Posted by Lieutenant Commander Sadie (Chief Science Officer) in Counselor’s office (pre-sim) Boarding Evaluation

Posted by Lieutenant Dr. Mariah Lee Grayson (Chief of Psychiatry) in Counselor’s office (pre-sim) Boarding Evaluation

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Sadie (Chief Science Officer) in Counselor’s office (pre-sim) Boarding Evaluation
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Sadie stepped up to the Counselling Suite and carefully made her way within. She had ensured to schedule her assessment ahead of time, and was… only ten minutes early. Okay, eleven minutes, but who was counting. Certainly not her. Okay, yes, she was counting, but the clock was right there in front of her, and it was easier to think about the fact that she was early than to–
Sadie shook herself and tapped her fingers against her thighs a few times. Physical motions reinforce intention. Tap equals reset, she muttered inside her head, escaping the thought spiral. For now.

“Hi, um,” she caught the attention of the nearest person who looked like they were a counselor. “I’m here for my psych eval at 1400. Lt. Cmdr. Sadie.”

Lieutenant Commander Sadie
Chief Science Officer USS Ogawa

The kindly psych tech smiled, and upon hearing the hiss of nearby doors opening, she pointed in Mariah’s direction. “If Dr. Grayson can’t help you, no one can.“Realizing how that might’ve sounded, she quickly added, “Dr. Grayson is on call this shift and would be happy to help.“

“Thank you,” Sadie nodded, approaching the indicated door. “There isn’t an appointment ongoing that I would be interrupting?” she asked, turning back to the tech.

Lieutenant Commander Sadie
Chief Science Officer USS Ogawa

The tech shook her head. “I was just delivering reports to her so I happen to know she is absolutely available.” The young blond then placed a hand beside her mouth and whispered, “I happen to know how much she prefers talking to people over reading reports, so as far as I’m concerned, you’d be doing us all a favor,” she added, her grin growing wider.

Sadie nodded, a small amused smile forming on her face, then stepped over to the door and pressed the chime.

Lieutenant Commander Sadie
Chief Science Officer USS Ogawa

“Come in,” a soft lilting voice called out, the doors automatically opening with a hiss as Grayson had programmed. The verbal response was merely verbal confirmation of what the opened doors had already indicated, but anyone could have also recognized the twinge of relief in her tone…a visitor, a distraction!

Mariah turned in her desk chair to face the entrance and immediately stood, extending a hand. “Hello, Commander,” Grayson offered, spotting the Lieutenant Commander’s pips. “I’m Dr. Mariah Grayson. How may I be of service?”

~Dr. Mariah Grayson, CoP

Sadie looked briefly at the offered hand, then tapped her own hand to her collarbone in her culture’s version of a greeting, her head dipping respectfully. Her right palm rested on her chest, then extended out in a graceful motion towards the doctor, palm facing upwards. “May your hearts beat strongly, and your love grow wide,” she spoke as she performed the action, then pulled her hand back, folding her hands in front of herself. She left a small pause before speaking again. “Good afternoon, Dr. Grayson, I am Sadie. I am here for my boarding evaluation.”

Lieutenant Commander Sadie
Chief Science Officer USS Ogawa

Mariah discretely lowered her offered hand and silently chastized herself for the automatic gesture. She needed to take more care not to make assumptions, as she was meant to model cultural understanding and tolerance. “Welcome, Sadie,” Mariah replied warmly. “Your greeting conveys a beautiful sentiment and I apologize for my ignorance of your customs. I meant no offense by offering my hand to you.”

Grayson was tempted to invite Sadie to sit, but not wanting to make another misstep, she decided it would be best to follow the Chief’s lead.

~Dr. Mariah Grayson, CoP

Sadie took a seat, giving Mariah a warm smile. “No offense is taken, Doctor. We, um. Handshakes are uncomfortable. For both me and you.” She held up a hand, splaying her fingers. If Grayson hadn’t already noticed the fact that Sadie’s hand only had three fingers and a thumb, she would notice it now. The fingers themselves were, despite the overall size of the hand being smaller than that of a human, longer than those of humans, and while the thumb and pointer had normal nails, the middle and pinky finger were tipped with dark, almost claw-like nails. “Do you know why handshakes developed, as a custom?”

Lieutenant Commander Sadie
Chief Science Officer USS Ogawa

“If I recall correctly, it was a way to show others one didn’t have any hidden weapons,“ Mariah replied. “I also recall in many human cultures, it was quite important to initiate the handshake using the correct hand, typically the right, as the left hand was most commonly used for hygiene purposes, and it was considered an insult to offer that potentially unclean hand in greeting. I truly appreciate your patience with me and your efforts to spare me discomfort. I’m sorry I wasn’t more prepared ahead of our meeting. Would you care to sit down? I’m happy to contact our meeting standing if that would be more comfortable for you.“

~ Dr. Mariah Grayson, CoP