STF

Meeting with the counselor

Posted Sept. 18, 2020, 2:01 p.m. by Ensign V'Lath (Counselor) (David Stiles)

Posted by Ensign T’Lora (Doctor) in Meeting with the counselor

Posted by Ensign V’Lath (Counselor) in Meeting with the counselor

Posted by Ensign T’Lora (Doctor) in Meeting with the counselor
Posted by… suppressed (17) by the Post Ghost! 👻
T’Lora knocked hesitantly on the door to the counselor’s office. She had planned to avoid other Vulcans during her Starfleet career, and now she was purposefully meeting with one. She remembered a human expression “Life is what happens when you are making other plans.” She supposed that was true enough.

-T’Lora

V’Lath was seated in front of the fireplace in his office going through crew files on his PADD when there was a soft knock on the door. This was odd as most everyone just pressed the chime. He thought a moment, “Who ever this is, is someone who’s not entirely sure about coming here, and a bit reluctant to do so. I think I know who it is.” He put the PADD on the table by his chair and rose. “Dr. T’Lora, please come in and make yourself comfortable,” He said through the still closed door.

V’Lath CNS

T’Lora paused. Was it that obvious? She took a deep breath and pressed the button to open the door. She stepped in, nodding to V’Lath. Before, he had been in her domain. Now she was in his. “Thank you, counselor. As you stated earlier, we need to talk. We will be working together closely.”
-T’Lora

“Please just call me V’Lath unless we are in the company of others or in a professional setting” He motioned her to the other chair by the fireplace. “Can I get you anything to eat or drink?” He freshened his coffee and sat in the opposite chair. Sitting back he settled in comfortably. “Yes, we will be working together caring for fellow crew members, but I feel you know why we need to talk, and I wish to be your friend. I sense that you do not have many.” V’Lath smiled and steepled his fingers, waiting to see what her response would be. He noted she was not relaxed, but sat on the edge of the chair.

V’Lath CNS

She sat down, absently considering if she would need to leave quickly. She was on edge but hid it behind her emotionless poker face. “Tea, please.” She observed him carefully. “I will concede that I do not have many friends.” She would let him ask his questions, and then she would be on her way. As much as she wanted more friends, they were risky. “What would you like to know?”
-T’Lora

V’Lath sighed, he rose and got the tea, as well as a small tray with milk and sugar, which he placed on the small table between them. She may have thought she was betraying no emotion with her face, but her body language betrayed her. She was like a small pet who had been mistreated and was waiting to see if the new stranger would pet it or would rain more blows on it. He would have to go slowly and carefully. “T’Lora if I may call you that. I understand the hurt of betrayal when those you deemed as friends or even family turn on you. The pain is deep and it is hard to leave ourselves open to trust anyone deeply again for fear they too will hurt us.” He took a sip of his coffee. “If we let it, this will affect all our future relationships. There is an old Earth saying that “time heals all wounds” it may dull the pain somewhat but that fear of commitment is still there, it keeps us from giving ourselves fully to a relationship, and robs us of so much joy in our lives.” V’Lath took a deep breath before continuing. ” I feel that you would have much to give to a relationship, except for this fear. Do you not have anyone you are close to, that you feel you could trust ?” He had put the issue out there, her response would determine where they would go from here.

V’Lath CNS - and hopefully friend

OOC - My apologies and once again should have credited V’Lath not Ben

OOC: I’m more hung up on being called a small pet… that is absolutely hilarious.
IC:
T’Lora hesitated, concerned he would judge her. “There is one. We are far beyond friends already. He is like no other I have known.” She had almost slipped into Vulcan, barely catching herself. “I have been daughter and sister to many, but relationships beyond that are… new. Unusual.” She shrugged. “You are much older than I. Likely wiser as well. Perhaps you have advice, but I worry I will fail and we have barely even started.” Her hands were somewhat shaky, and she clasped them together in her lap.
-T’Lora - Who might be having a nervous breakdown

OOC : I compared you to a small pet, I didn’t say you were one.

V’Lath felt immediate sympathy for this young woman. “Older yes, wiser perhaps.” V’Lath took another sip of coffee. “I hope this young man realizes how fortunate he is have someone like you. Do you trust him ? It sounds like you do. We all worry about our relationships, and that’s normal. In this existence we have, to form a bond with someone is special. My advice to you is this: Do not worry about failure, but do all you can to avoid that, and feel no shame for the past, for that is what it is
“the past”, we cannot change it, but can learn from it and hopefully improve ourselves from those lessons learned.” V’Lath sat forward in his chair and placed his PADD on the table. He held out both hands, “T’Lora do you trust me enough to take my hands? I promise I will not intrude on your thoughts, though you may read mine if you wish to.”

V’Lath CNS Getting deep here

T’Lora extended her hands before realizing what she was doing, aborting the movement with them still in the air. Her hands hovered above his while she studied him, before she took a deep breath and feel into the white of closing her mind. “Trust.” She whispered in Vulcan, and set her hands in his slowly. They had stopped shaking somewhere along the line, instead they were steady and strong. Her mind was blank, neither giving nor receiving.
-T’Lora

V’Lath smiled. “T’Lora, do you realize what you have just done? You put your faith in me and trusted I would do as I said. This is a great step forward and I am so happy for you.” He gently squeezed her hands then released them. “I hope that this has helped you, and not just as a counselor, but as your friend, for that is what I hope to be, a trusted friend.” He took a sip of his coffee, realizing it was now cold, he didn’t care and drained the mug.

V’Lath CNS

She blinked. “Is it truly trust if I cleared and blocked my own mind as well?” She had long ago abandoned hopes of sharing a mind with another Vulcan, the possibilities were far too dangerous. “If I cannot trust my own mind, how am I to trust another’s?”
-T’Lora

V’Lath stood at the replicator freshening his coffee, turning he said, “This but a step on the journey, you trusted me that I would not invade your thoughts, and if this young man you mentioned is as special as you say, I believe you will overcome this fear.” He didn’t tell her that very few were able to block their minds from him. His training and studies on Vulcan as well as the meditation techniques he practiced had left him a very powerful touch empath. He very rarely used this talent, and only in extreme cases, which this was not. To invade someones mind without their consent was tantamount to mental rape. He took a sip of his coffee and noticed that she had not touched the tea. “Would you like me to freshen your tea, it seems to have a calming effect?” V’Lath watched her carefully, she seemed to have relaxed some, but was still doubtful about placing full trust in anyone. The hurts of childhood ran deep and long, and for one so young to be scarred both physically and emotionally was a true crime. “I hope, in time, that you will come to trust me enough to open yourself to me, but I promise never to even try without your permission.”

V’Lath CNS

She shook her head, drinking the tea as it was now that he had reminded her of it. She wished she could open her mind to him. “It could be unsafe to attempt.”She sighed. If he had access to her medical records, he would realize it himself.
-T’Lora

He took another sip of the now refreshed coffee, making a mental note that he probably needed to cut down. “T’Lora we have time, you are in your late twenties, which to a Vulcan is a young adult. While I am much older, Vulcans live long lives normally and suffer from few diseases. If you don’t ever want to do this, that is fine, I feel our just talking about it is helping to confront the issue. Take your time, feel no pressure, enjoy your time with this young man.” V’Lath now felt that there may be a deeper underlying issue in the mix, he would check medical records to see if that showed anything.

V’Lath : The thick plottens.

She frowned. He hadn’t read them. That meant she would have to say it out loud. She swallowed. “Pa’nar.” It had been quiet, and she sounded timid, even too her own ears. She scowled and said it again, confidently. “I had Pa’nar as a child. Psi-null species are safe to meld with, but any others could be harmed in the attempt.” She elaborated on the medical aspects, something she had studied endlessly. “Adults can be cured and have no lingering effects. Children can have a limited or advanced ability, melds can become dangerous, or, in 3 percent of cases, nothing has changed. My ability did not seem to change, and I have no inclination to test if I would injure another.”
-T’Lora

V’Lath turned and picked up a sculpture off his desk. “Do you recognize this? It is a model of the Kir’Shara, now in the Vulcan capital. I spent a good portion of my time on Vulcan studying with the scholars who are translating the symbols from it. It speaks of Pa’Nar and the cure for it, a meld with one who is highly trained in the techniques. I trained for nearly ten earth years learning the proper meditations and manipulations necessary. I have cured Pa’Nar in others, and I feel I can help you. It requires the utmost of trust, as I would have to remap your synaptic pathways. T’Lora, I would be T’hy’la to you, a special friend, but it is entirely up to you, and please don’t feel you have to make a decision now.” The coffee was bitter but it helped clear his mind, it was also poison to humans so he had to be careful where he left his mug.

V’Lath CNS

She laughed harshly. “I was cured. Supposedly. I just get to enjoy the side effects now.”

-T’Lora - who never quite got over it.

V’Lath sighed, this happened sometimes when someone who wasn’t properly trained tried to cure the effects of Pa’Nar. “T’Lora you were not cured, you were for lack of a better word “patched”. The attempt to cure you was only partially successful. A full cure would leave no side effects, I feel that we can do this, but it must be your decision.” He sat on the edge of his chair, with his hands clasped, resting on his knees.

V’Lath CNS

She swallowed nervously. “It would be illogical for me to refuse you the opportunity.” She would accept any solution he could give her, but she refused to admit anything emotional.
-T’Lora

He took another sip of the extremely bitter coffee, more to clear his mind than anything else. “It may take some time, and I must prepare myself. When would you like to do this ?”His preparation would require about two hours of meditation, then the procedure could take as little as five minutes or as long as several hours.

V’Lath CNS


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