Vices and Virtues

Posted on Mon May 13th, 2013 @ 8:58pm by Ensign David Brody & Lieutenant Anandra Delair

2,882 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Mission 82 - The Aggressor
Location: Outside Holodeck 12, then in Ensign Brody's Quarters
Timeline: The day after "The Disappointment"

ON:

It wasn't long before she found herself pacing in front of the doors to holodeck 12, a moderately sized duffel bag slung over her shoulder which contained a change of clothes and some of her training gear. The Counselor had been a few minutes late to begin with, expecting to find once again that Brody had beat her there, but he was nowhere in sight. Five minutes more passed, and then ten.

She made small-talk with a few passers-by, then found a spot to lean on the wall, pulling a book out of her bag. When she realized she'd lost track of the time, Anandra let out a sigh. She was becoming mildly frustrated at Brody's tardiness.

"Computer, what is the time?"

=^=The time is 19:36.=^=

Brody was now almost 40 minutes late, a fact which stirred a bit of concern in the Lieutenant. She tapped her commbadge. "Lieutenant Delair to Ensign Brody - are you able to meet me at holodeck 12?" No response. "Ensign Brody, respond." she said in an authoritative tone. When there was no response, she tried a different angle. "Computer, locate Ensign David Brody."

=^=Ensign David Brody is in his quarters.=^=

"Locate Ensign Brody's Quarters." she responded in irritation. She waited for the computer to respond, then she moved fast on her feet in the appropriate direction. Her first instinct was that something was not right, although the nature of that 'something' was yet to be seen. Despite having only known Brody for a short time, it seemed more than a bit out of character for him to agree to plans only to stand her up.

She arrived at his 'address', tucked the book under her arm, and rang the chime. After an ample wait, she rang it again, wondering if he managed to leave his quarters while she was on her way over. "Computer, locate Ensign David Brody."

=^=Ensign David Brody is in his quarters.=^=

She felt her stomach sink as a number of terrible, albeit unlikely scenarios flashed through her mind, each of them culminating in a sense of creeping anxiety within her. "Computer, unseal these doors."

=^=Unable to comply. Security override required.=^=

Anandra sighed in annoyance and tried again. "Computer, unseal these doors, security code Delair-delta-five-six."

The computer chimed and complied. The doors opened, spilling light into the dimly lit room. "Brody?" she called, stepping into the room, her eyes unadjusted to the change in lighting. "Computer, lights." As the room lit up, she scanned for Brody's familiar figure and found nothing in the main room. "Hello? Brody?" she called out, making her way toward the bedroom, where she found him lying in an awkward position face down on the bed. A pulse of adrenaline ran through her as she feared the worst, but a quick glance at the room gave her enough clues to realize what had likely kept Brody from keeping their date. Her mind flashed back to various moments involving Brody and alcohol - specifically what seemed like a reluctance in him on occasion when it came to drinking. "Oh man.." she exhaled in dismay, unable to help but empathize with her friend. "Hey, Brody!" She made her way to the bed and sat on the edge of it, placing a palm on his shoulder to shake him gently in the hope of coaxing him out of sleep.

Though his eyes were still closed, the light penetrated Brody's lids causing an immediate and intense headache. He barely stirred even though he recognized Lieutenant Delair's voice. He felt her shake him, but made not attempt to move from his fixed position. He had no idea what time or what day it was. Frankly, he didn't care. But suddenly, he recalled that he had an appointment with Delair in the Holo-Suite and attempted to sit up in bed. His body betrayed him and he could barely let out a grunt. "Hmmm?"

She watched sympathetically when he tried to sit up, then the thought occurred to her that perhaps the lights weren't helping him right now. "Computer, dim the lights." She looked around the room at the things seemingly thrown about the floor, then she looked back at Brody, debating what to do with him. She decided that step one would be getting him hydrated, so she went and got a glass of water from the replicator and returned to his bedside. "Here, Brody." she said in a soft tone, patting his shoulder to lure him out of his stupor. "Try to have some water." A few nagging questions and concerns lingered on her mind, but she wasn't going to push him to talk yet.

Brody fought to get upright. Seeing Delair sitting on the edge of his bed sent a painful reminder that he had scheduled time to train with her on the Holodeck. His uncle's words were still ringing in his head. As if to hammer home the point, he had not only nearly gotten her killed just days earlier, but now he let her down again by standing her up. He was proving that he was both a liability and a disappointment. "Lieutenant," Brody rasped, his words drowning in his throat, "I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Brody." she assured him. What she had come for was an explanation, and now that she had it, she was simply concerned with his well-being now. "Here." she said, handing him the glass of water. "You need to start re-hydrating." She was silent for a moment, thoughtful as her gaze fixed on the old uniform and commbadge strewn on the floor. She glanced back at Brody, inhaling a deep breath and exhaling slowly as she collected herself. She did not want to approach this as a counselor, but a friend. "Brody..I realize it may be personal, but I can't ignore the fact that there is ..a reason for this." she paused momentarily, looking at her hands folded in her lap. "I just want you to know I'm here for you." she said, hesitating a second before adding "As a friend."

He took a sip of water and it felt like a flood in the desert that was his mouth. He forced his eyes open and fought through the ache behind his eyes. He surveyed his room and took inventory of all he had left behind. Then he looked at Delair. The look on her face told a multi-emotional story. Brody scratched his head before burying it in his hands as his neck no longer seemed to be able to support the weight. Brody could only manage a basic explanation. "It seems my uncle has a way of getting under my skin."

Anandra recalled the few times that brody had mentioned his uncle and/or the fact that the relationship between the two of them was 'strained'. Considering all that Brody had been through, Anan felt a particular sadness over the fact that things were so rough with one of his remaining living relatives. "Does it often end this way, when he does manage to get under your skin?" she wondered aloud, silently hoping for Brody's sake that the answer was a resounding and honest 'no'..but she held no expectations, of course, as she sought an understanding in all of this.

"No, not usually." Brody rose to his feet, slowly and with Delair's aid. He stretched a little, still unsteady on his feet. "And I can't honestly say why he'd set me off this time." Brody shambled to his sink and opened the cabinet above. He rifled through the contents until he emerged with a hypospray. A look at Delair and he made sure to inform her the contents were not illicit. "A concentrated potassium dose...I come prepared." He attempted levity but knew it would be lost in the moment.

She watched him as he moved, curious as he scooped up a hypospray. She would not have suspected something illicit persay, but his reassurance was comforting nonetheless, and acknowledged with a nod. The fact that he did 'come prepared' however was unavoidably of note to her, for all it suggested. "Perhaps you were simply in the wrong frame of mind." she noted thoughtfully. Standing from the edge of the bed, Anandra moved to pull the covers over the mattress, then picked up a few things around the room - most notably the badge and uniform, which she folded and set on the bed with the commbadge on top. Empty bottles/vials were set neatly on the bedside table for him to dispose of as he pleased, then she sat back down, folding her hands in her lap. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Brody was in new territory. He had never shared his feelings with anyone before. He felt he could trust Delair, however. They had been through quite a bit in their short friendship. "My sister is getting married. Normally a happy time. My uncle feels my family would be better served if I remained absent from the wedding." He walked over to his console and tapped a few buttons. He recalled the recent communique from his uncle on the screen for Delair to view. "You're more than welcome to see what I've been dealing with most of my life."

Anan stood from the edge of the bed and followed him over to his console, watching with an unassuming gaze as the transmission playback began. It was clear to her from the transmission that Brody's behavior was non-provocative of his uncle's demeanor. She was additionally able to gather the fact that this man was harshly critical; the sort to hold people up against incredibly high standards and to judge unforgivingly if these standards were not met in his eyes. "Hm. I see." she said, jabbing a finger on the key that would end the playback when it was done. She decided right then and there that she didn't much like Brody's uncle, at least this side of him. Still, it was difficult to counsel Brody as a friend or otherwise without knowing the extent of the rift between him and his uncle, but at least this transmission did offer some great insight as to what he was putting up with, and how exactly his uncle managed to get under his skin this time around. "I can certainly understand your frustration, particularly if his scrutiny is always so." she said, her gaze shifting from the console to Brody. Even after unraveling a bit of the mystery behind him, even with him looking as ragged as he presently did, Anandra found him easy on the eyes - a fact which somehow augmented the sadness surrounding this situation. "I can only speculate as to what your differences have been over time, but my objective opinion is that if your sister wants you at the wedding, your uncle has no say in the matter and if he's a decent man he'll have to 'play nice', as it were, when you're around." She chewed at the inside of her lip, musing over what she'd just said. Finding herself unsatisfied with the response, Anan let out a sigh. "And forgive me if I sound just like a counselor, but, you can't let him get at you like that - especially if this is how things consistently go between the two of you; you might benefit from..finding a different way to cope. You know, by..channeling your frustration into something before anger grips you."

Brody looked around the room, especially at the empty bottles Delair had collected and tidied. He let out a lazy laugh. "It looks like I've exhausted this particular coping mechanism." He stepped into the bathroom and started the sonic shower as if on auto-pilot. "Quite honestly, I've never thought of trying anything differently." He began to undress out of Delair's direct line-of-sight, completely unaware of how inappropriate it was and how uncomfortable it could make her feel. He stepped in the shower, feeling instantly better and the heat paired with his injection. "If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears," he said, raising his voice over the sound made by the shower.

She stood in a comfortable stance, hands clasped behind her back as she watched him go into the bathroom. She took a couple of steps in his direction as she listened and looked around the room at some of his personal affects (pure curiosity driving that notion), then as her gaze drifted over the bathroom doorway she immediately turned away, realizing what it was that he was doing. She laughed softly, bemused, wondering silently if he was always that comfortable around guests, or if it were simply a circumstantial faux pas. "Well," she began, speaking loudly enough for him to hear her. "A coping mechanism can be anything that you passionately enjoy." she said, moving to lean against the wall on the outside of the doorway. "Personally, for instance, I run training programs. Or play an instrument. Anything healthy and/or productive that you can do in place of ..you know..less desirable behaviors." Anan paused momentarily, recalling a years-previous conversation that took place similarly outside of a shower door. It was a sad memory, but she pushed it aside, greatly preferring thoughts of the present. "It's just a matter of making the better choice when it comes down to it." She wondered if Brody ever practiced meditation - her first instinct was that he did not, but she made a note to find out later.

Brody turned off the shower and emerged into the bedroom with a towel around his waist, drying his hair with another. He saw Delair standing very firm in her stance. He saw she was looking at him with a look he could not decipher. He realized he was standing half naked in front of a woman he was still getting to know. He retreated back to the bathroom as nonchalantly as possible. "I hear what you're saying, Lieutenant. And I thought that's what I was doing when I started running the Vice Squad program. But it seems I constantly fall back into old habits." He made his way into a fresh set of casual wear before returning to the bedroom. "I don't do this often...or ever for that matter, but I'd like some help. Your help. I've been trying to make something of my time here and I don't want to be the man my uncle thinks I am. "

She did not avert her gaze this time as he came out in a towel, though she did let out an awkward laugh. "Brody--!" she began, the suggestion that he get dressed was at the tip of her tongue (not that she minded looking) but he backtracked into the bathroom before it came out. "You don't have to call me Lieutenant, Ensign." she teased, allowing herself a bit of levity despite a few concerns that his words had brought to mind. She was pleased, however, that he extended a request for help. "And my opinion may be obsolete in this matter but you're clearly better than your uncle gives you credit for. She smiled at him as he returned to the bedroom. "But I'm happy to help in any way I can."

Brody walked into the living area of his quarters and returned with a duffel bag. He had packed it in preparation for their training session. "Well, I'm feeling a little better. Maybe not top notch, but if you'll still have me, I think we're due in the Holo-Suite." He gave her a look, attempting to apologize without saying the words. "What do you say....Anandra?" It was the first time he'd called her by her name. It was strange, yet felt good.

Anandra flashed a beaming smile at him, pleased not only by the offer of going to the holo-suite but his apologetic look and the use of her first name as well. "Of course, lets!" she said, looking about the room for her duffel bag, then remembering that she left it in the living area by the entrance. "I hope you have some fight left in you." she said with a wry look as she lead the way into the other room, where she scooped up her duffel bag and secured it over her shoulder. One last look in his direction told her he was following her lead, so she lead the way out of his quarters and in the direction of the turbolift which would bring them nearest to their destination. She decided that if he were up to it, they'd run her originally scheduled program - a low-contact freestyle sparring session - 3-round fights with a holographic representation of her kung fu sifu to referee for them.

"I think I can manage. Whatever you have in store is likely better than remaining face down and unconscious." He tried to smile and hoped this whole situation could be put behind them. "I don't think I said it, but thank you Anandra. I promise to contact you the next time I feel a bender coming on."

"You don't have to thank me," she said, though her smile was grateful. "In fact, you should be making that promise to yourself, not to me..but thank you, Brody. I really hope you do."

OFF.

RSS Feed