Posted by Lieutenant Siennadye Nox (Counselor) in Side Sim - Dealing with Separation

Posted by Ensign Ashlyn Trenton (Security Officer) in Side Sim - Dealing with Separation

Posted by Lieutenant Siennadye Nox (Counselor) in Side Sim - Dealing with Separation

(Snip)

She nodded. “In this context, I mean an interpersonal connection that has a closeness to it. There is a comfort of the person’s presence. You allow yourself to be vulnerable around them. Together you make a real friendship. You know more about each other than the average watercooler disclosures. You spend time in each other’s presence outside of work or whatever hobby you have in common.”

“There is a sort of hierarchy of connection. Light connection is acquaintance level. Medium connection is colleagues though they can sometimes become the deep connection level which is friendship. And if you want to define our connection, it is doctor to patient which is also a deep connection but not the kind I am speaking of when I speak of real connections. I want you off the fringes of the room or the dark booth in the corner and out there among people making friends and figuring out people.”

Nox, CNS

Ashlyn hesitated, being a social person wasn’t really her thing. She was more comfortable sticking to the sides, dark shadows, or small crawl spaces where she could analyze and investigate for a few days before approaching a person. Even her own work team she studied as much as she could before getting onto the ship. The idea of jumping into the middle of a group of people to say ‘Hey ho there, let’s all be friends’ just sounded insane and dangerous. Okay, sure, she wouldn’t say that exactly, but inserting herself into the middle of people randomly still didn’t feel right.

However, this was a goal set in place by the counselor and therefor had reason. Ashlyn tried to see the practical application for such social skills for her own goals and was able to piece together a lack of social awkwardness and the ability to blatantly interact with others would lead to more fruitful investigations. It’s easier to investigate people from inside their social circles than from outside. Ashlyn relented that this was a necessary step toward her own goals and she needed to accept that. “Going to have to learn to be a social butterfly. Admittedly, when off duty, I do teach Parkour to those that are interested. It’s a great escape point for me and allows some crew interaction. That’s only for about an hour and a half though. Outside of that I’ve been putting together presentations on theoretical upgrades, perhaps I should shift more of that time to being…social.”

• Ensign Ashlyn Trenton
  Security, USS Europa

Sienna listened to the voiced conversation and the internal monologues of Ashlyns mind with equal analytical skill. If Ashlyn wanted to get into the more covert work of security, she would need to be exceptional at interpersonal relationships. She would need to be steady and have a firm grasp on her self awareness. What she wanted was more than scanning corridors for intruders and providing protection detail. Even those things required some of the abilities that Trenton lacked. It was going to take time and effort on Trenton’s part to gain those skills.

“Teaching your parkour course is an excellent social avenue, but it also puts you in the role of teacher rather than social equal, so yes, I would like you to shift to more social interactions. I want you to practice and work on your communication skills, especially with your bunkmate. You need to learn to live in close proximity with people you may not find a perfect fit because that is necessary to your ability to remain fleet bound in Star Fleet.”

Nox, CNS

Ashlyn nodded her understanding, out of anything she could say to argue against such social activities. Her first goal would have to be repairing what was left of her relationship with her bunkmate regardless of her opinions of her private life. “I understand, shall I schedule a followup appointment or just wait until I have something significant to report?”

• Ensign Ashlyn Trenton
  Security, USS Europa