Posted by Lieutenant Siennadye Nox (Counselor) in Ensign Ashlyn Trenton: On Boarding Psyche Evaluation

Posted by Ensign Ashlyn Trenton (Security Officer) in Ensign Ashlyn Trenton: On Boarding Psyche Evaluation

Posted by Lieutenant Siennadye Nox (Counselor) in Ensign Ashlyn Trenton: On Boarding Psyche Evaluation
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
The physical had been mostly okay, there were some rather invasive questions regarding the requested medications but all of it was smoothed over rather easily. The next stop was the one Trenton had the most trouble with every time, the Counselor. Each one always starts off eager and ready to help in any way they can, then they request to see the records kept by Starfleet Intelligence, then they back off and try to focus on most of the other problems. So this time, Trenton decided to skip the change and just requested her previous Counselor to transfer the files in question to this one so they would already have the hang-ups this will cause. It’s easier to deal with it from the start rather than build trust and have it suddenly vanish without explanation. Ashlyn stood at the door, facing it as if it was the prelude to an executioner and she was trying to keep her calm. Her ‘conference’ was actively planning out the worst of possibilities, as usual, her worst habit by far.

Trenton of course had to remind herself that the Counselor was a Betazoid like her friend Sharah and could probably hear the noise of the Conference just as much. So of course she’s going to ask about all these silly conspiracy theories about herself. Theories ranging from as mundane as constantly asking ‘how does that make you feel’ while making grocery lists and silly art to ideas as extreme as the Counselor using her position to subjugate the lesser minds of these Starfleet imbeciles so she can take over the universe! Okay, that’s not going to happen but the thought put Ashlyn at ease enough to get going. However, if the door opened and she had a Persian cat and evil goatee, she would have to walk away. After coming to terms with herself, Trenton reached out and activated the chime for the office, all the while thinking to herself ‘Please don’t be a stereotype villain, I am not going to be able to hold it together’.

When the door opens, Trenton steps in with her neutral mask in place. “Ensign Ashlyn Trenton, Reporting for Onboarding Psychological Evaluation.”

• Ensign Ashlyn Trenton
  Security, USS Europa

The doors opened with an office broken up into two sections. The first and most immediate upon walking into the doorway was the official desk space. Her desk was uncluttered, with only a few PaDD’s on its surface. A lovely watercolor print of two people dancing sat on the wall behind the desk. It had been created by the counselor sometime in the last year… a part of her own therapy perhaps? Sienna was not sitting there though.

The other side, a little angled away from the desk area, was a sitting area with nice size window looking out into space. In front of the window was a cozy looking warm dark green couch with low coffee table and two cozy matching chairs opposite. The warm wood table had a tray of coffee for herself but she left the replicator exposed beside the couch for Ashlyn if she wished to have some refreshment. Someone with hyper-vigilance might be unlikely to drink from already prepared nourishment. Two rather long planters of flowers sat on the wide windowsill between the window and couch. A multi colored glass shard mobile hung in the corner beside a series of floating shelves. On the shelves, she had a set of real books and a statue of the USS Korolev.

Sienna smiled and stood as the newest crewman of the USS Europa entered her office. Her smile was kind and genuine. She loved meeting all of her patients for the first time. There was something unique in every one and Sienna enjoyed getting to know them all. She had a hot cup of coffee in one hand and had been sitting on the right side of the couch nearest the glass mobile. She didn’t always have her appointments in her office, but had a feeling the Ensign would have a hard time with anything unconventional at the start of their counselor/patient relationship. “Good afternoon Ensign Trenton. Come in, get yourself something to drink if you like and have a seat.”

Nox, CNS

Trenton entered the office and immediately began taking notes of her observations from around the office, noting details of selected art, furniture choices, the fact that the counselor was in a chair rather than her desk. Each aspect a part of her whole, and Ashlyn didn’t care, the careful observation was mostly an attempt to find the cat and the goatee so she would have a reason to burst out laughing. Instead all she was was a ball of nervous energy, no, not nervous, but a ball of energy. After being satisfied that she kept up her appearances that she was being suspicious of her surroundings, she requested a large bottle of water from the replicator and moved over to the chair. Rather than sit in the chair across from the counselor, she moved so that she could stand behind it comfortably. Clearly not one to sit if it can be helped, she would look almost child-like sitting in these chairs given her size.

Ashlyn opened the bottle of water and took a long drink from it, sighed contentedly, then put the cap back onto it. “Hello Counselor Nox, I’m looking forward to working with you during my stay on the Europa.” That felt as stiff as it sounded, too forced to be genuine which makes Ashlyn wince. “Sorry, that felt less genuine than I intended. I am interested in working with you, but right now I have an urge for motion and I just want to…move. Run, jump, dive and climb, it’s been more than a week since the last time I could do Parkour and it’s making me feel…stagnant.” The young ensign rubs her legs and groans before taking another long drink of water. “I really do love Parkour, it’s such a great feeling, difficult to describe. You know, on my way here, I actually learned to write holodeck programs so I could improve on Trenton Park. I think you would appreciate the artistic vision of the city.” Ashlyn moves around the office to analyse the Counselor’s art pieces, “Perhaps not the aesthetic or color scheme, but certainly the effort and vibrancy of it.” Trenton gave Nox a long look as she moved back to her spot behind the chair. “You should come once the program is up and running. Maybe not for the Parkour itself unless you really want to, but certainly just to get a feel for the kind of creativity I can put out there. Maybe even to see how the activity affects me and my emotional state if you’re into that kind of thing.”

Siennadye watched the young person as they moved and spoke. Sometimes being silent was the best thing a counselor could do. In the silence, much can happen as evidenced by Ashlyn’s constant motion and speech. She watched as the ensign wandered around her office, taking in the art that had been used to decorate the space and then move back to her defensible position behind the chair. Even if Sienna had not been a half Betazoid and telepathic and empathic, she would have known the ensign to be full of nervous energy. Was that her natural state of being however? Only time would tell perhaps. Finally, she decided to respond to the unspoken question with her normal genuine honesty, “I think I should be delighted to see your holodeck program when it is up and running.”

Ashlyn takes another long pull of water before continuing to pace around. “You know, I’m actually mildly disappointed you didn’t have the goatee and Persian cat. That would have been funny, and I could use the laugh.”

• Ensign Ashlyn Trenton
  Security, USS Europa

She watched Trenton pace the room again and lifted a brow at the image described. “I don’t think I would look good with facial hair and though Persians are lovely cats, I don’t know that I want one while I am here in this Universe.”

The Counselor’s response was expected, except for that last bit about being in ‘this’ universe. That gave Trenton some pause as she tried to process what she meant by that, instead choosing to shrug it off as a one-off method of euphemism that she didn’t get.

She stood. “Well then, I think I have an idea. Shall we go to the holodeck now?”

Nox, CNS

That’s twice now the Counselor has given her pause, this is most unusual and moderately suspect, but Trenton had to trust and took another drink of water. “Alright, I’ll bite. Should I get a change of clothes? If I’m to give a demonstration I’d prefer not to tear up a uniform while trying to be an acrobat.” A good setup if any, this would allow her to throw the counselor off and bring some kind of balance to the unusual interaction. “Unless, of course, that is what you’re after?” Ashlyn asked with a raised eyebrow. It was subtle enough to hint at something while still being a jokingly inquisitive question. It may be a little inappropriate, but at worst it would be a verbal reprimand and she wouldn’t do it again. Unless she says yes, then that would make this significantly worse! Why did she set that up? This was a terrible idea! Abort! Abort! Ab-

• Ensign Ashlyn Trenton
  Security, USS Europa

She could tell that Ashlyn was testing her in her response to the idea of going to the holodeck. Was Ashlyn genuinely flirting, testing boundaries of how inappropriate she could be without getting called on it, or hyper sexual and unable to keep her comments to herself. There was a lot to unpack with that. Should she respond however was the question. She began walking to the door. It opened and she walked through.

“I believe the holodeck will provide the clothing we need for a simple bought of exercise. I am not the most athletic, but I do hold my own. It isn’t about me really. I want to see you in action where you feel ideally comfortable.” she spoke as she walked down the corridor to make her way to the holodeck which was two decks below her office. Once they got on the empty turbolift, she did ask, “What did you mean earlier by asking me that question?” She didn’t seem offended or as though she was encouraging it. There was a curiosity to her question and a gentle persuasion to look inside for an answer.

Nox, CNS

Trenton followed the Counselor without any issue, choosing to continue the conversation. “I find Parkour to be easily enjoyed by any who are willing to give it a try, and I have a base program to guide and teach others that isn’t as in-depth as Trenton Park, though the Park is far more engaging for everyone than the base program.” When the Counselor stepped onto the turbolift, Trenton did pause. She never liked turbolifts and she still doesn’t, they may not fail frequently, but the thought of being on one when it does was enough to give Ashlyn visible discomfort. It didn’t stop her from getting on, the pause only lasted for a brief moment but it was enough to be noticed by anyone. Nox’s question, though, was a welcome distraction from her discomfort as the doors came to a close with what Trenton felt was a deep finality. “It was meant to be a tease honestly, a little inappropriate joke that was supposed to throw you off a little. It wasn’t till after I thought about it that I wouldn’t have known what to do if you had said yes. Probably stutter and sit down so I could use more energy processing what I was doing. I’d probably lean more toward open flirting at that point and regretted it later. I don’t know, I haven’t really decided because I didn’t need to.”

• Ensign Ashlyn Trenton
  Security, USS Europa

She had of course, noticed the hesitation, but it didn’t keep Ashlyn off the turbolift so it wasn’t an issue… for now at least. Sienna watched the young person as they explained their question. So they knew it was an inappropriate thing to ask and yet asked anyway. It was concerning that Ashlyn only thought about how bad it was in the context of the after… when they had realized they would not know what to do about it if Sienna had answered. They did not consider the fact that it was inappropriate to have asked it in the first place. This showed a lack of self awareness, a lack of understanding of the structure of the world around them and probably a need for it to be corrected. How much of a lack was there? Sienna did not know.

“I will be honest with you Ensign. I do not know what concerns me more… the fact that you were comfortable saying something knowingly inappropriate upon first meeting someone, or that you were comfortable saying something knowingly inappropriate to a person who is of higher rank and is meant to evaluate your capability of serving. I wonder if it really was to throw me off kilter, or if you are throwing out flirtation with everyone in order to see what sticks?”

The door opened and she walked the few steps to the holodeck door. It opened automatically and she stepped inside. “Please key up whichever program you feel most comfortable in.”

Nox, CNS

Now Ashlyn was really hesitant to say anything out of fear of saying something else she would regret today. She was more than ready to distract herself with some Parkour, but would the Counselor also find this to be inappropriate? No, this was just exercise and sure it was exciting for Ashlyn but it was different, she just had to show the counselor that. Stepping over to the console, the young ensign pulled a necklace out from under her uniform that contained a single isolinear chip that housed the first generation of the parkour program Ashlyn enjoyed. “Computer, load Trenton Park Alpha Test.” The computer beeps its acknowledgment before running the program.

First, the room goes completely dark, then a burst of neon light as bright blue traces out a circle that follows down a long obsidian road. At the end of this road that seems to expand into forever, a massive city lights up to provide ambient light to the area. There is a minimalist cyberpunk design to the whole look as more areas off to the side of the road light up to reveal ‘play’ areas at different skill levels. “The program is simple, I can lead in instruction or the computer can for the first five levels. After that, it’s expected that you know what you are doing enough to handle the higher levels. Anything beyond level eight includes adversarial computer opponents in an elaborate game of tag. In the last three settings, those adversaries have ranged weapons so you have to plan and time your movements better. I’ve not reached those last levels yet, still working on moving objects as valid platforms to jump onto or off of.”

A section of floor lifts to reveal changing rooms and a selection of ‘runner’ outfits that matched the theme of the program. Dark colors with neon light patterns to decorate the surface. “I enjoy the theme, so I usually wear this stuff because it breathes well and allows full range of motion. True it won’t protect me from a fire or chemical spill like the uniform can, but the uniform can’t move as these can.” The Ensign moves to get changed into the outfit that was provided by the program. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m not going to be holding still much here. This place encourages motion.”

• Ensign Ashlyn Trenton
  Security, USS Europa