Meeting the Counselor Part I
Posted on Tue May 16th, 2023 @ 11:24am by Lieutenant Commander Alyssa Maren & Lieutenant Vura
Edited on on Wed May 17th, 2023 @ 10:06pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 14 - The Poseidon Adventure
Location: Counseling Office - Deck 5 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD006 0900 hrs
Alyssa had yet to see a counselor to be fully cleared for duty after being kidnapped with the other scientists. It wasn't that she was trying to avoid it, it was more that she'd had a lot to do. When she saw the notice of a new counselor on board, she decided it was a good opportunity to meet the doctor and get her post-mission evaluation taken care of.
When she had a break, she verified that the counselor was in her office and available, then set an appointment and went to see her.
Vura had been putting a great deal of thought into how her office would be able to best serve her clients and also feel more like herself. Already her office seemed to be quite busy and she had only just arrived on the ship today. The last mission apparently had been quite traumatic for some of the crew and it was her job to put all of these people back together again. Well, she was not about to back down from that challenge.
So far, she had managed to put up a copy of Katsushika Hokusai's "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife" above a periwinkle couch that swooped up and then down in the middle and then back up again.
When the chime rang, Vura moved next to a chair that would conform to her body. She greeted the incomer warmly, "Commander Maren, it is good to meet you. I am Counselor Vura."
"Hi. Welcome to the Pioneer!" the science officer said, smiling warmly at the other woman. "I know you just got here, but several of us need to meet with you for an after-action assessment before being cleared for duty and since we're coming into shore leave, I was hoping you had some time today." She took a quick look around the office, noting what the counselor had done so far.
"I have already met a number of people from the ship on shore leave, already including the Commander," Vura answered with a smile. "I have also already learned a little bit about the events that transpired. Is the reason that you scheduled an appointment with me already for you to discuss them or your concern regarding the crew's experiences?"
Alyssa wasn't surprised the counselor was busy. It had been quite the adventure. "For myself, I'm working through what happened, but I'm concerned about Mignon. I know you'll be meeting with her, if you haven't already. But mostly I'm here to fulfill a requirement. I can't urge others to see a counselor if I don't do so myself. And I wanted to say hello."
"I can tell you that I have already met Mignon earlier today," Vura replied simply but politely. "Beyond that, Commander, I'm sure that you will understand that I cannot reveal anything more due to confidentiality rules."
Vura gave an ever so slight shrug of apology before continuing, "But I do appreciate you coming by to say hello. And, I would very much like to hear about your experiences. Would you like to take a seat?"
Alyssa nodded. "I'm glad you spoke with her. I've been worried. She was hit harder by the drugs and it's taking her longer to recover." She took a seat where the doctor indicated. "I wasn't going to ask what you thought, just let you know that she needed to see you. Knowing she's met with you is enough for me."
"I am pleased to hear that you are satisfied." So far, the commander displayed a great concern for her Mignon, which was admirable. She suspected that it stretched to the rest of the crew, which suggested a good deal of empathy and care. This caused Vura to pause and internally debated whether she should immediately start discussing the last mission or start with pleasantries and get to know the commander. Ultimately, she opted for the latter. "If I remember correctly, you're the Chief Science Officer, right? But being the Chief Science Officer tells me nothing about you. That tells me about your job. Why don't you tell me about yourself, Commander? And would you mind if I addressed you by your first name? Ranks tend to get stuffy," Vura finished, wrinkling her nose ever so slightly.
"Sorry. Please, call me Alyssa. I don't stand on formality unless I have to." she paused before continuing. "I grew up on Earth and fell in love with history, which led me to study archaeology, history, and civilizations. I've worked on a number of archaeological sites, but Starfleet lets me seek out old worlds and ancient civilizations, so I'm here. And yes, I'm the head of the science department. We've recently converted a cargo bay into a vertical garden and will be opening it to the public soon." She was quite pleased with how it was turning out, thanks to all the work her team had done.
Vura sighed audibly and pleasantly. "I would very much like to see that. I do enjoy a clean garden. I would probably enjoy gardening more but for the dirt. I never really got over that." She shook her head lightly and a short giggle escaped. "So, is that all that you do in your free time? Any other interests?"
"A good part of my time, yes," Alyssa admitted. "I like the outdoors. Camping and hiking. I also swim. I swam on the college team and I still enjoy it. And I like music and dance." She hadn't gone dancing in a while. She made a mental note to reserve a couple of hours on the holodeck during shore leave.
"Music and dance.... Ahhhhh...." Vura took a second to reminisce in the memories of being on Delta IV. "Truly beautiful things. You can tell a lot about a person when you dance with them, did you know?"
"I know you can tell some things, but I get the impression you know more than I do," Alyssa said, curious to hear what Vura had to say.
Vura laughed pleasantly. "Dancing is a window to the soul. Ancient Terran cultures barred dancing, as I understand it, because it led to temptation. And as well it should. Many forms of dancing involve touching - intimate touching. The human tango or rhumba excite the senses and the soul. It is a sensual dance and couples engaging in it are meant to feel that and can be a test for intimate relationships. In such dances, you can tell if a person is more dominant or submissive. You can tell if they are reserved or expressive. Even the lightest touch could tell you the difference between intimacy and friendship...." She looked into Alyssa's eyes and asked, "Have you never considered these things?"
"I have. I've also studied dance in historic context. The Waltz was scandalous when it was first introduced because until then, you rarely touched your partner. I like ballroom myself, although I've considered studying belly-dancing." Most of her dancing of late had been on the holodeck and there really wasn't much you could read from a program that you didn't put into it.
"Ahhh ha ha!" Vura started to waggle her finger excitedly. "Now there's a fun one too. Those undulating movements are meant to entice and tease.... But you see what I was getting towards. Dance on Delta IV is a highly respected profession and the dances there would likely be deemed rather scandalous to most in the Federation. We're a species that is driven by our senses. That is why so few leave. There's so much just to experience at home."
Vura stopped herself and then apologized. "I'm sorry, Alyssa. I don't know what got into me. I do not usually monopolize a conversation so. We were talking about you and somehow, I made it about me. Forgive me."
"Nothing to apologize for. We were talking about dance, and I can go on and on about it, too. May I ask why you chose Starfleet?"
The Counselor noticeably paused and then took a deep breath while answering, "Delta IV was no longer right for me. I felt the need to be somewhere else and Starfleet felt like the best fit."
As good as the Deltan was about keeping herself in check, Alyssa caught a quick mental flash of pain and loss. "Sometimes we all need to leave our past behind to find a new future. I hope yours will be a happy one."
"As do I." She only wondered how a Deltan could be happy without her potential husband and being cut off from at least half of her senses. Nonetheless, it was a choice she made and would have made again, if given the choice. At least she could try to make others happy. "I am curious, though, how did you end up on Earth?"
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Vura
Chief Counselor, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Commander Alyssa Maren
Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer
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