Door-to-Door Salesman

[Sendai Riko 0]

Door-to-Door Salesman

LtJG Sendai Riko

 

From his initial glance of this settlement, he had a feeling that the disease had, as yet, not hit here, as children were playing in the streets and people were walking and talking with each other. There was a tension though, as if this was an island under siege where no shots had been fired yet, but everyone knew the artillery was armed and pointed this way. After the tragic sights from the last settlement, and the despair of Korel and his isolated companions, it was still a very welcome sight.

 

He was worried, though, about KWalus and the kind or reaction she'd bring. Korel had nearly jumped out of his shoes at the first sight of her, and he didn't think the general citizenry of this area would be any more comfortable. When she volunteered to stay out of sight before he knocked on the door to the simple frame house, he was grateful. The person that answered the door after his brisk knock, whether male or female the Bajoran officer couldn't quite tell as this species' external gender markings were practically non-existent, looked healthy. Also, thankfully, not frightened to death at the sight of him, though very cautious. He had put on his friendliest face: a lopsided smile with only a bare glimpse of teeth, warm wide-open eyes and the slightest tilt of the head. He had found it a very disarming look, though he knew if he tried it on his Klingon colleagues, he'd probably need an analgesic and some cosmetic surgery to be able to repeat it later.

 

The conversation had been going well until she mentioned that a few people around had "flu-like" symptoms. That's when KWalus had popped around the corner and charged to the doorway. If Riko had been the fierce sort, he would have growled at her when she had come into view, startling the native. Being an alien himself, from the native's point of view, made it difficult enough to try to keep them at ease; add in a scowling Klingon, and well... conversation had a tendency to dry up faster than a teardrop on Vulcan. Out of anyone on the ship whom he would prefer to do a delicate assignment like this with, KWalus was definitely the last choice. Not that he really felt like there were many good choices, either. As it was, however, Riko could only sigh and then do his best to keep the native from slamming the door in his face before pointing them in the direction of the physician cousin. Putting his ultra-friendly face back on after adding a bit of sympathy to the shocked, gasping native, he turned back to him/her, as if to say with his body language: "the big scary Klingon lady to my left is nothing to worry about."