Salutations and evaluations

Posted on Fri Dec 11th, 2020 @ 8:59pm by

Mission: Survival of the fittest
Location: Counselling offices

Ana took a deep breath, and leaned against the hall from the door to the counselling offices. She had no interest in going in, but she didn't have much choice. Ongoing therapy was a condition of her active service status, and she was a stickler for dotting the t's and crossing the i's.

That didn't mean she had to like it. This was a stranger. This was someone new to learn, and new to come to terms with. She shook her head. "Stop being a coward." She muttered to herself, as she finally got up the nerve to walk through the doors.

She nodded to the receptionist, and held up a PADD. "Lieutenant Morrow for... anyone, I guess. Required therapy." She said, quietly.

The nurse looked up after a glance she said. "Ah Room 113 please. Back out the hall two doors down further to the left. Counselor Doe will be seeing you today."

"You summoned me Becky?" Came a womans voice from the indicated hallway. Jane smiled at both the ladies in the room.

The nurse Becky chuckled, "Yeah I did. This lady here is your nine o clock."

"Excellent! I was just coming to look." Jane turned her bright smile on the taller woman. She was lovely, simply lovely. Her face was sculped as if by some fine artist. "Its a pleasure to meet you. If you follow me we can blow this place and go have some coffee." She offered. "I know of a great place to do it too!! You will love it. Come on."

The nurse looks to Anastasia and witha smile says. "Well good luck."

Ana winced. "That obvious?" She muttered, before following the counsellor. "Pleasure to meet you, too. A coffee would go good right about now." She didn't add that it would go better with about a fifth of whiskey mixed in for good measure.

Once Jane got her new friend alone in the hall she couldn't help but say. "I am sure you get this a lot but my goodness you have the face that's very easy on the eyes." Jane all but gushed her cheeks a shade pink. "So where would you like to go? Its your hour your choice. The lounge is pretty full this time of day but they have a pretty nice blend of old Columbian coffee that's worth the trouble. However I know of a program on holodeck 2 a café that has some rather pleasant ambiance if you rather have more peace and quite. Or we can go to my place and hang out there. I am not particular."

Ana winced again. "Don't-" She shook her head. "I see." She took a deep breath. It was going to be one of those postings. Sorry, Johnathon. "I assumed you had an office. I don't particularly take well to public spaces used for therapy, as a rule."

"Office it is." Jane said noting her soft tone and shy nature. "Please this way." She lead them to her personal office, room 113. Once inside Jane went to the replicator to get the coffee set up. "Please make yourself comfortable. " Jane encouraged. "How do you take your coffee??"

"Black." Ana shook her head. "Never did understand the use of diluting it with anything." She added, with a frown. "Is it... common for you to flirt with your patients?"

"Flirt?" Jane asked her brows coming together. She brought over the cup of black coffee to offer out to the other woman. "No.. I was just making an observation." Jane said her smile had faded to a almost frown. "I. I dint mean to make you feel uncomfortable at all. I am most very sorry if I have."

Ana inclined her head. "It's an old habit. I'm sorry. Generally, I don't comment on attempts at flirting. I'm usually quite dismissive." She took a breath. "I haven't... Ever since John." She cleared her throat. "But it is telling. Things people notice. Things they're attracted to. Things that they comment on. Things that they don't. It's an old S.C.I.S. habit. Profiling everyone around me is an old job hazard and I haven't been able to shake it."

Jane motioned with one coffee cup to the two over stuffed chocolate brown chairs and the matching sofa around her coffee table set up near the back of the office. "Please lets sit. I would love to hear more." And it was true. Jane was genuinely curious. She wasn't bothered at all at having been called out for having technically being perhaps a little too friendly. Shed need to maybe get a better hand on that. Especially since she and Wolfy where an item now. She didn't want to be sending the wrong signals. She was a bit glad that the Lieutenant had brought it up now.

Ana accepted the coffee, and took a seat. "It's just... ingrained, I guess. John said that if you found your life's mission, you'd stick to it, and I did. Intelligence is my life, don't get me wrong. The idea of somehow digging up information that might stop people from dying is what gets me up in the morning. That doesn't mean I didn't start my career as a Criminal Investigator, and it doesn't mean I can particularly turn off that part of my brain. It serves me entirely too well." She took a moment. "The Captain. He's overworked, underslept, and he abuses caffeine a little too heavily. He's a nice fellow. I don't expect I'll have any problems working under him. That's actually quite relieving. But there are little things. Things he doesn't think people notice. Most of his service record has a big ol' classified stamp on it, I know... I know I'm safe with him. That he does everything he does for the same reason I do. That's just how my brain works. You? You, I'm still trying to get a handle on."

"Me? Well the name sorta covers it nicely." Jane said half jesting and the other half sad. It was a running joke in her family. Her father was a diplomat. A very underhanded one at that Jane had come to learn over her life. Her mother was an artist. She played music had a face in the public eye. Where as Jane had been brought up with a purpose that kept her under lock and key. Nobody really knew her. They knew the face, the smile, the cheerful laughter. The friend and confidant. Nobody knew her though. How she was brought up, how more recently after the attack on her life by the bounty hunter Kyle, She found herself paranoid, afraid, and oh so guilty. Jane took a sip of her coffee. This was not a very good subject to linger on so she asked. "John he was your husband yes?"

"A long time ago. Yes." Ana looked down. "It's... a long time ago. But it's still yesterday. I miss him. The dominion war wasn't pleasant, and we weren't married long. Still. He was something else. I've yet to meet another man like him. The uh." She winced. "We're going to have a bit of trouble here because we're discussing a classified incident. There was an attack on the Starbase, and... it triggered a lot of memories. The offending assailant... didn't survive. There was a JAG hearing. I got demoted, and had my S.C.I.S. credentials revoked." She cleared her throat. "My continuing service includes required therapy."


Jane was use to classified. It was a word that had haunted her most her life. So she understood. "Okay, well then I guess my next question is. What would you like to get out of our time together? How would you like for our session to take place. I am all about your comfort and your needs. It does not matter what they think you need. Its a matter of what do you want? and how can I help you obtain it?" Jane asked kindly.

"I need to work." Ana said, simply. "It's what I have left. I don't really know how to do anything else. What do I want? Things I can't have. What do I need? Work."

Jane nodded. "Well I am sure the Captain will find ample work for you here." Even as the words left her mouth it struck Jane. How curious for a former S.C.I.S agent to have landed in mandatory counselling right after her father and mother had now gone missing and she herself had been attacked and nearly murdered. Had the Captain brought her here??? No how stupidly vain of her to think such a thing. This poor woman needed her help. Jane asked. "Is the lighting okay for your eyes. I had them dimed after reading what they gave me for a file. I will say they left a lot out. I am to understand you have a daughter Jasmine. Did she come with you?"

Ana shook her head. "That's not why I'm wincing." She noted. "I appreciate it, though. The glasses are quite effective. A gift from the chief engineer on the base. Jasmine-" She cleared her throat. "Jasmine lives with her grandparents. I have never been a particularly good mother." She closed her eyes, and took off her glasses, to remove the barrier for understanding her face. "Lights to 15 percent." She took a deep breath. "I was barely deemed clear for duty. John's family tried to petition for custody. They were never... fond of me. Fortunately my father-" Ana gave a slight smirk. "-is quite an impressive man. Mom and dad raised her. I still get to see her from time to time. I miss her, but I can't be her mom."

"That was insensitive of me to ask. My apologies." Jane said feeling for all the world like an ass. The file covered none of that. Of course it wouldn't though now would it. She could have handled that with a lot more tact. Jane let out a breath. Head this been like how it was for her father? She wondered. Did he ever miss her and feel badly for that things he had put her through? No. she decided. No. Jane wanted to reach out and comfort her. Yet she had a good enough feel for this woman that such a action would not be readily welcome so instead she moved the conversation to hopefully more neutral waters. "So, what coping skills have you put in place to help you when things get hard? What are some of your outlets?"

"Seclusion. Work. Beating the living hell out of things when that doesn't work." Ana paused. "And if none of those things pull it off, there's always enough whiskey to make tomorrow today. I'm told that none of these are healthy. Don't particularly care. They work."

Jane nodded, "Well at least your aware they are not healthy so its a starting point. Though boxing and other forms of physical activity are acceptable and Ill just put the beating the hell out of things into the healthy box if kept with in moderation and healthy context." She jotted down notes as she spoke. "Have you had time to branch out yet as of your arrival? There are a number of groups and clubs that could help you meet other crew. Lower decks has a paintball team for those who are into brutalizing each other for sport." She offered with a friendly smile.

"I haven't." Ana admitted. "I... Struggle. Getting into a comfortable rapport with my crewmates. Finding places I belong. Either I'm too withdrawn or they're not fond of my attitude." She looked away. "I prefer the holodeck, anyway. Less trips to sickbay involved."

Jane nodded. "Yes it is difficult at the start. I am still doing my best to better get to know them as well." She looked up from her padd. "So how do you think we could help you to get better adjusted? I know you said your not big on crowds and all but the doctor and I had been discussing a barbecue on holodeck 2, sort of a tropical beach set up. You might be able to make a few acquaintances there and I will even count it towards your next session as it should fall right into that time frame." Jane thought a second and then nodded, "Yes, about five days from now. If your interested."

Ana winced. She had to admit that this woman was good at her job, and had already figured Ana out pretty well. She gave a slight groan. "Fine." She grumbled. "You've convinced me. I'll be there." She shook her head. "You're very good at this."

"I try my best. My approach isn't for everyone." Jane said almost in way of apology. "I promise I will do what I can to help all this be as painless as possible. It is great to have you with us on the Pennsylvania. If the barbacue thing sounds a little much for a first attempt I could always try just introducing you around in our off time. I have a lot of friends who I think would make you feel most welcome." Jane suggested wanting to make sure that her new friend didn't feel pressured. She didnt want to force anything just give options. The poor woman had already been through enough.

Ana shook her head. "I've got enough to do in my-" She paused and laughed a bit. "-off time, as you put it. I'm supposed to be hacking an entire global information network to try and figure out what happened. As you might expect, it's not exactly as cut and dry as-" She stopped short. "-plugging a harvesting virus looking for keywords." She finished. She pointed at Jane. "Anyone ever tell you that you're a fantastic lightning rod for great ideas when you're stuck on how to do something?"

Jane chuckled softly. "No, I can't say that I have." Her cheeks had turned pink. Praise was always hard to except for her. "I am glad if you found inspiration in anything I had to say." She said as she got up to go and transfer her notes into her locked system. She'd review them later when she had time to really think about everything in more depth and possably come up with some better ideas to help.

"Thank you." Ana paused. "For everything. I know you're here to do a job, and it's necessary. For me. For others." She paused. "I look forward to you manipulating me next time."

Jane wasn't sure what to say in response so instead she nodded and said. "Till next time then."

Ana chuckled at that. "Until next time." She gave Jane a slight salute. "Thank you."

---

Ensign Jane Doe
Chief Counselor

Lieutenant JG Anastasia Morrow
Chief Intelligence Officer