#returning the favour

[meetmeinmyden]

Wayfarers Series microfic: A Closed and Common Orbit era

Rescuing Owl

Word count: ~650

Rosemary’s first tenday as an administrator at the Reskit Museum of Interstellar Migration (Kaathet Branch) had gone really well. After three years aboard the Wayfarer she was ready to have her feet on solid ground for more than a tenday at a time.

It was nearly the end of the day and she had finished most of her tasks, and began her review of the next day's activities across the whole museum, because she found it easier when her brain had a bit of time to process what was coming.

Ah yes, there was that research group coming in the morning, and then she would end the afternoon helping set up for the evening classes. That sounded like a good day.

She glanced casually at the names of the research group and took a sharp inhale as she did so: Pepper, Blue and Sidra.

There was no way this was a coincidence, there was no way it could not be them. Rosemary had never met Blue, and had only met Sidra when she had still been Lovelace, in the first couple of days before Pepper took her away, all those years ago.

She rushed home and called Kizzy immediately. Kizzy’s face looked ecstatic as it appeared on the sib, and her squeals filled the room. Rosemary grinned back at her.

“Where’s Sissix?” Kizzy demanded. “I haven’t seen her face in so long either!”

“It’s been 3 tendays Kizzy!” said Rosemary fondly. “And she'll be home in about half an hour, so you’ll see her soon enough.”

“Wheeee! When when when can I visit you guys??”

“Never mind that, I have a question for you that seems pretty urgent. Pepper, Blue and Sidra are coming to the museum tomorrow. What is going on?”

“Oh stars? Is that where you're working? You know I have no memory for these kinds of things! They told me they were going to some museum in Aandrisk space, and I knew you and Sissix had just moved to Kaathet and you had some new fancy job, but you're telling me it's the same place? Oh stars, oh stars.”

“From what I know of Pepper, she doesn't seem like the museum type,” Rosemary said slowly.

“Yeah, not at all. Listen, I don’t know how much I should say. I’m going to call her right now and figure it out.”

“I’m getting the vibe that there’s something a bit sketchy going on, which makes sense. And I know I just got this job and I was really excited about it, but we owe Pepper so much for everything she did when...” Rosemary trailed off and her eyes filled with tears remembering the day of the hard reset, when Lovey didn't come back, and Pepper worked all day to repair the ship while Kizzy and Jenks tried everything they could. “So tell her... Tell her I don’t care about this job and I’ll help her however I can.”

Kizzy put her hand on her heart and smiled sadly, then took a big inhale, saluted, and vanished from the screen.

Rosemary was very glad that Sissix arrived home at that moment, took one look at her and sat next to her on the sofa and pulled her into a big hug without a word. She knew that look.

Half an hour later Kizzy’s face reappeared on the scrib, and soon she was joined by Pepper, Tak and Sidra, and they spent the evening discussing plans to rescue Owl. By the end of it they had a plan which wouldn’t even lose Rosemary her job.

Rosemary had been apprehensive to meet Sidra again, as they had only spoken when Sidra woke up and they realised Lovey was gone, but now she was sure they would be friends. Rosemary needed more people in her life who had a proper appreciation for different cataloguing methods and archiving systems.

[ratatatastic]

[godlizzza]

Reverse: this time Herbert is the one getting hit on and Dan has to step in, preferably middleaged danbert please :)

"Wow, Dr. West, you removed that bullet in no time," Grant gawked.

Herbert peeled off his blood-soaked gloves and tossed them down on the tool bench. "Work as long as I did in Chicago and you'll be picking out bullets like watermelon seeds."

Grant, the nurse, had been assisting him with the same shooting patient, an armed robbery victim, most of the day. They'd finally gotten the man stable enough to attempt to remove the bullet lodged dangerously close to his spine. The bullet was long and thin, so that plucking it out with the forceps had been easily done, though Grant was acting as though he'd performed some kind of miracle.

"You've worked at a lot of hospitals then?" Grant asked, pushing the cart of tools along as he walked beside Herbert.

Herbert cast a surreptitious glance at him but didn't break his stride. "Not so many," he lied.

Grant didn't seem to notice his sly tone. His eyes remained wide and sparkling. He had to be at least ten years Herbert's junior, and relatively new to the field. He still had that sunny optimism that Herbert had seen quickly snuffed out of many nurses. He supposed you could only get vomited on and abused for so long before becoming somewhat embittered to it all. That was why Herbert preferred bodies over people. Less back-chat.

"Um, you know, Dr. West," Grant began, pulling up short and forcing Herbert to stop in his tracks. "I-"

"What is it?" Herbert asked briskly, aware that they were supposed to be heading back to their floor.

Grant coughed into his fist and glanced to the side. He fidgeted with his cuffs, which just irritated Herbert more. Standing around, doing nothing, had never been a favoured pastime of his.

"I was just thinking how, um, incredible you are."

"What?"

He hadn't been expecting that. Mostly, the rest of the hospital staff went out of their way to interact with him only when strictly necessary, which suited him just fine. They certainly didn't walk around dishing out compliments to him.

"Yeah," Grant went on, a grin pulling at his mouth. "I know some other people mind find your style a little, uh, brusque, but I like how direct you are. No beating around the bush. That's my kinda style too. Also, this might sound a little weird, but I wish I had your hands."

Herbert inspected his fingers. "Is that right?"

Grant nodded, a curl of hair flopping over his glittering eyes. "I always watch your surgeries when I can. You never shake."

"He's unshakable," Dan agreed, materialising at Herbert's side. "Nerves of steel, this one."

Herbert didn't jump, but cast a wild look at Dan, who placed a hand on the small of his back and smiled. Herbert had known Dan's smiling face for twenty years, and could see that, though he looked perfectly genial on the outside, there was a stiffness to his jaw that suggested otherwise.

"Oh, Dr. Cain. Hi," Grant said and took a step back. His eyes dimmed as he and Dan stared at each other, some unspoken conversation passing between their gazes alone.

"Did I hear something about hands?" Dan asked, faux politeness dripping from his voice. "Herbert does have nice hands. So nice, I just had to decorate one." And, taking Herbert's hand in his, turned them so that their matching wedding rings glinted under the fluorescent lights.

Grant gave a short huff of a laugh and nodded stiffly. He looked at Herbert as he said, "I'll see you back at bay eight?"

"Yes," Herbert replied, trailing off as Grant walked off, pushing his cart towards the elevator.

Only once he was round the corner did Dan pull his hand away.

"What was that?" Herbert asked, arching an eyebrow at Dan, who put on a big sigh and placed his hands on his hips.

Dan looked up at the roof as he mused, "I knew it was bound to happen eventually."

"What're you talking about?" Herbert pressed, but Dan had turned around and was walking down the hall.

"One day the world would catch up with me and realised I lucked out," Dan said wistfully as he strolled away.

Herbert could see his cheeks rising with a grin and pursued him with half a mind to grasp the nearest newspaper and whack him upside the head with it.

"Stop talking nonsense," Herbert barked. "And stop walking so fast."

Dan laughed as Herbert caught up with him and they continued on together.

[novis-musica]

Marcus: ‘Revenge’ sounds so mean.

Marcus: That’s why I prefer to call it ‘returning the favour’.

[crabbng]

pt 1

pt 1 / 2 / 3

like what kiri did for him

[obstinatecondolement]

In light of @benicebefunny’s tag about Geordi marrying Reg so that they can be excited about engineering together, that scene where Data notices Barclay being anxious about his pulse and eyesight and goes to Geordi to mention his concerns reads so much like “Your boyfriend seems to be going through something, I thought you’d want to know” and like. Payback is a bitch.  

[oceanspray5]

Percy Jackson, Barry Allen, & Bellamy Blake trash. my studyblr | make free $$$

So I would like you all to check out my (sort of friend) and fellow blogger hebah’s tumblr.

[callingallbutterflies]

My fave is problematic: earflaphat

has an arts degree, doesn’t even paint

her hair is too pretty

wears heels even though SHE’S ALREADY TALLER THAN ME

lets me set things on fire

lives too far away