Stir Crazy

Posted on Mon May 1st, 2023 @ 7:39am by Commander Antonia 'Tony" Stoffels

Mission: Starship Side Quest
Location: Tale's quarters turned office

Tony burst into the office without knocking. Well she had checked that no patient was inside.

"Hello. I don't remember your name, miss. I usually do not talk about my personal stuff to trainees but right now you are the only choice I have got. I don't expect much out of you. I expect you to listen like a grown up therapist, nod your head and murmur that you understand me. Think you can do that?

Now that she was acting captain opening up to another member of the crew was just not done but she was going completely stir crazy and she had to do something for her mental health.

All 9 feet of Mosey was crammed into Tale's usual corner. She had chosen a pink cardigan to go over her body suit this day. Several padds were on the table and she smiled a toothy grin instead of trying to explain anything. Discreetly, she pushed a couple buttons like Tale would do. "Of course ma'am, I'm as free as birds on a Sunday!"

"Yeah yeah, I checked that. Would not barge in if you were with a patient. I am a psychiatrist myself." Tony said. And then started telling the giant woman all that had been happening to her over the past few months without indeed giving her the opportunity to get a word in.

"I'm gassed you're here--" Mosey began in her overly cheerful demeanor. Her long taloned fingers procured the tea pot and the tea Tale left marked XO. The pink alien of unknown origin wasn't as adroit as the Orion at the service, given the hands the size of cats, but she managed quickly as Tony spoke.

-----------Three hours later....

"So you see I just had to vent." Tony finally finished while she had given Mosey not one chance to interrupt her. "Thank you for listening, I think we are done here now."

"Ma'am, you seem to have a bee in your bonnet still..."

Tony blinked. The trainee had previously seemed duly impressed with her. "Sorry?"

"I got gotchyer tea ready ma'am."

"What tea? I did not ask for tea. I thought we were about done here."

"The Doctor would have my biscuits in a basket if I didn't give you a cup of tea ma'am."

"I haven't asked for tea, have I?" Tony asked frustrated.

"Beg your pardon, but have you ever?" Mosey smiled her sharp toothy grin at her.

"More ice tea than cold tea, I have to admit. I am not a fan of hot tea." Tony admitted.

"Easy peasy, lemon squeezy," Mosey clambered up, hunched over to not hit her head on the ceiling. She plucked the ice bucket from the shelf and a tall stemmed glass that said 'Long Island Iced Tea is for Forgettin', and trotted to the replicator. With a snap of the wrist, she had the tea iced and in front of the XO.

Tony blinked at it. "What is this, a trick? Drugs?"

"Iced tea. It's darjeeling tea with hints of bergamot, fiddlehead fern, smoked lavender, and crushed vanilla bean. Doc Hesh picks that all and does it all by hand, it's her English tea," Mosey replied. A glint of glee in her massive green orbs of eyes.

"Hmm, I guess I could give it a try." Tony said and took a tiny sip. "Not bad." She admitted.

"Her notes said you studied in Oxford, so she made you English tea," the pink alien squeaked. "I love England in the summer. Cheerio! Right-o Guv'na!"

"Oh dear." Tony had to laugh. "I bet you got a lot of stares there. I am not english though but I did study in Oxford. I am from Earth indeed half Dutch and half American."

"Not really, they asked for pictures a lot of times, it was novel!" Mosey beamed. "Does this tea bring you comfort of a time or place? Should I make notes? My stars and garters, I don't blend much myself."

"Make notes on what?" Tony asked. "And be honest with me, is this tea drugged in any way? You know that is illegal right? To do that without someone's permission?"

Mosey laughed. "Why would it be drugged? It's tea. You're a silly goose Commander! No. No it's not."

"Excuse me? Silly goose? And have you lived under a stone? I don't drink tea much but I know what you can do with tea. You can trip mightily on tea."

"Not any kind I am allowed to give you, heavens to Betsy," Mosey threw her large taloned hands in the air. "Bedlam! I'd never! Gracious."

"Ok sorry, I believe you." Tony could not help but smile again. "So how far along are you in your training?"

"Oh, I've been done for a dogs age," Mosey grinned. "Didn't tell Doc Hesh that, I decided to stay with her for a long time. I want to learn more about this (she gestured to the tea). Just lookin to make friends, acclimate."

"You should tell her though." Tony said gently. You deserve to have your degree and become an officer. If you both like it there is no reason you couldn't stay working with her. What she does is very lonely."

"That's what the Admiral keeps tellin' me too, but I'm like a frog hoppin' in a thunderstorm," Mosey squeaked. "She'll want me to go succeed! I'm not ready to do that just yet. I'm going to keep the biscuits bakin'."

Tony shook her head. "What are you really afraid of?"

"Whose afraid? I just stick out like a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs," The absurdly tall alien replied jovial like. Bulbous eyes not showing any shift in emotion, clearly, Mosey wasn't lying. Her fang like teeth grinned. Sure, Mosey's demeanor was finely tuned, but her appearance- though bubblegum pink- the alien did seem imposing. "I've scared Klingon children Commander-- I'm not scared. They. Are. But enough about ol' me."

The other woman lifted an eyebrow. "That must be hard. You being a healer, to have children scared of you."

Mosey's air shifted. The room grew noticeably cold. Her skin began to flush from cheerful pink to blood red, making her bulbous lime eyes seem horrifying. The fang like teeth smiled at Tony still. All 9 feet of sweet Mosey, looked like something from a nightmare. The alien wasn't noticeably aggressive or aggravated, but she had shifted.

"My stars and garters Commander, I do believe you came in to talk about yourself," she squeaked in her usual tone. "Would you like more tea?"

"I did talk about myself didn't I? But as first officer and a practicing psychiatrist I do like to get to know my crew." Tony purred.

"Not to be contrary, but ma'am, I'm not your crew," Mosey corrected her politely. Her skin returning back to it's usual pink hue. "Doc Hesh and I peas in a pod, we work for the Admiral. We're not apart of the crew. We're a duo."

"You are on my ship, so I consider you to be under my wing while you are." Tony explained totally not afraid of the big woman. She had noted the shift in Mosey but saw that more as fear than aggression. Change was scary to any species. "I am not trying to break you up. But you have to be more of an equal partner if you finished your studies."

"That's right nice of ya, sweet as pumpkin makin pie," Mosey started putting the tea back into the containers, the pot back into it's case. She used a claw to make a zigzag on a padd; it glowed and music hummed softly.

Tony did not say anything else for now, just watched her.

OFF