Mending a Rift

Posted on Sat May 25th, 2019 @ 8:30pm by Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Death

Mission: Fractured Fairy Tales
Location: VIP quarters, Deck 8
Timeline: 2396

It had been nearly two weeks since Jaeih Dox had left the U.S.S. Hera, along with the Vulcan Refugee Az'Prel, to begin their investigation into the Queen Regent of the Artan Pirate Family in preparation for the Tribunal between the Queen and Captain Enalia Telvan.

The Tribunal was only days away now and the Hera had been docked at the Artan Fortress in final preparations, and with precious little left to do but wait, Lieutenant Mnhei'sahe Dox had been stewing in her own mind. Earlier in the evening, she had had a good conversation with her friend Rita Paris concerning her fears and concerns regarding the safety of her mother in the upcoming proceedings. But it was a talk that had illuminated that the young Romulan pilot had been, in her fear, neglecting another friend since her mother had left the ship.

Tonight, she would try and make that right. Standing outside the V.I.P. crew quarters on Deck 8, the red-headed Romulan woman was carrying a large, two-inch thick cardboard box, It's large square surface had wisps of steam coming through the sides as she nodded at the two mountains that guarded the door. Dox was one of the few crewmembers who was authorized to come and go from this room as they pleased, and after a moment to give her passcode to the computer, the door hissed open and she stepped into the room's foyer.

Standing inside, she spoke somewhat softly. "Rei. I... hope you don't mind, but... I brought pizza."

"Is that Chicago deep dish that I smell?" the embodiment of Death asked, hopping up from her meditations and heading towards Dox, a beautiful aura of pure white sand from her meditation circle following her and being sucked back into the bottle that she carried in her jacket pocket. "I can't wait to eat it with you. Asa dropped off a case of root beer yesterday. It's a bit sweet, but I think it would be perfect for this."

"Pizza and Root Beer is, indeed, a perfect combination," Dox replied, carrying the pizza over to the mid-sized dining room table as a pang of guilt twisted in her stomach at the mention that Asa had been there the day before, making her feel a bit worse about being neglectful.

Setting the box down, Dox stepped over to the kitchenette to replicate the proper utensils and plates for deep dish Pizza. "And yes, it is Chicago-style. I grabbed it from the mess, so hand cooked. No replication."

"This has got to be one of the best vacation spots I've ever found," Rei gushed as she pulled out two of the bottles of root beer and popped them open, setting them on the table. "I can work remotely, I can find you from anywhere, the food is amazing, I have people to talk with... Friends! I haven't had friends since I was alive! Normally, I have to worry about people trying to best me in a game or a battle or trying to kill me right as they're dying to try and take my job... But here, I don't really have to worry about that, ne?"

"Well, I haven't told anyone what you told me about... that. Not even Asa. It didn't seem like it was my information to share, if that makes sense. But, no. I don't want your job. At all. Promise." Dox had a slight smile creeping in the corner of her face as she plated two heaping slices of Pizza.

"But... I haven't been a very good friend the last couple of weeks and... and I really wanted to apologize." As she sat down across from the woman once known as Masato Rei, Dox nodded slightly as she spoke, a timid tremble to her voice. "I'm very sorry I haven't been by."

Rei nodded solemnly as she sat down and got ready to eat. "I saw you in the hanger bay. You've had a lot to deal with since then so I figured I'd leave you to take care of the living for a while. Besides, I knew you'd be by eventually. But if it helps, I accept your apology and forgive you."

"Thank you." Dox replied, though through slightly pursed lips. "But 'take care of the living' is an abstract concept at best. I need to take care of those that are important to me, and whatever your cosmic status is, you're included in that."

"Seventh-dimensional asset of this polydimensional retention," Rei replied with a grin as she opened the box and pulled out a slice. "But that probably doesn't mean much of anything to you, does it?" Biting into the deep dish pizza, the smaller woman could barely wrap her lips around it and her next words were a bit muffled. "Mph... So howsh the injuriesh?" Even when eating, she never took off her black gloves, but they never seemed to get dirty, even when eating something greasy like this.

Breaking with all Pizza-eating protocol, Dox instead cut a piece off from her slice with a knife and fork and took a bite. Swallowing, she shrugged slightly. "Still just a little stiff around the knee, but Asa said that was to be expected. Otherwise, good. All healed up. Also... I wanted to say... I've been taking your advice about my mother and... well... things have been better. In a lot of ways, so thank you."

"That's good to hear. I worry about you. I don't want to collect early on either of you..." Rei paused a moment before continuing. "But time is running out, either way. I can't ignore my job, you know. That's how zombies are made." She then continued to eat as if she hadn't just said something revelatory.

"I... do not need to know this much about the specifics of your job. Seriously. I don't want it." Dox almost chuckled at the 'zombie' comment. Then she got a bit more serious again.

"But, yeah. Kodria... Our little Android niece from the future left me a message that said almost the same thing you did. Nothing like an external confirmation to put something in your head. And... I don't know specifics and that's for the best. But... I just wanted to say that I understand."

"I could have not asked your name all those months ago. But I'm very glad I did. And as much as I know it will hurt, I want you to know that... I know what your role here is. And that it's important. I don't want you to think that I'm going to blame you." Dox was starting to tear up as she spoke.

"After Paulson... believe it or not... one of the few things that brought me any comfort was knowing that a friend had come to be there with him when it happened."

Rei set her pizza down for a moment and placed one hand on Dox's. She had escorted literally hundreds of trillions across the barrier and Paulson was no different. She still felt for her friend though and she wanted to say something. "The one you knew as Paulson is now in the afterlife. And... If it helps... It was sudden and peaceful."

A tear fell down her cheek as she smiled. In the hangar, when she spoke over Paulson's body, she said a very old Romulan prayer to the great good, Al'thindor. But in her heart, she was speaking to her friend across the table. The one she couldn't see at the time but knew had been there. "Thank you. I do appreciate it. I'm glad... to know you. I'm glad to call you my friend."

"And I'm glad to call you mine," added Rei, trying to smile pleasantly. It likely came of as a rather grim smile, but she did her best.

Returning the smile with her own perpetually awkward grin, Dox wiped her face before cutting another piece of Pizza off. "So... okay, no more crying. How have you been? Have you seen Sam since the dance?"

"I check in on him now and then. He seems to be pretty busy with work." The dark woman picked her pizza back up and nommed on it some more. "I don't want to bother him too much."

Chewing on her own pizza, Dox smirked. "Well, I know he likes you. And, he can actually see you as you. Though now that I think of it might just be because of his cybernetics. But regardless, I don't think he would be bothered."

Regardless of how bizarre it might seem to others, Dox was extremely happy that her unique friendship with the 'seventh-dimensional asset of this polydimensional retention' known as Death was intact as the two shared a pizza and just talked.