Gravity

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]


Kaile gave a mild smile through red-rimmed eyes at the Bothan Nurse.

“Mighty grateful,” she said in a low voice, still a bit warbly and emotional. Odds were that the Nurse likely thought she was either crazy or the concussion had something to do with it. Hearing her mention about Asmus normally regalling folk with his stories made her grimace.

“He means well.” she managed to say, taking a few sips of her water. Adjusting herself, she very carefully sat up, a hand brushing the straight black strands of hair away from her face.

Blinking quietly, chocolate brown eyes drew up to meet the dark brown ones of the Bothan nurse.

“Bothan body language?” not quite, but that was rather interesting. All species had tells, but one also had to be familiar with their physiology to get a more refine bit of information.

“Well reckon everyone has tells.” this was good. It was a safe topic. It did not, however, help keep the thought of Asmus Janes at bay.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“I'm not convinced he always does,” she replied a little testily. “I've always heard that Lorrdians can read body language, I was never sure how much was nature and nurture. Did you get trained to do it, it does it come naturally. If you spent time with a Bothan would you read them better than a bothan?”

Spenph carried on doing some cleaning around the bed to keep herself busy without moving out of earshot of the patient. Poor girl might end up on obs overnight, getting woken every few hours for checks. Then again her vitals seemed a lot more stable.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

There was always a rhyme for the reason. Kaile gave a slight bemused expression at the Nurse, watching her over the rim of her glass of water as she tidied up and bustled around her. She had said that in a rather cross tone. Was there something more to it? The medic had mentioned Asmus had a tendency to hang around the med-bay often.

“It’s just like any language I reckon…” she began. Honestly, once folk knew she was a Lorrdian, it brought with it a certain stigma. Most turned a bit self concious, wondering if anything they did would reveal their innermost thoughts or desires. It wasn’t like that. Not like that at all.

To a degree, the Bothan was right. Kaile would be able to get a sense of intent the longer she studied an individual, it didn’t matter the species. Some were able to hide it better, others not so much.

It varied. There was no complete method of truly being able to discern or read another one hundred percent of the time. It varied. The Lorrdian was, however, able to pick up on more information from tells. Folk could lie all they want with words, but not with their bodies.

Much like with Asmus, some folk you just had a knack for picking up more…
“Just like folk get to know others better the more time you spend with them.”

 

[Asmus Janes]

The nurse had heard a few rumours of tall tales over the months. Patients were often talkative and for some reason they often decided to unload on her outside of work. It was really rather off-putting. One of his tales that was frequently told was of a lost love from a trip years ago. In her opinion it was an excuse the fighter jock used to let people down gently when they realised he was only interested in a short term encounters. Nurse Spenph didn't hold Asmus in high regard. She had had to make that abundantly clear in the mess one evening.

“Oh interesting. So you don't know human body language naturally, it's just a genetic disposition that allows you to read and learn it much more quickly?”

She sat down this time, leaning over towards the espion to get a better look at her. Kee could be a little fixated on the numbers at times. He did try, but didn't always take enough time with his patients.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

“Not… Quite.” She began. It was odd, not many had ever really shown interest in kinetic communication. Having the Nurse ask questions did however help calm the Lorrdian’s blood pressure.

“I learned it young. As you grow up, much like any other sense you get a better knack of it. But some folk are just more intuitive as well. It helps in reading folk. “ as it does in the mimicking. Now that would really make people uncomfortable.

“Like any language it can be learned.” The Bothan was rather still off put. Why was that? A voice in her head connected the dots.

Could Asmus and Nurse Spenph…

A slight shaft of jealousy filled her. What are you doing? Her expression involuntarily shifted into a slight scowl.

It isn't any of your business, she told herself, glancing down at her glass of water.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Glazing surreptitiously at the display, she made a mental note to write ‘Anxiety?’ down in Kaile's notes. It wouldn't be a surprise, the agent had just returned from the field. The sudden peaks could well be small panic attacks. She would have to change the subject slowly.

“I imagine reading people is useful in what you do,” she said, being careful to avoid any sensitive details. “Out of interest, how many species can you read well now? Not that I suppose it matters with the First Order,” she added quickly. Her fur rippled in disdain. The way the First Order treated non humans was revolting.

Asmus meanwhile was attempting to concentrate. It was becoming more difficult as he started to drift closer to sleep. His mind kept drifting. Drifting to the image of her slowly lowering…

How am I going to get her to calm down and talk to me?

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Kaile’s brows furrowed over her brow. How many different species? Honestly, she didn’t really think about placing a numerical value. All species regardless of who they were displayed some form of body language. A few it was a primary method of communication, like Lorrdians. For others, like Twi’leks and Togruta, the use of their lekku and the tiny twitches were also a form of communication.

“Ain’t really got a number,” she admitted, bringing the glass back up to take a sip of her water. Her eyes were feeling heavy, that drug in her system really hitting her hard. Feeling tired wasn’t good for her, as it also let her mind wander. Of all times, now wasn’t the best time for it to go wandering off.

Like wondering what happened between the Bothan and Asmus that had the nurse all in a huff. No wait, Kaile paused, noticing the slight rise of her fur at her scruff. Definitely did not like the First Order more than Asmus. So that was saying something.

“Just study people… that’s all.” she took another sip, blinking heavily over her glass. Her hazel eyes traced the path the Nurse took.

“You don’t like Captain Janes much, do you?”

Here we go. The question came out before she could reign it back it. But it nagged at her something fierce. Clearly Asmus had some history with her right?

Kaile, don’t be stupid, she told herself, immediately drinking another sip of water only to add, “Don’t have to say nuthin’, just figured that’s what it was.”

Kaile knew it all too well. Some things are better left unknown.

 

[Asmus Janes]

A flicker of annoyance in her fur, even if her tone remained neutral. She sighed emphatically. Keeping Kaile awake came first, she supposed.

“So I have this friend and I think he… well. Hmm. A friend of mine got quite upset when he realised Asmus wasn’t as interested in something long term as he was. So me being me, I decide to go and confront him about it. Stupid thing to do really, but we’d all been drinking at a base in orbit over Fondor whilst we re-stocked.

“He gives me this ‘woe is me’ story about how he’s not been comfortable in a long term… blah blah… some girl he fell for didn’t call him back and he’s never quite found the same thing. Usual nonsense to try and throw me off. But then… slurring his words, he...propositions me. Well, I wasn’t having that and told him exactly what I thought of him and his nonsense stories.”

The nurse twisted her lips and looked away. Shame, obvious to Kaile. “Yes, he has this sort of charm to him. But it’s not wrong of me to not be that interested in…” she spun two fingers around each other. “...the whole interspecies thing right? And besides, not after how he dumped Jis’do!” she added quite quickly

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

The more Nurse Spenph would disclose the reason behind her aggravation to the rascal pilot, the more the brunette sitting on the medical cot would seem to shrink into herself. Careful about the paths one walks through, you never exactly know just where it may lead. This particular one well… Kaile swallowed hard, fingers tightening around her glass in a white knuckle grip.

“Fair be.” the espion managed quietly, averting her eyes to study an imaginary spot on her bedsheets. Don’t go down that Lepi hole Kaile, don’t do it. But she did. She felt worse.

A voice piped in, telling the brunette that ‘Hey, it’s been a number of years right!’ What are the chances that it really had anything to do with you anyways? Then just as quickly, her mind flashed back to what Asmus had confessed in her suite. Asking her if it was that easy to simply forget. That he couldn’t. That he--

The color seemed to drain from her face again, inky black dyed hair almost stark against her pale skin.
“I… can still eat right?” she changed the topic quickly.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Yes of course you can Kaile,” she replied, looking around the room. Spotting her target she stood up and fetched a small datapad to pass to the concussion agent. “Just pick something on today’s menu and one of the kitchen boys will bring it over. They’re just around the corner.”

There was a concerned expression on her face as she sat back down again. “Kaile...was anything in your mission more stressful than usual? I can’t imagine they’re ever easy, but there’s nothing you feel the need to focus on, or events you’re repeating in your head?”

She offered a reassuring hand on the shoulder as she eyed the continually moving chart of vitals.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]


Kaile knew that Nurse Spenph was only trying to help, but the response was a rather tight lipped smile.

“Thank you mighty kindly for asking,” she began, the wayward strands of dark hair brushing the faint pink marks along her jaw.

“But that is classified information, Nurse Spenph.” Kaile said, indicating that while she humored the questions about kinetic communication, the espion was not about to disclose anything of what she’d done with the First Order or if anything she did amounted to higher stress elevators.

“Thank you for the datapad,” she added, curling her fingers around it to bring it to her side. Kaile didn’t feel very hungry, but she simply had wanted to change the topic. Much of what the Bothan nurse was doing is exactly what Kaile typically did when embedded at Yum Bunnies or any social venue to glean information from a target. Kaile wasn’t stupid, even here on the ship, anyone could very well be trying to get information.

The espion learned a long time ago that her job meant she was pretty much alone. She had responsibilities to keep. There wasn’t any room for anything else beyond that.

Life made that clear.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Of course,” Spenph replied.Goodness, most of them weren’t this cagey. Even the other deployed operatives. “The dizzy spells have only been happening since you knocked your head? You haven’t been getting them before?” She kept her tone even throughout the question.

 

[Kaile Vera]

“I hit my head pretty hard.” she said simply, not offering any more information than that. The woman was obviously uncomfortable, and one didn’t need to be a Lorrdian to pick up on it.

“I’ll be fine.” Kaile added, doing her best to provide what would pass as a reassuring smile.

“Doc said all I need is some rest.” a lie, but Kaile was good at lying. It’s all she ever really did.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Alright and I’m sure you’ll be back on your feet soon enough. He told you to come straight back if you felt any symptoms though didn’t he? Concussion isn’t something you can get through on bravery.”

The nurse didn’t need to check the charts. She actually remembered details on her patients. Kee was checking them constantly, had a habit of letting information slip out one ear.

“The charts didn’t say anything…” she said, lowering her voice. “But you don’t feel you have any history of anxiety or panic attacks at all?”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

That caught Kaile off guard. Anxiety? Panic attacks? Her face went scrunching up in mile confusion. Truth be told, she never really thought about it. One could rarely place the words ‘anxiety’ and ‘panic attacks’ with Kaile. Most that knew her thought her to be rather bubbly and cheerful. Always had a smile on her face.

At least, this is what Kaile thought.

What she hadn’t realized is that a few years back, the perky espion had actually begun to change. The smile she typically had worn was more absent. A note of melancholy hitting her now and then. It usually cleared up, and her smile would return again. Yet it wasn’t the same.

“No,” the brunette shook her head from side to side, as if the thought was rather silly. Although come to think about it, maybe not so much.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“I don’t mean to worry you. You were knocked clear out, that almost always comes with concussion. But please try not to shake your head.

“You may well get some mood swings over the next few days, but have a think if you feel you start to feel differently when thinking about specific things. It’s nothing to be ashamed of if you are and we have some very supportive staff on board.”

The nurse shifted in her seat, a little uncomfortable at the conversation. It wasn’t her area of expertise, but neither was it something she had never discussed with a patient before.

“You know, you’ll probably be allowed out tomorrow, but we’ll probably give you a remote vitals monitor just to keep tabs on you for a few more days, is that okay? Is there anything else you want to ask me?”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Mood swings.

Lady, you don’t know the half of it, Kaile thought to herself, her shoulders sinking as she gave a sigh.

“I’m fine… really.” she emphasized again. Kaile didn’t want to talk about this anymore. The past twenty-four hours had been a hoverwreck for her.

“Thank you though,” Kaile would add, shining the Bothan a faint smile.

“Doc just might be right and need some rest.” just seeing the nurse shift her weight and reading the lay of her fur indicated that the nurse wasn’t too comfortable with the conversation. She had Kaile’s best interests in mind, but for now, the Lorrdian didn’t want to feel fussed over. She already knew that she was fretting over Asmus and how to deal with that. With him. With herself. With the emotions that came flooding back and all the memories.

“Remote monitoring?” a faint grimace would tug at the corner of her mouth. She likely didn’t have a choice there.

“Alright..”

 

[Asmus Janes]

It was fortunate that medical technology meant that Kaile didn't get her arm painfully squeezed every few hours through the night, because the doctor decided that should was likely safe to get some sleep after he'd finished taking some scans. The medical bay was relatively quiet through the night. An ensign on one of the night shifts dropped in for a couple of stitches after opening up his hand, but that was all.

Asmus meanwhile had finished fretting, calmed himself down and chosen a course of action. Given Kaile's reaction, he decided not to try and confront her in the med bay again. However, when Kaile woke up, she'd find a small tin of biscuits coated in a chocolate substitute by her bedside. ‘Sorry’, was written on a sticky flimsi note on the side.

Asmus meanwhile has gone for another jog. Captain Amadgenar made a comment about being on the right deck for once as he passed. As Asmus continued he retorted that running could do wonders for belly fat, regardless of which deck it was conducted on.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Awareness came in degrees, but at least with no lingering ache in her head. The med-bay was relatively quiet, and Nurse Spenph’s shift had been replaced with Nurse Quey, a rather bulky Togrutan that clearly would be able to bench press the Lorrdian with one arm. Those that knew Asmus would have commented they knew the real reason why Janes would visit the Med-bay so much.

She made nary a sound as Kaile arouse from her slumber, dark brows disappearing in a mild grimace at the soft light. The heel of her palm came up to rub at her right eye, followed by her left. Tuffs of her bangs stuck up here and there, but a quick finger combing would settle them down nicely enough.

Nothing seemed out of place at first. Quey had yet to notice his patient had woken up. Yet it didn’t take long for mid rub of her eye that the espion spotted a small tin beside her. The frown would deepen, and she carefully stretched out her arm to pick it up. There was a sticky filmsi note on top of it. Instead of a heavy scrawl, in perfectly neat handwriting that would make any woman jealous, were the words, 'Sorry.'

Maybe it was the years of having to play accountant for his family, but Asmus Janes had terribly nice penmanship. A voice in her mind would say that it wasn’t fair. But neither were his obnoxiously long eyelashes, that was for damn sure.

Kaile didn’t even realize the mile lighthearted humor she found in just Asmus’ neat penmanship. Maybe that was just a sign at a part of her that she had tucked in so deep that she only came out because full consciousness had yet to settle on reality.

“Agent Vera?” and just like that, the ghost of a smile froze. Kaile’s head shot up. There was Nurse Quey.

“How are you feeling this morning?”

 

[Asmus Janes]

“She held up perfectly well, but there was a bit of rattle on the ventral, starboard nacelle,” Asmus explained.

One of the younger deck crew had a data pad in his hands and was joining Asmus in walking around his ship.

“We'll check the armour plates. Might be one of the Laminamium plates came loose. Numbers all looked fine when we ran diagnostics, anything else whilst she was flying?” There was a brief pause. “Asmus?”

“Oh sorry right. What?” Asmus had been looking up at the flight deck observation screen. That was on the same deck as the med bay.

“Get some caf down you I think,” Dondo chuckled. “Anything wrong with the numbers flying?”

“No, nothing out of the ordinary. We don't have any chocolate cake on board do we?”

“What? Erm, I don't think so? That substitute stuff is appalling. You know I really don't like these low speed, deep space routes we take.”