Star Trek: Theurgy

Counseling in Blue

February 23, 2019, 11:57:20 PM

[ Lieutenant Junior Grade Zark | Counselor's Office | USS Cayuga | 2080 ]   Attn: @Juzzie
[Show/Hide]

The Andorian made her way down the hall, a bit of a spring in her step. Antennae were leaning forward a bit, denoting her interest. She paused and looked up and down the hallway, antennae twitching a bit. She was sure it was on this deck. One problem with Starfleet vessels, especially newish ones is that more or less the decks looked the same unless you really knew them and Zark was new to this ship. She waited till noone was in the hallway and accessed a terminal.

“Counselor's office, location and speedy egress please.”  A bit of a twitch of the stems and she traced the line shown on the map. Ahh shoshi! She was close. Turning she headed down the hall, hung a left at the corner and made her way to the proper door. Pausing she smoothed down the uniform and hit the door chime.

“Lieutenant Zark. As requested”

She was new on the ship since the last replenishment, a junior lieutenant assigned to the security department.  They had headed out on their scientific mission and as per Starfleet regs, she would need an appointment with the ship’s counselor. Call it an induction interview, primary assessment, establishing a baseline, what have you. All she knew was that she had to report to Medical to submit her med history and then with in a week of deployment, have a meeting with the Counselor.

She hadn’t been on the ship long enough to know who the counselor was, what species she was or any of that. She just hoped it wasn’t a Tellarite. Their argumentative style of counseling did not appeal to the young lieutenant. Nothing against them. The Tellarites were fun to hang out with off duty and they could debate, and would debate anything and everything until the ice melts, but as a counselor, they grated a bit for Zark’s tastes.

When the officer with in accepted the chime and the door opened Zark would step in, glancing around, dark bluegreen eyes taking in the office in a sweep, antennae pivoting this way and that as she ‘saw’ and ‘smelled’ the room with her primary sensory organs.

Seeing the officer with two gold pips on his teal collar she snapped to attention, antennae going straight. Ohhhh a human! Hardly surprising considering the pink skin’s prolific numbers with in the fleet.  “Lieutenant XamotZark zh’Ptrell, reporting for Counseling meeting, sir!”

The young Andorian officer stood at attention. Her boots were polished to a mirror sheen, but the observant would notice they were Starfleet issue with thick tread on them for grip in varying terrain. The uniform was neat and tidy with perhaps a few blue hairs on the thighs of the pants. Standing 1.73M tall before her antennae, she was not short but didn’t tower. The antennae gave her some added centimeters, as they were long for her species and very expressive. The skin was a rich cobalt blue, a few shades darker than average Andorian, a result of her being born in the northern districts. Currently she was wearing a black cap with Starfleet Delta on the front, the long silvery white hair out the hole in the back. Two neat holes had been fashioned in the crown of the cap for her antennae to fit through. There was a single gold and single rimmed black pip at her collar, which was Security gold. Zark’s body was toned but with curves in all the right places, a touch more ample than some Andorian shen, her zhen nature expressed itself there, denoting her place among the species as a motherly aspect.

A smile rode on her face, an affectation she’d picked up from serving with humans, a bright and expressive and even inviting look as she waited for the full Lieutenant to give her ease.

Re: Counseling in Blue

Reply #1 – February 25, 2019, 12:18:41 AM

[ Lt. Rhys Williams | Counselor's Office | USS Cayuga | 2080 ]

Rhys was in a good mood. Most people who knew him realised this was an unusual state of affairs. He was a kind hearted, polite but very solemn person. He generally went through life with a perpetual frown, however a recent session involving a certain Romulan had led to a change. While still not a happy go lucky individual he was trying his best to be more accessible and sociable. It seemed to be paying dividends not just personally but professionally to.  

He had seen out his latest appointment a few moments before. A difficult case he had struggled to deal with in the past and now he felt he was on the right track with them. He had sat down with a mug of tea in his hand when the door chimed and he heard a voice on the other side requesting entry. Confused for a moment he looked at his notes on a PADD in front of him. He then saw he had another appointment one he had forgotten about. A new member of the crew coming in for a routine check. “Oh come in.” He said standing.

The door opened, and through it came a beautiful Andorian woman. As far as he was concerned she was stunning. He found himself drinking her in for perhaps slightly longer than was polite, which caused him to blush a little and regain his professional composure. She saluted very formally and said a name, that he knew he was going to have issues pronouncing. People thought Welsh was a tough language to understand. 

She looked like the kind of person Starfleet might use for recruitment posters. A woman of beauty and ridiculously shiny boots. He noted her rank, a Lieutenant Junior grade. He himself had only recently been promoted, in fact they looked a similar age to one another. He remembered being like her, but once he had gotten to where he was he had found he was not an ambitious person at heart and was content to be head of his own little corner of the Federation. Now he felt a little uncomfortable with people saluting him.

“Um at ease...Xamo… Xam...” He made several attempts to say her name correctly. His attempts were not helped by her smile, which sent lightning bolts straight to his heart and made his throat close up a bit. He coughed smiled apologetically. “Sorry. No need to stand to attention with me. Sit down.” He indicated a comfortable chair sat facing another one. He sat in the other one, his tea in one hand and notes in another.

“Now no need to be nervous, new crew members have to be assessed at certain points to see how they are fitting in.” She did not seem nervous, but he had said it just in case. Most members of the crew treated mandatory sessions as if, Rhys was going to dig up some deep dark secret from their pasts. He took a sip of his tea. “So how are things going? Are you enjoying it?” He spoke in a soft voice with a conversational tone.

Re: Counseling in Blue

Reply #2 – February 25, 2019, 12:56:38 AM

[ Lieutenant Junior Grade Zark | Counselor’s Office | USS Cayuga | 2080 ]
[Show/Hide]

The Andorian smiled as the young human tried gamely with her full name and her antennae twitched in mild amusement. The corners of her glossy blue lips quirking up in an even brighter smile. “Zark is fine, Sir. Andorian names are a bit of a beast for non-Andorians. So the official regs allow for shortening of our names in formal address. It’s perfectly viable to call me Lieutenant Zark. Or just ‘Zark’ if you’re going for the informal chummy address.”

When she was let to ease she widened her stance and looked to him, dark blue-green eyes assessing him as he seemed even more pink than he’d been a few moments ago. She was offered a seat and she moved over, sitting and reclining. Crossing her long legs one over the other she leaned back and relaxed. Lithe and svelte she had an innate grace about her that translated just as well to sitting as it had to standing.

She watched him and grinned at the indication not to be nervous and her Antennae twitched. “I’m not nervous. Not about this.”

When asked how things were going she shrugged her left shoulder and her left antennae sort of flicked as well. She tended to wear her emotions on her stems that was for sure.

“I’m doing well. Fitting in with the Security crew. Finding out the pecking order. Who’s strict with regs. Who’s a bit more relaxed. You know. Differing people have differing standards and all. Some are friendly. Some seem to think “Security” is synonymous with ‘Severity’. The differences can be enjoyable. If everyone was the same it’d be boring. Right?”

A breath was taken and she flicked a bit of blue hair from her uniform pants and looked up to Rhys. “The ship is smaller than my last. I was posted on an Akira. Big, like my Zhavey’s ship. Not huge like some, but bigger than the Cay. One thing that’s throwing me a bit is the…..” She flicked her antennae one way.. then the other. “Division… separation. I’m pretty far out from my family and bondmates. We’re going for deep exploration and that’s exhilarating and I look forward to it, but… as a Lieutenant JG now, I have my own quarters.”  A bit of a scrinch to her nose and her antennae leaned backwards. A show of discomfort. “We Andorians live communally on our home planet. Sleeping area’s for families are shared in a single room. 4.. 8.. 12 or 20 of us sleeping together when we ‘do’ sleep. Which is a great deal less than Humans and other Federation species.

Living alone is a bit distressing. Not in the… I’m going to cry, sort of distressing, but in the waking up suddenly and looking around and wondering why I’m alone in the room, sort of distressing. Thank goodness they let me bring Saucer along with me. With out her I’d be straight out of my blue bleedin’ Stalks!” She laughed and the sound was like silver bells in a cold evening breeze. "I _do_ very much like the window though. Got one straight down the bow. It's awesome."

“Other than that, I’m liking it very much. The ship is new and fast and agile. I can relate to that. The Captain is pretty shoshi. All in all I’m liking it here. A lil more blue wouldn’t hurt.” A wink coupled with an antennae flick Rhys’ way. “But then that could go for most any ship. Right?” Her smile was bright.  When she shook her head, the silvery white hair, gathered into a pony tail out the back of her cap shook over a shoulder and seemed to shimmer in the office lighting.

Then a blink and both antennae craned forward. “Ohhhh what are you drinking, sir? Is it…. Soda? I learned about soda pop at the academy. I fell in love with it. Or lust. Hard to say which. One of them though. Blue Cherry is my favorite.” She looked around for a replicator, if the counselor was having a beverage, maybe she’d be offered one as well. Her manner was open, friendly and approachable. While on some it might seem like a lot, it didn’t come across as if she were babbling or anything. Just answering the questions she’d been posed.

Re: Counseling in Blue

Reply #3 – February 25, 2019, 08:31:42 PM

[Lt. Rhys Williams|Counsellor's office | USS Cayuga| 2380] attn: @Cosmos

Being Zark’s presence was like being carried away by a flood. The flow of words over and through him left Rhys struggling for breath and trying to catch hold of the conversation. Worse was the sinking feeling that he was developing a strong attraction to her. How could he not? She was lively and vital. The way her antennae were so expressive he found painfully cute. He was not an Andorian not had he spent much time around them, so it was not a simple task to follow what they were trying to communicate, doubtless another Andorian would have understood perfectly. He did however, get the sense that they reflected her mood some what.

She seemed amused rather than offended by his clumsy attempt to get her name right, he was relieved however that he was not expected to be able to say. Zark was much simpler. He had been intending to got the relaxed informal route. ‘Chummy’ as she called it. Now he was second guessing himself. “Well… er… Zark. I was intending this to be an informal setting, I am here to help you after all.”  Her smile, her posture even the way she moved her legs was starting to make him feel very hot under the collar. The more she was present the more he felt it was obvious he was attracted to her and the more nervous he became. So much so that the nasty little voice at the back of his mind was amused by the irony.

Her words seemed to reach him in waves, buffeting him like a blushing awkward piece of driftwood. When she talked of fitting in with security and some of the minor annoyances, like security officers who though wearing gold gave them a licence to be dicks all he could do was nod dumbly and agree “Yes… er indeed.” That it would be a boring if everyone was the same.

He felt a bit like one of those model dogs people used to have in automobiles hundreds of years ago, just nodding like an idiot. However, he did take not of her discomfort at feeling isolated. That was interesting he did not know a huge amount about Andorian culture, but made a mental note. Surely lone Andorians had served on Starfleet ships before and surely other ships had come up with solutions to that feeling within them. He could check some records see if he could find anything that may help her. She mentioned Saucer, who he assumed was a pet of some description, it was certainly and unusual name.  Her laugher sent little shivers down his spine. He tried to remain calm and be as professional as possible, but he was finding it tough. Not that he would really know how to flirt with her if he wanted to.

He listened to her extol the virtues of the ship and referred to the Capitan by the unfamiliar descriptor ‘shoshi’. She then winked at him, and he suddenly felt like his tea was not a strong enough drink any more. He tried desperately not to end up as an embarrassed puddle of man on the floor. He realised she had asked him for a drink, and it took the poor young man an embarrassing length of time to process this and respond.

“Oh er yes… Blue Cherry? Of course.. yeah well… I’ll er just.” He coughed nervously and shuffled to the replicator. “Computer,  Blue cherry soda please….”

“Please specify temperature.”

“Um… well a suitable temperature for an Andorian?” He suggested weekly, never the less there was beeping and materialising in the replicator was a glass of blue fizzy liquid. He walked over and proffered the glass and realised he had not introduced himself. “I am Lieutenant Williams. You can call me Rhys… if you like if you don’t wan to you er… don’t have to.” He added awkwardly.

‘Smooth!’ said his inner darkness.

“Well I will see what I can do to help you with the living arrangements. I am sure other ships will have encountered this issue before. I would suggest moving you in with some crewmen, but in my experience that is not a good idea. If an officer shares with them NCOs and others tend to fell like they can’t….” he waved his hand vaguely as he tried to come up with the right wording. “Like they can’t switch off. However, I am sure we could think of something.”

He realised he had been stood awkwardly so he took the seat opposite her. He took a big gulp of his tea and tried to make sure that his hand was not shaking.

Re: Counseling in Blue

Reply #4 – February 26, 2019, 08:11:23 PM

[ Lieutenant Junior Grade Zark | Counselor William’s Office | Counselor’s Suite | Deck 07 | USS Cayuga ]   Attn: @Juzzie
[Show/Hide]

Zark perked up when he used her name. Silvery white brows raising and Antennae perking. When the Ships Counselor indicated that he did indeed intend on it being informal, and that he wished to help, she gave a nod and gentle bob of the stems. That was good. Formality in a counseling session could be done. There were Vulcan counselors after all, as oxymoronic as that may seem, but Zark preferred informality when it was possible.

The Security officer observed the counselor. Observation was a talent that was paramount in the Security division. Observation, collection of fact, correlation of said facts to form conclusions. All high in demand. Observation could be trained, or a natural skill. Usually best when a natural predilection was enhanced with formal training. This was the case with young Lieutenant Zark. She had been observant as a child. Then spending her teens on a Starfleet Frigate with officers and such had started the purposeful honing of the talent into an applied skill. Time at the academy had honed it to a razors edge and she kept it sharp like a scalpel even now.

Andorians had keen senses. This aided in observation for sure. Their antennae were additional sensory organs with an amazing range. They could detect minute variations in atmospheric pressure and temperature, gave the Andorians added range of hearing, working as secondary aural sensory organs, but most specifically it gave Andorians enormously enhanced senses of smell. It was in that capacity that Zark was currently using them. The two long slender Antennae leaned forward towards the counselor with interest and ‘smelled’ him. Not that they made sniffing noises or anything, but they took in sensory information all the same.

Zark had spent her teen/high school years on a Federation Frigate. New Orleans class. With about 499+ other people, many of them human. After that she’d been at the academy for 4 years. Then post grad work at Starfleet Medical for another 18 months, then a 3 year rotation on an Akira. Again with over 500 souls. She’d had a goodly amount of interaction with the pinkskins.

This pinkskin was getting a bit, excited. She could scent the attraction coming off him as if it were a flower being waved under her nose or stems. A bit of a gentle smile and the antennae softly leaned back to neutral. Her eyes demurring a bit as he rose to get her the drink.

When the temp was requested to suit an Andorian she grinned and replied “Ice cold”.

Then he returned and gave it to her and she nodded. Antennae bobbing gently with the movement. “Thank you Rhys. You’re so very kind.” She reached out and her fingers brushed his forearm. The nails painted a dark bluegreen that accented her cobalt skin tone.  A sip was taken of the dark blue beverage and her antennae gave the faintest little shiver. Mmmm that was good. Her tongue came out to softly wet her lips and she raised her silvery white brows looking to the officer as he retook his seat and spoke.

A tilt of her head and arced brow with corresponding antennae twitch. “Yeah the Fleet doesn’t particularly smile on fraternization in the ranks. So mixing with crewmen would be a no no. Most officers are more than ready for their own rooms by the time they hit my rank, so they’re not looking to bunk up. And then there’s Saucer to consider. She nips!” That silver bell laugh returned and she sipped her drink.

“Just something I’ll have to get used to I suppose. It’s just mildly disconcerting. When you’re used to other breathing as you sleep.”

A pause and she played with the titanium straw that had come with the blue cherry soda. Playing it across her bottom lip then brightened. “In grad school I shared quarters with a rather charming Ursinoid. Very large female with thick fur. Due to the fur we could keep the room temp down closer to what I like. Which is quite chilly by Starship standards, but that’s neither here nor there. She slept with a fan on. Blowing over her fur. Liked the sensation. But she also said that she used it as much for the noise as the tactile sensation. 'White noise' I think she called it.”

The dark blue green eyes looked to Rhys and the antennae craned forward a bit. “Think the replicator has a fan on file with a speaker? I could program it to sound like wind over the mountains or ice… like where I grew up.” A bit of a laugh. “Programming it to sound like breathing would just be creepy!”

Re: Counseling in Blue

Reply #5 – February 26, 2019, 11:05:40 PM

[Lt. Rhys Williams|Counsellor's office | USS Cayuga| 2380] attn: @Cosmos

Rhys could feel his composure crumbling utterly. Her fingers had brushed along his forearm as he handed her a drink. He blushed furiously as he took his seat only to see her slide over her lips. Rhys prided himself on his self control but Zark had done a couple of very innocent things and he had responded in a very teenage way. Blood was flowing in two directions.

Rhys awkwardly crossed his legs and prayed to a God he did not believe in that she had  not noticed anything. Had Rhys known more about Andorians and their incredible senses and how much she could sense about him right now he likely would have felt eve more nervous. Certainly he had no idea his attraction and at this point straight up arousal was being broadcast to her. He might as well have had a giant neon sign over his head exclaiming ‘I want you soooo bad!!’ Had he known any of this he would have been utterly mortified and distressed. As it was he thought she might just think he was awkward, which was something he could live with.

Following what she was saying was tricky in his current state. It was to his credit in the face of a combination of near blind panic, and events to below the waist that he was able to engage her in a semblance of conversation at all. She agreed with him, that mixing in with other ranks would not be a good idea for all involved. Her laugh and winning smile only served to make things worse. “Uh.. Yes… indeed.” He said when there was a pause in her talking. His voice seemed hoarse like he had just suffered  a coughing fit and his mouth had gone dry. He licked his lips nervously.

He watched the straw move across her lips completely mesmerised before she spoke again and he snapped out of it. She mentioned sharing a room with an Ursinoid. He racked his brains and tried to think of a Ursinoid crew member but he was fairly sure they had none.

When she fixed him with her gaze looking direct into his eyes he felt his brain go into standby mode. All he could do was look back into her eyes, an embarrassingly long time passed before he noted the silence. “Oh er… yes Indeed I am sure the replicator would have something like that on file.”

He had to try to regain control of this conversation that was spiraling out of his control. “I er.. well like I said I er… will um…. You know… thing.” He said as the words retreaded from his mind treacherously. He thought for a moment trying to recapture them. “I will see what other loan Andorians have done in the past.” He tried to control his breathing taking deep slow breaths. “We could try working something out with the holodeck, it would not be the same obviously but it may help.”

He ran his fingers through his hair, a nervous tick and crossed his legs even tighter his problem seemed to be persistent. “If you need...  um…...” He coughed awkwardly “company...” he said company quietly almost under his breath. “I can help… no I mean I’d be happy to help you feel less isolated.”  He had meant he would find people to be her company but in his head it was starting to sound more and more like he was giving her the most clumsy flirting one sentient had ever given another.

Re: Counseling in Blue

Reply #6 – February 26, 2019, 11:32:24 PM

[ Lieutenant Junior Grade Zark | Counselor William’s Office | Counselor’s Suite | Deck 07 | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Juzzie
[Show/Hide]

Zark’s antennae twitched and leaned forward a bit and she sat up in the chair, uncrossing her long legs and placing both booted feet on the floor. Leaning forward more she took a long sip through the titanium straw as she watched Rhys. Clearing her throat she flicked an antennae at him. “Rhys… you seem to be, becoming an alarming shade of scarlet.”  A pause and a look of concern crossed her face. “Are you ok? Your scent is becoming a little… gamey” Her antennae flick a bit and she sipped her drink watching him like you might watch someone performing an especially strange trick. Like that think Denobulans can do with their face/neck.

She pointed with a slender finger. “Your voice has gone all funny.” Then he was licking his lips and…. She sat back in the chair and titled her head, sipping the dark blue fluid that looked like she was quaffing windex or something. If he tried to bite her, it would end badly for him. Then he confirmed the replicator likely had a fan with white noise settings and she smiled just a little bit. Her medical training starting to flick through human conditions to which the Welshman might be suffering. “Well, that’s good….”

Then a bit less articulate and Zark looked around the office and back to him, both white brows arching and her antennae curving forward again. “Well what ever aid you could offer would be appreciated. Not sure about the holodeck though. I’m sure night shift people and all will want it for personal use. Not me sleeping. Interesting concept though.”

Then the last offer was made and Zark’s dark bluegreen eyes widened and her antennae went stiff and quivered a bit.

“Why Counselor!” She effected a gasp and a slender hand came up as if to cover her heart.“The offer is appreciated but I’m not sure that.. is a prescribed solution to the problem!!”   She even kept the shocked look for one… two… three full seconds before breaking into a grin. Which became a soft laugh and then a fuller one. The hand slid down over her ample breasts and to her stomach as she leaned forward, doubling over with gentle laughter. Her Antennae quivering with mirth. Not ill spirited, but friendly humor as she looked up to the human.

Re: Counseling in Blue

Reply #7 – February 28, 2019, 07:37:59 PM

[ Lt. Rhys Williams | Counselor’s Office| Counselor's Suite | Deck 07 | USS Cayuga ] attn: @Cosmos

Suddenly, Rhys was the centre of the conversation’s attention. Zark was pointing out his blushing and the changes in his voice. Had she been human she would probably have picked up on things much more quickly as it was, she seemed to think he was unwell. 

He wondered if he should play that up, pretend he was unwell to her. It might stop the embarrassing talk, and ensure he was no longer front of centre of the conversation. However, part of him balked at that. It was his first time meeting her and he did not want to lie to her in even the smallest degree. She was going to be on a crew with humans she would come to know how a human behaved when attracted to someone and she would know at this moment he had been lying. 

She did shoot down his holodeck idea, it was probably sensible not many people would be happy with it being out of use because she was sleeping in it. It was perhaps not the most practical of suggestions.

His last suggestion however caused a stir. Her shock was obvious and the cold dread and panic began to spread through him. He had imagined her complaining to the Captain having him kicked out of Starfleet. “No… I mean what I meant was…. I don’t want to do that with you….” he realised this sounded much worse. “I mean I do! No.. er you are.. very beautiful… I er was just trying..” Soon he heard her laughter it was a beautiful sound that he could imagine himself getting lost in… “Oh you knew what I meant…. You were teasing me.” Despite his natural feeling that he should be hurt he wasn’t and he laughed softly with her.

His eyes however did follow the movement of her hand over her chest as if he was mesmerised but it. There was little to do to hide the face now, that like some adolescent every little thing she was doing was turning him on. That was embarrassing. His legs crossed even tighter one over the other but this seemed to do little to stop what he was trying to hide. It was there like trying desperately to make itself know to her.

“I am really sorry...I am not doing a very good job am I?” The embarrassment was only increasing. “So er….” he tried changing the subject, “anything else you need from me?” that did not sound good, even he almost visibly winced after finishing his question.

Re: Counseling in Blue

Reply #8 – March 01, 2019, 08:26:06 PM

[ Lieutenant Junior Grade Zark | Counselor William’s Office | Counselor’s Suite | Deck 07 | USS Cayuga ]
[Show/Hide]

She grinned at Rhyas and raised her brows, antennae twitching. He started to speak.
"No... I mean what I meant was.... I don't want to do that with you...."

Her dark bluegreen eyes widened and she gasped and shook her head. “Oh, no??”

"I mean I do! No.. er you are.. very beautiful... I er was just trying.."

Then she nodded, her eyes still alight with mirth.“Oh wait, yes you do! You were trying to??”

"Oh you knew what I meant.... You were teasing me."

Her laughter came again and one hand with long slender fingers came up to cover her grin as she did so. The eyes shone in the office lighting and her antennae twitched along with the silvery laughter. When she laughed her entire body got into it. This Andorian was perhaps not ‘as’ reserved as the species norm. Her shoulders moved, antennae, breasts, everything as she had a good little laugh. Then she leaned back in the chair and took another sip of the blue cherry beverage, grinning around the straw.

“I was. Please forgive me Rhys. I do not do so to be mean.”

As he crossed his legs her dark blue green eyes lowered to his lap then raised back to his face. The antennae craning forward a bit then relaxing back. Hurm indeed. When he asked if he was doing a bad job she waved it off casually.“You’re doing fine. Trying to help me with my strange cultural norm. Don’t worry about it.”

When he asked if she needed anything else from him the light came back to her eyes. “Ohhh… can you write me a Counselor’s note, saying that due to my .. condition… I'm not allowed early morning duty shifts? That would be shoshi!”

Re: Counseling in Blue

Reply #9 – March 10, 2019, 10:27:51 PM

[Lt. Rhys Williams|Counselor's office | USS Cayuga| 2380] attn: @Cosmos

Rhys’ face was burning red and he felt his heart beating fast with the embarrassment. However, while the embarrassment was strong, he did not feel as bad as he normally did in this situation, her amusement was infectious. He found himself smiling through the uncomfortable feelings.

As she laughed at his embarrassment, he watched her the way she moved, her joyous expression and eyes he wished to be like her. He wished he was as mentally free of baggage as she seemed to be. He also wished ardently for her to like him, had he been in his right mind he might have been a little repelled at his own desire to be liked by her.

“Well  I am glad to hear I am not doing too badly.” He smiled her laughter having calmed him just a little. She then asked if he could swing it with the Captain for her to get out of early morning duty.  He laughed himself now, his face lit up when he laughed and for the first time in a while the joy was present in his eyes and not just the rest of his face. “I could, not sure I would have much of a career afterwards though.” He shrugged and looked as apologetic as he could, which was ruined a bit by his cheerful smile. “I am afraid, its early mornings for you.”

He looked down at her file again. It seemed he had another well adjusted person with nothing wrong to process. His eyes did note something in the file he had missed before. “There is one thing I would like to talk about.” He sipped his tea. “Laughter in stressful situations. Especially combat.” He looked at her more seriously now. “Is this something you want to talk to me about?” It might not be a cause for concern different people reacted differently to stress, but sometimes it could be caused by something a little more significant, certainly nothing to raise questions about her fitness. It was more an issue of making her more comfortable. The question was of course if she wished to share it with him. If not there was nothing he could do.

Re: Counseling in Blue

Reply #10 – March 11, 2019, 08:10:16 PM

[ Lieutenant Junior Grade Zark | Counselor William’s Office | Counselor’s Suite | Deck 07 | USS Cayuga ]   Attn: @Juzzie
[Show/Hide]

Zark smiled and sipped her blue cherry drink. Humans blushed so ‘hotly’. Their pink skins going red, where Andorian blushes were cooler, blue skin coloring a bit purple. Both were some what darkening of base color schemes but while Andorian seemed to become cooler the humans seemed to heat up. Just one of those things. She’d once gotten punched at the Academy for asking a darker hued human what color they turned when embarrassed. The cadet had been rather hotheaded and some what xenophobic and had taken it as an attack or slur instead of the honest curiosity that it was. Punched Zark right in the head. That’d lead to a row, as Andorians were not known extensively for their overly forgiving nature of physical assault. It’d be nice to say that they’d become life long friends after that but truth was they had not. The other cadet stayed mad about it for 4 years and as far as Zark knew. Still was. Not that Zark cared. Someone punches you in the face for asking a question, innocent enough, could just freeze.

She nodded with a grin, that she -was- doing pretty good so far. But then Rhys’ failed her on the dodging the morning shift and she sighed dramatically, her Antennae drooping dramatically.“Oh Williams… I had such hope for you! Already letting a Zhen down.” A sad shake of her head, with corresponding droopy antennae. “Such a shame” A sigh but she reclined and flicked some blue fur from her black slacks. “It’s all good though. Honestly we only require three hours of sleep.. maybe four per 32 hour cycle. I volunteer for the night-shift. Got that from my zhavey. She’s the night side officer of the watch, and XO of the Renegade. It also can let the med staff get a bit more sleep. As a licensed Physician’s Assistant, I can handle little things that come up overnight. If it’s out of my ballpark I can page one of the senior officers to come help.” She motioned around them. “The Cayuga doesn’t have a huge crew, so I help out where ever I can.”

Then he brought up the laughter thing and her antennae stiffened for a second before returning to ‘neutral’. She sipped her drink and arched a silvery white brow. This wouldn’t be the first time it was brought up. “I’m not sure what there is to talk about.” A roll of her shoulders and flick of one antennae. “It’s just… a thing. Some people grimace. Some frown. Some scowl. Knew one girl in primary school that cried when stressed or angry. Not scared mind you. But her reaction was to cry. It irked her fierce. It was out of her control.

Me?

I laugh.”  Another shrug with corresponding antennae movement. “It’s not that I find it particularly funny or amusing, though I sometimes do. It’s just a reaction. Intense emotion and all lead to laughter for me. Giggles or full out laughter. I’ve adopted a bit of a singular sense of humor to go along with it. But it’s nothing I can really control.”  Sipping her drink again she smiled. “I don’t think it’s anything for you to worry about counselor. I wasn’t abused as a child. My zhavey was in Starfleet. My shreya was Imperial Guard. I didn’t see much of them as a little zhei, but then I went to live with my Zhavey when I hit my teens, on the Renegade. My charan designed toys and action figures, and my thavan rote horror holo novels. They were loving parents. No one touched my stems when I was small or even breasts or vagina. I was brought up with siblings and my bondgroup and had a pretty happy life. The laughter… just one of those weird things I suppose.”

A beat.

“Is it a problem? Has an officer complained? At Academy some of my combat instructors hated it, but it didn’t affect my actual scores.”

Re: Counseling in Blue

Reply #11 – April 05, 2019, 09:20:17 PM

[Rhys Williams| Counsellor’s office| USS Cayuga| 2380] attn: @Cosmos


Rhys tried hard not to smile, for some reason her reaction to his inability to change her shift amused him. Maybe it was the dramatic drooping of her antennae. Whatever it was it tickled him inside and he had to resist chuckling. It was not a good thing if your counsellor started laughing at you. However, he just found her so cute it was hard to resit. “I am sorry Lieutenant.” He smiled feeling a bit more relaxed by this situation now.

The fact that she needed little sleep was interesting to him. He had never really known many Andorians, he wondered why they needed so little sleep. Of course sleep evolutionarily was a curious thing anyway, why any species would end the day comatose and on the ground was frankly bizarre. Less sleep ought to be the norm not the exception, as it seemed to be.

He was happy to listen to her talk, indeed that seemed to be what ninety percent of counseling was. Listening to other people talk. Zark herself seemed to love to talk and was relaxed about sharing all sorts of information about herself. Reserved was not  a word that could ever have been used to describe her.

He noted a marked change in her attitude about the laughter issues. She seemed to stiffen and become defensive. She also wanted to emphasise that he had nothing to worry about. Her behaviour also seemed to indicate that she was worried that he would make some assumptions about her past, and that there were worries from other officers.

Rhys was quick to reassure her. “No… no officer, or anyone else has complained.” He frowned, “Frankly if they did I don’t care. My primary concern is you and how you feel not if other people feel uncomfortable.” He tapped the PADD in front of him. “No it was just that it was in your files and other counselor reports suggested to me that you might be worried about it.”  He smiled reassuringly, “Nervous laughter is very common, you are not the first person I have met who laughs when stressed.” He cocked his head curiously. “Is this something you want help with.” He left the door open for her to walk through if she wished.

Re: Counseling in Blue

Reply #12 – April 16, 2019, 07:31:37 PM

[ Lieutenant Junior Grade Zark | Counselor William’s Office | Counselor’s Suite | Deck 07 | USS Cayuga ]   Attn: @Juzzie
[Show/Hide]

Zark smiled at his apology at not being able to help her with early shifts. Her antennae flicking gently. “Well noone’s perfect I guess Counselor. But you were off to a good start right up till then.” A bit of a grin played over her lips.

Then they were on to the laughing thing and her dark bluegreen eyes focused on him. Antennae craning a bit towards him as the center of attention for the conversation. She nodded and listened then flicked her left antennae. “I feel fine with it. It was always others that had the problems. A few instructors over the years have had issue. Namely it freaked them out a bit. On Andoria, we take combat training very seriously and some thought I was making light of it. I wasn’t. So they calmed down once they realized that.” Her long fingered hands smoothed down her slacks and picked a few blue hairs off.   “Then at Academy and in Security training there a few more… shall we say… serious.. and focused.. and less emotional, types didn’t like it much at all.”A shake of her head. “Ended up getting me in trouble there and extra Physical Training as ‘punishment’.  That didn’t make many people happy. But training is a reflection of actual combat. Not … actual combat. When the chips are down I do what I do and get things done. I’ve never had a complaint when it comes to that.”

She looked to him curiously. “Do you think I need help, Lieutenant Williams?” 

Re: Counseling in Blue

Reply #13 – April 17, 2019, 09:03:24 PM

[Rhys Williams| Counselor's office| USS Cayuga| 2380] attn:  @Cosmos

Rhys was stunned by just how infectious her personality was, even when discussing something as deep and heavy as they were she still had that infectious grin. He listened carefully to her experiences and felt a sense of how awkward those situations had been for her. He raised his eyebrows when she indicated she had been punished for her nervous laughter, but said nothing in reply.

She then asked him if he felt she needed help. He took a moment to consider his response before replying to her. “Its not up to me.” He looked at her record again on his PADD, “As far as I can tell you have been an exceptional officer. Its not impacted your ability to do your job.”

He smiled warmly at her “I am here for you. If you want me to recommend some things that could help you, I will do that for you.” He took another sip of his drink “But if as you say it does not bother you much, then we can leave it.”

He placed his drink down again. He was pretty sure he had asked all the questions he needed to. However, he was deeply reluctant to cut the conversation short in anyway.

- FIN