Private Property

Posted on Mon Sep 26th, 2016 @ 1:20am by Leiddem Kea (*)

Mission: Mission 2 - Contagion
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: MD4 - 07:00
1706 words - 3.4 OF Standard Post Measure

ON::

Finn wasn't going to push it, but he actually felt a bit less like throwing himself out an airlock this morning. He'd risked one of his gran's home remedies. It had smelled like old socks, and tasted worse, but he'd finally gotten some sleep. He'd woken up ravenously hungry and with only a light headache, a little congestion, and a cough that he could manage without cracking a rib.

After ordering a full breakfast, he hadn't eaten well in the last day or so, he made his way over to the tables. A man caught his eye. After his encounter yesterday in the Ward Room, he'd begun to pay attention to things like the people around him. And this man 'felt' familiar. Definitely a Betazoid. What had she said? A brother...Liam? No, Lieddem. That was it. He took a little internal inventory. He was feeling better, and little helped his spirits more than yanking people's chains. He walked over to the man. "Mind if I join you?"

Leiddem looked up from the strange porridge oats he had chosen and nodded indicating the chair next to him. He was always looking for new friends especially as the ship had become so quiet and boring suddenly.

"Not at all. I'm Kea and you are?" He always introduced by his surname since the Marines and especially as his sister was on board, it confused people.

"Finn. Finn Bek," He said as he sat down. "Nice to meet you. I'm pretty sure I've met your sister. She's on board, right?" He took a piece of bacon, dipping it in some syrup before tearing into it. "Sweet girl, though a terrible salesman."

"Has she been selling me again?" Leissem wondered with a bright smile as he looked the man over taking in his appearance and the fact he had met Jeassaho.

"Selling?" Finn thought about it for a moment. "No. She didn't sell you; she gave you away. I believe her words were 'you can have him' and 'take him.' She also made some unflattering remarks about the things you were good for. I'm assuming that because she is your sister," he made a point of smiling mischievously while checking the other man out, "that she wasn't considering everything I'm sure you're good at." He'd always struggled at opening himself up telepathically, but he did his best to let the man know he was teasing.

"Ah well I guess I am free to a good home." Leiddem laughed as the man revealed he was at least half Betazoid. Ah I see why she was so forthcoming with my abilities' he said with a big grin.

Finn blushed a bit. Aye. Sadly, my skills in this area are sadly lacking. But, seeing as how I now own you, I suppose you can help with it. He grinned, a bit embarrassed. He knew his mental voice wasn't particularly strong. "I suppose I'll add that to the list of skills your sister failed to recognize."

The Former Marine nearly choked as he spooned his breakfast into his mouth at the mental voices assumptions that he now owned him. "Ha... who said you own me?" He wondered aloud feeling bad for embarrassing the man. It hadn't been in intention at all. It had been a moment of forgetfulness that not everyone with Betazoid blood was as strong telepathically or if at all.

"Your sister, of course," Finn smiled. He loved teasing people, and it looked like he'd certainly amused Kea. He did his best to replay in his mind the bits of his conversation with the man's sister, editing the memories as much as possible to emphasize his joke. "Don't worry. I'm a benevolent overlord. I promise to treat you well...certainly better than your sister has been treating you. Just giving you away like that? That's not very respectful." He barely kept himself from laughing as he winked at the man.

"Unbelievable... she actually had sold me. Mother is going to be so annoyed." Leiddem muttered to himself as he realized his sister really had been trying to sell him. He let out a hearty laugh as people looked around at the pair wondering what the private joke was. "Who can we sell Jeassaho to then my lord and master?" He said with a mock pout.

"Hmm..." Finn thought about it. "There was this pair of Naussicans looking for someone to cook and clean on their ship on the base we just left. I suppose we could try to get in touch with them. I wonder what sort of price they'd offer." He scratched his head for a moment. "I had the distinct impression the were specifically looking for a female, and that cooking and cleaning might not be the only duties they were interested in her performing, though. So perhaps you wouldn't be comfortable selling your sister into such a situation..."

The Marine laughed a little, this other man had just a twisted sense of humor as him if not worse. He was impressed by him to say the least even with out Jeassaho pointing him in his direction. "Hmm i would consider it seeing she sold me to you without even checking your credentials at all." He paused looking around to check the Captain wasn't in the Mess Hall. "But I don't know what Rueben would say about us selling her to some Naussicans if i am honest and she can't cook to save her life and it might be needed with them." Rueben would kill him for even joking about selling Jeassaho.

"That could take some doing then," Finn considered. "Then I suppose we'll just have to sell her to you. That way, whatever evil I visit upon you, you can pass right on to her. Poetic justice, no?" He thought about it for a moment, letting his less well behaved side have a look at Kea again, "Well, perhaps not ALL the evils I might visit upon you. I mean, I may be a benevolent overlord, but I'm no saint."

"I don't want her." Lieddem said firmly ignoring a lot of what the man said with a wink. "I've been trying to get rid of her for twenty eight years. She is the youngest for a reason" He murmured thinking that the man hadn't wondered about Jeassaho and Rueben, maybe he already knew or genuinely didn't care. "Do you sell your siblings?"

"If I thought I could get anything for them, I might." Finn said, feeling his headache from the night before beginning to return. He kept the smile on his face, though. It wasn't that bad yet, but he could tell it probably would be. "I signed on here because the last I heard from my family they were heading out this way. Perhaps we'll meet them along the way. Then you could give me your estimate of their worth. It would probably be mostly sentimental value for me, though."

"That is a shame." Leiddem commented on. "Hmm just must be the relationship i have with my sisters. You okay?" He wondered seeing the slight wince that appeared on the mans face underneath his smile.

"No...I don't think I am," Finn admitted. It was getting to the point that it just wasn't worth putting up the false front he had been. "I think I'm fighting a cold or something. It was a lot worse last night when I met your sister, but it seems to be coming back again." He looked down at his half eaten breakfast and felt his stomach flip over. "And apparently I'm not as hungry as I thought." He grinned, but it wasn't quite the smile he was known for and proud of. Not the smile that had gotten him out of more trouble than he had any right to in the past. The smile that had gotten him into trouble, as well, though the sort of trouble that's much more fun than a bar fight.

"Maybe I should swing by sickbay," Finn started and then remembered the insufferable doctor. "Or maybe I should just get some more rest."

"Rest is important when you have a cold especially if it has been picked up on this germ mobile. I was telling someone that yesterday that the common cold might have been made irrelevant but you don't know what has mutated on here." The Betazoid grinned. "Get some rest and then come by Sickbay later." He prompted with his own easy grin. "I'm sure Talon will help you instead of Olsam." He advised feeling the reluctance to see the Bolian again.

Finn did grin a bit more naturally at the man's consideration for him. "Thanks. I was sure that taking you off your sister would be a good choice." He winked at the man before wincing a bit at a throb in his head. "And I'll take your advice. I don't know what it is, but that guy just seemed to hate me before we even met. I'm used to people hating me, but I usually get to give them lots of reasons first."

The man nodded. "Cultural clashes." He said simply. It was what happened especially on ships like this where there were no Starfleet Regulations to calm people now. "Go on get some sleep. I will see you later in Sickbay." Leiddem assured quickly not liking to see anyone in pain, even when the man was making a move on him in a roundabout way.

"I suppose," Finn grumbled. "Though he doesn't seem to take it out on anyone else," he groused under his breath. "Thanks for the company. I'll get some more rack time, then catch you in sickbay later?"

Leiddem just smiled and moved away. He didn't know why the new Doctor didn't like the hybrid but it wasn't his place to argue with the Bolian at all.

Finn waited a moment for his stomach to settle again. He took his tray to the recycler and grabbed a cup of tea to take with him as he headed back to his quarters.

OFF::

Finn Bek
Science Officer
SS Mary Rose

Leiddem Kea
Weapons Master / Medic
SS Mary Rose