Voice; 2

[tonsofpun]

Okay, time to lighten the mood.

[Because after all this shit that's happened, she needs to smile. She needs something, anything, to take her mind off all of this and for a second, remember that being alive is good, and right.

And maybe to remember a simpler time.]

I've got this book of puns, right? Well, back in the day, it kinda used to be my thing. And I figure you guys could use this. Or groan, whatever.

Here goes.

A clown held the door open for me the other day.
I thought it was a nice jester.

The butcher backed up into the meat grinder.
He got a little behind in his work.

Yesterday I accidentally swallowed some food coloring.
The doctor says I'm okay, but I feel like I've dyed a little inside.

Pffft.

The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

[That one actually makes her laugh out loud.]

Comments

[sufferably]

That might be my new favorite.

And here's a question-- does a coffee shop have the grounds to operate in the black?

[tonsofpun]

... okay, no idea. Go ahead.

[sufferably]

No real answer, kid. That was it.

[tonsofpun]

The grounds to op-

Ohhhhhh, man. That sucked.

[But she's giggling anyway.]

[sufferably]

Figured that was the point.

[tonsofpun]

Yeah, that's pretty good.

[sufferably]

Still, I think yours are better than mine. I'll stick to my day job.

[tonsofpun]

It was a good showing.

[Gracious winner. Some of the time.]

I'm Ellie.

[sufferably]

Nice to meet you, Miss Ellie.

I'm Doctor McCoy.

[tonsofpun]

Just Ellie, dude. You can't call somebody "Miss" after a battle of the puns.

All right, Doc. So are you a medical doctor, or a professor of something?

[sufferably]

Medical, mostly. And for the record, I introduce myself that way so people know they can come to me if they need help. ( not to be pretentious. he leaves that to spock. )

[tonsofpun]

[Ellie nods, carefully, but suddenly in all seriousness:]

... d'you know anything about fungal infections?

[sufferably]

Native and extraterrestrial varieties, darling. You got a problem?

[tonsofpun]

[The 'darling' brings her up short a bit, but she presses onward.]

What do you know about cordyceps?

[This part, at least, is general information. She can give him the rest later if he seems like he might be able to help.]

[sufferably]

It's a genus. There're at least 500 known species native to Earth. They're parasites.

What about 'em?

[tonsofpun]

You ever hear about them infecting humans and wiping out most of the earth's population?

'Cause I'm kind of worried about that shit coming here.

[sufferably]

I never have, no. And I know a lot of medical history.

( he's not writing her off, though. he continues, very seriously: ) I'm a trained epidemiologist. You catch even a hint that something you knew about is here, let me know. I'll figure out how to contain it.

[tonsofpun]

You are?

[It's almost a whisper, almost like she completely wouldn't dare to hope for it.]

[sufferably]

Sure am.

Look, Ellie-- my job, back home, is to discover, isolate and cure all kinds of alien plagues and diseases. I'm actually trained to find cures to things that haven't been cured before.

And besides me, there're dozens of scientists and geniuses and doctors here. We'll be alright, you hear?

Private; Video

[tonsofpun]

[It takes her a few seconds to catch her breath. Oh. Oh, shit, that hurts. Almost giving up, and then finding some kind of hope?

Shit.]

You have no idea how long I've been looking for somebody who knows this stuff.

Private; Video

[sufferably]

( oh is this getting emotional. he was not expecting that. he clears his throat, tries his best to look businesslike and reassuring. )

Well, I don't know the specifics. I'm not gonna claim something's solved before it actually is.

But I've taken down a plague or two in my time. So keep your chin up, stay alert for it if you can.

Private; Video

[tonsofpun]

No, I mean I-

[Well, shit. Let her pull herself together.]

I'm the only one who's immune to it. Joel says there's others, but I'm the only one we've got.

[She pauses, then works up the sleeve of her shirt. The scar looks something like a bite mark, long healed. But the way it healed seems as if there are spores living under her skin, some kind of visible infection. However, there's no inflammation, no swelling. And it's clearly localized to the single area.]

This is a year old. I never got sick. Everybody else goes completely nuts within a few days.

Private; Video

[sufferably]

( he tuts, slightly, as he gets a look at the scar. it looks nasty enough, but scarring itself is something mccoy doesn't see too much of. he's able to heal most things without scars, when he has access to his medbay. )

So you think you might be the cure. Or have it in you.

Private; Video

[tonsofpun]

... it's the best shot we've got.

And if it... gets introduced, here? Shit -- I wasn't there, but Joel and Tess watched it... destroy everything.

And maybe, if we can find a cure here, it won't get this world too.

Private; Video

[sufferably]

Alright. We'll see what we can do.

I work at the hospital in Sigyn. Or you can come by suite 102 in the same welcome hall. If you don't mind, I'll take a look at your arm and we'll go from there.