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31_days2009-10-08 03:28 pm
seta-suzume.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2009-10-08 03:28 pm
[Oct. 8] [Original] Well, Maybe Just One
Title: Well, Maybe Just One
Day/Theme: Oct. 8, 2009 "I don't know one joke"
Series: Original (Navigator)
Character/Pairing: Stuart & Julian
Rating: PG
"Hello, Julian."
"Is there something you need?" the doctor replied quietly. He was spraying a mixture of disinfectant and hot water on the cabinets and tabletops and wiping them off.
"No, not particularly," Stuart answered, standing off to the side in a corner of the room so as not to get in Julian's way as he cleaned. Nothing especially messy or even out of the ordinary had occurred recently in the infirmary, but keeping everything neat and germ-free was just routine here.
"So why are you here then?" the doctor challenged him out of habit. He sounded mildly disinterested. He knew Stuart's ways. His job on the ship was a bit miscellaneous and when things were going smoothly the crew was exponentially less likely to feel the need to come and speak with him for a bit of emotional or spiritual support. And when Stuart found his hands too empty, he looked for his own ways to fill them. ...And since they had become unpleasantly acquainted, far too often he went to Julian as a way to fill them.
"Just to visit you," the priest replied as innocently as possible under the circumstances.
There wasn't really anything that needed to be said about that. Julian nodded and grunted a mild assent. He finished with cleaning and put the squirt bottle away. The cloth he had used would have to go into the laundry to be cleaned before its next use.
"You're so thorough that I almost expected the countertops would give off a little sparkle when you were done," Stuart joked awkwardly. He was doing his best with Julian, but it was difficult to maintain a conversation with this proportion of dead air. Even then, if Julian would show that he had even the most rudimentary impulse to humor other than a sarcastic quip, he could use that to his advantage. Humor bridged gaps between disparate people. ...But Julian was so serious.
"Why do you think we have a chaplain onboard and not a psychologist?" Julian asked, sitting down in his computer chair.
"I- I don't know," Stuart said, flustered. Was this some kind of attack on him or his profession?
"Because everyone here is so far gone they can't be helped by science. It's God or nothing."
Stuart gaped. Was- was that a joke?
Day/Theme: Oct. 8, 2009 "I don't know one joke"
Series: Original (Navigator)
Character/Pairing: Stuart & Julian
Rating: PG
"Hello, Julian."
"Is there something you need?" the doctor replied quietly. He was spraying a mixture of disinfectant and hot water on the cabinets and tabletops and wiping them off.
"No, not particularly," Stuart answered, standing off to the side in a corner of the room so as not to get in Julian's way as he cleaned. Nothing especially messy or even out of the ordinary had occurred recently in the infirmary, but keeping everything neat and germ-free was just routine here.
"So why are you here then?" the doctor challenged him out of habit. He sounded mildly disinterested. He knew Stuart's ways. His job on the ship was a bit miscellaneous and when things were going smoothly the crew was exponentially less likely to feel the need to come and speak with him for a bit of emotional or spiritual support. And when Stuart found his hands too empty, he looked for his own ways to fill them. ...And since they had become unpleasantly acquainted, far too often he went to Julian as a way to fill them.
"Just to visit you," the priest replied as innocently as possible under the circumstances.
There wasn't really anything that needed to be said about that. Julian nodded and grunted a mild assent. He finished with cleaning and put the squirt bottle away. The cloth he had used would have to go into the laundry to be cleaned before its next use.
"You're so thorough that I almost expected the countertops would give off a little sparkle when you were done," Stuart joked awkwardly. He was doing his best with Julian, but it was difficult to maintain a conversation with this proportion of dead air. Even then, if Julian would show that he had even the most rudimentary impulse to humor other than a sarcastic quip, he could use that to his advantage. Humor bridged gaps between disparate people. ...But Julian was so serious.
"Why do you think we have a chaplain onboard and not a psychologist?" Julian asked, sitting down in his computer chair.
"I- I don't know," Stuart said, flustered. Was this some kind of attack on him or his profession?
"Because everyone here is so far gone they can't be helped by science. It's God or nothing."
Stuart gaped. Was- was that a joke?