=/\= Kinsi - Just Outside Infirmary =/\= Athena had just had a request from Rangi to come to the infirmary and although she thought this was a bit strange she couldn't think of a reason not to go. She walked down one of the corridors off of the main promenade and into a turbolift and stated where she wanted to go. The box whisked her away and stopped close to the infirmary. Athena stepped off the lift and walked the few steps into the infirmary. She looked around and noticed how the nurses seemed to be rushing around. Athena became distracted in all the commotion and stepped back outside the infirmary doors to see if she could remember what she was supposed to be doing. Rangi exited the CMO's office and made her way to the main entrance of the infirmary. She was at a loss as to what to do and hoped that Athena wouldn't take too long to arrive. At the door she stopped, glancing left and right and was surprised to see Athena already there. "Athena," she said moving towards the tall slim figure. "Thank you for coming so quickly." Athena looked at Rangi with slightly widened eyes and said, "No problem." Taking a guess at the appropriate response she asked, "How can I help?" She smiled brightly as she waited for Rangi's reply. "I need to talk to you." Rangi replied and glanced back at the infirmary doors. "...but not here," she added. "..lets find a quieter place." She stopped suddenly, the hand that had reached to touch Athena's arm in a gesture to move her away, recoiled as though it had been stung. Rangi stepped a half pace back and pointing her finger, indicated that Athena might like to walk along the corridor. Rangi felt inexplicably ill at ease and, with effort, forced a smile. "OK," Athena started, "...perhaps this way." She motioned toward the right and brought her hand up to brush some hair behind her ear. Her hand came into contact with the flower there. She pulled the single bloom from her hair and looked at its wilted form. It looked as if a child had tried to use it for a decoration on a mud pie. She crushed the flower in her hand as she took a couple of steps in the direction she had indicated. Rangi frowned. {That's like the flower Shane gave to me} she thought watching Athena pull the faded flower from her hair. {I wonder where she got it.} Rangi absently watched Athena walk away, looking at the long shining raven black curls. Her left hand fingers reached up to touch her own short straight hair, lifting a lock of it near her ear. Rangi pulled herself from a daydream and walked swiftly after the retreating figure. "I need to talk to you about Georgia Lawrence," she said quietly "..the Starbase CMO." Athena turned around and raised her eyebrows. "What's the problem?" she asked. She wasn't sure what she could do to help, but she had always been told she should do what she could. She waited expectantly to hear what would be required of her. {Have her eyes 'always' looked so black?} Rangi wondered and blinked, realizing Athena had asked a question. "She's behaving oddly." Rangi began "...its as though.." Her eyes strayed to Athena's fingers that held the wilted flower. "Where did you get that?" she asked "It was my reward for winning a fight in the arboretum," Athena replied flippantly. Rangi looked at Athena's face. The carefree remark seemed to combine with a hidden smile on the red lips. "Oh?.....with whom?" she asked slowly. Athena shrugged and turned away from Rangi with her authoritative tone. {She's hiding something.} Rangi straightened up took a deep breath and raised her chin a little. "I see it's a secret," she said with a tone of amusement she didn't feel. "Actually...I have one too, though mine seems to have lasted better than yours," she added, thinking of Shane's gift that stood in a small crystal vase beside their bed. Athena looked at Rangi wide eyed and replied, "No one ever tells me secrets. Besides my mother always told me it was rude to have them." Rangi held Athena's look with grey eyes that grew cold. "Did she," came the skeptical reply. "Well..I don't mind telling you who gave me my flower." She paused. "It was from Shane." "That's good," Athena said brightly as she began to smile. She looked at Rangi innocently before saying, "You needed help with something?" Rangi looked away. {She 'is' hiding something..or she's pretending to ... why yes...that's it...she wants me to think Shane gave her the flower.} Another thought crashed into Rangi's mind, hard on the heels of the first one. {She's jealous of Shane and me.} Rangi turned her head and met Athena's gaze. {I understand you now} she thought but said levelly. "Yes...I wanted to ask your opinion." "Ok, I have an opinion," Athena replied cheerfully as a confused expression passed over her face from what she sensed coming from Rangi. Athena wrinkled her forehead much like a child would do when concentrating, "What did you want my opinion on?" Rangi shook her head."What?" she queried "What do you mean ... you have an opinion..I haven't told you yet..." Eagerly Athena went on, "Yes... yes, tell me quick so I can help." Rangi looked at Athena in amazement."Are you...?" she began, her recent thoughts fast receding as she looked at the woman in front of her." Athena!...are you all right?" "Yes, I'm fine," she answered enthusiastically and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "What did you need my help with," she asked with some impatience. "It doesn't matter," Rangi replied observing the counselor and wondering why she seemed so agitated suddenly. "It will keep to another time...don't let me keep you." Athena gave a sigh like a child who had been dismissed when the adults grew tired of making her perform. She shrugged her shoulders, "Whatever you say." Rangi gave a reassuring smile, such as she often used in sickbay."I'm going back to the infirmary for a while," she said, watching Athena carefully. "I have a few things to do there." At Rangi's smile the clouds that had appeared in Athena's eyes left as quickly as they came. "Have fun, " she said cheerily. She took a couple steps away from Rangi and then turned around. "Could you throw this away for me, please," she asked. She held out the crushed flower toward Rangi. "Of course," Rangi replied, but hesitated before reaching to accept the broken bloom. She looked at the bruised and faded petals and glanced again at Athena. "Who 'did' give you this?" she asked simply. "Some guy at the plant place gave it to me even though I really didn't want it," she said in unabashed honesty. Athena continued with her story and held the concentration of remembering in her eyes, "He was a little weird. He thought I was somebody else and just wouldn't take no for an answer." The clouds of concentration lifted from her eyes and she said, "If you're sure I can't help then I guess I'll go." "I see." Rangi replied, looking down at the flower. "Thanks for your time," she said switching her attention to the counselor. "I'll....see you soon I expect." "I don't plan on seeing you soon," Athena replied with an honest simplicity. "Right..." Rangi gave Athena a small smile. {There's something definitely 'odd' about her today...I wonder...} Athena waved to Rangi as she turned around and ran off in the other direction. Watching her go, Rangi pressed her left fingers to rub her forehead. She had the beginnings of a headache. =/\= End Log =/\= LtCmdr. Rangi Summers CMO USS Chimera & Lt. Athena Wellington Counselor USS Chimera