Posted by Civilian Sair Songz (Counselor) in Songz’s Office - The Psychology of a Wandering Mind

Posted by Lieutenant Namid Argimeau (Chief Science Officer) in Songz’s Office - The Psychology of a Wandering Mind

Posted by Civilian Sair Songz (Counselor) in Songz’s Office - The Psychology of a Wandering Mind
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Namid pursed their lips in consideration of their past interactions. Did they have any evidence? They engaged in short-lived conversations with folks in turbolifts and corridors, but they often consisted of ritual ‘how are you’s and the painful-silence-crushing ‘did you hear what [x] discovered?’ Namid appreciated the delight of a new discovery and abhorred the awkwardness of a disinterested eyebrow raise, but neither were considerable enough to constitute evidence. They were trite and fleeting… like anyone else’s passing exchanges.

Namid tapped their thumbs in search of something to substantiate their anxiety. There was their unofficial lab partner, Esrasa, whose camaraderie they discovered through a mutual love of ancient soap operas and Deinococcus radiodurans. Sure, he was a tad loquacious at times, but he never once made them feel unwelcome or unappreciated. And that seemed better evidence for building connections than against them. That was becoming a recurring theme.

The only sliver of evidence Namid possessed, really, was their budding friendship with Kiama. She ignited a warmth and levity within them that they hadn’t felt since Rajya… and it terrified them. Namid wanted to take the leap and open themself to the possibilities of their friendship, but the notion of loss loomed over them, impossible to dismiss. Rajya was their best friend and her death ached like a wound six years fresh. She was a civilian, Kiama was a Starfleet officer. There were far too many avenues for Namid to lose her, some they were sure they hadn’t yet thought of. Namid knew that wasn’t fair. They knew, logically, that their experience with Rajya had no bearing on their experience with others. But somehow keeping their distance seemed easier than risking the one-in-a-million chance that something would happen to another person they loved. Even if accidents were in their nature… the fatal and self-blundering alike.

“None,” Namid resigned. “I’ve had mostly positive interactions aboard the Manhattan. My lab partner has a great sense of humour and passersby seem friendly enough. Frankly, the only ‘evidence’ I have is my relationship with Ki—Lt. Naim. I feel warm and free to be myself around her and that’s something I haven’t really experienced since I lost my partner, Rajya. I’m afraid to push her away… and lose her, too. But my reservations have nothing to do with Naim or Manhattan and everything to do with me. I’ve had a handful of rocky and fleeting relationships that ended in abrupt or unusual ways. That isn’t anyone’s fault here except, maybe, my own.” They halted to consider their words before they descended into a ramble. “When I think about it… most of my evidence favours building connections.”

— Namid Argimeau, Scientific Intel

For someone who had walked into her office with concerns, Agrimeau was exceptionally self-aware and that was a tremendous help when it came to counselling. Sair just had to gently nudge in directions, rather than press and dig. It made for a very different session. “Okay then. Since the evidence is leading us in that direction, if we are to remain open and curious about what the evidence is telling us, what actions can we take that would allow us to explore this evidence?”

~Sair Songz, CNS

“In the lab…” Namid tentatively began, “I would isolate a set of variables to propose and conduct an experiment to determine the reliability and replicability of the evidence through multiple runs.”

Namid stewed on the concept, pondering how to translate a controlled, lab-contained method to a dynamic environment. Was it possible? They knew this wasn’t an if [x], then [y] kind of experiment. It was social and plagued with confounding variables. How should they navigate them? Better yet, was it even necessary?

“But… people aren’t variables or numbers in an experiment,” Namid rubbed the back of their neck. “I doubt I’d be giving off a ‘hey, let’s be friends!’ vibe by approaching them like another variable in my study. Maybe it’d be better to take things slow? I have seen folks gather in lounges. And there are plenty of activities going on around the ship. I could get involved with one of those and see where it goes. ‘Put my self out there’, if you would?”

Sair beamed, unconcerned with showing how pleased she was with Namid’s own progress in one session. She truly believed that people generally knew what they needed or needed to do, but sometimes just needed it all reframed so they could see it. That reframing was her job and she liked to think that at the end of the day she was pretty good at that job.

Jumping into a new event with new people was a gamble at best, but Namid supposed it was the least intrusive way to make friends. Or at least meet folks… who weren’t under order to be in the same room as them.

“Do you know of anything going on?”

— Namid Argimeau, Scientific Intel

Songz laughed lightly. “Not a clue, to be honest. I’m pretty new myself. So… I propose an experiment of our own. Let’s start with the hypothesis that there are interesting things going on. We both need to be social and get to know our crewmates better. So, perhaps we should venture out together and see if we can find out from the crew themselves what sort of things people are doing off-duty?”

~Sair Songz, CNS

Namid propped their elbows against their knees, curiosity brightening their eyes. They hadn’t expected her confession to relieve them, but it helped to know they weren’t alone in this struggle. Joining forces on an experiment was just the icing on the cake. Even if their outing ended in shambles, they would better know one crewmate—each other.

“That’s....” they grinned, “…a really great idea. I think it could be fun. When are you free?”

— Namid Argimeau, Scientific Intel

Sair beamed, glad they were going to take up her offer. “How about this evening? We can see what sort of trouble we can get into,” she said, her eyes gleaming. It was more than just socializing for her as well. By going with a Starfleet officer, hopefully Sair could become more comfortable within the structure and not feel like (and be treated) as an outsider.

~Sair Songz, CNS

Namid was too absorbed in their thoughts to notice the vibrance creeping into their grin. Tonight seemed lightyears away and yet far too soon, but they found the discomfort compelling. “Sure,” Namid nodded. “We could meet in the lounge around 20:00?” They weren’t sure how comfortable Sair felt around ‘Fleeters, but they knew they would feel uneasy surrounded only by civilians. The lounge seemed unadventurous, but it presented a valuable middle ground where Namid hoped they could both find comfort. Besides… if they really wanted trouble, it was never more than a moment’s glance away. “I hear that’s when things start to get interesting.”

— Namid Argimeau, Scientific Intel