exercise doctor..."

“Preferred exercise?” Ame looked at him blankly as she thought, “Can you stretch for me, see if that’s helped.” She took another step back to give him space. His lukewarm attempt last time left more to be desired, perhaps this time he’d make more of an effort to replicate the points that caused him pain before. “Well, we’ve spoken about baseball. I like swimming… or perhaps it's more floating. I liked zero-g training it was the same but without the water and lack of clothing. I’m pretty good at racquetball and I do like horse riding but I don’t think that counts as exercise really.” There were a few from the list that gave her pangs of sadness. “Unless marathons of nervous system integration research in the darkness counts?” Her tone was hopeful but it was a miss for sure.

"Mental exercise is still exercise but no that was not what I was after." He did as she told him to do and moved his arm back and forth, still moving his arm forward and then swinging it back causes a visible grimace. "And you list is extensive," he added, trying again but still twitching as he moved his arm too far back. "But you did not list your favourite."

“Look, this has been going on for too long now Savin.” There was a deep concern as she spoke. “We can get you free of pain if we do this daily. Rest up and do some daily stretches rather than sparring sessions with a humanoid bullet.” Ame smiled, “I don’t know what my favourite is because I’ve not thought about what I want or like for a long time now. But, things are changing it seems.” She handed him his tunic from the bed beside him.

"Humanoid bullet... yes, I suppose she is. And I have been doing this daily, just as you told me to. Exactly as you told me to, actually." He managed to sound annoyed. "Thank you." Gingerly he pulled it back on. "So, am I good to go?"

His frustrated tone forced her to mute her smile. “And there was no pain until you went all out today?” There was an incline of her head as she met him at just about eye level. “Do you not think this is just a bit of overkill?” She made an inch-like gesture with her hand as the other rested on her hip. There was a relief that he hadn’t pried into the events of the day and in a way she was grateful for the mysterious woman who carried her colleague into sickbay.

"No pain until today," he acknowledged honestly, "and what do you mean with overkill?" He sensed relief but he didn't understand why, and somehow he knew better than to ask. "I do not understand. This was just a sparring session with a friend who I had not seen in quite some time. Someone who I have known since the academy. We always spar full strength, neither of us ever holds back. Until today, when I did hold back because of this injury. It went....awry from the moment she found out."

“Overexertion.” Ame clarified. “Too much too fast. To be honest, I’d rather she roughed you up than you had long-term nerve damage. But you didn’t initially tell her about your injury? Perhaps this is why? You hid something from your old friend, who was clearly very excited to see you. I don’t have friends like that.” There was a hint of jealousy at that, the connections she lacked. “You’re very lucky.”

"Telling her would not have altered the outcome," Savin told her, "I would likely still be here with the same issue." Something she said, and the accompanying feelings caught his attention. "Perhaps you do not have such friends yet," he added, "at least perhaps not here. Surely you have people you connected with in medical school? Or prior assignments?"

She couldn’t help but laugh as she ran a hand tiredly through her hair, “She sounds pretty determined. And no, not yet. I think I’ve made some good starts.” Ame returned the regenerator to its home. “Sure, I have people I get along with, but when I was reassigned this slipped by the wayside. I have Mira but she’s more of a family friend and mentor these days,” there was a tentative pause, “And there’s Jackson … and his family but I’m at my limit of him for today.”

Nodding in understanding, Savin was treading carefully now as he didn't want this to turn into an impromptu counseling session. "Yes, she is very determined," he confirmed with a smile, "and a very good friend. One of the few I have, and a telepath which is also extremely helpful, especially when sparring. And one of few capable of providing me with a decent challenge." He paused, carefully getting to his feet to test his weight on his leg, while fastening his tunic at the same time. "It sounds to me, like you could use a break," he suggested. "Meet me in the mess hall in fifteen minutes, I have it on good authority we will be in for a treat." And he was certain Ryn would appreciate another wayward customer who spent far too much time on duty and took little on meal times.

Ame smiled in return as he spoke about his friend, she didn’t fully understand the depth of a telepathic connection. She couldn’t really, none of her previous friendships had the ability to share such a bond, even the one she trusted most couldn’t be read, not like that anyway. “A break? I just listed all the leisure activities I’ve done …” She protested quietly with a dip of her brows. At the mention of more food she almost gagged, “Savin, I feel like all I’ve done all day is eat. I’m pretty sure I wiped out half of the Messhall this morning when I had breakfast with Commander Zora. And lunch … that was something.”

She ran a hand over her face and pinched the ridges of her nose, “I’ll come for a drink and the company but please … no food, Chef will start restricting my diet at this rate.”

"I never said that you had to eat," he chuckled, "I will accept just the company. See you in fifteen."