Posted by Lieutenant Siennadye Nox (Counselor) in Side Sim: Counselor Conspiracy- CNS Office

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Avik (XO) in Side Sim: Counselor Conspiracy- CNS Office

Posted by Lieutenant Siennadye Nox (Counselor) in Side Sim: Counselor Conspiracy- CNS Office
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
[snip]
Sienna looked up as the chime to her office sounded. Her brow furrowed a bit and she looked at the time. No, no scheduled appointment she had missed. Perhaps it was someone who needed her and had not thought to set an appointment. She said, “Come in.” and set down the PaDD she was reading. It was a report from a sector nearby where a few key items had been stolen. She was investigating to find out if they were in fact, the exact items needed by her nemesis. If there was a reluctance to put down the PaDD and focus on the here and now however, Sienna didn’t show it.

“Yes? How may I help you?”

Nox, CNS

As the woman opened the door, Lucius sized her up briefly. It gave him enough time to collect his thoughts and figure out how to present this. The last thing he wanted to do was give Nox the impression he was stepping on her toes and create friction in their ability to sort this out.

“Yes, my name is Lucius Barrick and the Counselor aboard the USS Janus,” Lucius began by introducing himself.

After a few seconds, he continued right to the point of his interruption,“I was hoping to talk with you over Avik’s progress. I understand you can’t break the confidential oath, but I do have six years of experience working with her and I feel it will be beneficial to share. May I come in?”

Her brow lifted in obvious surprise. The last thing she had expected was a counselor from Avik’s previous assignment to be here, much less want to speak to her. “By all means counselor.” She said, gesturing to the sitting area as she stood. Her attitude was openly welcoming and curious. If he had thought there would be resistance, he wasn’t getting any from the Europa’s new counselor.

He waited for her decision before either walking away or entering the office. Deep down, he hoped she wasn’t the type that valued her pride over her patients. He hated those individuals, mostly due to their ability to cause more harm than good.

-NPC, Lucius Barrick.

“Six years is quite a long time. I would welcome any insight you can give me on our Vulcan XO. I have not had much to do with her other than some basic evaluation upon first arriving on the ship. Of course I have some theories about her reasoning and attitudes, but I cannot compare to your much more vast knowledge. Vulcans have never been a particular specialty of mine and I would be grateful for help in understanding and handling them. Please have a seat. Would you like some refreshment?”

Nox, CNS

As Lucius stepped in, his eyes briefly glanced around. Things within a person’s personal room could tell stories about their personality, often about their preferences and behavior in a safe place. He didn’t dwell on it too long. He was honestly relieved to find she was more willing to be cooperative than hinder possible insight to help a patient.

“Yes, it is, at least for a human. Vulcans view six years to be a drop in the ocean of time, sort of speak,” Lucius pointed out.

“Yes please, thank you very much.” He replied to her offer.

Sienna went to her replicator and ordered two fruity tea concoctions. She picked up the tray and brought it to the seating area. Placing it on the table in the middle, she took her own drink and sipped before settling herself near the other counselor to listen.

As he took a seat and became comfortable, he began to move into the chosen topic.

“For Avik, it took me a while to crack past her defenses, but she is a pleasure to know off-duty. Vulcan’s have a philosophy of valuing logic over emotions. It’s something I don’t fully agree with, especially in Avik’s situation. Due to her past experience, that strict view and upbringing have caused subtle issues I fear will get worse over time,” he continued.

A pleasure to know off duty? Sienna was surprised as she had not seen a particularly friendly note in the woman’s usual encounters off duty. Perhaps it was because she was striving to make an impression… set an example or earn respect as XO here.

“I’m not surprised, she did the same with me. I suggest trying to engage her into a game of logic. She feels more comfortable when things are logical. Since you mentioned theories about her, I’m curious to see if they match up to mine. Would you feel comfortable sharing them?” Lucius found himself liking the Betazoid counselor more and more.

He had no doubt she knew he mainly wanted to help Avik, but he lacked the position to do it.

-NPC, Lucius Barrick.

Her eyebrows lifted and she thought about the request. The question was if it would be helpful to share her as yet untested opinions or not. Finally, she decided to let what would be would be and smiled. “Avik is someone who feels she has to prove herself. I think she is fully aware of her desire to please but resents the feeling and this creates conflict and often makes her react in a more antagonistic manner than she means to. You say she is a pleasure to know off duty but I don’t think anyone on the Europa has yet to find this to be true. She is shuttered tight and I wonder if that need to prove herself is behind that particular action. She doesn’t engage with people off duty that i have seen despite having been invited to participate in things specifically by crewmates.”

“I think that she will need to loosen up soon or she will never begin to connect with her crew. An XO’s job isn’t just supporting the Captain or executing orders. There is a social problem solving component to it too. She could be technically flawless in her duties in some ways, but in others, she is stagnant and hesitant. In my conversation with her though, I found that she is able to look past her very Vulcan ways on case by case basis. I am hoping to facilitate that more in the coming months but I am at a bit of a loss as to how to do that.”

Nox, CNS

Lucius’ hand reached for the tea and blew gently across the hot surface. He inhaled then took a sip, enjoying the fruity taste layered on his tongue. A moment passed while he weighed his words, then spoke.

“Your theories are heavily aligned with mine, save one. It’s not that she resents her desire to please. She fears it, more specifically giving into the emotional aspect of it. She doesn’t let her mask down and heavily controls her emotions,” Lucius revealed as he sipped the tea again, bracing himself to reveal the upcoming event that lead to this fear.

“From your theories, it sounds like you two never got around to talking about her family life or she made it sound lighter than it was.”

Not giving Sienna a chance to answer as he continued.

“Sadly, her mother had Tuvan Syndrome and it was through Avik, they learned of it. Avik has higher telepathic range than most Vulcans.”

He paused for a breath.

“She was young when it happened when her mother’s fragile emotions overwhelmed her. After this incident, her mother and she were kept apart. For Avik’s safety. Since then, Avik has viewed her emotions in a negative light. Extremely powerful emotions can slip through her defenses and I have seen her withdraw shortly after each one.”

Lucius let the information soak into the Counselor’s thoughts as he drank his tea, watching her carefully. He had hoped she was a clever individual and would realize something had caused Avik to seriously withdraw from others. Avik, in the worst way, was protecting herself.

-NPC, Lucius Barrick.