March Mingle Madness (aka SURPRISE it's another mingle)

[bryces_pup]

Who: Crew members and visitors of the SS Blue Fish
Broadcast: nope
Action: On the Blue Fish, naturally.
When: Throughout March!

[Another month, another mingle. Once again, any visitors on the ship should bear in mind that there are locks installed all over the ship, so someone on board's gotta let you in. Or you can just stand there. And stare. And hope someone takes pity on you.]

Comments

[dancingmd]

I wish I could meet them as well. I never had a large family... I often wondered what it'd be like.

[faithfulwisdom]

Do you have any siblings at all? Or are you an only child?

[dancingmd]

[She shakes her head.]

My parents both died when I was very young. I don't know if they wanted more children, but... they never really had the chance. And I have no cousins: it was always just me and my grandmother, until Jack and Wesley.

[faithfulwisdom]

I'm sorry. [Sincere, but brief. He doesn't feel a need to linger on her loss and he doesn't think she'd want to.] Will you tell me of your grandmother, then? She must have been an extraordinary woman.

[dancingmd]

She was. She really was.

[Her brow furrows and she stares at the table for a long moment. She hates that Ronin has now become mixed into her memories of Felisa, that she wasn't given the chance to properly mourn and say goodbye because of him, that he - no. Stop. Nana wouldn't want to have that be the last image of her.

Finally, she looks back up at Finrod.]

I became a doctor because of her. When I was a child, our planet was struck by a deadly plague and we quickly ran out of medicine. Out of most of our supplies, really. Nana wasn't a doctor, but she knew plants, so she started using them to help heal whoever she could, until outside help arrived. She was... brilliant and strong and kind, always kept fighting, kept going, even when everything looked hopeless.

[faithfulwisdom]

[He can't help but smile, wondering if she realizes just how much she sounds like she's describing herself.]

She was a healer, then, even if she was not a doctor- and a more than fair one by the sounds of it, particularly if she was self taught. [Not that that surprises him in the least.]

'Nana' is a Sindarin term for 'mother,' did you know? Well, more akin to 'mama,' truly. It is short for 'naneth.'

[dancingmd]

[She doesn't recognize it, though she would be pleased to know Finrod thought so: Felisa always was her biggest role model and hero.]

Really? That's... very fitting for her then. I remember my mother well enough but still, Nana was... my whole world, growing up.

[faithfulwisdom]

I thought it seemed apt. [A little pause] Is that where you gained your love of plants? I have admired your work in the gardens on the Iskaulit.

[dancingmd]

[She nods.]

Her knowledge of plants saved us. Many of my fellow doctors dismiss the value of herbal remedies and traditional healing methods, but I will never will.

[faithfulwisdom]

That reminds me- [He reaches down and unhooks a little flask from his belt, handing it over to her. Inside is a clear liquid with a pleasant, sweet scent.]

I wished to tell you of this. When offered a boon by Atroma, Miruvor was my choice and not entirely for myself. It is a liqueur, yes, but it will bestow renewed vigor and strength on those who drink it. While it is not a healing tonic in the strictest sense, you can see how it might be useful in dire circumstances.

I hesitate to announce it to the Fleet at large, for I do not trust them to understand the need to use it only at great need. But if you believe you could make use of it in your work, you should take a portion.

[dancingmd]

Oh!

[Beverly takes the flask uncertainly.]

Are you sure? If you have only a limited supply...

[faithfulwisdom]

My aim was always to aid as many as I could through its use. You are in a better position to distribute it when needed than I could ever be.

[dancingmd]

[Beverly nods solemnly.]

I promise to use it wisely. Thank you.

[faithfulwisdom]

It is I who should be thanking you, truly.

[dancingmd]

Thanking me? For what?

[faithfulwisdom]

For aiding me in my efforts to dispense this. [He gestures at the flask.]

[And, more generally speaking...] It is said among my people, you know, that hands which take life will never be effective in preserving it. There are some things a warrior cannot manage on his own, no matter how much he may wish he were a man of peace.

[dancingmd]

[She glances down at his hands, which she then takes in hers.]

You do a lot more healing than I think you realize. Maybe not physical healing, but your presence here has helped me greatly.

[faithfulwisdom]

[He gives her hands a light squeeze] I am glad. And thank you; you honor me.

[dancingmd]

[She squeezes his hands back before releasing them.]

You're very welcome. Despite our circumstances, I do think I was lucky to have met you.

[faithfulwisdom]

And I you. I have come to think of you as something very much akin to family.

[dancingmd]

[She flushes, pleased.]

I am...very glad you feel that way. Family, to me, has never only been defined by blood. I care about you just as much as I would anyone related to me.