Posted by Lieutenant Commander T’Aria (XO / Navigation Officer) in Putting on a Logical Top Hat (Tag XO)

Posted by Lieutenant Symar (Chief Medical Officer) in Putting on a Logical Top Hat (Tag XO)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander T’Aria (XO / Navigation Officer) in Putting on a Logical Top Hat (Tag XO)
Posted by… suppressed (10) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(Snip!)-

T’Aria sensed his tension in the way her skin prickled, every hair standing erect and ready to defend against an unseen threat. His subconscious seemed to warp at the whim of his emotions, sending jolts through their shared world. This one felt like a shiver. T’Aria furrowed her eyebrows and reached out to touch his shoulder, a soft frown tugging at the corners of her lips.

“I see… how did this affect you?” Her breath hitched as she considered the timing of Symar’s admission. “How does this affect you, today?”

— T’Aria

“I am going through a rather hightened version of the Pon Farr, my neurochemical inbalance is making my other emotions go through pits and rises a lot more than my drive to mate,” he chuckled, “Though that one’s still there.”

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-

Her trained expression faltered, briefly revealing the surprise that took root in her mind. Pon Farr was almost unmistakable in most Vulcans – it obliterated inhibitions and revealed the most volatile parts of their psyches. Symar seemed calm by comparison. Had his experience and emotional tolerance tempered his Pon Farr? Perhaps he was skilled in masking its effects, or she was too consumed with his revelation to notice.

Then, the realisation set in. Pon Farr resulted from an imbalance in neuromodulators, which could be transmitted through mind melds. T’Aria dismissed the concern with a quick self-assessment and focused on Symar and his condition.

“How have you addressed the imbalance?” She asked, keenly aware of the potential threat. Did Romulans undergo Pon Farr? If not, had Symar’s genetic manipulation spared him its lethal effects? If so, would traditional meditation or medicine resolve his condition? She hadn’t appreciated how little they knew of their cousins until that moment, so she asked the only thing she could:

“How can I help?”

— T’Aria

“Have a drink with me,” Symar replied, revealing a small cup of Kymria, a herbal blend of Vulcan tea, “This is a blend created by my father as a way of helping me to control my… urges when the Pon Farr comes around each year, I must admit as a medic, I am curious to see the effects on a pureblood Vulcan.”

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-

T’Aria had not heard of ‘Kymria’ before, though she was exceedingly familiar with Vulcan blends. What herbs and spices did Symar’s father use? Did he understand the medicine or was it happenstance? T’Aria was too invested in this new tea to notice that her breathing slowed and heart eased its assault on her abdomen. Anyone else, however, could see how her expression softened until her pensive frown and wrinkled brows disappeared into vibrant curiosity. She wanted to know more… about the tea and Symar, without the mask.

“Very well,” she studied the liquid, “what is in it?”

— T’Aria

‘A lot of the spice used in this tea were originally designed for medicinal purposes,’ Symar began, ‘Everything from curing a cold to Andorian Throat Flu, but my father learned that these herbs in the liquid state seemed to balance out his psyche as well as any physical ailments.’

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-

“Those are viral infections…” T’Aria bit her lip before she could allow herself to speculate. He shared with her a remedy – something that helped ease his symptoms as a child – and it was not her place to question his medicine. No matter her curiosity nor her scepticism. “I am eager to try it,” she gestured to the cup, “may I?”

— T’Aria

“Ladies first,” Symar said with a grin, holding his own cup as if waiting for the XO’s reaction.

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-

OOC: Basing this off desert herbs, so feel free to tell me these flavours are totally wrong!

A blend of Vulcan spices and herbs, T’Aria expected a near-tasteless liquid with hints of redspice and mint. Her assumptions shattered the second she brought the cup to her lips and took a small sip. She tasted spice, comparable to cinnamon or nutmeg, and an earthy bitterness that crept into her nose. It stung. Then, it suddenly felt warm and soothing, like the nectar from the plants Y’cha used to grow. The sensations bewildered T’Aria and it was evident in her furrowed eyebrows and crooked expressions.

“That is…” she coughed a bit, “interesting.”

T’Aria did not immediately notice any difference in her body nor her mind. How long did it take for the concoction to work? She wondered whether this mind-world would change it potency. Would their connection strengthen or subdue its effects? T’Aria exhausted the thought to the back of her mind and let the medicine do as it would. She kept a careful eye on Symar, in case anything seemed abnormal.

“If you don’t mind my asking,” she leaned against what remained of the wall, “what was your childhood like? After the events that transpired on that Klingon ship?”

— T’Aria

Symar chuckled, “It takes a bit of getting used to,” he admitted. Then, softening a little in response to the XO’s question, “Well,” he began softly, “My parents knew I couldn’t be raised as your ‘traditional’ Vulcan child, so they seemed to let me forge my own path in life.”

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-

T’Aria felt a warmth – slight and easily mistaken as indigestion from the tea – fill her chest when he talked about his childhood. Her curiosity dissolved into a kind of attentiveness that could not be described plainly. “And what path did you choose?”

— T’Aria

Symar chuckled, “What better path than to join the people I was experimented on in order to work against?” A flash of pain crossed Symar’s face for a second and it faded as quickly as it arrived.

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-

T’Aria reached out to touch his shoulder, catching only a flicker of emotion that she assumed to be sadness or hurt. “Do you want to talk about something else?” She asked, hardly desiring to contribute to his suffering.

— T’Aria

‘It’s better to get it out, anything else you want to know?’

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-