A/N: Pretend cookies go to cassielfsw who correctly diagnosed Trumari with a leola root allergy!
Vorik carefully picked up the slightly taller woman. Over all, she was quite light for her inconvenient length, but her arms seemed oddly heavy for their expected density, and it seemed she could do little to assist him. She was essentially a 'dead weight'. He had to settle for awkwardly allowing her face to loll against his neck. He jostled her slightly. He didn't want her smothering. It seemed every other step her head flopped back.
Trumari was really uncomfortable. Vorik might have been the most attractive man on the ship, but even if he hadn't been a jerk, she was really too busy trying not to die to enjoy this experience. Except how he smelled. He smelled amazing. Like, impending pon farr amazing. After all, the vulcanoid female's superior sense of smell existed for the primary purpose of pheromone detection.
Although Romulans had changed rather drastically in regards to the experience of plak tow (namely, who usually got it and whether it was fatal), females had retained the ancient ability to sense the condition of their mates, probably due to the reduction of telepathic ability. Vorik wasn't her mate by any means, but he was 'loudly' broadcasting his fitness and availability. She was glad she didn't spend much time in Engineering, because it was bound to get worse, and be extremely…distracting. I wonder if he knows?
Vorik deposited Trumari on a biobed with considerable relief. The woman had been shamelessly sniffing his neck. It was incredibly inappropriate! Possibly she wasn't quite in control of herself, so Vorik chose to refrain to refrain from accusing her of sexual harassment. For now.
The Doctor quickly determined that the cause of Trumari's respiratory distress was anaphylaxis and administered the appropriate medication. "Any idea what caused it, Ensign Vorik?"
"I did note that she had spilled most of a plateful of Neelix's leola root casserole halfway across the mess hall."
"Fetch me a sample, would you? From her plate. I'll want the casserole itself too, before it poisons anyone else."
Vorik found himself charged with rousing Neelix to inform him that the casserole was being confiscated, and the kitchen closed.
"I never poisoned anyone in my life!" the Talaxian protested.
"I am sure it was entirely unintentional, sir." Vorik reassured him politely. He collected the samples the EMH had requested and quarantined the kitchen to the grumbling of his crewmates. B'Elanna was one of them.
"My apologies sir." He told her, since she looked upset about missing breakfast.
"Don't worry about it, Vorik. What happened in here, anyway?"
"Ensign Trumari collapsed last night, due to some kind of poisoning. She will be fine, but the Doctor is still investigating and is concerned the food might be unsafe."
B'Elanna laughed. "Wow, I would have thought she would be the one doing the poisoning around here. I guess you've holding out on us, eh Vorik?"
"Sir?" he asked confused. Was she really implying he'd poisoned Trumari?
"Oh, come on. Everybody knows you can't stand her, and she won't leave you alone."
"Sir, that is most illogical. I am indifferent towards Trumari, and therefore have no motive. Moreover, I am the one who took her to sickbay. Had I intended to murder her, would I not have left her to die?"
B'Elanna laughed again. "It was a joke, Vorik. I'm teasing you."
"I see." The kind of teasing that indicates affection? He wondered. He certainly hoped so.
"Come on, since there's not going to be any breakfast here, we might as well replicate it in the engineering break room."
"Agreed. I will meet you there."
"Great, it's a date." Vorik froze as B'Elanna walked away. It's a what?! Vorik hurried finished his work in the mess hall, and rushed up to sickbay to drop off the samples and casserole. He set them down as quickly as he could justify and attempted to leave.
"Slow down Vorik! Ensign Trumari wanted a word before you go on duty. Probably wants to thank you for saving her life, I would imagine."
Reluctantly, Vorik approached the woman on the biobed. She was apparently not able to rise, or to speak loudly, because she gestured that he should bend down to listen. "An expression of gratitude is unnecessary. I did only my duty." He informed her.
Trumari glared at Vorik and shook her head, beckoning him down again. He finally complied.
"Warning for you." She wheezed.
"I hardly think threats are an appropriate response to recent events." He complained.
Ha, he wanted thanked after all. She grabbed his collar. "Not a threat, fool."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Let go of me."
"Listen!" she hissed.
"Why should I?" he asked sullenly.
"Stupid! Do you not know? I smell it. How can you not know?"
"Know what?" Was he really that oblivious? Vulcans really needed to do something about the deplorable quality of their sex education. Romulan females considered it a matter of duty (and self preservation) to ensure the males close to them were warned if they were susceptible. Vulcan females had a similarly keen sense of smell, yet they typically and stupidly said nothing.
"Your time comes. Soon." Vorik made a choking sound, twisted out of her hand, pulled out of her reach, and stood poised to flee, trembling furiously. She made eye contact.
"How dare you?" he hissed at her. Well, at least he knew what she meant, judging from the strength of his reaction. No need for the icky details. She pointed at her throat.
"Honor demands it. Not quite even, but the best I can do."
Vorik practically ran out of Sickbay. "Well, I hope whatever horribly offensive thing you said to him was worth it." The EMH scolded her. Trumari shrugged. She was probably in for some kind of trouble, but she'd seen the way Vorik looked at B'Elanna, and the way she in turn looked at Tom Paris. That kind of trouble was worth avoiding, even if it cost her personally. Anyway, trouble aside, since was the honorable thing to do the easy thing to do?
A/N: I hope my use of line breaks for perspective changes works. Please let me know if they become disruptive to your reading experience, and I'll try something else.