Posted by Vashkilu (Infiltrator) in Side-Story: Old Wounds

Posted by Elias “Eli” Trenor (Medic) in Side-Story: Old Wounds

Posted by Jaiturk (PIT) in Side-Story: Old Wounds
Posted by… suppressed (62) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Eli stepped into his quarters after getting vash setlled he had hardly slept in two days. The long hours at the table had certianly taken it’s toll on his body, he was stiff and slow and needed to losen his muscles up. A shower might do him some good, he kicked on a little music, something soft and relaxing.

Moving to the sonic shower he removed his cloths and stepped in, how he missed water there was something soothing about having warm water rushing over the skin. He closed his eyes leaning agains the wall. He thought of Vash and how she could have been killed, the scenario playing out in his mind, maybe he had payed the woman to much attention. ‘I should have been there’ he thought ’ I should have been faster’. He new that she could take care of her self and it was that thought that almost got her killed. Continuing to beat himself up his thoughts quickly driffed to his sister now, images of the cardasian’s beating her and tearing her up with their wands of pain. Then they took her away, when he had heard news that she died it crippled him. “I can’t” he wispered to himself.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep or the preasure of the last two days or the thoughts of his sister, or some combination there of, but Eli’s body shuttered, his large body colapsing to the floor, tears and sobs echoing in the sonic chamber. He sat up pulling his knees up to his chest and sat crying something he almost never did. Snot and tear mixed as he lost control of his emotions. His mind was filled with pain and loss, a sense of lonleyness washing over him that he had not experienced since he left the Maquie.

As the timer on the sonic shower expired he layed there in a pool of tears quietly sobing.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

There was a hard knock at the door shortly after the sonic shower turned off. “Eli open this door or I swear I’ll open it for you,” Noril’s voice came through the door.

~ N, Captain

Eli was lost in his own pain, and not hearing the nocks and shouts, his mind tormented by a pain that was always just in the background. He continued to sob as the memories flowed in. Cardasian punishment his family all of it surfacing at once.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Noril had similar technological capabilities as his brother, if not better, and had an easy time forcing the lock with the ship’s own software. He remained outside the bathroom and knocked on the door frame. “Eli, I know you’re in there.”

~ N, Captain

The knock on the outer door to the restroom broke through the reverie of fear and pain. Looking around he realized where he was and what was going on.”second” he musted to say standing to his feet. He put back on his pants and opened the door.

Eli’s massive frame drown the light from the shower casting a shadow over Noril. Eli moved past, that’s when Noril saw something he hand never actually seen. Eli’s back was covered in healed lash marks. The over laped so many times they could not be counted and formed a rather deformed set of rough skin. The tribal tattoo that had been on his back extending to his arm and face was now a mash of scares and displaced black ink.

“What can I help you with Cap” was all he could muster still choking back his tears.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Noril was only 5‘3’‘. Towering over him, Eli was like a behemoth. And yet, Noril showed no fear, not even with the man in this emotional state. He was calm, compassionate. “I can sense your emotions, Eli. So strongly I could drown in them myself.” He sat in a chair in the room. “And I’m not in the habit of letting my crew drown in their own pain.”

~ N, Captain

Eli started to say something but realized it would not make a dent In his resolve. “I’ll be ok, just fatigue taking its tool” he said sincerely he was telling the truth or at least he believed what he was saying.

“She could have died!” He said. “I’m ” he paused a moment. “Sorry, It won’t happen again” he finished lower his head

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

“We all could’ve died. We all could die every damn day,” Noril said. “Or- or get caught and hauled off gods knows where.” He looked up at Eli. “It’s because of you Sisnil and I are alive. You’ve saved the lives of everyone on this crew at least once.”

~ N, Captain

Eli shook his head, “I know,” he said “I know, this time it was different, I” he stood back up and walked over to the porthole, leaning on the frame and looked out, but was reflecting in. “I can’t lose my family again, I cant” his thoughts darkened, ‘I’ll find a way to burn it all down, the federation thr syndicate anyone who takes from me again’ he thought not wanting to admit it out loud.

Tears began to fall again, what the hell was wrong with me, he thought His arms and back shook both from the tears and the vice grip he now had on the porthole frame is knuckles white from the vice grip he now had on it.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

“What was different about it?” Noril prodded. Sisnil was better at this stuff than he was, always better with people than Noril. That was why the other Zoi usually did the talking. But he couldn’t have his medic doing anything rash… And by the looks of him, that was a risk.

~ N, Captain

Eli thought about it for a long moment. “I’m not sure,” he paused to turn around and leaned against the cold wall. “But my past surfaced with a vengeance” he looked at him is eyes bloodshot

“When I saw her go down. ” he looked away.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

“Tell me, Eli. It’ll help.” Noril’s voice was soft. He knew about Eli’s past, or the broader strokes anyway, so he had ideas, but the point was for Eli to say it.

~ N, Captain
He looked at him, his normal composure come back. ” you , Vash, this crew” he said. ” if anything happend i don’t know that I could make it back again. I’m a hollow husk as it is” he sighed. “I don’t know I’m so tired” he noted. “I think I just need some rest”

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

“No one else is going anywhere,” Noril said. “We’re going to get Sisnil back, too.” He had to believe that. Had to. “Get that rest, Eli.”

~ N, Captain

Eli placed a hand on Noril’s shoulder. “Dam Straight we are getting him back” he said his voice more optomitic than it had been only a few minutes ago. “I’ll try and get some rest” he noted escourting him toward the door. “And Noril” he closed “Thanks”

After Noril left he laid face down on his bed, drifting in and out of sleep, his mind still trying to draw him back to his past. As he would sleep he would wake after a time in a cold sweat, the nightmares waking him with a jolt.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic
Eli sank once again onto his bed, face down his frame consumed all the available space on his bed. He wanted to believe Noril , that no one else would be taken from him, that they’d get Sisnil back, but the words were a promise and not a guarantee. They were in a dangerous business, and life could go sideways at any moment.

Exhaustion finally claimed him with vengeance, the darkness pulling him under quickly. The dream was warm, a memory untouched by the weight of his life. He stood by a riverbank with Alana near an area that like to pool to form a small pond, her laughter echoing as she teased him. She always found joy in the smallest moments even the bad ones. She took three steps and skipped a small rock across the small calm pool in the creek.

“Beat that” she said, her smile wide and pure. Eli smiled, picked up a stone. “Watch and learn,” he said, tossing it low across the pond skipping easily past her last skip. ‘I should have let her win’ the thought slipped in momentarily echoing in his mind as the sunlight faded away, replaced by a dimly lit hall that smelled of rust and mold. The cold damp space chilled him to the bone, he was searching for someone something.

Eli round a corner stopping in his tracks he stood frozen, Alana her hands bound was kneeling on the floor. A Cardassian stood over her, his cruel smile sending a chill down his spine, as he raised the painstik to her side, it crackled and sizzled as it jumped to find it’s target.

“NOOO!” Eli roared, charging forward. He quickly moved his body fueled by rage, fear, and adrenaline as he launched himself at the Cardassian. The fight was chaotic, Eli landed blow after blow knocking the painstik free. “Get away from Her!” he screamed as another Cardassian moved to take her, and then another. As he fought to reach for her. as reached harder almost getting hold, he was struck in the back of the neck, pain chained through his body, and then nothing.

Alana” he called as he saw her standing out in the open overlooking their river, her figure highlighted by moonlight, a wave of relief washed over him. She turned to face him her eyes filled with sadness, her voice a nothing more than a whisper. “Why Eli?, Why did you leave me?” she pleaded “you did not save me” she said in accusation.
“I tried” he said, “There were too many!” he cried as he dropped to his knees.

“You left me!!” she said, the venom in her voice cut through him into his core, his head lowered in shame. Lifting his eyes Alana was gone standing before him Vash, covered in scares from burns, her eyes dug through him “You failed, Why didn’t you save me” she said her hand sticking him across the face.

“No..” Eli whined, shaking his head. “Your safe, and perfect, I was there. I” her hand raised again this time with the CantKar, an acient Cardasian device like earths cat-o- nine tails. Her expression now full of contempt as she sent it down it leather arms and metal teeth searching for his flesh......

Eli woke with a start, his body drenched in sweat, he gasped for air as his heart pounded and his memory of pain flooded him. “She’s ok, she’s ok “he said pulling his hands to his face finally clearing the fog of the dream. Swinging his legs on the floor he sat there trying to regain himself his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Vash woke with a start in the medical bay. The room was dark, just the flashing of the monitors keeping an eye on her. Noril had left after she had fallen asleep. What had woken her?

She closed her eyes to focus… Ah. The suppressant had worn off. There was pain, grief, rage, so much guilt, and fear. No one on the ship was without such feelings, but these were strang enough to wake her from a medicated stuppor. Who was it?

Eli. Vash slowly sat up, the stiffness was there but the pain was controlled. She reached for the controls and turned the biobed off. She slipped carefully to her feet and tested her balance and weight. If she was careful she would be fine.

She paused outside Eli’s door. He was hurting, and Vash didn’t know if she could help. Even so, she couldn’t let him suffer alone. Eli was a big brother she had always wished she’d had. He was not immune to her charms, but she would never use them with him. He truly wasn’t ready for that kind of companionship, and they didn’t feel like that about each other.

She placed her hand gently on his door. “Eli? Let me in, please.”

Vashkilu, Infiltrator
Someone is at the door, he thought still in a date. He stood still only wearing his pants from the other day and walked to the door. His upper body still soaked i. Sweat and his scares exposed.

Opening the door his heart melted, she is ok is all he could think as he scoupped her up of the floor into his arms, relieved that what he knew to be true was, that she was ok. “I’m sorry” he wispered over and over.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

That was not the reaction Vash was expecting, but she didn’t protest. She hugged him, letting him work through whatever it was. The contact brought his emotions more intensly. Vash closed her eyes to find a balance before she gently touched his cheek, watching his face.

“For what, Eli? Why are you sorry?”

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

Most of the emotion comming from Eli at this point were relief and guilt, all the fear was now under the surface like it always was. Eli did not lose his grip however, maybe he was afraid that she would vanish and the scene would change.

“I should have been there,” he croaked out. “It should have been me, I should have been closer, I failed you and crew and you got hurt.” he finished. Somewhere inside he knew that, that was not his responsiblity Noril certainly had not thought so, but subconsciously he connected Vash to his sister, she had over the years filled that void left by her.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Vash wasn’t having it. “Elias Trenor look at me.” Her words were stern but her voice was caring. She gently framed his face. “You were where you needed to be. I was the one who made rash decisions. I went after Thogel, and I shouldn’t have. Noril told me my chance was gone and I ignored him. They were there to take me. I should have stayed next to Noril not tried to cause more trouble.” She shook her head. “Every injury today is my fault, not yours.”

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

He set her back down softly turning to walk into the room and motioning for her to follow his scares on display, she had never seen them though they had enough character she had likely felt them through his cloths. take me the thought and shook of the thought i would burn the entire universe to the ground to find you he thought. “Come in” he requeted as he work his way to a wardrobe, pulling out a tank top and putting in on. “Why do I feel like it’s my fault, ” he said. “Maybe I let that woman distract me to much and I missed something.” he noted. “Or maybe I’m just getting too old for this?” he shook his head. “I don’t know, I just can’t lose anymore of you” he noted avoiding here gaze,

Vash lifted a shoulder, even as she saw the scars for the first time. Though Eli had carried her out of enough scraps she had felt the edges of them once or twice. “Maybe she did distract you, but you didn’t feel distracted to me, and you know if you had been, Noril would have said something.” She shook her head. “It is all our faults. We knew Thogel had a thing for me. He was supposed to. Everyone is supposed to.” Vash never said but she hated it. After being here with Noril, Sisnil, Eli, Nathan she could be just a person and not an object. “We didn’t notice it had become more. Maybe we were all distracted by getting finished to get back to Sisnil.” She gave him a teasing once over, “You don’t look too old to me.”

He listened as she spoke avoiding her eyes. “I know, it does not make sense.” he noted.

“Perhaps they had another telepath helping them, or maybe it only recently occurred to Thogel to take what wasn’t his. Until we find him, we won’t know.”

“I’m making this all about me your the one that’s hurt, I’m sorry how are you feeling” he asked as he grabbed some coffee for him self. “Want anything?” he said desperatly trying to avoid the stare he knew she was giving him.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

She was giving him that look. “It is about all of us. You are entitled and allowed to feel your grief and fear,” she didn’t pull punches over what she sensed from him. “Water. I’m sure my doctor is about to tell me I desperately need to hydrate right now,” she gave him a cheeky grin as she walked toward a seat and carefully sat. “Tell me, Eli. What is making you hurt so. This isn’t the first time I’ve been hurt. It’s not the first nor the last time I’ll cause trouble. What’s different? I won’t tell the others.”

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

“You know you don’t hydrate enough” he said with a snarky grin that faded as quickly as it had crossed his mouth. “I” he looked at her realizing she would know if he was lying . “For some reason it brought up my time in the Cardassian mines, my ” he paused subsconciously rubbing his shoulder. “Time there, my family, my sister” he thought a moment, “I never saw her body,” he said his thoughts turning very dark. “And thanks to the federation and their Peace” he said almost spitting out the word. “The devil that took her from me, that took everything from me, sits unpunished, living a life of high luxury” he said, thoughts of choking the life out of the man with his own hands flashing through his mind. “I can’t lose my family again, i’ll never recover.” he finally said settling down onto the small couch.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Vash moved gingerly over to sit beside him. She took his hand. “I’m sorry, Eli.” She wanted to say they could find the man and get Eli the justice he wanted, but that wouldn’t help right now. Her recklessness had caused his pain. “I wish I could bring her back for you, but I can only promise to try to be more careful. I don’t want to lose you either.”

She took the water and drank down half of it. Far more thirsty than she realized.

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

Eli looked at the water and her, he was no telapath but he noticed the small flash of guilt and it was gone . “Told you” he said point at the water, his normal demenor surfacing a little more. “Being careful can cause problems too,” he said “What we do is dangerious, In a way you are her” he paused to finally look her in the eye again, “At least another sister,I never thought I would ever have a family again after the maquie were disbanded” he said. He stood moving over to the bulk head and looked out the porthole.

“Vash watched him get up, but didn’t follow. She finished her water instead. He needed to get it out and she was going to let him.

“I had plans to either flame out or booze out after that, and then you lot came around.” he looked back at her taking a sip off his coffee. “Do you know how many times I tried to get to him?” he asked retorically as there was no way she could. “But everytime some how fleet scooped me up and I found my self in a cell for months” he recalled leaning back against the bulkhead the cool metal soothing his back. “When they finaly found out who I was and what I had done in the war, they would let me go and I would start my plans all over again” he noted. “It was a cycle I would have gladdly continued until his death or mine”

“I’m glad we found each other then.” Her voice was soft in the dark room.

“You know, when I was a young man I thought I would have a wife, kids and some land to live off of. ” he said “That will never happen now, so you lot are my family and I want to keept it.”

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

“I don’t want to lose you either, Eli.” She stood and walked over to him. She stared up at him, her hands resting on his arms. “I know it is a dangerous life we live. I wouldn’t change it. I wouldn’t have met any of you. I always wished my father had had other children. I wanted an older brother desperately, and now I do.”

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

Eli smiled, “me too” he said “ill be ok , just an old man working out old wounds” he suggested. He Scooped her back into his arms once more and left the room “back to bed with you” he said taking her back to the infirmary.

“Eli, put me down. I can walk perfectly fine.” She put a hand over his heart. “Let me stay, I can help. I can ease it some and help you sleep. I just have to hold your hand.”

“No arguments Noril will kill us both” he said as they worked his way down the halls.

“He will not,” she protested, but he wasn’t wrong that Noril would be concerned and berate them both.

When they finally arrived he rested his forehead on hers.. “im glad your ok my tāina” said in his native language.

He then sat her down gently on the bed and turned the monitors back on.
Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Vash hugged him. “I am only okay because of you.” She kissed his cheek in a very sisterly way. “What does that mean? Tāina?”

Vashkilu, Infiltrator
He looked at her with a long pause placing his hand on her forehead “it’s Māori” he noted with a endearing looked.

The pause was long and thoughtfull. “It means little sister” he said with a nod. He turned and then started to leave the room.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Her face lit up a little at him. She caught his hand as he turned. “Eli,” What could she say? “How can I help?”

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

He smiled,”You have helped, ” he said “I should be ok” he saw the look she was giving him. Decided she would just push.

“Fine,” he said pulling up a chair and a stool, “Ill sleep here” he said “would not be the first time” he noted grabing another blanket and pillow..

“Need anything ?”

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

“In the chair?” She shook her head, “No. I want to help, but you need good sleep. I wish…” she sighed, “I wish I was fully Deltan so I could make the effects last after I let go.” She shook her head, “just your hand.” She held hers out to him. She was tired, he could tell, and she was liable to be asleep before he ever settled.

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

Looking at her he new she would not take no for an answer and just follow him back to his room which would not be good. “You are amazing just the way your are,” he said.

“Flatterer,” Vash quipped tiredly. These connections with these people were not what Vash had expected when she asked her father to send her away. She had never expected to find a family and a place she belonged. Her life was going to be one of constant struggle, Intrigue, backstabbing, and not belonging. There was still that, except she belonged here. Like Eli, she couldn’t stand the thought of losing any of them.

Eli took a seat resting his arms on the bed rail, held out his hand, he watched her vitals beep in rythm the sound made his eyes heavy.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Her petite emerald hand slipped into his much larger one. The pain medication made her tired and groggy, so the effect of her gifts weren’t startling. It didn’t matter because Vash didn’t want to manipulate him, just comfort him. A sense of acceptance and affection slowly seeped into him and a sense of safety. Vash sharing how she felt with him looking out for her. He was family and loved.

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

The feelings she was feeling flowed in as the monitor slowly beeped. It was a feeling he did not feel often, the sense of responsibility for everyone onboard always on his mind. Peace was not a normal state for him, whānau , the word entered his mind, it meant more than family it was a family bond that was unbreakable. There was no action
that could be taken to remove you from it, and there would always be someone there to aid you in your darkest times. Family was a weak word the did not do or serve the true meaning. The crew was whānau, and would be with him no mater what, but they did not know that it meant more, it means that his direct family would accept them even he was gone, he had made sure of that. The emotions settled in and his breathing went soft and steady as he drifted of to sleep. His dreams unknown but not disruptive to his sleep. His soul was at peace for the moment, his neck was likely to compain when he woke.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

The boy had been working on getting the ship working and had filled the night with other maintenance tasks that ensured that the boy’s sparklingly clean new outfit was torn and stained by various oils, greases, and spillages. Any exposed skin too had residues from the aforementioned work he had done. While tired, he still wanted to check on the Pretty Lady and bounded towards where he had helped the nice doctor before and barged in. His mind had been racing if she was ok or gonna make it, was she going to like, be missing an arm or would her injuries be swelled up like a balloon? He had experienced some nasty cuts and bruises before, his own disruptor injury was starting to throb a bit as the scar tissue was tighter than he was used to feeling in his shoulder. He held his arm above his head and stretched it as much as he could before rolling it around a little as he saw the closed med bay door.

He opened it and looked in for only a brief second before running in and knocking into a tray full of instruments to be put away causing quite a stir. He was sprawled on the floor a little dazed before he got up. “I’m alright…” He said to no one in particular as his vision regained it’s focus. He saw where she was lying and ran over, “Are you ok? Did the nice doctor make you all better? He really is a nice doctor.” He said quickly as he turned to see Eli, “Oh! Hi nice doctor!” He said with a wave far too close to the man’s face before turning back to Vash, “So you’re ok? I mean you look ok. Like better, not like you were in the bar. You are so pretty…” He said rambling a bit as he bounced on his toes with nervous energy.

~Jaiturk, PIT~

It was not the crash that woke her. The hyperactive speed and giddiness of waring emotions from a 10 year old child did just moments before the med bay doors opened. Her eyes snapped open. Eli was asleep next to her. His back and neck and shouldeds were going to protest that position. Her hand squeezed his tightly, urging him to wake up. Someone very unfamiliar and chaotic was approaching.

She turned and blinked at the young Orion boy. Where did he come from? “Eli?” She shook his hand. “Eli??” Was she hallucinating?

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

Eli started to wake as Vash squeezed his hand, some confusion flooded into a rather nice dream he was having, his sister,no a friend, now a small boy.. what the. He thought as his eyes drifted open. “Ah my ne” he said as he grabed his neck, the crash. Startled by the loud crash Eli’s hands flew backward kicking the chair out from underneath him. His arms and legs flailed as he fell backward. “Aaaaaaagh” he shouted as he hit the floor. It took another moment or two before he realized who it was.

Vash reached instinctively to rub his neck, but then Eli fell. He was really dreaming. She sat up with the intention of helping him, bit her back and legs said no.

“Ah kid, what the?” he shook off the haze. “Say hi to Vash, Vash Jaiturk he well he followed us” he noted starting to stand again

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Vash’s bald brows rose. A kid. Noril brought a kid on board? She was hallucinating.

“Vash…..” the boy said, his young voice hanging on the letters almost dreamily. “That’s a really pretty name, and you’re a really pretty lady!” He said holding out his grubby hand to shake hers with a big grin. “ I didn’t just follow you…” He said somewhat bashfully before continuing, “I heard the fighting after fixing the replicator and when I saw who it was I grabbed your disruptor and started shooting at them!” He said happily as he bounced in place a little. “I had just come from the Korda’s like base or whatever cuz they had the parts I needed and of course I had to deal with them and they’re just the worst. Especially their youngest daughter! Man I got on their bad side. I have a gang… well used to… and…” the boy rambled on and on as he waited to shake her hand, his own still outstretched.

~Jaiturk, PIT~

She blinked, her senses realing at the raw chaos he exuded. Bracing herself she took his hand. She was amused by his enthusiasm. “Hello Jaiturk. It’s nice to meet you.” She cast a glance at Eli. The kid knew the Korda. Were they after him too?

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

Jai felt her take his hand and he melted a little, “Your hand is so soft…..” he said, his voice a little dreamily still before he snapped back out of it, shaking hers hand vigorously before stopping suddenly. “Sorry! Too much? How are you healing? Are you hurt bad? I got shot too!” He said as he pulled his hands back and put them behind his head, clasping them as he tried to stretch his shoulders once more. He turned a little and pulled on the stained mechanic’s jumpsuit at the shoulder a little revealing his own disruptor scar before turning back towards her, rocking back and forth a little.

~Jaiturk, PIT~

He was enthusiastic, and it was obvious by his grip he had an abundance of the Orion strength. “Thank you, Jaiturk. I’ll be fine. Eli is a wonderful doctor. He takes care of me.” She looked at him seriously. “Eli, he’s in pain,” she said looking up at Eli as she felt the painful twinge from the child.

Eli finally on his feet gave Vash an understanding look, “Kid why do you let Vash rest a little, clean up your mess and we’ll get that shoulder working for you?” he asked looking at the mess the lad had made.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

Jai was about to put up a fuss as he didn’t hurt that badly and besides, the pretty lady was in far worse condition! At least that’s what he thought, but something about her urging of the nice doctor to treat him made him pause… He nodded and said, “Yes sir” to Eli with a nod as he ran off towards the sonic shower only to find himself in a closet. He stepped out and said, “Whoops… I think it’s that way?” He asked pointing and after the approval of an adult he went off and stripped off the jumpsuit and cleaned himself up before replicating a new jumpsuit, this time only putting on the overall portion and leaving the undershirt off.

Eli chuckled to himself as the young man left the room, looking at the mess on the floor made by the tray he knocked over, he nelt down to pick it up.. “he means wells rough kid, rough life , like the rest of us” he said without looking at her. “Hell be ok”

“He seems enthusiastic at least.” Vash grabbed his hand and pulled him in for a hug. “Are you alright?”

He gave her a slow hug, “I will be” he said not wanting to lie, “I’m rested , so just some time to sort through” he said. HE Looked thought fully at her, she was such a good friend, and grounded well give the circumstances. “You make a great sister Vash” he said then smirked. “Now rest a bit more i want you butt out of bed and walking around by the afternoon”

“Of course I do! I never had a sibling, but I am awesome at everything I do.” She gave him a cheeky wink and then pouted. “Hey! I was up and walking last night. I could have walked back if you hadn’t insisted on carrying me like a baby.”

Eli looked at her and smirked, “You got the snarky part down” he said, “And I did not feel you were ready lastnight” he noted.

Vash’s eyes laughed at him, even as she pouted. “Hey, I could have miraculously developed the ability to heal quickly.” She couldn’t keep a straight face though. Her expression turned worried and adoring. She touched his arm, “I had to, Eli. I… I couldn’t leave you like that.”

He looked at her with appriciation, laughing with her for a moment. “Thank you Vash, I’m glad I have you Noril to keep me out of my head” he said.

He came back about 15 or so minutes later to the nice doctor and undid the straps, his torso now bare as he said, “I’m all clean now. Um… You don’t really have to treat me now I think she deserves it more…” He said, turning around to show the doctor his shoulder, knowing the man would probably treat him anyway.

~Jaiturk, PIT~

Eli took a close looks just some dead tissue he thought.. “shes fine ” he said then took out the dermal tool. “This should not hurt a bit” he said, there was nothing but dead tissue the old dermal tool would clear it just fine..

With one last wave of it” there all better should be like it was never hurt” he said.’ In a day or two.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Vash watched and mentally shook her head. Eli would have been an amazing father. He should have had the wife, the kids, and the land to farm.

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

The boy left the straps to the torso cover on his overalls off for the time being as he rolled his shoulder up and back, stretching his arms high to the ceiling as he felt the tension from the scar tissue gone and a tingling sting left in it’s place. He let his arms finally drop to his sides as he turned back to face Eli and smiled, “Thank you Mr. Nice Doctor!” He said cheerfully as he went back over to Vash, the now clean child still bouncing on his toes with nervous energy as he looked at her and couldn’t help but smile. He tuned back to Eli and said, “Is there anything I can do to help sir?” He said, offering that honorific to the man who had been so gentle and interested in coming along side the boy rather than just dismissing him. He started to sway a little from side to side on each foot as he shifted his weight. He kept looking back at Vash and then to Eli, hoping someone would give him something to do.

Vash restrained a sigh and smiled at the boy. She was used to children in her father’s house, but this one seemed to have a very obvious (to Vash) crush on her. That was new. “He is a very nice doctor and very good too. You do everything he tells you, alright?” The child was on the hungry side of thin. She hated it. Children should be cherished.

He paused and looked at some of the spilled tools that Eli had missed earlier when the nice doctor had picked up most of the boy’s mess before he said, “Oh! I’ll get those! Sorry!” Before he ran off a few paces and got on his knees facing away from the two, picking up everything that had gotten lodged under cabinets and other hard to reach places where Eli hadn’t seen. These two were different than most, and Jaiturk fell immediately into the role of a good obedient child with just the two of them. He wanted to the pretty lady to see how good he could be, and the nice doctor? Well, there was an immediate father figure sense coming from him that Jai wanted to impress, he wanted Eli’s approval and couldn’t readily explain why. Would this sort of behavior and attitude last forever? Certainly not, but it didn’t hurt to make a good impression now.

~Jaiturk, PIT~

Vash pushed her self all the way to sitting, keeping perfect control of her empathy so no one else would feel how tired, stiff, and sore she was. She let her legs dangle over the side of the bed and rounded her back so she could stretch. She was parched and wanted water.

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

bump

Eli looked over at her noticing that she was getting up, he knew she was still sore but he wanted to see it play out, watch her as she moved around. “You need help?” he asked moving to organize a few things to the sterilizer that had fallen on the floor.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Vash was as stubborn as they came. Here, with Eli, she could be injured, weak, helpless. She wouldn’t though. Weakness was a death sentence. “No,” she flashed him a laughing smile. “I’m thirsty. My doc says I need to hydrate.” Carefully she stretched while sitting up. Another need hit her. She stretched her feet and tried to slide off the bed, but her skin was tender. Using her arms she lifted herself just slightly to hop off the bed.

Eli smiled back and gave her a bit of the side eye, “Dam straight you need water” he said watching her move out of bed to see how she was managing. Every instinct inside him was scream to help her, he could see how week she was but he knew she needed to try on her own.

There wasn’t any pain, but Vash’s knees threatened to buckle as her leg and back muscles trembled with weakness. She gripped the bed tightly as her legs fought to take her weight and her back stabilize her. Glancing around, she spotted the young boy - Jai. She didn’t want to alarm him. “Eli,” she said softly, in a way that meant she needed help, hated it, and was hiding it.

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

Eli caught her eyeing the boy momentarily and then her legs begin to give way, quickly he moved to her side so quick it appeard like he was gliding, reminding everyone in the room how quick the big man actually was. “Hey,” he said his back now to Jai holding her waist firmly, both his masive hands almost encircled it. He gave her a knowing smile. “I did not say you could get out of bed yet” he said, lifting her back onto the edge of the bed.. “I need to test your motor reflexes” which was bs but it was a good excuse.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

“I have to get up, Eli,” she hissed a whisper at him. Gods she hated this. “I need the facilities, but I don’t think I can walk there.” She had to wonder, now, how she managed to get to Eli’s room last night. Pain meds and the inability to tell how weak she was. It was amazing Eli hadn’t put a forcefield around her.

She glanced at the child, “I don’t want to alarm him. He seems anxious and overly worried.” Not to mention the massive crush she could feel from him.

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

“All that water, ” he whispered, then increased his volume. “Look your not going to walk there by yourself, I’ll take you” he said, “put your arm around me and i can pull you up by the waist and take a little weight off you.” he said in whisper. “Its that or a pan” he finished with a smirk.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Vash glared at him. “I am not using a pan,” she hissed. Certainly not with a child in the room. “I’m not that injured.” She put an arm around Elu’s neck so he could lift her. “I promise, after I will get back in bed and stay there like a good patient.”

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

Eli snorted at her response, “Drama queen,” he whispered. “All right up you go” he said “You been in bed a few days with a lot of meds running through you,” he noted as the moved toward the facilities. “No slacking, once we get back hop back in bed. Try again every hour, walk close to the bed or a surface you can hold on too, you’ll be walking steady by the end of the day” he said. “I’ll be here to help you if you need it” he noted

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Vash laughed. She loved the way Eli let her sass him. She liked seeing how it made him smile, the way it amused him. Even better, it had nothing to do with her ‘Orion wiles’. Drama queen? Oh really? She placed a hand against his shoulder, gripping the cloth. She turned worried eyes to his, “Walking is fine, but will I dance again?” It took everything in her to keep that worried look on her face.

“Please, a frenzied Torg could not stop you from dancing” the saracsim was thick in his voice, “You’ll be fine by tomorrow if I have my way”

Vash laughed. The sound was musical and light hearted. “True, but I don’t think you would be very happy with me if I tried to dance with a frenzied targ.”

His face twisted into a quizical scruch, his fake thoughts runing through the expression on his face. “The depends, if I want targ steaks for dinner I may consider it” he jested.

When he set her down she shooed him out of the room. “I’ll manage this on my own.” She pressed the button to close the door. A brief wait later, Vash opened the door. “Eli,” she called softly. There was no distress, she was, for once, behaving. There was nothing near by to hold on to to walk, and just this little bit exhausted her. If he wanted her to walk he would have to help. If he wanted to carry her, she wouldn’t protest.

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

Eli noticed the look on her face, she was exaused. He had spent so much time with her and most of the crew that he could tell she was not playing around. She was a tuff nut and it was a rare case where she would not want to manage on her own. He did not think twice scooping her up into his arms. “Lets get you back in bed for a bit, You hungry?
” he asked as he carried her back to bed.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Her head rested on his shoulder. She didn’t even wince in anticipation of being picked up. She knew Eli wouldn’t hurt her even by accident. “Starving. I don’t even mind I have to eat that sludge you all call food.” One of the things that Vash excelled at was cooking. She told Noril she did it to earn her due, but really she enjoyed it. She liked taking care of them. They were her family and it was an honest way to pamper them all without anyone feeling awkward about her. So she never missed the chance to remind them all of the quality, really the lack, of food they had been eating before her. It really wasn’t that bad.

“My cooking is not that bad,” he noted “Whats wrong with ration paste stue” he jabbed setting her gentally down on the bed.

She set her hands on the bed to brace herself and take most of her weight as she got comfortable. “I’m really cold though.”

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

Eli pulled the sheets over, “Let me get you a couple blankets” he said as he turned the heat for the bead on. He then moved over to the cubard and graba couple blankets. “Son why don’t you head to the galley and will get Vash somthing eat. I’ll be right behind you” he noted spreading the blankets over her. “Rest up.” he said as he placed his hand on her foread.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Jai stood up and put the tools back as he moved to fasten the worker’s overall straps over his bare shoulders. The fit was snug and he rolled his oh so recently healed shoulder up and around once more, feeling no more than a light tingle remaining from the nice doctor’s work earlier. He watched as the two worked to stand, he had heard everything but maintained his quiet, something about the way they talked to each other didn’t require the profound thoughts of a 10 year old boy interjecting between their sentences. He nodded and turned on his bare heels to face towards the exit, catching one last glance of the pretty lady as she moved to stand before starting to walk towards the exit.

He put his hands behind his head as he walked, pulling his forearms in to almost squeeze his own head as he ran through the events that ended up with him onboard before pausing and looking up at a bulkhead, supporting his head with his hands as he did, “Well this isn’t where you thought you’d be is it…” He said out loud to no one in particular before letting his arms drop to his sides once more as he let out a long breath. He continued to walk, the cold dingy plating and flickering lighting reminding him of the mines in a strangely nostalgic way.

Looking at the layout screen again he finally found his way to the galley and he made his way into the kitchen where he climbed up on the counter and rested on his knees, back towards the main eating area as he opened a cabinet, “Ok ration paste… there’s the blue one. The green one. The orange one. That one has spots....” He said as he hopped down, leaving the cabinet open as he found a food preserver and looked at everything. “Some vegetables.... maybe meat.... is that… is that a head?” He said as he reached in and pulled out what clearly was the head of some smallish animal before it rotated in his hand and he let out a yelp, dropping it as he made eye contact with it. With a shudder he said, “Ok not that....” Before he tossed it back in and looked around… “Maybe I should cook something for her!” He said with a wild glint in his eye.

After about forty minutes Eli realized that he had forgotten about helping with the food. He looked over at a vash who was resting comfortably. Well I need her to eat he thought, and moved to her bedside. “Time to eat,” he said scooping her up blanket and all not waiting for her to give some protest that would ultimately end in him carrying her anyway. As her eyes opened he was already halfway out of the infirmary.

Vash laughed quietly sounding sleepy. “I thought I was supposed to get my butt moving.” She laid her head against his shoulder. “I think you just like holding me, Eli.”

Eli and Vash would eventually enter the galley to find a plume of greenish smoke, a scent of something cooking seasoned with what could only be described as a rather pungent bouquet (think coriander, star anise, blue cheese (specifically a Roquefort stored in olive brine), melted PVC, skunk-weed, and a faint hint of grilled onions). Jai meanwhile was frantically trying to get everything done and Vash would distinctly hear more than a few choice swears in Low Orion from the young boy as he worked.

~Jaiturk, PIT~

Eli’s nose settled into the pits of his gut as the smell hit him, what on ,,eeeeeeggg, what have I done he thought. As he looked over the scene in front of him and then down of the vash. “I’m sorry, he wispered” trying not to lose his stomach. Sitting her down at the table wrapped all cosey in the blanket, he looked up.

Vash’s nose crinkled and she buried her face into Eli’s shirt. It smelled a whole lot better than the stench wafting through the galley. It was awful, whatever it was. “Ugh, who’s messing in my kitchen?” The sound was muffled, hidden against Eli’s chest and the blankets, so it didn’t carry. She curled up in the spot Eli left her, spotting Jaiturk. Oh, it was the kid. Vash shuttered. She wasn’t eating whatever that was. She put her head down like she was tired, and drew the blanket over her head to help keep out the stench.

Vashkilu, Infiltrator

“So what are you making son, I was hoping you would wait for me?” he noted not wanting to hurth the boys feeling too much.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Jai paused and looked over his shoulder and blushed, he was sure they had heard him swearing before he let out a faint sigh. “I um… well… I was trying to make like a fricasseed souffle of um… cheese? With a vegetable um… casserole mixed with some meat? Uh… cooked?” He said, the words obviously not matching anything as he desperately tried to convince Eli that he had it under control as well as having a plan for what on earth he was doing. The boy quickly spun around, his arm knocking into the pot that formerly contained what he thought was a sauce as it splattered against the wall, “Everything’s fine… I think there’s some we can still use that isn’t on a bulkhead!” He called out as he turned off the stove and looked frantically for something to serve the ‘food’ on.

~Jaiturk, PIT~