Posted by Lieutenant Commander Vanessa Lofton (Counselor) in Counsellor’s Office: Cadet Noah Parata checking in

Posted by Cadet Noah Parata (Engineer) in Counsellor’s Office: Cadet Noah Parata checking in

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Vanessa Lofton (Counselor) in Counsellor’s Office: Cadet Noah Parata checking in
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Noah stood outside the counsellor’s office, fidgeting nervously. Something about the idea of a counsellor made him nervous. If engineers like him took apart machines and the medics on board could take apart (and presumably put back together) people then what exactly could a counsellor break or fix?

He didn’t like any of the answers he’d come up with so far.

But, what was the worst that thing that could happen? Well, he could be found unfit for duty. Get sent home.

He was certain that wasn’t going to happen.

Taking a breath to calm himself he stepped into the office properly, throwing up a salute. “Cadet Parata, reporting for my…uh..my…appointment?”

-Cadet Noah Parata

The doors slid open to reveal a sitting area filled by a large blue L-shaped sectional sofa against a darker blue wall. A painting on the wall gave the room some color - a man in a tuxedo dancing with a barefoot woman in a red evening gown on a wet beach, with a butler and maid nearby holding umbrellas. On one of the two end tables by the sofa sat a red vase - the same shade as the dress in the painting - filled with white daisies.

Seated on the sofa was a human woman in standard Starfleet uniform, shoulders stained medical blue. She was engrossed in a PADD and looked up as the doors opened and Noah announced himself. She stood, smiling brightly, checking the bun her dark hair was piled in. She dropped the PADD on the couch and crossed the room, hand extended.

“You must be Noah,” she greeted him. “I’m Lieutenant Commander Lofton, the ship’s counselor, but please, call me Vanessa. Come in, sit down!” She gestured to the sofa. “This is a very informal session, more for me to get to know you. Oh, would you like something from the replicator?”

OOC: Hi Jack! Welcome to the counselor thread, where we try to get to know more about your character, their backstory, their desires and motivations. Hopefully, we’ll come up with a couple of things to add to your bio! I can’t wait to write with you, and to learn more about Noah!

Lt. Cmdr. Lofton - CNS

OOC: Thank you for the warm welcome!

IC:
Noah looked around the room with suspicion, whilst doing his utmost to appear calm and in control. He shook her hand with a conviction he was missing. The question about the replicator threw him as he did his best to figure out what would be best. No drink? Might seem like he was uncomfortable. Water? No, too boring. But he didn’t want to get too relaxed so it had to be something that could help....

“A coffee please sir. Uh, Vanessa, I mean.”

Noah took a seat on the sofa , his face locked onto the painting. Something about it bothered him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Suddenly he sat up, remembering something. “Oh just a black coffee thanks! No, uh, no sugar or milk. Thank you.”

-Cadet Noah Parata

She nodded and walked to the food slot. “One coffee, black, and one hot chocolate,” she requested. She lifted the two saucers as the whine from the machine died down and returned, passing one to him and keeping one for herself as she sat.

“I have such a sweet tooth. You look nervous,” she said, and blew on her cocoa. “This really is a very casual meeting,” she repeated. “If Starfleet didn’t think you were ready to be here, you wouldn’t be here.” She sipped the cocoa and hummed.

“You and your grandfather are among only a handful of Maori to ever join Starfleet. Do you think that’s a cultural thing? What prompted you to join?”

Lt. Cmdr. Lofton - CNS

“I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes cast down to the coffee that he sipped slightly. “It just…joining Star Fleet means a lot to me. I didn’t want to do anything that’d screw that up. Plus, if I’m honest, I don’t understand what counsellors do. “

He perked up at the mention of his grandfather, a warm smile spreading onto his face. “I joined because Grandad convinced me to. He didn’t force me to or anything, but he saw how stuck I was in life. I grew up in the same town, never travelling far, living a very boring childhood. I was frustrated at home and kept arguing with my parents and the only thing that sounded good was getting out. He told me that with star fleet I’d travel the galaxy and learn to appreciate everything. Home and afar.”

Noah took a sip of the coffee, closing his eyes. It still wasn’t quite right, not quite like the coffee he made at home, but he figured he’d get used to it. “Did you know New Zealand was one of the last countries on earth to be settled by humans? In around 1200 AD. That’s so late! They travelled across huge oceans to do it, in these special rowing boats. Hundreds of miles like that. I feel closer to my history, doing this. Travelling into the unknown.”

He looked at the coffee again, a little uncertainty on his face. “I think.....I think home is important to us, culturally. Having the earth under your feet, we have a very outdoor oriented life in New Zealand. Leaving that all behind was harder than I thought it might be.”

-Cadet Noah Parata