Posted by Lieutenant Commander Brenna Neenna Atoded (Chief of Pets & 2nd Officer (COP)) in Let’s Try this Again (TAG CNS)

Posted by Lieutenant Eleyr of House Em’ujo (Chief of Keeping Our Brains Healthy (CNS)) in Let’s Try this Again (TAG CNS)

(SNIP)

Brenna grinned and sipped at her drink. “Oh that is a very very long story. So what happened was....he was arrogant…like I can not tell you how annoying and arrogant he was. And well it was Freshman year, and I was still learning how to block people’s thoughts. See on Betazed we learn how to do this, but we also learn to block our own thoughts, so it makes easier to block, because people are already controlling their own thoughts. So I was still adjusting, and well his body language and verbiage didn’t just telegraph his....personality, his thoughts did as well. And it was ANNOYING!” Brenna raised a knee and wrapped an arm around it relaxing. “We were all, intel, tactical, security, in the physical fitness course together. Combat training, obstacle course, weapons training, tactical simulations, we were all together for all of it. It became obvious early on that Marsh was worth every inch of his ego, but so was I. And he called me ‘short stuff.’ Well after that we all kind of got together to show him mind over matter was a thing. Problem was he was smart too.” Brenna laughed, “We met face to face many many times. Usually a draw, but after the little incident with the obstacle course....he started dodging my every step, relentlessly asking me out.” She took a sip of her drink, “And that is the short version.” Brenna was more than happy to exchange more gossip, but she also didn’t want to over do it either if the counselor was merely being polite.

Eleyr tugged the targ jerky jar from her table and promptly sunk into her massive, fur-laden chair. She tore open the container, palming a single stick from its belly, and thrust it aside. Munching on it like a front-row sitter with an eye for the lead. Was it a long shot to say she enjoyed gossip? Spurts of roaring laughter, strange looks and the occasional smile were a soundtrack to Brenna story. When she finished, Eleyr couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. She wanted to know how he got her to go out with him. Was there some kind of fantastic display? Did she simply give in to his insistence? Gods, she would much prefer Brenna’s gossip to season 434 of General Hospital or Space Tyranny. (Sorry Commander Hotstuff.)

“So??” Eleyr waved her half-eaten jerky at Brenna. “Did you give in to his boyish wiles?”

Brenna grinned, turning slightly pink. “No, not at first. And had absolutely no intention of doing so. This went on for weeks. Everywhere I turned he was there. I think he was trying to show he could follow me without being spotted, but the man can’t figure out how to blend into a crowd. So, as I said this went on and on, and remember I said he was arrogant. So every time I caught him out, it was ‘You know you keep spotting me because you like me,’ or ‘I wasn’t even following you this time and you’re waiting for me,’ or some such nonsense. So it’s end of December and it’s actually snowing in San Francisco, it was Thursday, I remember because that was ladies night at O’Hanrahan’s. The WHOLE co-op went. We’d finished our midterms that afternoon, and it was the worst - the written Intel exam. We’re there, the rest are probably about 3 sheets to the wind. The first semester had been brutal and we were all ready for a reason to relax and blow some steam off. I’m sitting at a table near the door, freezing. Snow sucks by the way. Can’t stand the stuff, it’s cold and numbing and wet. Betazed is tropical, I’d never seen snow. So I’ve still got my coat on, and here comes Marsh walking in like he owns the place, no coat, not even phased by the weather outside, and sits down sliding right up to me, in my space, ‘Hey Short Stuff!’” Brenna gives a dangerous looking smirk, “I really hate that, by the way. Since insulting him, using logic, and besting him didn’t work, I figured I’d just ignore him. Well he wasn’t having it, the more I ignored him the more confident and familiar he became. Not to say he was inappropriate but he was making it a point to everyone he belonged there. Finally, R’Riia, my room mate and the lead security cadet in our group pipes up, ‘Leave her be Marsh. What’s your problem anyway?’ And I should have known something was up, because all of sudden his mind went blissfully quiet. Apparently he’d been getting some lessons somewhere.
Well I don’t drink, but with the drunken thoughts and emotions around me, and my exhaustion I might as well have been drunk on my own, and he’s sober. I finally pipe up and go ‘Oh so you can be quiet, thank the gods.’ and he laughs. Looks at R’Riia and then at me. ‘Tell you what, I’ll leave you alone, never bother you again if you get a higher score on the Intel exam than me. But if I get the higher score, you have to go on a date with me.’ Well everyone’s looking at us, the whole bar went quiet. We all knew there was NO way he would get a higher score than me. And to refuse would be to show fear, so I agreed. He chuckled at me, whispered in my ear, ‘1700 tomorrow night’ and left.” Brenna sipped at her tea, smiling and blushing over the memory. “None of us missed the exam and therefore the scores were already posted, none of us knew that, but Marsh. He’d already seen the scores. He beat me by ONE point.”

OOC: HAHAHA! I loved every second of this.
IC:

Wholly engrossed by Brenna’s tale, Eleyr lost sense of the world around them… including one testy eight-legged fiend marching in for another showdown. Power infected its mind, and it was out for blood. But Eleyr was blissfully oblivious. Soon, howls of laughter tore from her throat in the soundtrack to Atoted’s narrative. Curled lips and counterfeit disgust closely followed, each plunging her deeper into this real-life romantic comedy. She leaned forward, eager tips and shifts exposing her amusement, but a smirk remained tethered to her lips as a testament to her true character.
Eleyr absorbed her words, mental notes on how not to peeve the second officer escorting themselves to the back of her mind. For safe-keeping, of course. Snow. Invasions of privacy. Insufferably terrible attempts at stalking.. or whatever Intel hotshots called it. Short-stuff. It was valuable information, and she would prize it like the Sword of Kahless.

Eleyr watched Brenna’s cheeks rust, warning her of the outcome she feared (and secretly hoped) would occur. The great Brenna Atoted had lost the wager to Richard Marsh. A ‘boo’ dared to escape her lips, but it was no match for the formidable sparkle in her pale eyes. “Temerarious of him to challenge you,” her smirk managed to lighten her growl, “but gall makes for a worthy partner.” A flicker of approval passed through her gaze, but it soon tempered to skewed professionalism. “Where is your relationship, now?”

Eleyr thought for a moment, her mirth subdued by an echo of latent professionalism. Looking at Brenna, she noticed a lightness.. a relaxation that wasn’t there before. But she couldn’t pin her finger on whether it was rest-induced or her (temporary) reprieve from the ship’s antics. And there seemed to be many. Sooner than to assume the stress Brenna was under, she chose a simple question. “So,” she leaned forward ever-slightly, “how are you?”

— Eleyr, CNS

Brenna had been munching, or really tearing pieces of jerky off. She finished chewing, swallowed the piece and cleared her throat with a sip of tea. “Very well thank you. As much as I loathe to admit, I needed a couple of days off. Running a ship the size of Constellation, alone, for a month finally got to me. I was happy to do it so the captain could stay on paternity leave, but I was never meant to command a star ship, though I have the training for it.”
Lt Cmdr Atoded, CoP

“I find we are seldom put in positions we cannot handle,” she remarked, “whether we rise to the occasion or muddle through by sheer grit is inconsequential.” Eleyr tilted her head, studying Brenna in the quiet of a low grumble. “If not for command, what do you feel you’re ‘made’ for?”

— Eleyr, CNS

“I am very good at information gathering, and advising. I like being part of the senior staff and being part of the advisory group. But something I really love, that I didn’t discover until recently. I enjoy teaching.”
Lt Cmdr Atoded, CoP

“Teaching,” Eleyr echoed with genuine interest. “If given the opportunity, what would you teach?”

— Eleyr, CNS

Brenna sipped at her drink a moment, “Something hands on, practical, not theory. Maybe courses on first contact techniques, integration into primitive cultures for scientific data gathering, maybe even some of the intel courses. Or maybe go back to my counseling back ground and teach back home on Betazed.” Brenna chuckled, “There’s a lot of possibilities I guess.”
Lt Cmdr Atoded, CoP

“And what has stopped you from pursuing this newfound passion?” Eleyr dared to assume her recent toe-dip — cannonball, really — into command was a culprit, but she maintained her silence. Leaning back, she sipped elegantly at her java and briefly envisioned how much fun an intel course might be. ‘I’d make a good spy,’ she thought and scoffed inwardly, quickly redirecting her attention to Brenna.

— Eleyr, CNS

“Commitments to Intel. I’ve really liked jumping into command though. It’s allowed me to explore that side a bit by doing some mentoring. I would love to offer some cross training exercises for the crew, but my schedule will have to clear up a lot for that.” Brenna grinned. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested?”
Lt Cmdr Atoded, CoP

“‘Interested’?” Eleyr muttered as if it were an insult to suggest such trivial investment in Brenna’s passion. “If mentoring makes your heart woozy with glee,” she hummed, “then make the time to embrace it. That may not include all 900 officers and crew,” she furrowed her eyebrows just considering the number, “perhaps just a select few to get started.”

Her grin returned, “what do you think?”

— Eleyr

“I think you are a woman who likes to challenge herself and learn new things. And really one or two people to mentor is more than enough for me. I want to enjoy it not get burnt out on it.”
Lr Cmdr Atoded, CoP

Eleyr scoffed approvingly at her assessment, “I wouldn’t dare dispute a fact.” She waved a dismissive hand, considering the woman’s comment. Burnout was a significant risk for souls of her calibre – ambitious, diligent, badass. Though her Klingon heart ached to push her toward her aspirations, Eleyr bit her tongue. “Then one or two it is. Do whatever satiates your desire without harming yourself.”

“Tell me about this schedule of yours,” she continued. “What kind of chaos do endure each day?”

— Eleyr, CNS