STF

Side sim: The Report Dilemma

Posted Oct. 22, 2021, 10:15 p.m. by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) (Lucas Foxley)

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in Side sim: The Report Dilemma

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in Side sim: The Report Dilemma

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in Side sim: The Report Dilemma
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Rand had started to drink more of the tea and instead put the mug on the table. She started to answer and then stopped, and then chuckled a little, “I have been trying to answer that question since I was five. My parents took me to the shelter, said I could get anyone I wanted. Two weeks later, my dad stopped taking me. Said we could go back when I made up my mind. And told me absolutely no on adopting them all. I still haven’t made up my mind. But if I could pick any animal....” That was hard, Rand lived animals, all kinds. “And I didn’t have to worry about their size or how much room they needed? I wanted a miniature horse and a rabbit too at one point. I still do, but an Australian Shepherd.” She didn’t know anything about horses so she had decided against that. And with her social anxiety she was afraid she’d make a rabbit too nervous, but also they were small and she thought it would be good to have a pet that was big enough to manage with her if she had a problem. In the end, now that she was older, she was looking for a support animal and not just a pet.

Rand

“An Australian shepherd… As in a dog?” Roman asked. He liked dogs, but for some reason, he rarely considered actually having one. Of course, a shepherd was no more out there than a miniature horse. Roman was sure she’d probably considered having almost any animal as a pet. In a pet he mostly wanted a companion, and whatever he got, if he ever did get a pet, he wanted it to be something he knew he’d have enough time for.

~ Roman

Rand nodded, “They are really smart and can be trained to do and go just about anywhere. I mean if I had my choice I would have a whole menagerie of animals.” She wanted a companion, but when considering she’d decided she wanted something bigger, and dogs were accepted practically anywhere. That when she was alone and anxious and panicked or simply lonely she could hug it. Not just hold it carefully in two hands, she could actually hug her pet. But she didn’t say that because even to her own internal ears it sounded very pathetic. “I guess a dog is kind of cliche. But I wanted an animal that was smart enough to be trained to be able to behave where ever I went and also be just a little independent It would be curious about all the new places we went and not get bored while I worked. I didn’t want to have to keep it in a cage or kennel all the time. They make really amazing ‘thinking’ toys for dogs. It keeps them occupied and stimulated while the owners have to work.” And a lot of directors could work a dog into a script, she could have kept it with her, not so much a minute horse or a rabbit, or even the hedgehog she’d considered once.

Rand

Having a pet that could go everywhere with him did sound nice, but he didn’t necessarily need it with him all the time, and maybe that’s why the rabbit was far more appealing to him. His dog, from when he was young, was well trained, it wasn’t like it went around causing trouble and he did like the dog (in fact, it was “his” pet). But the idea just didn’t appeal to him like it used to. “Dogs can be trained to do almost anything,” Roman said. He’d heard of dogs historically trained to help people with more or less any disability he could think of, police dogs, therapy dogs used in prisons or with mental health patients… And the dogs usually liked having a job. “It’s a good choice of pet,” he said.

~ Roman

Rand shrugged, “Those other animals need a herd a constant companion and I couldn’t take two pets with me and I knew sometimes I’d be working a lot. Dogs are pack animals but they can also be on their own for a longer periods without it affecting their health and behavior. But…sigh…I was researching that be…before I joined Star Fleet. Star Fleet doesn’t allow pets, or they didn’t, so it didn’t matter anymore.”

Rand

Roman nodded. “They still technically don’t, I’m not sure how the Captain gets away with that cat,” he said. He shrugged and finished off his tea. “In the end, you’re right, it doesn’t matter. At least not yet.”

~ Roman

“I’m not sure how she did it either. I mean I know that sometimes passengers bring animals on board, but that’s temporary. I checked the logs and reports because I thought I had missed it - the cat, but I didn’t. That’s going to be a fun conversation with the quarter master when he gets the request for cat food and kitty litter. He knows you don’t have cats in the lab.” Rand picked up her mug again, feeling the lingering warmth still in the cup. “No, not until my tour is up or I retire. Not unless regulations change. Command staff gets leeway and can do what they want on their ships. Rogers would probably let you have a pet if you wanted one.”

Rand

“I’d cover for her if I had to,” Roman said, laughing a little, thinking about the quarter master’s questions about the kitty supplies. Rogers would probably have a pet, and he sort of wondered if having something around would be beneficial for him, but… then he shook his head. As much as he kind of liked the idea… “I’m too busy, I don’t need the distraction. Besides, Rogers only has the cat because she found her.”

~ Roman

He did need it. That’s what she had been doing for weeks for him, distracting him so he could relax enough to sleep. A pet, his rabbit he wanted, might help. Give him something to focus on other than Jay. Rand wasn’t sure how long she would be an effective distraction. For now her stories were new and humorous, but they were repetitive. She had considered once she ran out of stories about herself using some reader’s theater pieces she knew. Before she thought about it, “You need the distraction.” It came out sounding worried for him, and an obvious tone of care for him as well.

Rand

Rand’s tone caught his attention, worried and… caring. Roman looked at her, his expression somewhat surprised. And then he turned and studied the ground instead. Rand really cared, and that gave him a sense of warm happiness, but he could tell she was worried, too. He hated worrying her, and that was one of the reasons he’d taken so long to ask her for help in the first place, he hated bothering other people with his problems. It wasn’t work he needed a distraction from, he knew that. In the month preceding Rogers’ arrival he’d been fine, his sleep had worsened after that. It was probably that, that Rand worried about him for. He was better than when they’d started the nightly chats, but he was still having the bad nights that he didn’t sleep at all. Finally, he looked back at her and offered a small smile. “It’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

~ Roman

Rand started to apologize. She hadn’t meant to say something out of turn. It was the first time Roman had ever not looked at her. She’d said something wrong or out of place. She wanted to apologize. She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, but she’d noticed that he seemed confused or surprised when she apologized and it just made things more awkward. So she didn’t. She would have to figure out exactly what had made him not want to look at her, on her own and then not do it again. When he finally looked back at her, she smiled in return. “I’m sure you are right.” But that didn’t stop her from worrying, but he was talking to Randy, and she trusted Randy to know how to help. She wanted to hug him, but wasn’t sure she should if she had upset him. She hesitated a moment and then she got up crossing the small space between them and hugged him.

Rand

Roman wished it could stop her from worrying, but he sort of knew it wouldn’t. He was talking to Randy, and they hadn’t made much progress yet, but he was trying. For Rand, more than for himself. If he was cooperating with Randy, his sleep would improve, and she could stop worrying so much. Of course, there was that if things started going better, he wouldn’t be risking his job anymore, either. There was a short moment of silence and then she was hugging him again, and he hugged her back. It was clear she cared, and he did not at all think she’d spoken out of turn. If he was upset, it was with himself, for not… well, being better, he’d guess. But her hug told him she wasn’t upset with him, and that alone made him feel at least a little better.

~ Roman


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