Posted by Lieutenant Commander Brenna Neenna Atoded (Chief of Pets & 2nd Officer (COP)) in Let’s Try this Again (TAG CNS)

Posted by Lieutenant Eleyr of House Em’ujo (Chief of Keeping Our Brains Healthy (CNS)) in Let’s Try this Again (TAG CNS)

(SNIP)

“I haven’t yet,” Eleyr admitted, “but I’m always looking input.. if you’d like to join in trying out some new scents.”

“I would LOVE to.”

“Excellent!” Eleyr roared. “Let me know when you’re free, and we’ll explore together.”

“Take a seat wherever you like,” she hummed. “Would you like something to drink?”

— Eleyr, CNS

Brenna glanced around and spotted a round floor cushion. Thicker floor cushions were a problem for her small stature. She sat, crossing her legs in front of her, but the cushion was so thick that her ankles wouldn’t hit the floor, and if she put her feet down she looked like a child sitting there, because unlike taller adults, her knees didn’t tower. So like a child she was able to completely sit crossed-legged on top of the cushion with out looking like a giant. She sat and shifted around getting totally comfortable on giant cushion and rolled her shoulders a bit. The long sleep had done her a lot of good, but now, her was very much aware of the tension she’d been carrying. “Jestral Tea.” Brenna grinned, mostly at her expense over the previous encounter. “Honestly I was just coming to welcome you. I was mostly running on autopilot and all I heard was ‘BOARDING PARTY.’ The Connie is known for their pranks, and it was aimed at you, but I think I’m the one who got caught out on that one.”
Lt Cmdr Atoded, CoP

Eleyr ordered Brenna’s tea with a sharp roar, her head tilted toward her in a gesture to say ‘I’m listening.’ Once the tea found its way into her palms, she carried it over and held both the mug and pair of jerky sticks out to Brenna. Putting them on the table for her to struggle with was just cruel.. even for Eleyr.

“And thank the Gods you had!” The counsellor plopped in the cushion across from her, pulling her legs into a similar cross-legged position. “If not for your intrusion, your dear Commander might’ve found himself in a less fortunate position.”

Brenna nodded her head in thanks and took a sip. “I would pay good latinum to see that. Lt Cmdr Marsh is extremely confident and skilled. It would be something to see someone get the better of him.”

“I am curious to see whether that will prove his rise or downfall,” she grinned in praise of the former. When she continued, it was with only a basic understanding of the idiom she employed. “But.. everyone could use a notch-knocking here and there.”

Brenna laughed, a deep hearty laugh. “Oh you have no idea how accurate that is. So at the Academy, before I really knew Cmdr Marsh, we were in the obstacle course run together and, he was such a show off. In the end it came down to the two of us. Well he was tactical and I was intel. It was expected that we be…tricky in gaining an advantage. Never on our ‘official’ runs of course. But he just needed…well I like to win.” Brenna grinned, “I raised the last tire in the tire spring an inch on the front end. He wasn’t prepared to lift his foot higher to clear it. He’s much more agile now. Sneaky and horrible of me I know.”

“No, Commander…” Eleyr whipped around, clapping her palms together twice in admiration “…that was genius! I wish I could’ve been there to see look on his face… and yours.” Laughter ripped from her throat accompanied by bugged eyes, but it soon dissipated into thoughtfulness.

Brenna grinned, “You can look it up. I’m sure the file is still out there. 2385 Cadet vs Tire. You can watch the whole thing.” Of course that little stunt had allowed her to win. What she hadn’t expected was for the arrogant tactical cadet to suddenly develop an interest in her. The memories made her smile. He was as creative and focused in convincing her of a date as he was on the course.

“I shall…” Eleyr grunted, taking a mental note to investigate this incident. “Forgive my curiosity, but what led the feisty, cunning intelligence cadet to fall for the arrogant but charming tactical cadet?” Though Eleyr preferred stories drowned in blood, tears and triumph, she had a very, very small place in her heart for romance.

Brenna grinned and sipped at her drink. “Oh that is a very very long story. So what happened was....he was arrogant…like I can not tell you how annoying and arrogant he was. And well it was Freshman year, and I was still learning how to block people’s thoughts. See on Betazed we learn how to do this, but we also learn to block our own thoughts, so it makes easier to block, because people are already controlling their own thoughts. So I was still adjusting, and well his body language and verbiage didn’t just telegraph his....personality, his thoughts did as well. And it was ANNOYING!” Brenna raised a knee and wrapped an arm around it relaxing. “We were all, intel, tactical, security, in the physical fitness course together. Combat training, obstacle course, weapons training, tactical simulations, we were all together for all of it. It became obvious early on that Marsh was worth every inch of his ego, but so was I. And he called me ‘short stuff.’ Well after that we all kind of got together to show him mind over matter was a thing. Problem was he was smart too.” Brenna laughed, “We met face to face many many times. Usually a draw, but after the little incident with the obstacle course....he started dodging my every step, relentlessly asking me out.” She took a sip of her drink, “And that is the short version.” Brenna was more than happy to exchange more gossip, but she also didn’t want to over do it either if the counselor was merely being polite.

Eleyr tugged the targ jerky jar from her table and promptly sunk into her massive, fur-laden chair. She tore open the container, palming a single stick from its belly, and thrust it aside. Munching on it like a front-row sitter with an eye for the lead. Was it a long shot to say she enjoyed gossip? Spurts of roaring laughter, strange looks and the occasional smile were a soundtrack to Brenna story. When she finished, Eleyr couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. She wanted to know how he got her to go out with him. Was there some kind of fantastic display? Did she simply give in to his insistence? Gods, she would much prefer Brenna’s gossip to season 434 of General Hospital or Space Tyranny. (Sorry Commander Hotstuff.)

“So??” Eleyr waved her half-eaten jerky at Brenna. “Did you give in to his boyish wiles?”

Eleyr thought for a moment, her mirth subdued by an echo of latent professionalism. Looking at Benna, she noticed a lightness.. a relaxation that wasn’t there before. But she couldn’t pin her finger on whether it was rest-induced or her (temporary) reprieve from the ship’s antics. And there seemed to be many. Sooner than to assume the stress Brenna was under, she chose a simple question. “So,” she leaned forward ever-slightly, “how are you?”

— Eleyr, CNS

Brenna had been munching, or really tearing pieces of jerky off. She finished chewing, swallowed the piece and cleared her throat with a sip of tea. “Very well thank you. As much as I loathe to admit, I needed a couple of days off. Running a ship the size of Constellation, alone, for a month finally got to me. I was happy to do it so the captain could stay on paternity leave, but I was never meant to command a star ship, though I have the training for it.”
Lt Cmdr Atoded, CoP

“I find we are seldom put in positions we cannot handle,” she remarked, “whether we rise to the occasion or muddle through by sheer grit is inconsequential.” Eleyr tilted her head, studying Brenna in the quiet of a low grumble. “If not for command, what do you feel you’re ‘made’ for?”

— Eleyr, CNS

“I am very good at information gathering, and advising. I like being part of the senior staff and being part of the advisory group. But something I really love, that I didn’t discover until recently. I enjoy teaching.”
Lt Cmdr Atoded, CoP

“Teaching,” Eleyr echoed with genuine interest. “If given the opportunity, what would you teach?”

— Eleyr, CNS

Brenna sipped at her drink a moment, “Something hands on, practical, not theory. Maybe courses on first contact techniques, integration into primitive cultures for scientific data gathering, maybe even some of the intel courses. Or maybe go back to my counseling back ground and teach back home on Betazed.” Brenna chuckled, “There’s a lot of possibilities I guess.”
Lt Cmdr Atoded, CoP

“And what has stopped you from pursuing this newfound passion?” Eleyr dared to assume her recent toe-dip — cannonball, really — into command was a culprit, but she maintained her silence. Leaning back, she sipped elegantly at her java and briefly envisioned how much fun an intel course might be. ‘I’d make a good spy,’ she thought and scoffed inwardly, quickly redirecting her attention to Brenna.

— Eleyr, CNS

“Commitments to Intel. I’ve really liked jumping into command though. It’s allowed me to explore that side a bit by doing some mentoring. I would love to offer some cross training exercises for the crew, but my schedule will have to clear up a lot for that.” Brenna grinned. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested?”
Lt Cmdr Atoded, CoP

“‘Interested’?” Eleyr muttered as if it were an insult to suggest such trivial investment in Brenna’s passion. “If mentoring makes your heart woozy with glee,” she hummed, “then make the time to embrace it. That may not include all 900 officers and crew,” she furrowed her eyebrows just considering the number, “perhaps just a select few to get started.”

Her grin returned, “what do you think?”

— Eleyr