Was that a wolf?!?

Posted on Tue May 22nd, 2018 @ 8:49am by Lieutenant Matthew Lysander MD & Lieutenant Marci Ulfred

Mission: Curing the Black Blood
Location: Sickbay, CMO office
Timeline: En Route to Granweh

Marci couldn't help yawning as she ushered her last sick call patient out the door and turned back to face the empty sickbay. It wouldn't stay empty for long, but she was going to take advantage of it anyway. Taking a moment or two, she set up a sign asking incoming patients to please sit on a biobed to notify sickbay staff of their arrival. With that done, she set the biobeds to alarm in the office if anyone were to sit down... and to activate the EMH if there was no response within ninety seconds. Satisfied that she wouldn't miss anyone who wanted to be seen, she headed into the CMO office. While it technically wasn't hers to use, it made a good place to catch up on charting. Or to nap.

As she crossed the threshold, Marci yawned again and assumed her lupine form, trotting to a corner of the office. There she curled up with her tail over her eyes and her ears pricked to listen for any alarms. Even if she only got ten minutes, it was better than nothing at all.

Tripping the door sensor with his cane Matthew limped slowly into his office carrying a box of what could only be described as personal items for the office. He liked to have his office be just a little homey- to put people at ease immediately. He would change the color of the walls as well eventually, but for now the fishbowl, a few pictures and the plant would do.

The lights came on, and Marci twitched her tail slightly to fully cover her eyes. Perhaps she'd moved enough to trigger the activation. And then she heard footsteps. Odd ones, like a person with... three legs? Well, that didn't make sense. Curious, she lifted her head and blinked a few times before catching sight of Matthew, who walked with a cane. Yawning, she stretched and sat up, pausing to use a hind foot to scratch her neck before she stood up and made a soft 'yip' noise to get the man's attention. She didn't want to shift her shape until she was noticed; she'd done that a time or two and had phasers pointed at her face.

Both eyebrows shot up as he heard the yip of an animal in his office. That seemed unusual, and he turned towards the sound, hoping that he wouldn't have to use his cane on a creature. He immediately focused on the pristine white fur of the fox? Or was it a wolf? Either way it was a lupinoid creature. The question remained- how did it get into his office and what was he going to do about it.

Marci wagged her tail, but it seemed clear that this guy had no idea who she was. She didn't recognize him either, but he was wearing a teal uniform. After studying him for a moment longer, she quickly assumed her humanoid shape and held her hand out to him. "You must be new around here. My name's Marci."

"Matthew Lysander." he said after a long moment of silence, his eyes taking in every bit of her. His voice however, betrayed his curiosity and his amusement at her shift in appearance. "And just what manner of creature are you Marci?"

"Dalneugdae." Some might find the question to be too prying, but Marci didn't mind sharing. Most of the crew knew by now anyway. "We're shapeshifters, like the Allasomorphs. Some of us can take multiple forms, but I can only be humanoid or lupine."

"To coin a phrase, fascinating" Matthew answered automatically, shaking his head in amazement at the sheer number of new species he was meeting on day one.

Marci couldn't help chuckling a little. "I take it I'm not the first weird non-Federation species you've met today. I do apologize for startling you... I hadn't heard that you had come aboard, and this is the best place to hide for a nap. And there's not a cot or a couch in here so the wolf is more comfortable." She paused briefly, recalling where they were and whose office this was meant to be. "Guess I'll give your office back. Being in charge was more work than I bargained for... I mean, I'm still in charge of the nurses, but at least I don't run the department anymore."

"Definitely not the first today. The smallest, but not the first" he said and then laughed softly, a beautifully happy sound. "Feel free to nap if you'd like. I just will have to get used to your other form."

"I try not to use it here. But as you can see... there aren't many options for human-shaped people to sleep." Marci grinned a bit. "If you don't mind, I think I'll take this opportunity to take a break from sickbay. I feel like I've been in here a month straight."

"I don't mind. Get a solid 8 hours- or whatever your species needs to fully refresh itself." he smiled ever so softly as he balanced his cane on the side of the desk and sank into the chair with a wince.

"Thank you, sir." With a grateful smile, Marci practically bounced out of sickbay, going home to rest.

His laughter followed her out of sickbay as he set to getting his things organized.