Posted by Lieutenant Commander Janusz Korczak (Counselor) in CNS Office - Like The White Rabbit, The CMO Is Late For a Very Important… Check In (TAG CMO)

Posted by Lieutenant Tija Aizala (Chief Medical Officer) in CNS Office - Like The White Rabbit, The CMO Is Late For a Very Important… Check In (TAG CMO)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Janusz Korczak (Counselor) in CNS Office - Like The White Rabbit, The CMO Is Late For a Very Important… Check In (TAG CMO)
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Korczak sat and looked at her as she spoke, and then looked at the picture in her hands for a few short moments. “Shock. Your mother experienced a great shock, and her mind protected itself however it could. By withdrawing from the world, other people…” and he looked directly at Tija, “… other children; she protected herself unconsciously from further trauma. Your father deflected his pain, turning it into anger. Neither of those responses is wrong per se, but they are temporary solutions to a permanent problem.” and he looked back at the holo-pic. “I suppose we were lucky in some small way. We didn’t have a war to contend with after Anastasia and Janusz were taken. I can only begin to imagine the difficulties your family endured.” and he suddenly chuckled a wry chuckle. “Hm. Interesting. I am not sure I have spoken their names aloud for some time.” and he looked again at Tija. “My nephew was named after me. He would have been thirteen this year.” he said with a deep sigh following. “What memories do you have of your sister?”

Korczak, CNS

OOC: I really love this thread. Keep up the awesome writing, you guys.

Sarah

OOC: Thank you, Sarah :)

IC:
Tija nodded here and there while listening and her gazes drifted back to the picture in her hands. At his question she tilted her head slightly to the side, her brows knitting together in a deep frown. “I … don’t know,” she admitted before falling silent once more. Shifting the picture frame to one hand, she reached for the tea cup on her knees with the other. Lifting the cup to her lips, her eyes closed, she inhaled the strong herbal aroma before taking a couple of sips. She hoped that the soothing qualities of this blend would help settle her nerves some.

Opening her eyes again, Tija looked at Korczak, her left eyebrow slightly raised. “I was only two years old, when she died. I’m not sure if any of the memories I have of her are really mine or simply hearsay. Inuma told me that Soanea was a bright child, and very curious and adventures. But also gentle and empathetic. She always watched me, when our parents were busy. Inuma also described her to me. She was even paler than I am, but had just as may freckles. Her eyes were more grey than green and she had a wild mane of curly blond hair.” She sighed softly and shook her head ever so slightly.

~Lt. Tija, Asst. CMO

Korczak watched her speak, and smiled slightly. “Let us try a little something, shall we? Set the tea and picture aside, and place your hands on your knees.”

Tija nodded and took a deep breath as she placed the cup and the picture frame on a nearby side table. Straightening her back, she then placed her hands on her knees and looked at the Counsellor.

He waited as she settled in. Korczak knew that smell was the most powerful trigger for memory in most humanoid species. If he could find a smell that Tija could remember from when she and her sister were together, then maybe she could find a memory truly of her own. And if she was able to do that, then her mental and emotional stability were no doubt intact; and her present and any future on-boarding assessments would be completely standard and much less… involved.

“Now. Close your eyes. Picture your family in your mind. Even if it is a memory of a picture of your family. Just remember what you can.” and he paused for a few moments.

Nodding again, she closed her eyes and tried to conjure up a picture of her family in her mind.

“Think of your first home. Remember where it was… which way it faced. Remember the lighting inside. And now… remember the smell of your favorite meal. Remember how it smelled when it was served to you and your sister. Inhale the aroma… remember the smell of it… the anticipation you had before you ate… and then tell me what you see when you look across the table. And what you see when you look next to you.”

Korczak, CNS

Her eyes flashed open and an involuntary snort escaped her lips. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to undermine what you’re trying.” Her cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson and she looked rather embarrassed. “For the first six years of my life, we were hiding in the mountains without a real permanent home and we would we eat what ever could be found; roots and berries mostly. I remember being hungry much more than any of the things I ate, to be honest.” Bowing her head, she lifted her hands of her knees and rested her elbows on her thighs instead while burying her face in her hands and mumbling something unintelligible.

~Lt. Tija, Asst. CMO

Korczak smiled and said softly “Of course. But I want to remember a time, however brief, when you felt like you were home. Try and put yourself in the mindframe of your younger self. You didnt know that how you were living wasnt the norm, because that’s all you had known. Just try to find a small, brief moment…”

Korczak, CNS

Dropping her hands back onto her knees, Tija exhaled with a soft sigh as she straightened her back and closed her eyes again. With her brows knitted together in concentration, she tried to recall memories from her early childhood. The first thing that came to her mind, was of her mother clinging to her father while crying bitterly. And while that memory stood out vividly, she’d happily forget that day. And anyways, it wasn’t what she was supposed to try and remember. Was there anything she could remember before that day?

It felt like forever that she sat there, her eyes closed, trying to will herself back into the mindframe of her younger self. But eventually she thought that she did remember something. Something that had to do with berries.”I think our parents sent us to collect berries and we ended up eating them while picking them,” Tija whispered, “but I can’t recall a clear image of that moment.”

~Lt. Tija, Asst. CMO

Korczak replied softly. “Concentrate on the berries. What did the plants smell like? How did the leaves feel as you picked them? Dont worry about the moment… just let it come to you… and it will.”

Koczak, CNS

Chewing on her lower lip, Tija tried to remember. Another long silence on her part followed Korczak’s words. When she finally spoke again, her voice was soft and sounded uncertain. “I think my hands were all pink … from the berries, maybe … and the leaves … are … kind of stiff … with tiny, sharp points … and the branches had small thorns. We must have picked topaja berries. They taste and smell very sweetly.”

~Lt. Tija, Asst. CMO

Korczak let the memory sit in her mind a moment before speaking. “Now hold onto that image, those tastes and smells. Look around you, at the bushes, the berries, the rocks and leaves… and then… look at your sister. Tell me about her.”

Korczak, CNS

With her eyes still closed, Tija nodded. She tried to really see the berry bushes and all. Subconsciously and without noticing that she as doing it, the doctor started to turn her head this way and that; only slightly at first, but eventually much more. As she talked again, her head was turned to the right and tilted slightly backwards, as if she was looking up at someone or something. “Her hands are as pink as mine … it looks like someone tried to braid her hair without much success … it’s too curly for that … she is wearing brown pants and boots … and a cream coloured shirt … there is some green on it too … and pink stains.” Her voice broke slightly at those last words and she swallowed hard before she continued to talk. “Her arms, neck and face are incredibly freckled … her lips are tinted pink … she is beaming … and laughing, I think … she looks down at me …” At some point tears had started to run down her cheeks without her even noticing it consciously. And her voice became softer and more and more chocked up, till she felt unable to talk anymore.

~Lt. Tija, Asst. CMO