What could possibly go wrong? (Part 2)

Posted on Tue Nov 10, 2020 @ 12:25pm by Lieutenant T'Lul & Commander Amia Telamon M.D.

1,923 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Things Past
Location: Counsellor's Suite
Timeline: MD4 1100 hrs

This post follows Check Up for the Counselor in Et in Arcadia Ego

[PREVIOUSLY]

T'Lul nodded, consciously showing Amia that she understood. "I see. So, do you have any support system at all? You have not isolated yourself, have you?"

"There's a brilliant Nursery here with some wonderful staff. Liana gets really excited when she gets there in the morning and they give her SO much to do and so much fun. I am really happy with their care. I find it a great support to have somewhere so educational, friendly, structured and fun for her that it really helps when i have to leave her." Amia explained. "I suppose i might have isolated myself a bit..... i do make sure she gets a full social life though and after losing my best friend (my husband) and out joint best friend (Liam) in such a short space of time, I'm probably a bit reticent about putting too much store in friends at the moment." she admitted.

"That is natural," T'Lul soothed Amia. "However, I am certain that you will soon realize that these coincidences have nothing to do with you. As long as you keep yourself open to new experiences and new people, these feelings of insecurity, abandonment, and reluctance to trust will go away in time." T'Lul paused for a moment and then after some consideration said, "I often hear that Vulcans are thought of 'wet blankets,' but if you would like the company, I have no objection. I have not yet developed any friendships on this space station."

Amia laughed softly at the description. "You're certainly not that, Counsellor! You've got me to take an impromptu counselling session without having to be surgically attached to the chair and you've helped me voice and therefore understand better, many things I was in denial over. I'd say it would be a great pleasure for me if you were to choose me to be one of the first friends you make. What do you say we get some coffee and you tell me something about yourself as I've dominated all the conversation so far!"

[NEW]

"If you wish to have some coffee, I have no objection. However, there is very little to tell about myself. What is it that you would like to know?" T'Lul replied.

"How you came to choose Counselling for your profession and where you want to be in 5yrs from now. All kinds of things to give me a clue about who you are and why?" Amia smiled fetching a cafetierre from the replicator with some rich, amber coloured liquid inside and brought it to the desktop with a little jug of milk too. "with or without cream and/or sugar?" she asked as she placed the items down and went back for mugs and natural sweetners.

"I suppose that is a story. I have thought long upon it. As a child, I was what you might call a 'tom boy.' I liked to play and I reveled in my natural emotions. Despite that, I was a dutiful child and I studied hard and well to learn all of Surak's teachings. However, it was difficult for me to repress my emotions. It took so long that when I went through my first pon farr at 16, that there were concerns that I had not yet given them up."

T'Lul stopped her story and if possible, her gaze became a bit more serious. "I would appreciate your confidentiality regarding my experience. As I am certain you are aware, it is not something that Vulcans care to discuss."

"Naturally T'Lul, it goes without saying, we're both doctors and both under strict confidentiality rules, even if we weren't friends and that adds a second layer of loyalty that keeps things totally to ourselves as well." Amia reassured of her complete trustworthiness.

"Thank you for your consideration, Doctor." T'Lul then continued. "However, after repressing my emotions, I had to wonder why Vulcans were given emotions if only to repress them. After all, if the object of our desire had no emotions, then would not a computer serve just as well? And if that were the case, were we not lesser qualified to do all a computer could? Logically speaking it did not make sense. I then discovered that emotions had a logic of their own. So, I followed that trail, which naturally led me to counseling."

"And that in itself has a charming and irrefutable logic too!" Amia replied with a broad smile, so glad to find they could share the sense of that.

"Did you make a connection with your first Pon Far partner? I mean emotionally?" she asked. "I don't want to pry, so please say if you prefer not to answer that." she then added quickly, suddenly realising that might be too personal a question.

"A connection? Do you mean, did we marry? Or something else?" She lightly shook her head. "Regardless of the meaning, I am unattached. In retrospect, one might say that I had a small emotional attachment to my first partner after pon farr occurred but both of us knew it was illogical and we went our respective ways." She paused for a moment. "Perhaps you have not made the connection, though, doctor. My first pon farr was at 16. My second at 23. I will be 30 this August."

"Sorry, foolish of me." Amia blushed at how silly her question must have been, looking at it in retrospect. "So you're due another one in the near future then?"

"What was foolish of you?" T'Lul wondered. "And yes, I am due in August. I thought I said that," the Vulcan replied perplexed as to why the doctor asked a question that had already been answered. "And this one leaves me with a number of quandaries."

"You probably did. I flustered myself by not working it all out sooner." Amia answered then followed the rest of T'Lul's words. " A number of quandaries? How many and how serious?" She looked concerned. "I hope no danger to you?"

"That depends upon your definition of danger. Every pon farr involves emotions escaping their normal repression. I will not always be able to control my emotions and Vulcan emotions are much more volatile than human ones. Once pon farr is complete and I have mated, I should be able to repress my emotions again...." T'Lul paused dramatically before finishing, "However, I am considering not doing so."

Amia raised a surprised eyebrow. "Serious?" she asked. "as a scientific experiment or some research?" she ventured a guess.

"That would be a reason, although it is difficult to research from a subjective perspective."

"Yes I can see that problem but then again, perhaps you meant you're considering not doing so, as in not mating rather than not repressing your emotions?" Amia reconsidered what T'Lul had said and found a new way of seeing what might have been her meaning.

"The mating must occur, as biology demands it. I have no desire to harm myself. Though, I do hope that I can find a suitable person to have that experience with. Regardless, my concern is whether to simply shrug aside all of my teachings for something new and I find myself unable to decide on its wisdom."

"New? How New? Are you talking Culture breaking new or just a tiny bit different?" Amia asked, intently curious now. Was the Chief Counsellor going to rock Vulcan boats far and wide? She was fascinated.

"That all depends on how you define the terms," T'Lul informed Amia. "Regardless, it is a decision that I have not yet made. I do know that I must make it before the time comes. I will not be strong enough, otherwise, to determine my path." She paused for another moment or two. "In my spare time, I shall have to find a suitable mate. I am uncertain when I will have time for that but nonetheless, it must be made."

"Not an easy project to rush, that's for sure." Amia agreed. "I'm glad I don't have so many problems to overcome in finding a new mate." She smiled just a little ruefully.

"It is an advantage that you and most others have when it comes to mating. Then again, non-Vulcan relationships seem to have a great deal more complications. I wonder if this is because non-Vulcans are reliant on their emotions whereas Vulcans rely on logic."

"I'm sure you're right" Amia agreed, finishing her coffee. "I find emotions very much a mixed bag and more perverse than helpful on many occasions but I don't think I could live without any at all. I guess we're all different for a reason."

"Perverse?" T'Lul asked raising an eyebrow. "Why that adjective, Doctor? It is very curious."

"Not really" Amia replied, her brow creasing at the question. "I meant it in its context of being capricious. Perhaps that would have been a better word for what I was trying to convey. Sometimes I use the adjective 'perverse' to mean that an emotion could have been initially one that changed along its course and adopted an unexpected trajectory before it settles into the end result. Unpredictable, almost mischievously so. Or so it seems."

"Perhaps it can seem that way," T'Lul started. "However, I do believe that there is a certain logic to emotions."

"How so?" Amia asked, genuinely absorbed in this debate. These were the kind of discussions and learning curves that she loved to explore.

"It has to do with the source," T'Lul explained. "For example, if someone were to tell a deep secret of yours, would it not be logical to be angry? Or upset? Or perhaps even disappointed? What are the logical responses that come from that? You might yell at the secret sharer. You might not trust that person again. You might defriend that person. And depending upon how deep the hurt was to you, you might retaliate in kind, no? As you can see, there are natural and logical consequences to those emotions. The variables, such as they are, depend upon each individual person; however, even then, most individuals follow a certain pattern. And if there is a pattern, there is logic."

"Yes, I see what you mean," Amia said, nodding. "Well who would have thought I would be told by a lovely new Vulcan friend that emotions are logical." She chuckled, patting T'Lul's hand. "I'd really like to talk more. Would it be okay if maybe after hours we might get some more coffee? Perhaps we could meet at The Box of Delights tomorrow? What are your shifts like? Or.... a different day if that's better for you?" She looked at her new colleague and felt a warmth that spoke of a connection and hope of a budding friendship. Perhaps T'Lul felt differently, but Amia would have to wait and see how it went. She had high hopes though.

"Tomorrow would be acceptable," T'Lul informed Amia. "Today, I must try and catch up on months of paperwork left from there being no Chief Counselor. So, if you will excuse me, I will get to that and we can calendar some time tomorrow."

"Of course," Amia agreed and, recycling her coffee cup, left the Counselor to her tasks, walking back the short distance to Main Sickbay happy to have made a friendly acquaintance of her new colleague with the instinct growing that this could be a budding friendship as well.


Lieutenant T'Lul
Chief Counselor
DS5

and

Cmdr Amia Telamon
Chief Medical Officer
DS5

 

RSS Feed