Happy places...

Posted on 11 Apr 2016 @ 7:30am by Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen M.D.

1,771 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 11 - Divinum Mundi
Location: USS Galileo, Deck 3, Counselling Office
Timeline: MD1, 0800 hours

[ON]

Slowly rolling herself into sickbay, Tuula moved like she had a massive weight on her shoulders. Her turquoise hair was clumped up; the release agent that she had put in her hair after her confrontation with Holliday had got the mohawk to drop, but hadn't fully released the sticky mess of product in her hair.

She needed to see a counselor. She knew it and Allyndra knew it. But as she entered the counselor's office and saw Naois there filing paperwork, seeing him holding a PADD in his bionic hand, she paused for a moment and had second thoughts.

"Dr. Mercy?" called out Tuula, getting his attention. "I... I just stopped by to see how you're doing; if you needed a hand with anything." She winced at the slip.

"Tuula." Naois smiled as he gestured for her to come in. "That is very kind of you but no I do not need assistance." He ignored her slip, since in his opinion, it wasn't one. "But perhaps it is you, who needs assistance?" He knew she hadn't just come to see how he was doing, even though she had every right to since he was her patient, or had been in any event. "Please, make yourself comfortable Tuula." His smile widened just a fraction. "I do not bite."

"That's not what I'm worried about; I did just get back from vacation on Akkadia," replied Tuula, trying to put on a bit of a smile. "I... erm... how is the new tricorder working for you?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"It is working fine, thank you," Naois answered, briefly allowing the deflection. "How was your vacation? Did you take time to relax or did you only go sightseeing?"

"I..." Tuula blushed, recalling her visit to the Irsemia House. "I had a lot of fun. It was very relaxing, and the planet there is amazing. They have these things, like tattoos, but with metallic flakes implanted under your skin... I... I guess I can show you sometime..."

"Flakes?" Naois never considered marking his skin with tattoos, considering it fine as it was now, "I am relieved to see you took some time for yourself." He smiled just ever so slightly, though his blue eyes sparkled as he got the gist. "I would like too see, if it is nowhere ah...private."

Tuula smiled at Naois and began unzipping her uniform. "On my back," she said, as she pulled her uniform over her head, removing her top and stripping down to her undershirt to reveal the unique modifications on her back. She had an old tattoo of stars in the pattern of the big and little dipper on her back, with Polaris on the back of her neck. But it had recently been accessorized with swirls of glowing blue and silver metal flakes, creating the effect of a starry field on her back.

"It's so nice, don't you think?" asked Tuula as she felt Naois' touch with his good hand on her back.

Gently and carefully tracing the swirls, Naois nodded then pulled his hand back. "It is beautiful," he answered quietly then reached to pull her undershirt back down. "Too bad it is hidden, though I understand most bodily decorations are of a private and personal affair. Personally, I would never consider doing it."

"I wish it didn't have to be," sighed Tuula, as she began putting her uniform back on. "People can be so judgemental sometimes. It's like they can't handle people's differences, even though these differences are what makes us who we are. I'd love to get some ink on my hands and neck, but..."

"Patients may object to being treated by you if they see," Naois answered knowingly. "though you wear gloves when you perform surgery and ink in general is not transferrable to another. This kind of ink, I mean." He paused, considering her. "I have noticed however, that your...looks, are a little more extreme than the last time we met. Any reason why?"

"Extreme?" asked Tuula, feigning ignorance. It may have seemed extreme to the casual observer, but the heavy makeup and dyed hair felt more natural to her. "I'm... not sure what you mean..."

"Your appearance, you are using darker make-up, and even your hairstyle has changed. It is not unbecoming, but I am certain I am not the only one who noticed the change. It may cause more prejudice against you, and I personally would prefer not to see that happen. What caused this change?"

"This is just who I am," protested Tuula, her tone getting somewhat indignant. "I like cool hair and tattoos and piercings. And I'm tired of people like Captain Holliday judging me for it."

"Ah..." Now he was getting somewhere. "How is he judging you? Has he asked you to change your appearance? Or suggested you use a different means of transportation?" He could see a wheelchair being an issue in a surgical theatre, but he doubted that was the issue at hand.

"He didn't like my hair. Or the way we redecorated sickbay, so he yelled and threatened to take me off duty." Tuula let out a sigh. "This style is all I have known. It's me. I know I'm different, but being different is the only way I feel comfortable. Especially after the last mission." She shuddered, just thinking about being shackled to that table by her mirror self, on the bed next to Allyndra.

"Everyone is different," Naois offered slowly, "unless you are identical twins, everyone is unique. Genetically speaking at least. As far as personality goes, there are no two people with exactly the same personality. Commander Holliday not liking your hair is a matter of opinion to which he is entitled. personally, I believe it suits you."

The Vulcan arched a single eyebrow at her at the mention of sickbay being redecorated. "I was not aware sickbay was redecorated," he added in surprise, "how extremely was it altered?"

Tuula smiled slightly at Naois' compliment on her hair. It was not something she heard too often, aside from in tattoo parlours or goth clubs. "We just did some decorating to brighten it up. We all added a little bit of ourselves to it; I chose the wallpaper for one of the walls. It just looks so much nicer and it doesn't remind us of..."

Tuula trailed off at the thought of what she and Allyndra went through back in the mirror universe. The trauma from that experience was still with her; it was why they had redecorated sickbay, and was why she was making her look that much more extreme.

"Remind you of..." Naois prompted, sensing something but not quite sure what exactly. He recognized the feeling, but couldn't quite pin it down. "Why would the commander object to sickbay being made more...pleasant? Assuming it was made brighter, as I have not been to sickbay recently."

"He just has a strange sense of style," replied Tuula, wrinkling her nose at him. "Didn't like my mohawk, didn't like the colours I picked out, didn't like the black flowers I added, and didn't like the museum-quality antiques displayed in the lobby." She shook her head. "It's strange."

"But does the medical staff like it?" Naois asked carefully, "do patients coming in appreciate it? Does it offer a distraction from their ailments?" Naois noticed she had ignored his prompting of a reminder she had started to mention, and filed it away to come back to later.

"I can't see why anyone wouldn't like it," replied Tuula, shaking her head. "It's got bright, happy colours like black and very dark grey. And it's nothing like the old sickbay where all that unpleasantness happened earlier."

"Tuula....did you ever consider that many actually consider black and grey to be very depressing colours?" He wondered if that perhaps was the problem. "Happy colours are considered to be bright and warm such as red, orange and yellow..." He gestured around his office which had light orange walls and one wall was sporting drawings his children has made. To break the green, one wall was painted a very pale red. In the corner stood a tall flowerless plant. "Pastels make patients feel comfortable. Usually..."

"They don't make me comfortable," shot back Tuula. In truth, deep down she knew that other people found her tastes to be peculiar. But it was something that she clung to, a part of her very individuality. "We all put a little bit of ourselves into sickbay... Olsam's painting, Allyndra's sculptures, and my decorations. It's really a cheerful place now, and it's barely recognizable from..." Glancing down at Naois' hand, Tuula trailed off.

Following her gaze, Naois frowned. "Tuula...please tell me...why exactly was sickbay redecorated?" He covered his right hand with his left, feeling obscuring it may assist in the prompting. "It is barely recognizable from... what?"

"From... from..." Tuula started to trail off a little. "You were there..." she added, an uncomfortable look appearing on her face. Her eyes kept wandering back to Naois' stump; she longed for something pleasant to stare at to keep her mind off the events of the last mission, something like her bone saw or the photos of skulls she put up in sickbay.

Reaching out with his good hand, Naois touched her arm. "Yes, I was there," he acknowledged, sensing her discomfort. "Would you like to relocate to your office? Somewhere you are more comfortable?"

"Your office has more privacy," replied Tuula, not wanting to make Naois relive the horrors of those days either.

"That it does, but it makes you uncomfortable. What can I do to make you more at ease?"

"Hmmmmmm..." mused Tuula for a moment before her face lit up. "I know! I could go fetch Gilbert..."

"Gilbert?" Arching an eyebrow, Naois watched her. "Who is Gilbert?"

"He's my pet tribble!" exclaimed Tuula. "Didn't you see my presentation at the symposium?" she added, a pang of disapointment in her voice.

"Oh...Gilbert the Tribble." Naois smiled in recollection. "Yes I saw your presentation, it was quite iluminating. If Gilbert makes you feel more at ease then by all means...you should fetch him. Perhaps you would like to reschedule and pick up our session then?"

"Sure!" exclaimed Tuula. She might have to bring Gilbert into work sometime; if people for some reason didn't like her portraits of skulls from around the quadrant on the walls, they might at least appreciate a cute fluffy tribble.

[OFF]

Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen
Medical Officer
USS Galileo


Lieutenant j.g. Naois Mercy
Counsellor
USS Galileo
Pnpc Tyrion

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