A Mutual Enemy?

Who: Tara, Keto, Wildflower
Where: The Medibay
When: During the Foreign Legion mission
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The ship, Keto decided, would probably have been quite quiet and
peaceful. Almost everybody seemed to have left to go and pretend to
be French, or something silly like that. He didn't really care.
Unfortunately, his particular corner of the ship was still as
irritating as ever, given that it held Tara in a medibunk across from
him, perusing a catalogue of exam materials, and Wildflower who was
fussing over the pair of them.
Tara seethed inside, the medi-bay was always the busiest place on the
ship. The whole entire crew, almost, had left to play at being French,
but she had to be stuck in here with Keto. Wildflower wasn't much
better, she could usually be tolerated, but was really beginning to
wind Tara up. The bed ridden nurse turned a page of her catalogue and
growled inwardly as Wildflower came over.
"How are you feeling?" asked Wildflower sympathetically and then,
without actually waiting for a response, poked a needle into Tara's
arm. This did not go down well, except with Keto who immediately
burst out laughing at Tara's yell and involuntary flinching. Tara shot
a death glare towards Keto and wished him serious pain before
responding to Wildflower.
"I was ok until you stuck that in me! What the smeg was it for?" Tara
yelled, rubbing the place where the needle had been. "Warn me next
time you fool!"
"It was to calm you down," replied Wildflower, "And I might have to
give you another one if you keep on like that."
"Please, oh please keep on like that," muttered Keto. Tara shot him
another death glare, before waving the thin catalogue at him vaguely.
Keto's expression took on a vaguely worried look.
"What's that catalogue?" he asked suspiciously.
"Supplies... and revision materials" Tara said, going slightly
lightheaded as the sedative took effect.
"Heh," laughed Keto, not sounding too sure of the humour in it, "If
you want to pay through the nose for those, feel free. You'll
probably need them."
"You don't get it. They are payed for by the medical budget." Tara
said waving the catalogue at him some more and grinning madly.
Wildflower picked up another needle and moved over to Keto. As she
approached, the doctor suddenly propped himself up on his elbows
(somewhat shakily) and stared back at Tara, the slight sardonic smile
now completely vanished from his face.
"What? From MY medical budget!? I think not! They're your revision
materials, they'll be out of YOUR pocket! You think I'm going to pay
for you to fail an exam?"
"The exam has already been taken out of your budget. It's in your best
interests to help me pass Xa.... Doctor Keto." Tara said through
gritted teeth, anger burning off the sedative.
"It's in my best interests? Explain to me, if you will, Nurse
Cleavage, how me paying for you to have additional books which will
STILL not enable you to get even remotely close to a merely
below-average mark is in any way in my best interests? Even if I had
any fear of you passing (which I don't), I'd still refuse to aid you
in any way. Do you know why?" Tara glared at him as Wildflower poked
Keto with a needle. He didn't even seem to notice. "Because it's
fun," he said with a cold smile.
"Fine. It's ok by me, but it's your budget the re-takes come out of...
And I will keep retaking until I pass. The forms are sent off so I
can." Tara said with and equally cold smile.
Tara and Keto both broke eye contact and at exactly the same moment in
time said:
"Shut up Wildflower. I don't want a smegging cup of tea!" There was a
moment of silence.
"Are you sure?" she asked, slowly and quietly.
"GET OUT OF MY MEDI-BAY!" They yelled simultaneously. Wildflower
opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, then gave a huff and
stormed off into Keto's office, pouting. The two resumed glaring at
each other.
"Well, at least we're united against a common enemy," Keto muttered
after a minute or two of silent mutual hatred, "Answer me this,
Cleavage. What exam materials were you actually thinking of
ordering?"
"Just a few books. So I can swat up, you know...." Tara said shaking
off the anger as only a mother can. "I wont need much. We have
everything here pretty much."
"Hmm," mused Keto, the glare of hatred gradually turning into one of
thoughtfulness. "Well," he continued finally, "I suppose the quicker
you pass, the quicker I get you the hell out of my medibay. Up to a
hundred dollarpounds. No more. I hope that's clear enough to you,
because if it's not then you haven't a hope in hell of passing
anything. Ever. At all." A thought passed through Tara's mind that
at one point, before the EST, she knew more than Charles and Xavier
combined. However she decided not to say anything and settled for
something far simpler.
"Thank you Xavier." she said and smiled at him, genuinely.
"Shut up, get better and get studying," snapped Keto, and it was
barely noticeable that his voice didn't have the usual amount of venom
in it.
<To Be Continued Eventually>
OOC - Feel free to wander into the medi bay and be ill, but don't play
with this story arc please, we have an ending planned. :)