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Anya started at the metal door. The corners were lightly tarnishing into a cold turquoise. On the other side, at least she assumed, was her crewmate resting in their room. Again, all the nurse could do was assume. She gave it a light knock.
While she could’ve entered without it, as none of the rooms had locks, she didn’t want to impulsively act upon her assumptions. And the trust she and her crewmates shared was top priority. No one would trust a nurse who goes against boundaries, right? Without an answer, she just knocked again, a bit harder this time. The door clanged, the sound akin to clashing cymbals.
“Hphm.” A muttered response came from the other side of the door.
“Atlas,” The nurse said, choosing her words carefully, “I want to come inside your room. Is that okay?”
“…Yeah.”
With a light click, waiting for the door to completely open (it had issues, when it opens it stutters, maybe she could ask Swansea and Daisuke to fix it later?). Anya saw her crewmate lying on their bed, facing the wall. As much as she could pretend otherwise, this wasn’t the first time she saw them like this. The others knew, but rarely spoke about it as this was Anya’s job. After all, she was in charge of psychological evaluations, and thus Atlas’ crashing was her duty.
“Have you eaten anything today?”
Atlas took a while before answering her in a quiet mumble, “…No.”
“What about drinks? Water at least?”
“…No.”
“Okay.” Anya said, “I’ll be right back.”
This was usually the routine. However, the way Atlas wasn’t even looking at her was alarming. Something just seemed worse than usual, but the nurse couldn’t pin an exact reason why. In the kitchen, she managed to make a sugar-free PB&J with the packets. Just a simple meal.
It’s like Pony Express knew their workers would be depressed during these long hauls…
She couldn’t tuck that bitterness away. Awful, considering that was the worst possible energy she could give to Atlas. She grabbed a water packet. It was lukewarm, like they always were, but it still provided some hydration. And that was enough, anything was.
When she returned, Atlas was still in the same position. She set down the plate and packet. Even if they didn’t eat now, the meal could still be consumed later.
“Do you want to talk about it?” The nurse asked, getting close to her crewmate’s bed.
“…Not really.” They answered, shuffling to meet her gaze, “Um…I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Atlas. I’m your nurse and it’s my job to be there for you.”
Atlas mumbled, “But it’s stupid. And tiring.”
“It’s not,” Anya assured, “I just want you to know I’ll be there for you. Not just as your nurse, but as your partner.”
“…Okay.” Atlas sighed, once more shuffling, this time they sat up. Their eyes were puffy and slightly red. “Anya…” They paused before requesting, “Can you…Look under my bed? In the shoe box.”
An odd request, but Anya did it anyways. The box itself was unassuming, sitting by its lonesome under the bed. Anya grabbed it and opened it. Inside was an old plush, specifically a labrador puppy. Its fur had faded into a pale tan, its glass eyes were scuffed up, and its nose, what was left of it, had lost its vinyl a long time ago.
It was really cute, despite its qualities. She asked, “I didn’t know you had this.”
“Yeah,” Atlas admitted, their face flushed rose-pink, “I…It’s embarrassing, still having that thing around.”
Anya hummed, “We all have our comforts, Atlas. This is the same as Daisuke’s Game Boy. Or my books. I’m sure even Swansea and Captain have something for their own sanity.” She gestured the plush towards Atlas. They reached out for it and held it in their arms.
Still flushed, Atlas then muttered, “At least you guys don’t have stupid names for your stuff.”
“I beg to differ,” Anya giggled, “What is your dog’s name?”
“…Rosebud.”
Another giggle escaped Anya’s lips, “That’s not the worst name. It’s cute!”
“But I named her after a puppy in a dumb movie that’s probably really bad now!” Atlas’ pitch had risen. It wasn’t often they did it, arguments were minimal in the Tulpar, but when they were involved and their emotions were high, it rose involuntarily. It was one of the many things Anya found endearing under her usually stoic partner.
A weak chuckle left them. “I…Guess you haven’t seen it though.”
“Well,” Anya sat on the edge of their bed, “I wouldn’t mind hearing about it. Maybe I can see if it’s on our roster for movie night?”
“If PE has that movie, but doesn’t allow us to freely get sugar, I’m going to-!” They stopped themselves, “Give you a kiss.”
At this point, they carried a smile.
For the next several minutes, and a moment to regain their usual tone, Atlas ended up summarizing the movie. It was nice to see the change. Especially since Anya was used to seeing Atlas so…What’s the word, bright? They rivaled Daisuke in that department.
They stopped to eat. Thankfully, they also drank the water, since that hydrated their drying throat. That was probably one of the few benefits of any rant. Even for a movie about sporty golden retriever pups saving their parents.
Out of all the movies Pony Express could allow their crew to watch…It was available!
On one hand, Atlas was beyond shocked their prediction was true. On the other…Maybe it was some will that allowed the movie to be here, on the giant screen of the living quarters. Maybe because the suits over at Pony Express were being real funny and thought no crew would watch it.
But they did. Movie nights weren’t all that popular on the Tulpar. With what little selection the crew had, Daisuke would usually peace out after 20 or so minutes. Swansea too, or he’d just sleep through the movie. Anya had her tastes, but the selection didn't respect that.
Captain…Well…Atlas wasn’t sure if he actually enjoyed every single movie, or he was just that entertained. Or was trying to be nice.
Atlas didn’t know how, but they were watching the dog movie, something they haven’t even witnessed since they were a little kid. Anya sat next to them, being the closest to them on their right. Rosebud was there too. Thank god no one (so far) has noticed. They owed Anya, big time. Which was why shortly after the lights shut off, they gave her girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek.
This was the first time Atlas had gone outside their sleeping quarter in a few days. It was…Cathartic. But they needed to heal. Even if the remedy was the movie, which definitely didn’t age well, effects-wise. With Anya too…It made things…To be honest, it made being on this floating hunk of metal a little easier on their soul.