Posted by Lieutenant Commander Ever Zeanar (Chief of Psychiatry) in SB 157 The Last Post Lounge Meeting Dr. Grayson

Posted by Ensign Dr. Mariah Lee Grayson (Psychiatrist) in SB 157 The Last Post Lounge Meeting Dr. Grayson

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Ever Zeanar (Chief of Psychiatry) in SB 157 The Last Post Lounge Meeting Dr. Grayson
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
SNIP
“Your age? I think we are about the same in years, but you look like you are in your mid twenties. What’s the secret?” Ever asked as she sat her cup down and added more sweetener. Stirring the dark liquid slowly, counter-clock wise, she tapped off the excess coffee before laying the spoon on the saucer. 

Sheezah appeared once again silently out of nowhere and everywhere at once. Ever wondered if the mysterious waiter (waitress) had a personal transporter or was some vaporous form. She looked up at the silver tray held by Sheezah’s two webbed dark hands and smiled deeply. To her delight the tray was layered with stacks of cookies, finger sized cakes and decorated with chocolate heart shaped pieces. Tarvokian powder cake, icoberry tartes and chocolate fudge were the only ones Ever immediately recognised. The others were arrays of colours, textures and shape of which no doubt held in equal measures a variety of flavours. Towards the front of the tray facing Grayson were two fortune cookies. 

“Well this is a treat. Might have to do some extra laps at the pool later. Thank you Sheezah.” Ever said as she selected a small piece of cake that appeared to be layered with orange and red berries and cream. Sheezah bowed deeply and left again in the blink of an eye. Turning her head slightly to the left, Ever did not even see a trace where the waiter had just been. “I think someone likes you.  This is at least my fifth time in here. Never seen anyone get cakes.” 

Zeanar, CoP

Hearing the compliment about her youthful appearance, Mariah practically blushed. She didn’t exactly consider herself to be particularly baby faced nor did she see herself as particularly ancient. In truth, she didn’t spend much time or energy considering her appearance at all, often focused on her work and her relationships with others outside of herself. “You are right. We are very similar in age with similar experience. I suppose I just feel more ‘ seasoned ‘ at times, especially when I meet people fresh out of the Academy,” she added with a chuckle.

“Seasoned. I like that word. Sounds so much better than mature, or the more dreaded old,” Ever said with a light laugh. She had caught the blush and slight embarrassment from Mariah, but said nothing. Her modesty was endearing and the total opposite of Ever’s vanity and self consciousness. How she admired the woman’s ability to live so easily within her own skin and not constantly finding fault in reflection passed and always observed with criticism. 

By now, Grayson had become somewhat accustomed to the sudden appearance of their unusual server. When the psychiatrist spotted the enticing offerings, she was almost overwhelmed by all of the choices. Naturally, she found herself drawn to the chocolate items on the tray and she served her self a piece of fudge and a piece of cake with delectable dark chocolate frosting. She smiled her thanks for for turning back to her companion. “Well,” she said half seriously, “I was going to tell you my youthful appearance could be attributed to healthy eating and exercise, but then the goodies appeared, and as you might guess, my face and my eyes tell a completely different story.” When they were once again alone, she added conspiratorially, “I think our server is just that good at recognizing my weaknesses, at least.”

“Sheezah is a unique individual. Always seems to be able to read my mind, yet a cannot read any emotions or thoughts from him. Or her. I suspect some sort of telepathic ability beyond my understanding,” Ever said as she cut into the cake and berries. As she raised the fork to her lips, she paused for a moment, “I know what you mean though. Extra laps at the pool for me later. So glad the station has an amazing spa and gym facilities. As for weakness, there are worse and more harmful. “

Before diving into her newly found treats, Grayson asked, “I was excited to meet you today. I wanted to get to know you better and also to find out how you might want to divide the workload? Are there any particular areas you believe I can be particularly helpful?”

~Dr. Mariah Grayson, Psychiatrist

Ever smiled warmly at Mariah. It was hard for either of them to switch off the counsellor part of their brain as she wondered who was interviewing who. Might as well tell the sun not to shine. “I am excited to meet you and get to know you as well. I think we are going to make an amazing team. There is a few things I am hoping you can help me with as I am in the middle of important research for the Starfleet Intelligence Department, I could really use your help with the case loads. As you know by now, we are going to be picking up a lot of new crew members who will need evaluations. So if you could grab the next few of those that would be great. Also, I bumped into a crewman....Ensign Iyun. A young Bajorian science officer. She is having a great deal of difficulty with anxiety and low self esteem. Start her as soon as possible on weekly sessions. And pass me notes once a month please for review. Poor woman is really struggling. Hopefully you can get her some much needed help.”

The fork finally found its way with the cake to Ever’s lips. As the sweetness of the cream and sharpness of the berries tantalised her palate. her eyes lingered over the two fortune cookies. Once, on a date at the Bukit Batok Town Park after a particularly long week at the Academy, Ever had eaten a similar cookie. Though it had tasted more of dough and flour and less sweet than a traditional cookie, it was the small slips of sugared paper like material inside that had fascinated her. Or rather the words written on it in form of a “fortune telling”.  Laying the fork down as she finished the bit of cake, she picked up the cookie closest to her. Placing it between both thumbs and index fingers, she bent and snapped the small brown parcel, catching the sugar paper. What good fortune laid ahead she wondered as she read the words smiling. As her eyes passed over and read the words “He is watching you”, Ever’s smile faded quickly. Quickly scanning the room, a frown etched across her forehead and to the corners of her mouth. Plucking the sugar paper into her mouth, she let the words dissolve. 

Zeanar, CoP

Grayson offered the occasional nod as she listened to Ever describe how she thought it best to divide the workload. She enjoyed research, of course, but she most enjoyed interacting with people to help them overcome challenges, so this division of labor suited her. She would need to review Iyun’s file, but she was already curious as to what could be causing such anxiety and poor self-esteem. Turning her attention back to the moment at hand, Mariah offered, “I will reach out to her right away and I’d be happy to assist with the new crew evaluations.” Uncomfortable silence fell between them as they each attended to their respective food and drink. Grayson was naturally curious about Ever’s topic of research, and she was just about to inquire further, when she saw the frown on the other woman’s face. “Is everything alright?” Grayson wondered what could possibly be upsetting about a fortune cookie fortune.

~Dr. Mariah Grayson, Psychiatrist

“That’s…great,” Ever said as she reached for her coffee now gone cold. As she took slow slips to steady her nerves, she waved her free hand dismissively. “Everything is fine. I think I am a bit tired from moving one place to the next and not really being settled yet. As for my research.....sorry. I should have let you said that part out loud. My mind and my tongue do not always follow the same course. Or rather they do and are not supposed to as it is impolite. I will work on it.”

“Anyway, research. According to Starfleet, I am one of the leading experts on identity reassignment, using memory erasing and DNA alternations. Or more specifically, I am part of a team of leading experts. My part is the psychological components. One of the problems we have been encountering is integrating the individuals into a new life. As you know, there are multiple types of memory,” Ever stopped nearly mid sentence. “I could talk about this for ages. But that isn’t what this meeting is about. Tell me about you.”

Zeanar, CoP

Grayson may not have had her companion’s psionic abilities, but she knew deflection when she saw it. The question was, should she point it out? After all, this was their first meeting, and although Mariah liked Zeanar and felt they had connected easily, she wasn’t sure how she would take being called on it. She wondered if the sharing of what was in Grayson’s mind but had not been said aloud was meant to startle her enough to make her forget her concerns. Mariah wasn’t easily distracted, of course, but she decided to let the matter drop for now. Perhaps she would pick her moment. “That work sounds fascinating. If I can be of assistance, just let me know. As for me, what would you care to know? I don’t think much has been hidden from my file.” She was not trying to be difficult, but truly was curious as to what Zeanar wanted to know that wasn’t in her personnel file.

~Dr. Mariah Grayson, Psychiatrist

“You are more than welcome to help out with my research, or rather the teams research. Can’t take full credit. We should be publishing our next findings within three months. Hopefully,” Ever said giving the room another quick scan. She sat back and seemed to be at ease, relaxing her posture. As she ran her finger across the rim of her empty mug, she made more direct eye contact with Mariah and sighed softly. “Hmm, I did read through your file. They might be labelled personal, but I find service records a but sterile. Tell me anything you would like, what kind of papers have you published, what excites you to get out of bed everyday or what you like to do when you are not working.”

Zeanar, CoP

Grayson considered the topics provided and smiled. She could say some thing about what she liked to do off duty, but as a bit of a workaholic, it wouldn’t seem sincere considering she didn’t spend a ton of time not working. She could’ve talked about her research, and as much as she enjoyed it, it could potentially seem dry even to a fellow researcher. No, the question that most resonated with the psychiatrist was what got her out of bed in the morning. “I’m sure this isn’t going to sound original, particularly to you given our similar backgrounds, but what truly drives me is a desire to help traumatized people feel a little less isolated and a little less broken. We’ve come quite far as a society, but there is still a great deal of trauma to contend with, and my own personal experiences as well as my professional experiences in medical school really reinforced how important a few kind words can be. I’ve also seen how the wrong words can re-traumatize someone. It gives me a great deal of satisfaction to also educate others about the impact of trauma so that they can be better supporters for people in the future. Explaining trauma reactions to a judge or jury can be especially frustrating but when I’ve helped someone avoid an unjust criminal sentence, as an example, it brings me peace.”

~Dr. Mariah Grayson, Psychiatrist

As she sat silently, listening intently to Mariah’s words. Ever attempted to distract herself from the fortune cookies distressing message. The last sentence hit a nerve with the Chief Psychiatrist. Unjust criminal sentence. Had Ever been that instrument to her last patient at the penal colony she had left in a trail of dust just days before arriving at the starbase? Images of Isabell Rodriquez laying on the operating table, long dark hair falling across her shoulders while tears fell freely from the corners of her soft doe brown eyes, flooded back to Ever  filling her with guilt. At the time, she had been sure the procedure had given the woman the best outcome. No. Doubt took the place of conviction.

Glancing quickly at the second fortune cookie, a deep wrinkle appeared briefly across Ever’s forehead. Looking fully at Grayson’s she made direct eye contact. Nontelepath’s seemed to prefer more eye contact, but not for extended periods of time, Ever reminded herself. Not working exclusively with other telepaths was going to take time for adjustment. “I think that is an amazing philosophy of life and a great mindset for practice. Trauma can cripple people to an extent that is becomes not just emotional and mental but physical as well. Though it would be nice to think we will avoid any of that on this cruise, one wrong away mission can change that in a blink of an eye. What do you think about heading up a trauma response team? Since our primary mission is medical and likely medical emergencies, there is bound to be a need for such a team. I think it would be best to have a plan and get a head of a disaster.”

Zeanar, CoP

Once more seeing the other woman glance at her dessert with an ever so brief flash of concern evident in her forehead, Mariah was once again confronted with a choice: Press for answers or ignore what she was seeing. It occurred to her now that this might be some sort of test of her observational skills and more importantly, her commitment to helping any member of the crew deal with their problems. She didn’t want to think her fellow psychiatrist would manipulate circumstances in such away, especially because that was not the picture of the woman’s personality she was piecing together. It wasn’t that she believed Ever’s words were insincere. Grayson believed she felt exactly as she said, but there was obviously more going on. “I completely agree and would be happy to head up such a team. I think it will be important to make sure all members of the crew are trained to respond to traumatized people in the most sensitive ways possible. I realize not everyone will be dealing with people in need in the ways we will most of the time, but considering this ship is designed to help people in crisis, I would expect everyone could benefit from being prepared to address these needs, similarly in the way all of us have to have at least a basic first aid training.” Grayson paused, then
Decided to follow her gut. “Please forgive my potential importance, but I couldn’t help but notice that is the second time you’ve looked at your dessert and had a troubled expression. It’s none of my business, but in light of what we were just discussing, I would be remiss if I didn’t address Apparent distress in someone right before me, particularly someone I will be working closely with. Will you tell me what is wrong?”

~Dr. Mariah Grayson, Psychiatrist