Bleak Winters

Posted on Tue 15th May, 2018 @ 11:24pm by Purulence Addams

1,812 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Brushfires
Location: Pearl With a Chainsaw, Deck 666
Timeline: MD 1, 2140

Having cleared off a plate of pot stickers, neither Ischemia nor Prudence was immediately in need of anything. The older Addams sister dipped her napkin in the water glass and scrubbed at two sticky fingers.

"What do you think we can do, Prudence? I realize that Chlamydia sometimes takes things too much to heart. The little we know indicates that there was nothing to be done for any of the Winters who died ... and that it was all very quickly over. 'It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.' Do you know who said that?" Ischemia asked.

"It sounds like Abraham Lincoln," Prulence said. "The Gettysburg Address? It's quite beautiful."

"Spot on, my artistic little airhead," Schemy replied. "And it applies here, too, I think. Though the cause is a little murky perhaps, we are the living, and there is work still to be done. I imagine Chlamydia knows that, but how do we help her ... deal with this grief. That's what it is, you know. She doesn't often come face to face with grief of this magnitude, and I don't know if she knows what to do with it." She shrugged and gestured to a passing server. "Or perhaps she'll wake up tomorrow and be back to her normal macabré cheery self."

Raising an inquiring eyebrow at her sister, she asked, "General Tso's for two?"

"Sure," Purulence said, "but I thought you wanted okonomiyaki." She took a sip of her tea. "I agree with you that Chlamydia usually isn't confronted with mourners. Usually, when she talks about an autopsy, it's with delight--I might even say glee. But if she had to do a lot of autopsies today.... She likes novelty--deaths that are puzzling or unusual somehow--and I suspect the chances she has to perform such autopsies are rare. Having to do a lot of them all in one day--first, not much novelty in death by ship's phasers. A lot of that, and it just becomes dreary and tragic. Then, if she had to deal with mourners, too, she would be confronted with the cold, harsh reality of it, the not-fun aspects of violent death--the aspects that explain why she became a healer of the living and not a medical examiner."

Purulence looked glumly into her tea and then at Ischemia. "But, like you, I have no idea how we can help her. She so rarely lets people see when she's truly upset. The Halloween party was the first time I'd seen her cry in years. She's always so unflappable, the complete opposite of me. If it were me, I'd say hug me tightly and let me cry, but I don't know for sure if that's what Chlamy would want."

Ischemia shook her head. "Now I'm in the mood for General Tso's." She gave the order, and continued, "I can almost guarantee it isn't wanted, nor would it be ... accepted. Maybe the best we can do is simply keep an eye on Chlamydia, watch her moods. If this is prolonged, then we have to intervene somehow, but maybe she will heal herself ... or go talk to that psych guy. What's his name? You were pretty chummy with him, I think."

"Graves. Hey, it's flattering when someone not only genuinely admires your work but also wants to pay you for it. And his surname is delightful."

"Very appropriate," Ischemia nodded, accepting a plate from the server. "Which brings to mind your plans for the future. What's happening with that man you told us about? What's his name again?" She scooped a little extra sauce on the rice and took her first bite. "Good stuff, eat and talk at the same time."

Purulence eyed Ischemia for a moment and then plucked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks and chewed on it slowly, debating whether to tell Schemy the truth or just lie like a dog. Another glance at Schemy told her she'd waited too long to speak. Her sister's eyes were now sharply fixed on her. Purulence sighed. "I don't know. I can't get hold of Ignatius. I can't get hold of Mom and Dad, either. They usually tell us if they're going on trips, but I haven't heard a word from them since shortly after Halloween. Have you?"

"Mom and Dad? You're referring to our own illustrious parents, correct? If you're already calling Ignat's parents Mom and Dad, you are in more trouble than I thought!" Ischemia teased.

"Of course I'm referring to our Mom and Dad," Purulence said, bemused. "Ignatius' parents are Zachariah and Helen."

"No, I haven't heard a thing. On the other hand," Ischemia reflected, "I haven't tried to contact them, either. We go months without talking and then have a marathon."

For some reason, that comment made Purulence smile. It was so... Schemy. "I really have missed you--I mean, I missed you before arriving here. How is your house hunting proceeding?"

Her sister made a face. "Slowly. How hard can it be to find a small house tucked into a corner that no one cares about? Ha! Very hard, apparently. Our dear sister seems to have gotten the best thing going, but I don't want to live quite the same way she does. It's wonderful for her, fits her perfectly, but ... for instance, can you imagine all my legal PADDs spread across that monster of a dining room table? I love her dearly, but I keep feeling that she'll be quite happy when she has her home to herself again. Not that I think you need to be in a rush to move out. It's entirely different for you."

"I had frankly expected to be moved out weeks ago," Purulence said. "If I were in Starfleet I could at least look for Ignatius. I could do long-range scans or something. But even if I went back home...What would be the point? Everything I want to do, everyone I want to see, is out here. I'm even growing rather fond of this space station." She grinned at Ischemia suddenly. "And you can't beat the shopping! They have a Sokel's Illogic here. Best women's clothing store ever."

"I'll keep that in mind if I want to look like you," her sister teased. "It is a rather nice place. It's why I'm buying a house, actually. I want a place I can return to between assignments. I'm sure another one will be coming along in a few months. The Federation isn't going to let me sit out here and do nothing for long. I'm not eager for it yet, and I hope it's still quite some time away." The truth was Ischemia had worked far too many situations for far too long with far too little time to relax. Her vacation, if she wanted to call it that, was overdue and she was enjoying not having to soothe any jangled nerves or gloss over glaring inconsistencies in anyone's behavior.

"Besides, it's been nice to be here with the two of you again; almost like being sisters," she said thoughtfully.

"I'm enjoying that, too," Purulence said. "I've been able to have conversations with the two of you lately that I could never have had at a younger age, when I felt less confident in myself. The two of you always seemed to know where you wanted to go in your lives, and I never did as a child. Being able to have this time together now, when I can enjoy your company and treasure it instead of secretly envying you both means a lot to me."

Surprised, Ischemia said, "Did you really? You envied us? That's interesting. I haven't talked to Chlamy about it, of course, so I don't know what she thinks, but I know I always envied you! You were so carefree, as if you had escaped the expectations of being an Addams. You went your own way, taking all those art classes. An Addams being an artist? Well, of course there was Ansel, but he dropped a 'd' from his name, and anyway, that was long before our time."

She took a sip of water, then leaned across the table, punctuating her next words with jabs on the cloth-covered top. "The point is, you could draw something and it looked like what it was supposed to be. I can't and never could, and I gave up trying when I saw your early scrawls on the walls. You've always been a natural and training has only made it more evident. I think I still envy your talent.

"And, by the way, if this Ignatius fellow doesn't show up, he isn't worthy of you. He might not be, even if he does show up." She leaned back in her chair, folded her arms across her chest and looked out at the restaurant, having said what was really gnawing at her. How dare that creep give my sister this kind of treatment?

"Maybe I seemed carefree because I was completely disorganized," Purulence said. "Do you realize I had to hire a freaking life coach to get myself on track? How embarrassing is that, to need someone to coach you on life? I mean like, how to balance a checkbook, live within a budget, keep my living space clean, organize paying my bills on time, and pick my own clothes in the morning! All things you and Chlamy do without having to think twice about them. Either I had a closet full of clothes that I couldn't decide among, or else a closet with very few clothes--so I didn't have to decide, but I was bored to tears with my wardrobe.

She sighed. "Anyway... Something's not right, with Ignatius. He's been gone for too long from his office. He's not the sort of guy who would just drop everything for some woman who took his passing fancy. He wouldn't even need to leave Collinsport if he were seeing someone else; he could just beam to wherever he wanted to meet someone and wouldn't have to be absent from his office at all. But he's been gone for weeks. I don't know what to make of it."

Ischemia put her thumbprint on the bill's PADD and stood. "He'll turn up. Men always do. When he does, you can tell me again how wonderful he is, and how trustworthy. For now, let's take a walk along the river and then go home. I don't think we've solved any problems tonight except hunger, but that's a good one to remedy."

"We got to spend time just being sisters. That's good enough for me," Purulence said. "We can solve the rest of the universe's problems tomorrow."

 

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