"Quizzical Encounter"

[Guest Laarell]

The science lab doors opened. And then closed.

 

A second time, apparently on a whim, the doors opened and closed without anyone passing through.

 

Finally, the third time the doors opened, Tandaris stepped through and sighed. It was not supposed to be this difficult. And there she was. Clearing his throat, he said, "Have they been like that for a while now?"

 

"No, they just started..." Laarell paused in her work, scribbling something into a padd, and started once comprehension dawned. "You're awake."

 

"You didn't know? Well," said Tandaris, "I'm glad I managed to surprise one person."

 

"You're always full of surprises." She smiled. "I've been worried about you. How are you feeling?"

 

"You're the"--Tandaris made as if counting on his finger--"at least the eleventh person to ask me that. I was assaulted by a living ship and then woke up one week later. Oh, and while I was out of commission, you guys managed to lose said ship. So yeah, aside from that, I'm fine."

 

"I imagine you have some new... admirers," she remarked, with a mischievous smirk.

 

"Great, just what I need. Coma groupies."

 

Laarell blinked. "You... oh... oh gods, you don't remember, do you?"

 

"What do you mean? Of course I remember. You can't get out of making me dinner that easily. I expect the full home-cooked treatment."

 

"You..." She paused, deliberating on whether or not to... educate the Trill. "You woke up for awhile, once you were back on Excalibur."

 

"I did?" Tandaris frowned and considered this for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I've no recollection of that. What happened?"

 

"You... woke up," she repeated, flushing slightly and dropping her voice, suddenly aware of the rest of her department, milling about. "And then you... exited Sickbay, rather suddenly..."

 

"And... ? I did what?"

 

"And then you managed to lose most... well, all of your clothing in the process," she added, then grinned. "I must admit, I've had some compliments on my taste in men since then..."

 

A relieved expression crossed Tandaris' face. "Oh, well ... could have been worse. Come to think of it, however, a lot of remarks made by other people are finally starting to make sense...."

 

"About spots?" she suggested, innocently.

 

"What?"

 

"Oh, you know... people are so curious about where Trills have spots..."

 

Tandaris raised an eyebrow. "I can't imagine why. All it takes is one query to the exobiology database and you'll get your answer.

 

"Now, what I'm wondering is how long it takes for our new mission--our 'easy' mission, as the captain's marketing it--to go wrong."

 

"A day -- no... a few hours. Bets we end up having to limp back in search of desperate repairs?"

 

Tandaris grunted. "If I have any say, we won't be limping back. But no bet. You won't get out of dinner that easily."

 

She laughed, a little shakily. "Well, we'll see what happens. You might have to settle for dessert. I don't cook well, after all..."

 

"Oh, I'm sure you'll come up with something."

 

"I always do, hmm?" Laarell smirked. "All right... we may as well not jinx the whole mission all at once, though. I'd rather not have to deal with mayhem and destruction for once."

 

Mayhem. Destruction. Those two powerful words--or, to be more accurate, the synapses in Admiran's brain that those two words stimulated--suddenly caused a lump to form in Tandaris' throat. Again the feeling that everything was too small--more than claustrophobia, it was a distinct dissatisfaction of scale. And there was ... so much more, so much that he had lost. "Of--of course. You're right. Anything can happen."

 

Laarell frowned, taking a seat on the edge of one of the laboratory's work-stations. "You don't sound... or look... so well," she remarked, quietly. "Are you sure that you're all right?"

 

Tandaris stepped forward and ran his hand along the edge of a console. "It's hard to be sure of anything. The slightest quantum perturbation alters probabilities ... waveforms collapse ... and reality gets a little more solid." He looked up, and added, "But it's always cold. I'm sure of that."

 

The Orion blinked as the Trill made his exit. It was nice to have Admiran back, but... she somehow suspected tht something wasn't entirely right with him. A bit confused and even a little more concerned, she sighed. After a few lifetimes, he knew himself best, and if he wasn't particularly worried about his sudden bouts of... oddity... then she wouldn't be.

 

Still... "always cold"?

 

Something was off.