Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in Side sim: Early Morning in the Lab

(snip)

Rand dreaded Scott finding out. She hadn’t told Roman or Randy about the daily panic attacks Scott’s visits induced. They had gotten better, manageable, once Scott found out about her anxiety attacks. But Scott was just an anxiety inducing person, she couldn’t help it, it was the way Scott was made. She wasn’t sure what Roman would do, the visits were when Scott was off duty so there wasn’t much he could do. Randy on the other hand was a medical professional and would shamelessly use that to make Scott back off. The thing about Randy was that he really wasn’t hot-headed at all. He was stubborn, thought he was right (all the time) and had no problem acting like he was hot headed to get the job done. But he was over-protective. Ever since she’d ended up in the hospital. Now normally she would tell Randy everything, but this was…different. Randy was Roman’s therapist and with that particular relationship taking (in her mind) precedence so Roman got the help he needed. Randy was a professional, but when it came to her she wasn’t sure who would take center stage, Randy the Therapist or Randy the Big Brother.

She shook her head, “It’s not that he dislikes you. Honestly, he finds you as stubborn, pushy, opinionated, and difficult as you find him.” She didn’t say it, but they were so much a like. “And it’s not that he invades my privacy, but he will be concerned that I’m keeping secrets, a big one, from him.” It was hard to explain. She and Randy were very close. Randy knew that if Rand was keeping secrets it usually wasn’t because it was happy, but because it was bad and scared her and stressed her out. That was not the case now. She sighed, heavily. “Randy has always been…protective. It got a lot worse when I ended up in the hospital.” She looked away, at the desk, fidgeting with straightening papers for a moment. Thinking about that always made her jumpy and thinking about it too much gave her panic attacks. In an effort to change the subject Rand looked back at him and tried to grin. And in the richest Scottish lilt he had ever heard from her, “Weel thir is one problem. Ye’re English, Roman.”

Rand

Roman had, in his discussions with Randy, carefully omitted certain details in order to not out their secret before Rand was ready for him to know. Randy found him… exactly how he found Randy. That was difficult to wrap his head around. Roman and Randy were not the same. Randy was all… Goofy, un-serious, usually. He was good at his job though, and despite their personality conflicts Roman had always respected Randy as an officer. He had considered that Randy might not want to help him anymore if he knew the truth, and it was selfish of him to withhold information in order to make sure he still had access to that help. But he did need it, as much as he hated to admit it. He grinned at her final statement and in a typical English fashion, said, “And what’s wrong with the English?”

~ Roman

Even after all these centuries the Scottish had never forgotten nor forgiven what the English had done to their country and their people, their traditions and way of life. Oh the whole of this attitude didn’t really extend to the every day English man, woman, or child. It was the principle of the thing, and in large gatherings it had a life of it’s own.
Cursing the English was a way of life, just like children teasing each other about the boogie man under the bed. However, at that exact moment, Rand was totally distracted by the teasing arrogant grin on his face. “Uh…I can’t remember at the moment.”

Rand