Posted by Cadet Dael Stadi (Engineer) in CNS’s Office- Cadet Stadi Psych Eval
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“I’ll admit, sir, I’m not quite sure where to start. Plants aren’t exactly my strong suit, I can sort of tell between an uttaberry from an Andorian tuber root, but that’s the best I can do.”

OOC: No problem! I look forward to writing with you and working on improving my posting and character.

-Cadet Stadi, Engineering

Hilo waved a hand dismissively as he moved to tend to the hydrangea. “I appreciate your honesty cadet, but I promise you won’t hurt it. It’s overgrown, after all, so as long as you’re reasonable with you pruning, you won’t hurt it.” The counselor motioned for Dael to continue before focusing his gaze on the other plant.

“Okay, so as long as it still has some green left to it, it’ll be fine then. I can work with that I think.” Dael replied as he observed the plant in front of him, less like a phaser set to overload now, and more like a tricorder in need of reassembly. You can do this… besides he’s got a jungle in here, if he loses one to a cadet he knows doesn’t do plants, it’s not the end of the world. I hope. Dael started to trim the sage plant cautiously with the clippers.

As the counselor worked, he said “Sorry to put you to work so soon, I know you’re just getting situated. How are you feeling about the transition to a real ship, it’s a big one!” The risian was stooped over so he could carefully consider his cuts, his lanky frame bending in a smooth arc.

Hilo was focused on the plant, but likely he was an experienced plant owner who had done this many times. Inspecting the flower so precisely was being done for Stadi’s benefit, since Hilo had seen that the cadet was feeling inadequate. It was an easy task, but Hilo was prioritizing making Stadi feel comfortable, rather than being efficient with completing the chore.

(Lt. Cmdr. Hilo, Counselor)

OOC: Betazoid characters are some of the most interesting, but also the most challenging characters to play in STF. In my experience, you have to let other people tell you what your character would sense from another crew member. Some people might give you a lot, and some people might give you a little or none at all. But, it’s important to only work with what you’re given, even if you feel like your character should know more about another person’s thoughts than they do. You can also ask for more detail from the other writer if there’s something in specific you want to see if you can read. Does that make sense? How would you plan on approaching that in the future?

Ben

Dael glanced occasionally at the counselor, mimicking his movements at times as he pruned the sage plant in front of him. He could feel in the surface of his mind that the counselor felt at ease and calm with his task despite the care he was taking. It seemed he put a lot of work into these plants but he was an old hand at this sort of thing. Dael on the other hand was just really hoping the plant in front of him didn’t suddenly turn brown and die with every well-intentioned cut.

“It is quite a large ship, lot’s of people around, especially coming from our muster onto the Challenger. You didn’t have to be from Betazed to feel the energy coming off everyone. I’m hoping to get into the swing of things, I’m from a colony towards the edges of Betazed space but it was a decent size so being around a lot of new people isn’t too strange for me. Though the proximity is a little daunting, despite the size of this ship it seems like there’s always someone in the halls.”

OOC: I agree, I had wanted to challenge myself a bit with creating a crewmember of this species, and so far it has been interesting to try and get into the mind of a telepath and how they view the world. Going forward, I think either picking up with whatever the other person is willing to type out and give me through their roleplay and not making a huge deal about his telepathic readings may be key. As well as any out of character questions if I wanted to have picked up on something specific. I want to be careful not to step on anyone’s toes RP-wise and also keep both character’s interactions fluid and true to themselves.

-Cadet Stadi, Engineering

Hilo nodded as Cadet Stadi spoke, and even if his gaze was not focused on the new crew member, Hilo was very attentively listening. When the counselor had finished his own work, he turned to inspect Stadi’s with a critical eye. “Marvelous!” he exclaimed after a second of silence, a grin breaking out across his face. “See, you had nothing to worry about! Thank you for your help.” Hilo’s thoughts were not concerned with the plant at all. Whatever state Stadi had left it in, Hilo was paying no attention. He cared about something other than the plant.

Dael nodded back to the counselor, smiling slightly at the man’s warm response to his efforts. He could feel the general warmth Hilo seemed to have for him and the crew, and even if the plants were merely a ruse to open him up, the counselors attitude was doing that just as well.

Hilo popped back up to his full height and turned to make his way to the seating area, motioning for Stadi to join him. “I’m glad you have some experience with the hustle and bustle of a community in constant motion,” Hilo said as he sat in his high-backed chair, crossing one leg over the other at the knee. “If you ever need somewhere quiet get away from it all for a moment, I recommend Deck 10. Seems to be the least traveled place on the ship. Although I suppose you’ll figure that out for yourself, being that you’re in engineering.”

Dael made his way over to the loveseat opposite Hilo and sat down. He bounced a little on the seat as he got comfortable and began to reply. “I appreciate the tip sir, it’s always good to get away from the ‘hustle and bustle’ as you say. Though I’ll admit as a Betazoid, even the innermost Jefferies Tube can sometimes not be lonely with all these people and thoughts moving around.”

The counselor smoothed his hair back along the sides of his head with both hands. “You said you’re used to lots of people, what about lots of cultures? You’ll find that starfleet crews are some of the most diverse environments in the quadrant, and the differences between peoples can be jarring. Have you had many experiences with people from cultures other than your own?”

(Lt. Cmdr. Hilo, Counselor)

OOC: Awesome! Sounds like you have your head on straight about it! And I commend you for the taking on the challenge!

Dael placed his hands on his knees and leaned back as he remembered. “Yes I was exposed to a good bit of different cultures, there was a quarter for my people on the colony but my parents made sure I interacted with others as well. Them being the administrator of the colony and an artist, they thought it the utmost importance that I experience as much as I could outside of my normal comfort zone.” Dael sighed a bit remembering this, and his dislike of leaving that zone. He fidgeted a bit with his hands, as a Betazoid openness and honesty came naturally but that still didn’t mean he was adept at social encounters. “It was an adjustment at first, dealing with non-telepaths, and it took getting used to the new way of doing things, the new blueprints for interaction as it were, but over time I adapted. I learned not just the unspoken rules of telepathic courtesy but also how my people’s tendency towards frankness, even if tempered with compassion, can rub many the wrong way.”

-Cadet Stadi, Engineering

Hilo nodded in acknowledgement, affirming that this seemed to be a common experience for betazoid starfleet officers. “Privacy can be a difficult concept to grasp. On Risa, our culture has a much more communal and free expression of self than those of humans or vulcans, for example. Even if I don’t share your telepathic abilities, I understand the struggle of adapting to new boundaries.” He smiled knowingly.

“It sounds as if you’ve at least mostly got the hang of it though. With that in mind, do you have any specific concerns about your ability to bond with your peers? To interact with them either socially or professionally? Connection with others is essential when you’re serving on a starship, and during your cadet cruise especially, feeling like you can rely on others is important for managing stress.”

(Lt. Cmdr. Hilo, Counselor)