Tea and an Apology

Posted on Sat Jul 17, 2021 @ 3:15am by Lieutenant T'Lul & Commander Amia Telamon M.D.

3,862 words; about a 19 minute read

Mission: Things Past
Location: CMO's Quarters
Timeline: (In Arcadia) MD10 after Love on the Rocks 16

After having had her conversation with the Captain, the Counselor knew that she would have to apologize for her behavior to the Doctor. While she could not fully explain her actions, she knew that the Doctor would likely be hurt at her shooing her off like an impudent child. Touching her commbadge, T'Lul asked the doctor, =^= Is tea ready? I am now ready to spend more time with you. =^=

=^= Tea is always ready, I rarely have any time in the day when I won't brew a pot of tea =^= Amia replied, somewhat neutrally but not unkindly. =^= I'm in my quarters though, off duty this shift. Are you happy to call round? Liana is at Nursery =^= she added.

=^= I'll be there shortly, =^= T'Lul responded in her unemotional voice. She ended the call and made her way to Amia's quarters.

When T'Lul arrived, Amia was waiting with a pot of Terran Tea already brewing on the counter and some very interesting imitation ancient cups and saucers to serve it into. There was an Olde Worlde milk jug too and a silver strainer ready to separate actual tealeaves from the amber liquid whilst it was being poured. It was very unusual and quirky but then that was also a good way to describe Amia herself so she didn't see any discrepancy there.

Once T'Lul was permitted in, she started to take in all of the qualities and decorations of Amia's quarters. "I apologize for my treatment of you in the cargo bay. I expect that you would feel dismissed. Unfortunately, it was unavoidable."

Amia shrugged and opened her arm towards the rather battered seating in a silent but warm invitation to sit down. There was a toy ottoman close to the edge of the two deep chairs, which was clearly full as the top was not quite closed and something bright could be seen inside, protruding. "I'm afraid small girls are not the gentlest of creatures they are often represented to be." Amia said, looking at the scuff marks on the furniture that was within a Terran half metre of the floor. Clearly someone only that high had been less than careful with it. "Well, at least, not the small girl that lives here anyway." She clarified.

"I had guessed there was method in your madness" she smiled, changing the subject back to the one that T'Lul had opened with. "I must admit I might have been a little bit slow on the initial uptake but I rolled with it, out of curiosity at first and then because you did seem to be focused on something that I couldn't quite fathom, coupled with the fact that I really didn't like that creepy salesman, so I decided to trust you."

"It's entirely up to you whether or not you want to trust me with whatever your reason was, or if it's confidential and you can't so we'll just file it. Do you take your tea with milk?" she began the procedure of pouring the tea which, due to the complicated equipment, was no simple task, nor was it meant to be - it was a form of tradition that bordered on a ritual.

"It is confidential; however, I did want you to be aware that I was aware that it might have hurt your feelings and did not want it to affect our friendship. I know that someday you may run into the same situation as a doctor. It is the nature of our professions." T'Lul lightly pressed the fingers of both of her hands together in the shape of a triangle, as if that should explain everything.

"Someday? I run into that sort of thing all the time honey" Amia kept strictly in the informal at this point. "but although from my point of view it makes not the slightest difference to our friendship, it might have been something that our CoC ranks could have clashed over if I'd been of a different temperament."

T'Lul nodded. "I can only speak for my position, not others." She paused for a moment and asked, "What do you know of our Executive Officer?"

The Chief Counsellor had completely missed the subtle reminder in Amia's mention of their ranks and how odd it was that a Lt would be dismissive of a Commander even though she herself hadn't taken it as much to task as others in her position might have done. T'Lul spoke as if she was not in the position mentioned. Her reference to 'not others' clearly indicated she had missed her own place in Amia's gentle point of how badly this all could have gone if she hadn't been inclined to play along so mildly.

The CMO began to wonder if her colleague had misunderstood the reference to the chain of command ranks. Did she think Amia had meant that the most senior officers of the Starbase might have taken it less mildly. Maybe the 'CoC ranks' as she had called them, should not have included the acronym 'CoC' but just been called 'ranks' only? When Caleb was then mentioned this did seem to confirm something of that nature.

"Commander Ryan?" Amia answered, dismissing the previous misunderstanding and moving on. Maybe T'Lul had chosen not to understand but then again, what was there to gain by that? Amia had made no fuss so T'Lul had no reason to play dumb about it. It was obviously just that Amia hadn't been clearer about ranks and not CoCs. She dismissed the whole thing within seconds of having first wondered and very little time had passed whilst it was whirring around her head. It wasn't worth the brain time trying to work it out.

"I know him well, why do you ask?" she continued taking another sip of her tea and then offering a plate of Terran type biscuits to her visitor by silently holding them out whilst listening to T'Lul's answer.

"I was considering him for when my time comes," she admitted. "He has a certain charm and appears competent. We are to have dinner at Gino's.'

"When your time comes? Time for doing what? Are you considering him for your Pon Far?" Amia wondered, her mind racing with what that might mean by way of consequences and repercussions. "I understand he's in a relationship with one of the Station's Civilian Doctors right now."

"I was considering him for a potential mate, yes. He seemed like a logical choice. Though, I now see that I did skip a step in my logic. Perhaps I shall see how that relationship progresses or does not and work on our friendship."

Amia took in a deep breath. She thought about how Zandy would react to Caleb being chosen for a mate in Pon Farr and how Opal would too. She also wondered - having been thrown to the floor whilst she was 8mths' pregnant by Zandy, possessed by Mica, her dead mother, working through their mutual symbiont, in a jealous rage, thinking she was Opal. It was all so complicated and fraught with horrible possibilities that Amia shivered visibly trying to process it all. Wishing to try to warn the innocent new Counsellor who couldn't know any of these past incidences, Amia strove to say something that might offer a friendly warning but without giving away any confidences.

The latter part of those restrictions, the 'without betraying any confidences' was so totally encompassing that there was nothing Amia could venture other than "I don't think Commander Ryan would be a suitable mate, if you're asking my honest, personal opinion on the matter."

Rather than discouraging the Vulcan, Amia's statement had the opposite effect. "Why do you say that?" T'Lul asked curiously. Having noticed Amia's shiver, T'Lul asked, is there something wrong with the temperature regulators?"

"Because he already has a current, steady relationship in progress, as I mentioned," Amia replied defensively. "And also because he is a widower as well from a past situation and furthermore he has a daughter who still has a lot of maternal bereavement issues which she may or may not need a Counsellor for in the future and it all just has too many complications on the horizon to my mind."

"I would like to meet his daughter. We arranged for a dinner where he was to bring her." T'Lul tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "He seems rather devoted to her and I agree that she might need counseling, hence my request to meet her."

"He was to bring her? Did he do that?" Amia asked, doubtful from the way T'Lul had worded that, as it seemed to imply that it had not happened that way."

"Not yet. However, I have not pressed him. I have been busy with matters that have had higher importance at the moment. But I plan on reminding him about dinner soon."

Amia nodded and let the subject lie, uneasy about the idea of what pressing Cmdr Ryan about his daughter might bring T'Lul no matter how good her intentions were.

"I'm not sure he'd be a good choice as a mate either." Amia diverted. "My husband, Cade, was XO of this station when we first came here and I hardly ever saw him he was so busy." she rolled her eyes as if joking but the pain was palpable in the air. It was a risky diversion.

~Caleb had better appreciate what this is costing me to shield him and his secrets!~ she thought, the pain of thinking about Cade's neglect and then finally his abandonment as well, all morphing into something that was now Caleb's fault for a moment or two.

Shaking off the confusion of the two and their roles as Executive Officer, Amia had to blink away rising tears that began to sting at the back of her eyes.

"Yes, well, just take my word for it, being the mate of the XO is a sucker's job and I don't recommend it. In fact, I should probably warn Opal!" Amia's sudden return to vulnerability made her uncomfortable and she shifted her weight a couple of times before she realised what she was advertising with her body language and stopped herself.

"I am sorry to hear of your experience with your late husband," T'Lul responded, trying to inject some sense of emotion into the word, "sorry." "However, I am Vulcan and logically understand where I would fit. Perhaps that would not be as true during pon farr or after should I decide to leave behind pure logic, but as things remain, that is not an issue to me."

When Amia mentioned Opal, T'Lul tilted her head and cocked an eyebrow. "Opal? Who is Opal and what does this individual have to do with Commander Ryan?"

"Opal?" Amia looked surprised. "Did Commander Ryan not mention her when you arranged to go to dinner together?" she asked but not waiting for the obvious response to that rhetorical question she went on, realising he clearly couldn't have or T'Lul wouldn't be asking.

"Dr Opal Oliver, Civilian Surgeon and General Practitioner. She's been in a relationship with him for some time now. I don't think the daughter approves but Opal is very patient and understanding." The CMO explained.

"Oh, well, then it would be inappropriate for me to do more than dine with him as a colleague. I appreciate this information, although I wonder why you did not do it at the outset."

"It is all very personal and although they might be willing to tell you themselves, it wasn't for me to pass on personal information that I had gleaned through my friendship with them all individually and not as any officially published line of general knowledge" Amia said, somewhat huffy at the implication that it was something remiss of her not to have divulged before when in fact, in her own opinion it had been something she had reluctantly felt almost forced to reveal due to the line of conversation and queries that T'Lul had been following so far.

"I see," T'Lul responded simply. "I apologize for putting you in such a predicament. That was not my intention. One of the problems with being a counselor and a Vulcan is that sometimes one's curiosity gets ahead of itself. Humans might say, I think too much. Pon farr will be...quite opposite."

"I'm glad I don't have to go through something like that myself" Amia followed, silently agreeing to let the subject of Caleb Ryan and his family drop for now. "I loved my Husband to distraction and I allowed him to become my whole focus in every aspect of my life. I think I saw something in one of the old books about something they used to label 'codependency' - back in the bad old days of labels and psychological shoe-boxes." she went on. He was addicted to his career and I to him. It wasn't the healthiest relationship that was ever formed and I doubt if it would have lasted for much longer, had he stayed to allow it to try to."

"Nonetheless, that is easier to say in hindsight and may also be rationalization for your loss," T'Lul reminded Amia. "You state that you would not want to go through pon farr. Do you not go through something like it every month when you ovulate?" the Vulcan asked. "Your desires increase, estrogen increases, the desire to procreate increases. Some might say that the Vulcan pon farr is more efficient."

Amia thought along this proposed line of approach to the comparison and just slowly raised her eyebrows in accession of the principle. "I can see where you're going with that." She agreed.

"So, who might you still approach Caleb Ryan or are you considering any other candidates?" Amia asked, going back to one of the original main focuses of their conversation.

"Thus far, he had appeared to be the only logical candidate," T'Lul replied simply. "But, the station is large. Perhaps there will be others."

Amia was relieved to hear that T'Lul wasn't going to insist on Caleb without having an open mind. She drew in a long breath and relaxed. "I'm sure there must be others and perhaps someone very much more suitable after all," she agreed wholeheartedly.

"My time is nearing, so if I could enlist your aid, being much more familiar with everyone on the starbase, it would greatly assist in reducing candidates more quickly."

"Of course." Amia was surprised to be asked but then, when she thought more about it, she could see the logic and therefore it made good sense. "I'd be very happy to help you to consider all the possible and also the most likely men to assist you. Do you have a preference that it should be a Vulcan?" she began to ask and then stopped, realising that Caleb Ryan wasn't a Vulcan so it made sense that this was not an essential criteria.

The counselor tilted her head and raised her eyebrows in as close to an amused fashion as a Vulcan could muster. "By your reaction, I can see you recall that I have no such preference. Logically, it would actually be preferable to be a non-Vulcan because were I to get pregnant, that would increase genetic diversity and lead to stronger genetic material. No?" She tilted her head to the side. "Also, if I choose to remain in an emotional state, I do not believe that a Vulcan mate would necessarily find my decision logical. It might become," she hesitated to find the word she settled upon, "uncomfortable for him."

"Uncomfortable?" Amia was finding that a difficult concept. "I guess I'm getting the idea but it's very odd to me. It's just so different." She admitted, trying to see this from the Vulcan point of view.

"I get genetic diversity but then, if you're not going to have a relationship with the father, wouldn't that mean that you'd be forced to be a single parent and he would then be someone whose involvement in his child's life would have to be minimal - that might be even more uncomfortable to him?" She mused this over.

"I would prefer a relationship. I am not looking for a child. But if one should happen due to intercourse, I will not reject it. Pon far is our biological imperative. My seeking someone now is to try and build a bond so that afterwards, there may be something. In fact, many Vulcans who go through this process are bonded for marriage prior to the event."

"That would be for the two of you to agree and arrange; I would not wish to influence that, I am just pointing out what might be in the picture for you." Amia said, backing out of the idea that she was someone who needed to be satisfied with this, it was all for T'Lul to work out with the potential mate she chose.

"Of course. That is what I would advise," T'Lul responded simply. "So, since I am not bonded, I am free to choose. Time is running shorter, so the ability to get to know someone logically is reducing. All of your assistance would be appreciated."

"I would be honoured to assist in such an important matter, thank you for asking me." Amia replied, slightly worried about what exactly this might entail and how to be certain not to give away anything private and confidential when describing or recommending candidates.

"Do you have any specifically set-in-stone qualities that you would need to consider? For example, Height or race, things like that? Or things that you just couldn't contemplate that we should dismiss straight away?"

"I should think someone with a decent mind and who can think logically would most likely be most compatible, no?"

"So another Vulcan?" Amia teased gently, smiling broadly and winking at T'Lul.

T'Lul blinked once and paused for several seconds. She tried to determine what the wink was intended for and failed. Seriously she responded, "I thought that would be an unlikely match, as we discussed. Have I mislead you somehow?"

Amia smiled ruefully. "No, my bad. I was joking but it's not funny and I apologise" - Her apology took her face back to serious because it was genuine and she realised there was no human misdirected humour in the Vulcan and it wasn't fair to try to get her to understand the original thought process she had approached. "I should be more sensitive and less foolish. I really am sorry. Let's see. What about the Quartermaster?" she began again, in earnest this time.

"Have you met him. He's sometimes at the Box of Delights. He's tall, taller than me. He comes to mind because he has a very unusual combination of genes. His mother was a Human/Betazoid mix and his father is Andorian. His pale, pale blue skin and dark brown/black eyes are a stunning look and you wouldn't have failed to notice him if you'd come across him?" She went on.

"There really was no need to apologize," T'Lul responded. "I simply did not have the appropriate frame of reference for the humor. Miscommunications happen and they are easily set aside by honest discourse." She paused while Amia talked about the quartermaster. "That is quite an unusual mix. I would have noticed him had I met him, I am certain. However, I do not know how such an individual would feel about me. Andorians and Vulcans have an uncomfortable history."

"Yes but this one is half human and I'm not sure how Andorian his upbringing was. It's worth just making an excuse to meet him - perhaps without even letting him know what your unrevealed intentions might turn out to be? If he's not interested in any kind of even friendship then you have your answer without the embarrassment of approaching him from strangers." Amia reasoned. "And meanwhile we also need to think of some alternatives as well, so you can have choices. Barrett is one possibility, even if he's very willing, there might still be a better choice out there as well."

T'Lul tilted her head curiously. "Is there a reason that you disapprove of this Barrett?"

"Not at all" Amia replied, somewhat wrong-footed. "I believed you were saying that you thought inappropriate due to Andorian and Vulcan traditional lack of er..........diplomatic empathy?"

"I see," T'Lul answered simply and then after a moment's hesitation stated, "A greater pool of people will likely lead to a potential optimal solution in a shorter amount of time. However, coming here only recently, I am left with very little time and depending on the size of the pool will take much of my spare time. You must monitor me carefully because there will become a point where I may not choose appropriately because of my coming conditiion."

"Ah, I understand" Amia nodded. "You may need to come for a monitoring physical quite often then, if i remember much about Pon Far. I think it may come on quite fast, am I right?"

"It might. It could be incremental. Short term memory loss and emotional outbursts are initial outward signs. A medical scan would reveal cortical levels that vary at irregular levels. Eventually, my hormones and endorphins will reach dangerously high levels, especially if I do not mate. Therefore, it is incumbent upon you to make sure this happens or I could potentially die."

"No pressure then!?" Amia rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. "I'll see that it happens, although i don't know how i will be certain of that, but I'm not letting you off your new Counsellor's duties on such a light excuse as dying!" she smirked, making a joke to lighten the atmosphere that seemed to be building all of a sudden. As soon as the 'joke' left her lips, Amia just knew she was going to regret it. T'Lul wouldn't understand the humour and she, Amia, would have to explain irony and sarcasm all over again and..... she went to the console and began to look up medical records to see if she couldn't perhaps find some suitable candidates they could approach. "The sooner we get this arranged, the better." she said, smiling at T'Lul with genuine fondness. It was hard to be cross with Vulcans. They were like children in many ways and like AI soldiers in others. It was all very confusing but not in any way nefarious, as far as Amia's experience had been up to now.

T'Lul tilted her head at Amia's joke. "Your humor could use some improvement," the Vulcan quipped. "But yes, your assessment is accurate. The sooner a suitable mate is found, the better."

Amia considered herself to have been gently reprimanded but it was the closest to a return joke that she was going to get and she grinned in appreciation of T'Lul's effort.

"Let's do this then" she agreed and the two of them began their search in earnest and with no further delay.

tbc......



A JP between:

Lieutenant T'Lul
Chief Counselor
DS5

and

Cmdr Amia Telamon,
CMO - DS5

 

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