Ping Pong and Relaxation!

[starfleetcleaner]

WHO: D'vana Tendi
WHERE: Sports Deck, Medical, Pool
WHAT: Rest and Relaxation
WHEN: November


i. Sports Deck - Tendi is in the midsts of trying to teach herself Ping-Pong. There's one of those automatic servers on one side as she tries to return the balls as best she can. She's not doing super great, but by god, she's trying.

ii. Medical -Once again, the Medical Bay is open for business, anyone who needs meds, treatment, or anything like that, Tendi is there, working away.

iii. Pool - A nice relaxing day out at the pool, Tendi is currently floating in the pool with sunglasses, getting some sun and relaxing. Maybe asleep, maybe not!

Comments

ii.

[decohere]

She pokes her head into Medical curiously, not sure whether to expect somebody working. But relieved that it's at least someone she recognizes, even if it's been awhile since they've spoken.

"Hello..."

Re: ii.

[starfleetcleaner]

"Oh hello Ava! How are you doing? It's been forever!" Tendi stands up going over to the door. "Do you need some help?"

[decohere]

"Mn, better now," which is at least a neutral enough way of saying that things hadn't been great without getting into it, with the bonus reassurance she doesn't need any comforting over it. Also helps cover her excuse for not being socially inclined enough to seek out another meeting, even though she'd enjoyed their first.

"Tendi, right? Do you have anything for sleep?"

[starfleetcleaner]

"Well, there's some medications, but those aren't good for long term use, knocking you out with meds, you'll sleep, but not rest, if that makes sense. Good for a few days, but sooner or later, you'll need to actually sleep. I take it you've been having problems with that?" Tendi gives Ava a smile.

"If you want, sometimes talking can help?"

[decohere]

"I do often have trouble relaxing..." Ava admits. "And sometimes the pain keeps me awake. But it's more... trying to adjust my sleep schedule." She does a little circular rotation with her fingers. "I'm usually up until the sun comes up." Which had been a lifestyle that was working out well enough for her. Getting to enjoy the ship during the quieter hours, not waking until noon at the earliest.

Except.

Except her boyfriend is an early riser, and she wants to spend more time with him. "But when I try to go to bed earlier, I'm not tired yet."

[starfleetcleaner]

"Oooh, I see. Changes in sleep schedules can be very rough. There's a few ways to try and reset them, but they're a bit of a challenge."

Tendi gestures to a chair as she gets her tricorder. "Have a seat, I'll give you a quick scan and make sure there's no physiological things that may be causeing it, and then we can figure out how to get you sleeping right!"

[decohere]

She nods, because it has been a challenge but she's trying to work through it without feeling absolutely miserable all day. Sleeping pills at least seemed like a decent idea to break the late night cycle, but she's curious what other ideas... At the mention of scan, Ava visibly winces, taking a quick glitchy step back, and shakes her head.

It's not Tendi. She seems perfectly nice. But Ava has a rather ingrained fear of medical situations, and being scanned is one of them. "That... shouldn't be necessary."

[starfleetcleaner]

"Oh, well...if you're sure, it's not invasive or anything, it's just a medical scan to check things like your cortosol levels and whatnot. But if you don't want one, that's ok, we have other options, I'd never do anything against your will, promise!"

Tendi puts down the tricorder deleberitaly. "So, best way to adjust your sleep schedule is boring and takes some time, but it's effective. No naps in the day, and you have to slowly adjust your wake and sleep times. maybe a hour a day, and let it move with you. Also, use light, sunlight is how your body judges when it's ok to be up and about. What have you tried so far?"

[decohere]

It's reassuring enough that she doesn't immediately retreat from the room.

Ava stares, because as far as advice goes that's not at all what she was hoping to hear. "No... naps..." How is anyone meant to get through an entire day without crashing out sometime during it. "I'm operating with... significantly less energy than most people," Ava informs her. "I am sick. So I'm not sure that's going to work for me."

She crosses her arms across her midsection, frowning slightly. "I've... tried... sleeping earlier?" What else is there to try?

[starfleetcleaner]

"You're sick? Can I ask how so? And if you're worried about someone else finding out, I take medical confidentialitaly very serously."

Tendi gives a bit of a shurg. "If I knew what you were sick with, I may be able to help more. As for sleeping earlier, that does help, but you also have to wake up earlier. Not all at once, like, a hour or thirty minutes a day, slowly cycling back your rhythm you know?"

[decohere]

She's quiet for a moment. This isn't what she came for, more than she likes to disclose about her medical history. But. Maybe it's relevant enough to the overall equation of her sleep issues. "It's called molecular disequilibrium," Ava informs her quietly. "It's not any sort of traditional illness. It's why I'm..." she waves her arm, leaving a blurred trail of motion.

[starfleetcleaner]

"Hmm...I see! Reminds me of something that happened to Boimler. He was transported, and the signal went out of sync slightly, and he went all phasey. I may be able to assist if you'd like, I can't promise anything, but well, at the very least I may be able to at least figure out some possible solutions."

Tendi says all of this rather matter-of-factly, as if seeing someone with their molecules out of phase is something that happens every day for her.

[decohere]

"Did he stay like that?" Ava asks, slightly concerned. Because it's a rather miserable way to be.

"And. It's not killing me anymore. It just wears me out, so I think I should still be allowed naps."

[starfleetcleaner]

"Oh no, we got him fixed up, we were on a ship to a rehab planet with The Dog and a bunch of other people who'd been effected by strange science mysteries, luckily, with Boimler, it wore off after a while."

"Mmm, well, I guess we can try that, see how it works. Most important thing is to keep consistent. Like, what do you want your awake times to be?"

[decohere]

"You had a dog?" Because that's the most exciting part of that sentence.

She considers for a moment. "Is 10 am a reasonable compromise?" Because there's no way she's agreeing to anything before the sun comes up when that's her usual bedtime.

[starfleetcleaner]

"Oh sure! She was a cute little cinnamon roll I made out of inert carbon! She was 6% smarter and 5% faster than a normal dog!"

Tendi looks a bit proud. "I hand edited all six billion sequences myself, it was really fun!"

[decohere]

"You made her..." Ava asks, making sure she understands. "And then. Ate her?" A bit (tentatively) horrified. That doesn't sound quite right, but. She doesn't know your culture.

[starfleetcleaner]

"Oh no! I made her, and she was a good girl, why would you think I ate her? I mean, she had some quirks, and to be fair, when I made her, I didn't actually know a lot about dogs. It turns out dogs can't fly and shoot lighting and talk."

[decohere]

Ava stares in confusion, having trouble picturing this dog that Tendi is describing. And Tendi's admission she doesn't know much about dogs further leads to Ava's misunderstanding of just what sort of creature she made. "Wouldn't the fur get sticky with being a cinnamon roll?" That flies...?

[starfleetcleaner]

"What? No no, it's not an actual cinnamon roll, she was a dog! Just, you know...cute and sweet, heh, a nickname, that's all."

[decohere]

"Ooh," Ava sounds quite relieved. It was the combination of the 'made her' that really made her worried. "I get it. I've never had a pet. All the animals around here are also... actually people." So that makes it a little awkward.

[starfleetcleaner]

"Ahh, that's true I suppose. But no, she was just a normal dog! Well, I thought she was, we don't have dogs on Orion, so the flying and shooting lighting, it turned out dogs didn't do that!"

Tendi gives a laugh. "Made a lot more sense, as to why everyone thought she was a freak."

[decohere]

Ava winces slightly at the term 'freak.' Because she knows what it's like to be different, to have abilities that aren't normal... luckily here nobody treats her too unusually when having powers is the norm. She wonders if anyone looks at Tendi strangely, for her skin color that stands out so much on this ship.

"She sounds great to me," Ava insists.

"But... I'm not sure how any of this is going to help me sleep. And I don't want to try drinking again." There had been a month where she pushed her alcohol limit, in attempts to 'loosen up' and enjoy herself more. Nothing anyone else would consider excessive, but she's cut way back since.

[starfleetcleaner]

"Oh she was! She was sweet and a really good dog. And I'm sorry, I got off track! Yes, sleeping problems."

"Ok, And you don't want me to give you a scan, which is totally fine, but all I can really offer you is behavior modifications. Try keeping a schedule, including your naps. Don't nap for more than 10 or 20 minutes, past that, you'll wake up even more tired than you were before. But have them at the same time every day, and wake up and go to sleep at the same times. Try that for a bit, and if it helps, great! If not, come back and see me, and we'll try something new!"

[decohere]

So the solution to 'I can't sleep well' is 'just sleep better.' Ava's frown deepens, because it sounds simple and sincere and she already knows it's not going to work for her because that's why she's seeking help at all. But she's not the medical professional here, and she's never been able to advocate much for herself when faced with a doctor.

"Okay," she responds simply, backing towards the door. "Thanks."