Posted by Lieutenant Commander Isyme zh’Siaqir (Assistant Chief Medical Officer) in SideSIM – Psychiatry Suite – Steady as the Sea

Posted by Lieutenant Elin Mairwen Howell (Chief of Psychiatry) in SideSIM – Psychiatry Suite – Steady as the Sea

Posted by Lieutenant Elin Mairwen Howell (Chief of Psychiatry) in SideSIM – Psychiatry Suite – Steady as the Sea
Posted by… suppressed (8) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Isyme stepped from her quarters and stole a glance at the PaDD nestled between her fingers. She took a second to review its contents, pleased to find a handful of ‘to-do’s had earned an all-too-satisfying strike. Among its remnants, Psych Check-In slithered to the top.

With Zahir in the care of a willing, reliable crewman, Isyme wove through the Ogawa’s serpentine halls without the company of quick-footed, inquisitive seven-year-old. Her trip was strangely unremarkable. Minutes crept by before Isyme slipped through double doors, paused and made her way into the reception area.

“Excuse me,” she cleared her throat and patiently awaited a response.

– Isyme zh’Siaqir, ACMO

A somewhat matronly seeming woman appeared in the seat behind the reception desk. She had bobbed brown hair lightly streaked with grey, largeish, kind brown eyes, and a gentle smile. Oddly enough, she appeared to be knitting some kind of garment as she sat behind the desk. She looked up and her smile widened. “Lt. Commander zh’Siaqir isn’t it?” She replied. “You are exactly on time for your appointment. “She gestured toward the COPsychiatry’s office and a line lit up on the floor also showing the way. “Why don’t you head right in. Dr. Howell is expecting you.”

Holographic Receptionist “Heather”
(OOC: Modeled after my ‘honorary mom’ :D)
Amie/Lt. Howell

OOC: Aww! I love her. :)
IC:

Heather shattered Isyme’s expectations, reconstituting her vision of a cheeky, prematurely balding man into the warmth of a doe-eyed, motherly knitter. She faltered slightly. A tempered smile slipping onto her lips, Siaqir returned a nod.

“Thank you,” Siaqir hummed. Her gaze wandered to the hall, her feet shortly after, and she picked her way along the illuminated path. Within seconds, she found herself standing before Howell’s door curtly lifting a hand to palm the chime.

– Isyme zh’Siaqir, ACMO

bump for the boards! 12.04.2021

The doors slid open to reveal a roomy office in the process of being rearranged and personalized. There was the typical desk, but it was currently pushed off to one side and up against the wall. Several crates sat on it in various states of unpacked-ed-ness. One corner was currently set up with an assortment of comfortable looking chairs separated by a small table. A diffuser sat on the table giving off a pleasant citrusy scent. Elin was just finishing hanging a nicely framed image on the wall opposite the table and chairs. It showed two women, one obviously a younger version of Elin, in a park-like environment, sitting on the grass with a pair of large Golden Retrievers.

Siaqir passed through the doors, her gaze immediately drawn to the two women and their canines. A sliver of a smile swept across her lips before lowering her glacial gaze to the doctor.

Elin turned toward the door as Isyme entered. For moment the expression on her face was a little sad but she quickly put on a smile before she spoke, “Lt. Commander, welcome. My apologies for the disorder but things were looking a little too institutional in here.” She paused for a brief moment. ” Would you like anything from the replicator? I was just about to order up some tea.”

Dr. Elin Howell, COPsych

Isyme caught the flicker of sadness passing through her expression, but she chose not to mention it. “No need to apologise for a little redecorating,” she made a slight shrug, “these rooms could use a little flair.”

“Tea sounds great,” she hummed. “Thank you.”

Siaqir meandered to one of the chairs, resting her fingers at its head, and panned her gaze around the room. The question of who that woman was pressed against her mind. She wanted to ask, but the echo of Elin’s sadness muted Isyme long enough to refocus.

– Isyme zh’Siaqir, ACMO

Elin gathered two cups of hot black tea with honey and lemon from the replicator and placed them on the table between the two chairs. She noticed Isyme’s eyes linger over the image of herself with Liv and their dogs. She took a seat in one of the chairs and gestured for Isyme to do the same. “Her name was Olivia,” she said, with the same sad but fond smile. “Our tenth anniversary picnic. It turned out to be our last unfortunately.” She paused a moment and turned her thoughts back to the present. “But this is supposed to be about you. What brought you to Starfleet exactly?”

Dr. Elin Mariwen Howell, COPsych

Isyme looked at Elin with concern and reverence in equal measure. She thought to utter an expression of remorse or honour, but she settled for a solemn smile. Shaking her head, Isyme plopped in the chair across from Elin. She lifted the cup with a grateful nod, but rather than to fall prey to her thirst, it remained in her lap with an absent finger tracing its rim. “Of course,” the Andorian respected the change of subject.

“My motivation lacks the verve to unveil like some heroic tale,” she managed a bemused grin, “so I’ll put it plainly. I joined Starfleet to escape.” She gave Elin a moment to absorb her words, then continued. “My parents were pacifists. They were artists and merchants in a society afflicted by belligerence and combat. I was raised in their image.. and it caused me nothing but grief.” Issa lowered her chin as a flicker of regret passed through her gaze. “The kids at school would accuse me of being ‘cowardly’ and ‘soft.’ I was ostracised. At the time, being a true Andorian took precedence over my parents’ teachings. I took their compassion and mercy for granted. And if to spit in their face, I enlisted to the guard–” A wry chuckle escaped her. “–because that was the most ‘Andorian’ thing to do, right?”

“I completed my training at Laikan and graduated at the top of my class. A week later, I was shipped off with the Eketha as a combat medic and footsoldier.” She stifled a sigh, pausing to draw a long sip from her cooling tea. “Frankly, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. Subterfuge. Espionage. A by-any-means-necessary mindset. I joined as a doctor and ended up doing more harm than good. Kind of defeats the purpose of a vow.” An inwardly sardonic look flickered through her eyes. “Eventually, I reached my burnout point.” Her lips parted in an attempt to explain, but something steered her away. Isyme wasn’t ready to poke that demon. Taking in a soft breath, she concluded. “Starfleet was an opportunity to embrace my passion for medicine under policies and ethics that I agreed with. I realised that was more important than whatever ‘being Andorian’ was.” A smile shattered the murk of ambivalence and remorse that dared to consume her. “Plus.. Starfleet lets me keep my son close.”

— Isyme zh’Siaqir, ACMO

Elin’s expression was one of understanding and compassion. “It sounds more like you chose Starfleet as a new start rather then an escape. If escape was all you truly wanted you could have gone just about anywhere. Instead you chose to go somewhere that rang true to your core beliefs. I find that admirable.” She paused to consider how to gently broach the ‘elephant’ in the room. “You mentioned a burnout point,” she spoke in a gentle tone. “Is that something you’d be willing to talk about?”

Lt. Howell COPsych

bump

OOC: Thank you for your patience!
IC:

“Huh,” Isyme nodded, “I suppose if I’d been running, then I would’ve abandoned Starfleet by now.” She took a second to process Elin’s words, a flicker of appreciation weaving through her smile. She tilted her head, breaking the doctor’s gaze as another question fell from her lips. Siaqir took in a soft breath, a wrinkle forming between her eyebrows. “Of course,” she blinked and shook her head, “what do you need to know?” She wasn’t reserved in nature — she’d reveal whatever needed to be known — but she wasn’t sure what Elin was looking to discuss.

— Isyme zh’Siaqir, ACMO

“Was it truly a burnout point? Or was it perhaps a realization that your actions were in serious conflict with your beliefs?”

Dr. Elin Howell, COPsych