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CNS office Meeting the counselor

Posted Oct. 17, 2021, 6:39 p.m. by Fleet Captain Kelly Bordeaux (Commanding Officer) (Kate O'Neill)

Posted by Lieutenant Cara Esmé O’Farrell (Counselor / Education Specialist) in CNS office Meeting the counselor

Posted by Fleet Captain Kelly Bordeaux (Commanding Officer) in CNS office Meeting the counselor

Posted by Lieutenant Cara Esmé O’Farrell (Counselor / Education Specialist) in CNS office Meeting the counselor
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
“That is honestly about it. A happy crew is a productive one,” she said with a grin. “I try to not micromanage. As long as everyone does their job I have never seen a reason to be involved in every aspect of someone else’s field. I mean if I have to step in I will but I tend not to. People are people,” she shrugged. “You can’t toss a thousand people into a floating soda can for five years and not expect things to go arse up every once in a while.” Picking up her PaDD that had beeped, she gave a small smile before laying it back down.

Cara nodded. She could handle that. It was her primary assignment. Some COs wanted the counselor on hand for contacts with others, away missions, assisting and taking shifts on the bridge or medical, assisting security. Cara was simply interested in any other duties Cpt Bordeaux wanted her to take on.

“Sorry. I just got the IFEA shipment in for the playground equipment. Drayke will be grumpy for the next few weeks so ignore it if you see a brooding Irish engineer walking the halls talking to himself,” Kelly laughed.

Kelly Bordeaux

Cara nodded, “I will keep that in mind.” She lifted her citrus soda to her lips taking a long drink. “Play ground? That’s a wonderful idea. Are the children excited or is it ta be a surprise for them?”

O’Farrell

“Oh they know,” Kelly laughed. “We may find things to do on the ship but kids can be far more creative and not always in the right ways. I needed a place for them to burn off energy without taxing the nerves of my officers. Got any kiddos in your life? Chris and Ian are best friends. Have been since the academy. I don’t know how they do it. I got my hands full with Lilith,” she shook her head with a smile.

Kelly Bordeaux

Cara shook her head, “Just a younger sister, and her mouth.” Cara tipped her head slightly to the left. “Who is Lilith?”

O’Farrell, CNS

“My husband’s baby,” Kelly took a long sip of her drink. “She is a beagle puppy and also has one hella mouth. We picked her up when we were home for Lexi and Chris’ wedding a few years back. She is a good girl. Ruth loves her. Sometimes they have a slumber party,” she air quoted the last word. “It makes Chris nuts with the two Andorian rabbits they have. I told him it was practice for having more than one kid.” Kelly didn’t mind sharing parts of her personal life. If Cara came over, which at some point she probably would being senior staff, it was easier to explain why her quarters were a menagerie.

Cara liked animals. She had a Connemara Pony at home, on Earth. Of course a pony was far too large for a space ship, but she couldn’t imagine having an animal on board. But she supposed if a human could adapt, an animal could. They were often more adaptable than humans. Hmmm…maybe she should get a dog…stop her from getting lost.

“So what do you want to really do on the Atlantis,” Kelly asked. “If you had carte blanche to write your own job description what would it be? I like my people happy and happy people do what they love or are challenged. The whole crew tends to be overachievers in one way or another.”

Kelly Bordeaux

Oh well no pressure then. Just had to prove she was an overachiever then. Cara gave a mental shrug, she’d never been one to compare herself to others, well not since she was a little kid. Comparing yourself to others only led to anxiety, mistakes, and miserableness. “Mental health is more than people walking into my office and pouring their woes and frustrations out. More than that it is also about celebrating, peacefulness, simple enjoyment or heartache at what is going on around us. And in an environment we live in on ship, it’s about doing those things with each other. So ideally I would spend equal amounts of time in my office one-on-one and in larger gatherings. I guess you would call it morale events. That and time to expand my own expertise, but I already have that.”

O’Farrell, CNS

“Excellent you can be in charge of the officer’s annual Halloween and Christmas parties,” Kelly stated confidently. “We need a morale booster from the last two officers parties. I usually have HR plan it but those guys have little creative energy. You are a counselor. You know what people need. What do you think?”

Kelly Bordeaux

“I am happy ta do that, Captain. Halloween isna too far away, but I can come up with somethin’ for the crew.” Cara was already considering the different things that could be done. Halloween had been turned into a festive occasion but it wasn’t always about that, and many cultures did not celebrate Terran Halloween, but they all had rites to remember the dead. So many options, she would have to see how many she could put into motion in just a weeks time.

O’Farrell, CNS

“Excellent. Halloween is my favorite holiday. Ian’s is Christmas. I am sure it will be perfect.” Kelly took a drink of her empty coffee and then looked down into the mug with frown. Waving her hand over the sensor in the PaDD Jacen had given her, the mug filled as lights swirled filing it again “God this thing is handy,” she laughed.

Kelly Bordeaux

And more of that ‘no pressure’ nuancse. Her and her husband’s favorite holidays. Cara was happy to make a big deal out of those to keep the Cpt and her husband happy.

There was a lot of research to do however on the crew. Even if small celebrations Cara wanted to make sure to have events for every important holiday for the cultures represented amongst the crew. She was sure she could get Yvonne to pull the information.

“It seems so. Who ever made that for you could make a fortune with that little device.”

O’Farrell, CNS

“It was the brainchild of my husband but the sweat and labor of Jacen Drayke. No surprise it is why he is now the chief of experimental engineering,” Kelly let out a laugh. “Long story short, Ian was actually my yeoman for a bit. He and I met when I was assigned the Atlantis. According to him, he saw me and was taken away with my beauty.” Kelly rolled her eyes showing she was being slightly sarcastic in her retelling of the event. “I think it was more that he was just looking to get out from under Perkin’s nose. Anyway,” she waved a hand dismissively as if brushing away the memory, “he joined the ship as my yeoman for a few weeks since the diplomatic position wasn’t open at the time. He got tired of getting me coffee. Jacen got tired of sending his teams to program every replicator so I was never without a cup. Therefore…voila,” she pointed at the device. “The two got together and came up with this handy dandy little thing. Ian’s mom is a lawyer so they are working on the patent but yeah…best anniversary gift ever.”

“So what is your biggest vice,” Kelly leaned back propping up her booted heels on a corner of the desk as she sipped the coffee.

Captain Kelly Bordeaux

Without missing a beat Cara looked the captain dead in the eye and said, “Glitter.”

O’Farrell, CNS

Kelly nodded with a smirk. There were two types of people in this world. Those that liked glitter and those that despised it. Cara appeared to be of the latter. Yes glitter got into everything and you could not ever get rid of the sparkling shards once the proverbial genie left the bottle or vial in this case, but it was not the end of the world. “Why,” Kelly asked interested to see why.

Kelly Bordeaux

“Because it is a gift of da Tuatha Dé Danann. And just like fairy dust it comes in more shades than da rainbow, sparkles, makes everythin’ better, and is magical. I canna let anyone in my quarters because they will come out covered in it, whether they want ta or no.” Cara spread her hands as if to say ‘what can ya do?’ A vice was a wicked behavior and they way Cara let glitter go any and everywhere and reveled in it was definitely wicked.

O’Farrell, CNS

Kelly looked at her clearly confused. She was used to people being spiritual and religious but the way the newest counselor referenced that and fairy dust, Kelly wondered where she fell out. “Soooo,” she drew out her words trying to buy time until she could phrase what she wanted to say, “Coffee is mine.” Delving into why people came out covered in glitter at Cara’s hands was a rabbit hole Kelly wasn’t sure if she wanted to know about. “LIttle girls had tea parties. I had coffee parties,” she laughed. “You should have seen the last CMO’s face when they ran the replicators and found out it was about ten cups a day.

“So any questions for me,” Kelly decided it was better to give Cara the floor right now.

Kelly Bordeaux


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