Sick Call [Pamnis]

[Darth Athora]

Salis D'aar, Bakura


It was about time for ENS Dazh to take some much needed leave from the front. He had earned it, after all. Day after day of working under the harshest of conditions, keeping his people alive and well. It was very taxing on one's mind. But, Odin was not one to let all of that blood and gore phase him. His durasteel will would not allow him. Instead, he just needed some away time from his office because it was getting a bit stuffy in there.

Odin found himself on Bakura because he had never been to this planet before and wanted to visit it while it was under First Order control instead of some lawless faction. While there, Odin caught himself a show by the Bakuran National Symphony. Their performance moved him. He had not seen such beauty all in one place. If he could, he'd go back again. But for now, Odin had to feed his addiction.

The Imperial doctor walked into a quiet diner, wearing a slate gray suit and tie, and sat himself in a booth. A waitress walked up to him, with notepad in hand. "What can I get for ya, sug?" the waitress asked. Odin looked down at the menu on the table before him. "Just a cup of caf for me, sweetheart." he replied with a grin. "Sure thing." she replied as she smiled and walked away. "Keep the pot warm, too. I'm gonna be here for a bit." he added. She looked over her shoulder and smiled before walking into the kitchen in the back. Odin looked out of the window as the flashes of lights from hovercars whizzed on by as he waited for his order.

[member="Pamnis Hosk"]

 

[Pamnis Hosk]

"Thank you, Doctor" said her last patient of the day. She answered with a sweet smile and sent him on his way, grabbing the holopad and registering the data of her patient. Once she was done, she walked out of her office and headed to the reception of the hospital. The last year she had spent traveling from place to place, taking jobs at different hospitals or medical offices, most often than not as a replacement for an absent, stable member that had either taken a vacation, gotten sick, got married, had children...Curiously enough, there almost always appeared to be a different reason for each.

The hospital at Bakura was, up to now, one of the best she had been in. Not that it really mattered to her, she was as happy doing her job on a high-tech, modern facility as she would have been taking blood samples on a basement. Knowing ones vocation had such consequences. Today, in particular, had been a tiring day. She had had almost double the patient she originally expected and had worked a shift the night before. Although her body would start feeling the consequences in very few hours, it also gave her a gratifying feeling.

Upon reaching the receptionist desk, she checked herself out for the day. "Leaving already?" The old lady asked, earning herself a charming grin from Pamnis.

"Yes, it is time for a rest I would say" she replied while getting her things ready, putting them inside a simple, black backpack. After all, bloody hands and fashion would never get along.

"Have a good day, Doctor Hosk." and with that, she walked through the doors of the hospital into the streets. She was staying in a rented apartment that, though lacking any real appeal, was more than enough for her and what was left of her remain at Bakura. But before heading home, she would stop at the diner she had been frequenting since her arrival here.

She entered the diner still wearing her light green medical apron and had the shiny holocard with her name pinned in front of the pocket, truth was she had forgotten to unpin it. She walked to the front bar and asked for a large cup of black coffee. There was no other way to get through the rest of the day. She sat on one of the tall chairs right next to the bar and placed her backpack right beneath her feet, her green eyes wondering around the diner as she waited.

[member="Odin Dazh"]

 

[Darth Athora]

The waitress swiftly came back to Odin's booth, placing a porcelain mug on the table and began pouring piping hot caf into the mug. "There ya go, sug. Fresh as daisies. I'll leave the pot here for ya." the waitress stated with a warm smile. Odin nodded in response before speaking. "Thanks, doll." he replied. Odin grabbed a couple packs of sugar and creamer from the edge of the table and emptied the contents of both into the mug. He theng rabbed hold of his spoon and begin stirring the caf up until it was a soft brown in color.

The sound of the door opening attracted his attention. He looked over his shoulder and saw a woman walked in. He could tell she was also a doctor by her choice of clothing. He turned back and took a sip of his caf then spoke up. "You know, wearing that thing outside ain't so sanitary, Doc."

[member="Pamnis Hosk"]

 

[Pamnis Hosk]

Her eyes swiftly traveled to the man that had addressed her. At this stage, she responded to "Doc" or "Doctor" just as swiftly as she did with her actual given name. As the social butterfly she was, her interest was quite easy to pick up... specially when the ice-cracker was a medical joke. A soft smile stretched her lips before she produced a short laugh.

"It isn't right? Luckily for the patients they won't be seeing more of me for the day" She replied, looking at her clothes and then back at the man. It did not take her long to come up with her hypothetical theories about her interlocutor, it was like a game she loved to play: guess as much as you can from this stranger. Of course, she did not always get it right but it was good training for her analytical and observant tendencies. Specially a day like today, she was feeling particularly up for some interesting chit-chat after hours of being on the Doctor-mode.

The waiter placed her cup of black coffee on the bar, she thanked him and returned her attention to the stranger. Holding her cup on her left hand, she stood up from her tall seat -or slid off of it- and approached the man, extending her hand to him. "Doctor Pamnis Hosk," She introduced herself, "Mind if I take a seat?" she asked, with a friendly tone in her voice.

[member="Odin Dazh"]

 

[Darth Athora]

Odin looked up at her, his ocean blue eyes locking onto her emerald eyes as she looked at him. He gently took hold of her hand and shook it kindly. "Nice to meet you, Dr. Hosk. I'm Odin." he replied with a warm smile. He motioned his hand towards the seat she asked about. "Please do. I'm not waiting on anyone." he added. Once she would sit, he'd start up conversation. "You're not from around these parts, are you?" he asked before taking a sip of his coffee. "I know almost every doctor in First Order space. Well, the pretty ones and the smart ones, at least. Yet, I can't say I recognize your face or name." He gave her a once over with his eyes before continuing. "New around here?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Odin could not help but want to know more about this woman. Most doctors he knew, he only learned about them from dossiers and files the First Order had on them. What those files told him about a person was only half their stories. Getting an actual face to face conversation like this was different. To know who a person is and not what some database says is a special kind of link that no computer could establish. One that only true sentient interaction could create.

[member="Pamnis Hosk"]

 

[Pamnis Hosk]

She sat across from him and proceeded to gently place her hands around the hot cup she was holding before, warming her hands in the process as she listened carefully to everything the man had to say, "Pamnis is okay, Odin" she said in a kind and pleasant tone, with that typical little smile that rarely left her features. His next few comments confirmed some of her previous suppositions and ruled-out other ones. As she had thought, he was also a Doctor and a member of the First Order. Most of the Doctors at the hospital were, most people on this systems were. She was alright with the idea, Factions -at least at the time- was something she did not partake in and thus remained neutral and equally helpful wherever her help would be needed.

"You are right," she exclaimed widening her smile. It was not often that she encountered people with a similar ability as herself to pick up on some characteristics of strangers, and even if her apron might have given away some information the rest of his assumption was personal and most importantly, correct. "I arrived here the past week, as a temporary replacement for a Doctor who is on a leave." Pamnis explained and took a sip of her coffee.

"What about you? How long have you been a member of the First Order?" She asked, genuinely interested in his upcoming answer.

[member="Odin Dazh"]

 

[Darth Athora]

"I'm afraid that's classified." he answered jokingly before letting out a small chuckle. "Just kidding. Uhh well..." Odin took a moment to remember the day he first entered the Naval Academy. It wasn't that long ago honestly, but long enough for him to have to take a moment to answer her question. "It's been about 6 months since I entered the academy. Feels like ages ago, honestly." he answered. Odin finished off the coffee in his mug then refilled it, mimicking the same process he did earlier for making his cup. "That's an interesting tale you tell." he stated. "Where are you from originally?" he asked.

Odin paused for a moment before continuing. "Sorry for all the questions. Not very often I get to talk to someone who isn't bleeding out on an operating table." he said, forcing an awkward smile immediately after.

[member="Pamnis Hosk"]

 

[Pamnis Hosk]

Pamnis emitted a small chuckle, she had almost believed him. How she had missed having interesting, easy-going conversations. She could count with her fingers the times she had had one since she had left the place she called home all her life. She raised her eyebrows in interest and surprised when he mentioned the Naval Academy. That meant he was a battle medic treating either soldiers or maybe refugees, or at least raised the probability of him being so. She laughed a little when he apologized for his questions, "It's okay really, I don't mind the questions" she assured.

She had to think for a second when the spotlight of the conversation was directed back at her. "Well, that's kind of a long and odd story..." She said. Of course, being born aboard a spaceship was not such an uncommon occurrence, but spending the first twenty years of your life on it...that's a different tale. However, she did not have any reasons not to share and she was actually enjoying this talk, so she explained "I was born aboard a medical frigate. My father was a Doctor there so I spent the first twenty years of my life in there. I was raised and educated on that spaceship, so we could say I'm fairly new to all this planetary subjects" her story was finished with a soft smile on her lips.

[member="Odin Dazh"]

 

[Darth Athora]

"Fascinating." Odin replied as he looked deeply into her eyes, trying not to get lost in them as he did so. As time went on, he grew more and more interested in hearing this woman's story. "I'm from Naboo, originally. But, I grew up on Coruscant." he stated. "Parents died when I was young so I was alone for a while," , he added, "Until I started running with some bad people. Got into some trouble with 'em and ended up in a foster home."

Odin found it odd that she was raised on a ship. He had never heard of that happening before, but always had an inkling that it happened. He didn't want to talk too much about his adolescent life so he decided to change the subject from him to her. "What was it like growing up on a ship? Socializing must've been awkward with nothing but a bunch of adults around, eh? Or were there other children like you?" If Odin was going to spend his night in this diner, he was going to make the most of his time with her.

[member="Pamnis Hosk"]

 

[Pamnis Hosk]

Pamnis had always had a very expressive face. As long as she wasn't making an effort to hide it it was an easy task to decipher how she was feeling or what she was thinking. Right now, it was a mixture of concentration and deep, thoughtful interest, the kind of expression an old friend would offer if he was catching up with someone. She loved stories, they had always been a big part of her life, they still were. And Pamnis thought that many aspects of our lives were stories, conversations for an example. She had even come to the conclusion that you could learn a lot about people just by the way they told stories. [member="Odin Dazh"] was a good story teller and in addition to that, she always felt gratified with people who shared their stories with her.

Her expression returned to a more active and smilier one when it was her time to talk again. How was growing up on a ship was a question she got asked often, but no one had ever asked about what type of interactions she was able to have on it. "Well, I was the only child literally residing in the hospital but there always were some more aboard the spaceship, either with their family or being them the ones under the care of the medical stuff. Of course, they didn't stay forever so I don't have such thing as childhood friendships. But truth is I loved interacting with adults! Specially the patients. There were a very diverse bunch of people aboard and most of them loved having someone listen to whatever they wanted to say. I learned a lot of things just talking to them." She explained.

"Still, the hard part was listening to all those anecdotes and descriptions of wonderful places and knowing you were no where near in time to visiting them. I did grow quite impatient to leave overtime but I had a great childhood there...as odd as it might have been" She smiled a sweet, reminiscent smile and her eyes seemed to shine with a happy spark as she remembered the place that formed her into what she was today.

 

[Darth Athora]

Odin was entranced by her willingness to share her story with him. It seemed, to him, like she had been holding in her tale for some time and was just waiting for the right person to ask about it and listen intently as he was. Frankly, he was surprised to hear that she enjoyed the company of the patients as she grew up. Most children he knew would either be disgusted or frightened by some of the unfortunate souls who found themselves in his emergency room.

"Well, if there is anything that most patients needs to help the healing process, it's someone to talk to. Keep their mind off of whatever fate might have befallen them. That was very noble of you to be there for them. I respect that." Odin stated as he lifted his coffee mug up to her before taking a drink. Sometimes, he wish he had the time to talk to his patients, but as an officer in the Medical Corps, he is always on the move and busy with work. "Y'know there's about..1..2..uhh.." Odin started counting in his head, "A lot of places out there in the galaxy that would fascinate you beyond your wildest dreams. I would know. I've been just about all over thank to work." he added. "If you require a tour guide, I'm free for about 2 weeks."

[member="Pamnis Hosk"]

 

[Pamnis Hosk]

"I couldn't agree more with you, Odin." She said with a bright, honest smile. If there was something Pamnis had learned across the years, a piece of knowledge she had always held one of the most dear was the power of words and communication. It allowed people to connect in so many different ways and in so many different levels. Words, tones, looks, expressions. She had always tried with all her might, with every single one of her patients, to reassure them, to give them a sense of trust, hope, determination. "In the worst cases, more than half of it depends on how much fighting spirit they have left in them. One can't underestimate how important that is." She added.

She took the last sip of her coffee mug and set it slightly aside, without withdrawing her eyes from Odin. She was truly glad the Force had deemed it so to put him in the diner where they crossed paths. It had been too far a long time since she had enjoyed herself this much. Conversing was, after all, one of her favorite activities, more so when she had an interesting partner to converse with.

Pamnis smiled widely as Odin spoke, happy at the idea. She only had three days left of work and her contract with the hospital would be concluded and she wasn't supposed to return to work until a week and a half after that when she was expected at a medical office in Naboo. "I'd love to accept your offer; plus, I believe you'd make an outstanding tour guide but I really wouldn't like to pester you on your free weeks" She said, she would feel awful with herself if he interrupted any other plans he might have had just to show a tourist girl around.

[member="Odin Dazh"]

 

[Darth Athora]

Odin smiled softly at her mentioning being a bother on his free time. "Nonsense." he replied, "I could use the excitement of travelling the galaxy." He stood of from his booth and reached into his coat and pulled out some credits and left them on the table. "Especially with you coming along. Anything happens, you patch me up and I'll patch you up. Deal?" he jested with a smile.

There were a few places that Odin wanted to go to before his leave was over with. None of them were dangerous, but you could never be too careful in the galaxy at a time like this. "Your work at the hospital won't keep you from leaving the planet, would it?" he asked. "I'll get you back before midnight if I have to." he said with a sly wink following after.

[member="Pamnis Hosk"]

 

[Pamnis Hosk]

Another smile sprung on her lips when he referred to how they could have each others back, should any of them sustain injury; of course he meant it as a joke but the truth behind it made it all the more funnier. "Well, two doctors are always better than one." she replied, arching one of her brows in amusement. Straightening herself on the seat so that she was able to slide the white coat off of her shoulders more comfortably, Pamnis decided it was far due time to fold the uniform and place it inside her backpack. She was wearing a simple, plain white t-shirt underneath it. In her opinion, and even though she wasn't that awful at dressing up, she had never been one for fashion.

"I'm actually working a night shift tomorrow so I sort of have a free day. So don't need to worry about getting back before twelve, the stethoscope curse will not attack tonight..." She replied, playing along with his previous joke as he looked at him with a smile and a confident glimmer in her emerald eyes.

[member="Odin Dazh"]

 

[Darth Athora]

Odin smiled back at her as he held his hand out to help her out of the booth. "Well, what are we waiting for then?" he asked. "Have you been to the national symphony? Their work is absolutely marvelous. You cannot come to Bakura and not listen to a few of their pieces." Once Pamnis got up from the booth, with Odin's help, he'd lead her outside of the diner and towards his landspeeder. Odin reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his activator. Once he pressed the button on the activator, the glasteel shielding would open up.

"Ladies first." he said slyly as he slid out of her path to allow her to get into the passenger's seat. Once she was in, Odin would follow her, jumping into the driver's seat. After a few moments, the landspeeder would power on. The soft hum of the engine barely made a sound due to Odin's modifications made to it. "Or perhaps there is somewhere else you'd like to go first. There's plenty to do here on Bakura, you just give me the word and we'll be wherever you command, m'lady."

[member="Pamnis Hosk"]

 

[Pamnis Hosk]

Pamnis was more than happy with the idea. Music was something she loved, almost as much as she enjoyed reading. Of course she had heard about Bakura's outstanding orchestra, however her schedules had not been accommodating enough to allow her to visit the place and listen to their beautifully performed art. Accepting Odin's help, she stood up from the booth and walked following his lead.

It had been quite some time since her last ride on a landspeeder. She was used to choosing her location as strategically as possible so as to be close from work and then some necessary places and walk herself wherever she needed to go. "Thank you" she answered sweetly and got into the passengers seat. Upon hearing him say they could go somewhere else first her eyes were set on him probably a little faster than she had intended. "The national symphony sounds like an excellent choice to me. I love music." she added, smiling.

[member="Odin Dazh"]

 

[Darth Athora]

"Excellent," he responded. "Let's not waste any time then. The next show is rather soon." Odin adjusted the thrust and then the landspeeder took off at a swift speed. The whooshes of passing landspeeder as the two rode by them were slightly drowned out by the thick glasteel viewport surrounding them. "So, what made you want to be a doctor?" he asked. "And don't say 'because I wanted to save lives' because that is such a clichè answer." Odin flicked the switch to activate his blinker before taking a sharp, yet clean left turn. "Was it because that's all you really knew growing up? I don't know if you could tell, but I'm trying to unravel the mystery behind Pamnis Hosk." he said with a sly grin.

[member="Pamnis Hosk"]