Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Sathut (Counselor) in CNS Office-Capt. Shirazi Thorne

Posted by Captain Shirazi Thorne (Captain) in CNS Office-Capt. Shirazi Thorne

Posted by Captain Shirazi Thorne (Captain) in CNS Office-Capt. Shirazi Thorne
Well, size apparently wasn’t a stumbling block for the Raka. Although diminutive, he had moxie. Thorne, who liked things to run smoothly and for everyone to follow the same rules to avoid misunderstandings, wasn’t exactly pleased that he insisted on being called by his name without the benefit of rank or position. Still, it was his office…

“No thank you. I am actually taking time from my shift on the bridge to see you, so I’m hoping we can get through this fairly quickly. How can I help make that happen?”

—Thorne, CO

“Simple. Go back to your job and come back when you’re not in a rush,” Sathut stated simply, gesturing to the door. “I told you to come when it was convenient, not when it would take time out of your schedule”

He knew what it was like to be the counselor to someone who was checking their watch every moment to see what time it was. It was not a pleasant experience for either counselor or client.

Sathut

The Captain squinted at the Counselor through the blue glasses she wore. Was the Raka being mildly insolent on purpose? Did he want to see what kind of a reaction he could get from her by doing it? Was this some kind of test or was it simply the manner of all Raka? Shirazi cleared her throat and canted her head to one side. “Has something happened to upset you? I am here because you asked me to come, so I’m puzzled by your suggestion that I leave.”

“I am very healthy, both mentally and physically, so there is no reason to think the appointment would take a long time—at least when compared to other appointments I have had during my service with Star Fleet. If I have made an error there, you could clear it up with a few words instead of suggesting that I come back some other time.”

Her voice was conversational with notes of curiosity peppered through it. Thorne was truly wondering what had happened to get them off to a negative start when the meeting in her ready room had gone so well.

—Thorne, CO

“I have not had good counselling sessions with officers who believe themselves to have somewhere better to be,” Sathut explained, “Or those who have something urgent to get back to. I find it better to have time with my guests when they are off duty, as they then are less distracted. As a counselor, my job… my goal is to build relationships in order to better understand my guests. I am not going to let you or any of my other guests treat me like a dentist or a doctor. In that regard, I’d like you to go back to work and come back after your duty shift is over so that you are not preoccupied with what you must get back to,” he explained lengthily.

Sathut

Thorne started to say something, thought better of it and closed her mouth. The initial appointment with any counselor was basically to check a tic mark in a box that said a meeting had happened. It was also for the counselor to spot any obvious concerns about the crew. It wasn’t a social engagement to build a relationship—at least that’s the way Shirazi thought about it. A conversation over dinner was a much better way to build the initial foundations of friendship and knowledge about someone.

Knowing herself, she pressed her lips together and inclined her head in Sathut’s direction in a small bow of acknowledgement. “So be it.” was all she said as she left the Raka and headed back to the bridge.

—Thorne, CO

Sathut dipped his head slightly as she left, going back to his work. He realized in that moment that he saw his job far different than the Captain did. Well, it is how he was trained by the senior counselor on his previous vessel, so that was how he would treat the post. He wasn’t just a psychologist. He was a counselor.

Sathut
CNS

The next day, when the Captain was off duty for a while…

Sathut sat in his office, glancing at the time. Shirazi should be in here soon enough, he thought with a slight smile. He really hoped that, without her hurried to get back to the bridge, they could do this properly. He really wasn’t sure why the woman was so tense, really.

• Sathut

Shirazi made sure to change out of her uniform before showing up at the counselors office. She had on white pants and a sky blue, sleeveless shirt. In truth, she wasn’t happy about returning because in her opinion, the appointment should have been taken care of yesterday, but wanting to set a good example for the rest of the crew, she arrived only two minutes late and rang the chime.

—Thorne, CO

BUMP

OOC: on hold for my own sanity

bump for life