Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Leah Hart (Nurse Practitioner/Counseling) in Galley/Lounge- A Simple Chat

Posted by Captain Rende Asam (Commanding Officer) in Galley/Lounge- A Simple Chat

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Leah Hart (Nurse Practitioner/Counseling) in Galley/Lounge- A Simple Chat
Posted by… suppressed (16) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Leah grabbed a coffee after surveying the lunch options on display and grabbed the table she had come early to snag. It was far enough from the others that her and Captain Asam could have a quiet (and private) conversation), but they were facing outwards towards the other tables where others could see them. The idea was to show them both out and about while also giving the captain a chance to chat freely about whatever might be on her mind. While she had no department and her role was not strictly mental health here on the Sentinel, she took the mental well being of each and every person here seriously and she was glad Asam had suggested it. It saved her from having to try and insinuate herself into the woman’s life where she might not be wanted. And quite frankly, Leah was not intimidated very easily, but after their first meeting on the ship, Leah had felt awkward about further conversations with the woman. She had been so very glad to have had that discomfort ease after Rende came to see her in Sickbay.

Sipping from her mug, she wrapped her hands around the vessel and took a moment t decompress after a very busy few days.

~Leah Hart, NP

The captain entered, and Hart didn’t have to be watching to know. The whole atmosphere in the room changed. The noise level fluctuated as people realized the captain was there. They watched her, straightened uniforms, glanced at their civilian clothes self-consciously, wiped faces and hands with napkins and offered very formal nods. One new ensign even stood and saluted her, refusing to relax and sit down until she gave him permission.

She spoke to everyone who was brave enough to speak or look at her directly, and a few others. She asked specific and pointed questions about their work or family or other tidbits. She had a natural military bearing. She stood, spoke, moved in a way that left no doubt about it. There was care and compassion in her, though most couldn’t see past the rank stripes on her sleeve.

She grabbed a tray and made her way over to where Leah was sitting. She slid into a seat with a sigh and a shake of her head. “Hello, Lt. Or would you prefer Leah right now?”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Leah had taken it all in with quiet observation, knowing that certain dynamics were hard to budge, if the captain even wanted to, which she wasn’t entirely sure she did. However that sigh spoke volumes. She gave Rende a warm smile. “I’m good with Leah if you are comfortable with it. And what about you? How you prefer I address you in this circumstance.” While these were meant to be causal chats, Leah was still working within them and ever person had preferences for how former or casual their relationship with their therapist was.

~Leah Hart, NP

The woman smiled, “Anything but Captain or Ma’am. Captain means I can’t be off duty, and Ma’am makes me feel my age.” Then she laughed a little as if a private joke.

Cpt. Asam, CO

“Noted,” Leah said with a grin. “And it’s important to be able to feel off duty, even if your role doesn’t always truly allow that.” It was what the captain had more or less said to Leah herself last time. “I’m glad we can do this, even if people are a bit weird at first. But just wait and watch, they’ll get used to your presence and for some at least it will just be a part of everyday life here.”

Rende grinned, “How very wise of you, Leah.” She glanced around, “It was never this bad when I was an XO. It was very easy, even when I first took the position. People were willing to approach me. Now, well even for duty related requests they won’t.”

“Hmmm,” Leah said, her mind working through the problem and what the solutions might look like.

“I have coffee, but still pondering lunch, though it does look like there are some good options in the dispensers.”

~Leah Hart, NP

“Gorshin is an excellent cook. I don’t know how he was assigned here, but I am glad he is. There is nothing he can’t do culinary wise.”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Hart gestured with her head. “Well I love food and am always up for trying new things. Let’s go check out our options and you can tell me if there’s anything in particular I should try.”

She took another sip from her cup and got up, letting the captain take the lead. But even as Leah followed her, she was relaxed in her demeanour, hoping to demonstrate to the others in the galley that this was a lunch just like any other day. It just happened to be with the captain. She understood people’s reactions though. If Asam hadn’t taken the time to have that conversation with her, Leah would have felt awkward and nervous around her in this setting too. The thing she did know was that at the end of the day, commanding officers were people too and they needed care and compassion just like anyone else. It just sometimes took a different form.

~Leah Hart, NP

Rende moved up to the counter and looked over it. Gorshin was incorrigible and walked right over and spoke to her. “Afternoon captain. You’re just in time. I finally got to try my hand at that Risan perch I brought back from shore leave. You were right, those folks really know how to surprise you. I’m glad you sent me down to the moon. I had a great time, and I got to try all kinds of new foods and culinary techniques. Try it and tell me what you think.” He took a plate and loaded it with a fish filet, rice, beans, some kind of rainbow striped vegetable and a garnish of fruit.

“Gorshin, it smells divine and looks mouth watering. I can’t wait to try it,” Rende took the plate and set it on her try and then moved down the line to grab a drink. Gorshin looked at Hart, “What about you, Lt.? Want to give it a try?”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Leah flashed him a grin. “Absolutely!” she said, holding her hands out to take a plate. “Thank you.”

Food in hand, she grabbed a glass of water to go with her coffee and some cutlery and rejoined the captain at the table, smiling at the other crewmembers present as she passed them.

Settling in, Leah sipped her water before cutting into the fish. “One of these days I’m going to see about getting in some idiada from Aldebaran. It’s this really interesting root vegetable that is a staple food item back home and works like a potato or other starchy root vegetable but has a sweet and almost tart flavour. I’m so curious what Gorshin would do with it.”

~Leah Hart, NP

Rende nodded in lew of a response because her mouth was full. She took a sip of her water and then answered. “You would make Gorshin’s month if you would bring something in for him to try out. Let Rand know or Chief Helpful, the quartermaster. Either of them can find just about anything.” She used her fork to break of a piece of the flaky fish, well aware that Gorshin was watching. She hummed, sighed, and sat back. “Oh that’s even better than the aroma. I won’t tell the restaurant Gorshin’s is better, but it is. It’s seared better, and there is something…smokey with a tang to it.”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Hart chuckled. “Some people just have that knack. Unfortunately, no one alive in my family is gifted with cooking skills, but my grandmother does better than most. What little I know comes from her.” Her mother certainly never had had the time to teach her anything and Leah wasn’t even sure just how much her mother could cook. “But I’ll definitely see about getting some stuff in for Gorshin. I bet the crew would love a paella night, with different types from different regions of Spain. We could even do a vegetarian one.” Her eyes lit up at the thought of not only sharing her culture with the crew, but the themed events that they could do to promote more bonding between the crew.

“What’s your favourite food, Rende?” she asked, testing out the woman’s first name and how her use of it would make them both feel in this setting.

~Leah Hart, NP

Rende smiled at the casualness. It felt good. She answered without hesitation, “Irish lamb stew. I miss Ireland and my home there. I’ve tasted food from all over, but there is just something comforting about eating food from home.”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Leah dug into her rice and beans and nodded. “Agreed. Though funny enough, my parents took all their Spanish favourites with them when they settled on Aldebaran. So I grew up with all that cultural heritage and it was all mixed up with the local specialties, plus all the foods my friends ate from their respective homes and cultures. Sometimes I think a dish is Spanish only to find out that it got adapted in particular ways to Aldebaran. I always found that fascinating.”

~Leah Hart, NP

“It really is surprising, but also beautiful to see how successful groups can integrate and share and build their cultures into something familiar and totally unique. It is something I’ve always enjoyed discovering.” Rende had seen a lot of that in her travels, and it always amazed her. Of course the violence stopped surprising her as well.

Cpt. Asam, CO

The glistening fish was perfectly cooked and flaked apart in the most magical way. Leah took a moment to fully savour the bite, not rushing it for the sake of continuing the conversation. “Have you been anywhere that truly astonished you? I know a lot of people who spend any amount of time on starships can get jaded at times, but there’s usually always one place that feels special, even years later.”

~Leah Hart, NP

Rende couldn’t answer that question with the actual answer. It was people that the Federation had never encountered and it would be very hard to explain how Rende knew them. “Þynavia. Their planet is beautiful. Much like Deltans, they protect their environment and sustain it, sometimes to their own expense. They don’t build, but adapt to the environment and shelters that are naturally provided, but yet they are extremely advanced. They are compassionate and caring and loving and open. There is no prejudice on their world, no word for ‘different’. Only oniquitu which roughly translates to personal uniqueness.”

Cpt. Asam, CO

A genuine warmth flowed through Leah as she took in those sentiments. “I love that. If only we could find such a concept more often.” She wouldn’t say she had had bad experiences, but there had been a few times when people misunderstood the way she moved through her life and loved people. Most of the time it was fine, but some ended up feeling like they had been tricked, that Leah was playing some sort of game because she dated people irregardless of gender. Usually those people weren’t worth her energy, since the issue lay in their own insecurities, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt at times to be the recipient of the backlash.

“It seems to be very rare. In actuality it isn’t. There are many species that have similar outlooks. We just hear very little about them because the news, history, records the conflicts. A peaceful civilization has no drama to excite us. It’s very sad, in my opinion,” the captain said.

“I think that’s the thing I’m most excited about being on the Sentinel. I haven’t travelled all that many places so I’m looking forward to seeing more of what the galaxy has to offer.”

~Leah Hart, NP

Rende laughed, “An explorer at heart. You need that to be out here, and make a life of it. You will see many things. Make sure Kreed adds you to away teams so you aren’t just watching from the transparent aluminum windows.”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Leah’s eyes lit up. “I’ll be sure to do that!” She hadn’t really considered being involved with landing parties, and while she knew she would be called at times, she found it less likely than perhaps some of the other med staff. Then again, Leah had been an ER nurse for several years, so she was skilled with trauma and triage.

Leah ate more of the fish and nodded, in part to herself. “I was always off poking about things, sometimes where I shouldn’t. I was too curious as a child for my won good,” she said with a grin. “I found myself up in trees way too big for me far too often.”

~Leah Hart, NP

Rende chuckled inside. “I was the same as a child. Drive my parents crazy. They were very proper and couldn’t understand why I didn’t listen to everything they said and just go along with it.”

Cpt. Asam, CO