Beg, Steal or Borrow – Work-Related Stress
by Lieutenant JG Opaka Jo'el & Lieutenant Jana Kasikova
Post Details
ON:
Jo'el kneeled in his quarters, thanking the Prophets for returning him home safely and sparing the life of Ambassador Isha. He thanked them for his promotion and the promise of new opportunities and rewards. He took turns chanting and savoring the silence of his quarters, aside from the hum of power generators sending energy all over the station.
When he was done, Jo'el extinguished the matching candles and waved the smoke out of his immediate area. Something was still nagging at him. Something his prayers couldn't quite clear up.
Claire had left Chief Ayers and his protege with a broad smile across her face. Jarred was alive! He was injured but he was alive. She kept thanking the Four Deities for answering her prayers. The connection between her and Jarred was still weak and faltered too many times to count. It was the first really good news that she had had. Claire made her way excitedly to her quarters.
Jo'el sat at his work table and looked up station personnel, running through the medical and counseling staff. What was her name, what was her name? McKinley? McGinley?
And there she was on the screen, a revelation as bright as B'hava'el itself. Lt. j.g. Claire Violet Mackenzie.
What the kosst am I doing? Jo'el pondered.
=^=Opaka to Mackenzie.=^=
Claire stopped in her tracks =^=Mackenzie here.=^=
Jo'el gulped, trying to rehearse his words quickly before having to say them.
=^= Counselor, do you have any free time to spare? =^=
=^= Yes, of course, what can I help you with? =^=
=^= I just need to vent and get a few things in perspective, if you don't mind. I could come down to your office... =^=
=^= I am halfway between both yours and my quarters...would it be easier to meet in either yours or
mine? =^=
Jo'el nodded and then admonished himself for using non-verbal communication over the comm. =^= Give me a moment to clean up in here. I'll be waiting. =^=
=^=Understood, I am on my way.=^= Claire turned around and headed back towards Jo'el quarters.
By the time the chime went off, Jo'el had cleared his various weapons off of his sitting room table, laying them on his bed for the time being. Sharpening... it's just never completely done.
"Enter," he said to the door activation sensors.
"Hello Ensign." She smiled warmly towards the man standing across from her.
"Thank you for your time, Counselor," Jo'el said.
"You're welcome. I would ask how you are doing but from the emotions I am sensing from you I already have my answer."
Claire moved further into his quarters, "May I have a seat?"
"Of course," Jo'el replied. "Wherever you like." As Claire moved to the simple stuffed black chair, Jo'el settled back down on the couch where he had been cleaning his blades earlier.
Claire sat in the chair and folded her legs and placed her hands on her knees. "What was it that you wished to discuss today?"
"A couple of things, actually," Jo'el answered. "As you may know, the ambassador came back to the station with some injuries. Part of me feels responsible, if not neglectful, seeing as I'm mostly unscathed."
"You cannot hold yourself responsible for yourself not being injured." She replied.
Jo'el nodded, tossing a whisp of crimson out of his eyes. "Isha had the notion that we should split up for a short period of time, and my training and my instincts told me it was a bad idea, but I couldn't refuse her. It's a problem I seem to have with women."
"Being unable to say no to them?" She asked.
"That, and reading them in general," Jo'el mused. "It seems to me that there are two things being said to me every time a women speaks. One is what she says out loud, and the other is what she really means."
Claire smiled. "Yes, women are complex creatures. I think that when women say one thing and mean another it is used as a defense mechanism, to gadge the other person's response.
"It's like my poker holo-simulator," he said.
"You play poker?" She asked, Claire enjoyed card games, including poker.
"Yes," Jo'el said. "You see, I've played the greatest players in poker history on that program, and still it's the female players- Annie Duke, Jennifer Harmon, Lwaxana Troi- who are always my toughest opponents. I can't trust them, I can't read them, I have no idea what motivates them. I'm just expecting to get hurt."
"Why are you expecting to get hurt?" She asked.
Jo'el rolled his eyes under his mess of black and crimson. "Habit, I suppose."
He stood up and stretched again, the morning breakfast still settling. "I haven't had any luck making a relationship work. I'm convinced that either I'm detestable after a few weeks, or I'm incapable of judging another person's character in regards to intimacy."
"I don't see how that could be true..." She watched him.
"Well..." Jo'el started hesitantly. Claire's eyes were hypnotic to him. He wanted badly to run his fingers through her flowing brown hair and melt into the coach with her. Hoping she didn't catch all of that telepathically, he continued.
"That was part of why I asked for you specifically. I was hoping we could meet in a somewhat less formal setting. If maybe you wanted to have lunch sometime. With me?"
Claire could sense how he felt about her without delving into his mind. "Jo'el, I am not sure that I can in the way you want." She responded gently. Maybe if things had been different and Jarred wasn't coming home.
The Bajoran sat down, nodding defeatedly. "May I ask why?"
"Jarred and I are together...."
He blinked several times. When he looked back up at Claire, he smiled slightly. "I should have assumed that," Jo'el said. "I mean, of course you have someone. What was I thinking..." Who is Jarred?
"Jo'el..." She comforted his mind. "You were following your heart, something that I admire in you. Many people will go with what their minds are telling them, not what their heart is. It is good that you do."
The ensign sighed, shrugged. "No matter. If the Prophets don't wish us to walk the same path, there is little I can do in the matter. I appreciate your candor. In any case..."
Jo'el stood up again and picked up a set of place cards. "If you know anyone who might want to start a weekly poker game, please pass one of these along to them." He handed Claire a shiny red card with black lettering about the size of a drink coaster.
~I play poker.~ She thought to herself as she accepted the card. Would it be right for her to join him? She was the counselor and she didn't even know the answer to that one.
"Thank you for your time, Counselor. If you have any need of assistance from someone in security, I hope you will think of me. In either case, it was nice to finally meet you formally. Do take care."
"You're welcome Jo'el...and if you ever need another person at your poker table, you know where to find me." The words left her lips before she thought it through, she liked him and wanted to be his friend.
Jo'el smirked as he walked her to the door. "Can I trust you to play fair?" he asked playfully, getting some of his confidence back.
"No mind reading." She replied.
"Well in that case, I'll seek another counselor so that we're not in a conflict of interest," he nodded, a warm smile bringing a shine to his eyes somewhere behind his curtain of hair. "I was thinking Tuesdays..."
"Melody is a nice counselor to see and is a friend of mine and Zorana's..."
Jo'el nodded. "I'll be sure to contact her if I have any need for counseling. Um... thank you for your company Counselor. I won't take any more of your time."
"Anytime Jo'el. Let me know about the poker match." She smiled.
"I'll do that. And I hope you and... Jarred are happy together." With that he followed her to the door and saw her out. "See you around, Claire," he said, trying her first name out.
"You can count on it." She said with a smile.
Once the counselor had stepped out of sight, Jo'el grabbed his gear bag and a Vulcan lirpa.
"It's time for a few therapeutic decaptitations..."
OFF
Lt. j.g. Opaka Jo'el
Master-At-Arms
Lt. (JG) Claire Mackenzie
Acting Chief Counsellor
by Lieutenant JG Opaka Jo'el & Lieutenant Jana Kasikova
Post Details
| Title | Work-Related Stress | |
| Mission | Beg, Steal or Borrow | |
| Author(s) | Lieutenant JG Opaka Jo'el & Lieutenant Jana Kasikova | |
| Posted | Sun Jul 05, 2009 @ 1:36am | |
| Location | Opaka's Quarters | |
| Timeline | SD 9 11:00 hours |
Jo'el kneeled in his quarters, thanking the Prophets for returning him home safely and sparing the life of Ambassador Isha. He thanked them for his promotion and the promise of new opportunities and rewards. He took turns chanting and savoring the silence of his quarters, aside from the hum of power generators sending energy all over the station.
When he was done, Jo'el extinguished the matching candles and waved the smoke out of his immediate area. Something was still nagging at him. Something his prayers couldn't quite clear up.
Claire had left Chief Ayers and his protege with a broad smile across her face. Jarred was alive! He was injured but he was alive. She kept thanking the Four Deities for answering her prayers. The connection between her and Jarred was still weak and faltered too many times to count. It was the first really good news that she had had. Claire made her way excitedly to her quarters.
Jo'el sat at his work table and looked up station personnel, running through the medical and counseling staff. What was her name, what was her name? McKinley? McGinley?
And there she was on the screen, a revelation as bright as B'hava'el itself. Lt. j.g. Claire Violet Mackenzie.
What the kosst am I doing? Jo'el pondered.
=^=Opaka to Mackenzie.=^=
Claire stopped in her tracks =^=Mackenzie here.=^=
Jo'el gulped, trying to rehearse his words quickly before having to say them.
=^= Counselor, do you have any free time to spare? =^=
=^= Yes, of course, what can I help you with? =^=
=^= I just need to vent and get a few things in perspective, if you don't mind. I could come down to your office... =^=
=^= I am halfway between both yours and my quarters...would it be easier to meet in either yours or
mine? =^=
Jo'el nodded and then admonished himself for using non-verbal communication over the comm. =^= Give me a moment to clean up in here. I'll be waiting. =^=
=^=Understood, I am on my way.=^= Claire turned around and headed back towards Jo'el quarters.
By the time the chime went off, Jo'el had cleared his various weapons off of his sitting room table, laying them on his bed for the time being. Sharpening... it's just never completely done.
"Enter," he said to the door activation sensors.
"Hello Ensign." She smiled warmly towards the man standing across from her.
"Thank you for your time, Counselor," Jo'el said.
"You're welcome. I would ask how you are doing but from the emotions I am sensing from you I already have my answer."
Claire moved further into his quarters, "May I have a seat?"
"Of course," Jo'el replied. "Wherever you like." As Claire moved to the simple stuffed black chair, Jo'el settled back down on the couch where he had been cleaning his blades earlier.
Claire sat in the chair and folded her legs and placed her hands on her knees. "What was it that you wished to discuss today?"
"A couple of things, actually," Jo'el answered. "As you may know, the ambassador came back to the station with some injuries. Part of me feels responsible, if not neglectful, seeing as I'm mostly unscathed."
"You cannot hold yourself responsible for yourself not being injured." She replied.
Jo'el nodded, tossing a whisp of crimson out of his eyes. "Isha had the notion that we should split up for a short period of time, and my training and my instincts told me it was a bad idea, but I couldn't refuse her. It's a problem I seem to have with women."
"Being unable to say no to them?" She asked.
"That, and reading them in general," Jo'el mused. "It seems to me that there are two things being said to me every time a women speaks. One is what she says out loud, and the other is what she really means."
Claire smiled. "Yes, women are complex creatures. I think that when women say one thing and mean another it is used as a defense mechanism, to gadge the other person's response.
"It's like my poker holo-simulator," he said.
"You play poker?" She asked, Claire enjoyed card games, including poker.
"Yes," Jo'el said. "You see, I've played the greatest players in poker history on that program, and still it's the female players- Annie Duke, Jennifer Harmon, Lwaxana Troi- who are always my toughest opponents. I can't trust them, I can't read them, I have no idea what motivates them. I'm just expecting to get hurt."
"Why are you expecting to get hurt?" She asked.
Jo'el rolled his eyes under his mess of black and crimson. "Habit, I suppose."
He stood up and stretched again, the morning breakfast still settling. "I haven't had any luck making a relationship work. I'm convinced that either I'm detestable after a few weeks, or I'm incapable of judging another person's character in regards to intimacy."
"I don't see how that could be true..." She watched him.
"Well..." Jo'el started hesitantly. Claire's eyes were hypnotic to him. He wanted badly to run his fingers through her flowing brown hair and melt into the coach with her. Hoping she didn't catch all of that telepathically, he continued.
"That was part of why I asked for you specifically. I was hoping we could meet in a somewhat less formal setting. If maybe you wanted to have lunch sometime. With me?"
Claire could sense how he felt about her without delving into his mind. "Jo'el, I am not sure that I can in the way you want." She responded gently. Maybe if things had been different and Jarred wasn't coming home.
The Bajoran sat down, nodding defeatedly. "May I ask why?"
"Jarred and I are together...."
He blinked several times. When he looked back up at Claire, he smiled slightly. "I should have assumed that," Jo'el said. "I mean, of course you have someone. What was I thinking..." Who is Jarred?
"Jo'el..." She comforted his mind. "You were following your heart, something that I admire in you. Many people will go with what their minds are telling them, not what their heart is. It is good that you do."
The ensign sighed, shrugged. "No matter. If the Prophets don't wish us to walk the same path, there is little I can do in the matter. I appreciate your candor. In any case..."
Jo'el stood up again and picked up a set of place cards. "If you know anyone who might want to start a weekly poker game, please pass one of these along to them." He handed Claire a shiny red card with black lettering about the size of a drink coaster.
~I play poker.~ She thought to herself as she accepted the card. Would it be right for her to join him? She was the counselor and she didn't even know the answer to that one.
"Thank you for your time, Counselor. If you have any need of assistance from someone in security, I hope you will think of me. In either case, it was nice to finally meet you formally. Do take care."
"You're welcome Jo'el...and if you ever need another person at your poker table, you know where to find me." The words left her lips before she thought it through, she liked him and wanted to be his friend.
Jo'el smirked as he walked her to the door. "Can I trust you to play fair?" he asked playfully, getting some of his confidence back.
"No mind reading." She replied.
"Well in that case, I'll seek another counselor so that we're not in a conflict of interest," he nodded, a warm smile bringing a shine to his eyes somewhere behind his curtain of hair. "I was thinking Tuesdays..."
"Melody is a nice counselor to see and is a friend of mine and Zorana's..."
Jo'el nodded. "I'll be sure to contact her if I have any need for counseling. Um... thank you for your company Counselor. I won't take any more of your time."
"Anytime Jo'el. Let me know about the poker match." She smiled.
"I'll do that. And I hope you and... Jarred are happy together." With that he followed her to the door and saw her out. "See you around, Claire," he said, trying her first name out.
"You can count on it." She said with a smile.
Once the counselor had stepped out of sight, Jo'el grabbed his gear bag and a Vulcan lirpa.
"It's time for a few therapeutic decaptitations..."
OFF
Lt. j.g. Opaka Jo'el
Master-At-Arms
Lt. (JG) Claire Mackenzie
Acting Chief Counsellor