Of Horticulturalists and Counsellors

Posted on Wed Feb 17th, 2021 @ 4:14am by Lieutenant Commander Yivliph Ra-Gruvloveii & Lieutenant Amanda Rose
Edited on on Wed Feb 17th, 2021 @ 4:17am

4,633 words; about a 23 minute read

Mission: The Lonesome Road
Timeline: before reaching the entry point

Before the start of his shift, Yiv opted to go see the Counsellor. It was a standard procedure of course - a yearly check-up to ensure he was alright to serve, particularly on an exploratory cruise like the one the Ontario was embarking upon.

He'd noticed that the Counsellor had a few slots open, and had opted to book himself in. It was an inevitability and he may as well get it over with. Besides, the Counsellor had seemed a tad subdued at the briefing the other day, so he thought allowing her to trade on her expertise would help her somewhat.

At 0900 on the dot, he rang the door chime.

"Come in!" Amanda replied cheerfully.

Stepping through the door, Yiv loosed a smile, and raised his hand in the traditional Efrosian greeting, 'Counsellor, good morning. Very kind of you to see me at such short notice. You must be swamped with so many of us needing certification before we can head out.'

Amanda gave the appropriate response with her hands. "It is my pleasure and responsibility to see people. I assume that you are here to get your certification, then. Is that correct?"

'That is indeed the case, Counsellor. I thought I may as well get the job over and done with. Although it's not my favourite thing in the world, it is a necessary fact of life in Starfleet.' He leaned in towards her, 'and I'm sure you have no fun in chasing people to meet these requirements.'

"I think the medical doctors are just about the only position more avoided than mine," Amanda replied laughing. "So, why don't you enjoy coming and visiting counselors? I assure you that I do not bite."

'Really? Perhaps that's why I am reluctant,' replied Yiv, forgetting himself for a moment. Reddening slightly, he took a deep breath and blew it out. 'Forgive, me Counsellor. In Efrosian society it's considered impolite for a male not to flirt. Sometimes I forget myself. Particularly when stressed. As for your question, I haven't spent a great deal of time thinking about why I don't like attending Counsellor sessions, but I suppose it has to do with the fact that when people talk usually it is I who should be gleaning the information, not vice versa.'

So, is he flirting with me because his society expects it or because he thinks that I'm cute? "There is no reason to be stressed. I'm as harmless as a lamb. And, whatever information that I get here is generally confidential. So, as long as you're not planning on harming someone, including yourself, you're as safe as a baby in her mother's womb."

'I have no intention of harming anyone, least of all myself, Counsellor,' replied Yiv waving a hand dismissively. 'And having so many changes in crew recently is cause for a little stress, I feel. New people, new relationships, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.' He shrugged, 'first impressions count for a lot.'

"I do," Amanda answered naturally. "And, please, call me Amanda. I thought that we had already talked about that at the recent meeting, no?" She smiled at Yiv. "But, even so, new people and new relationships could be a rather exciting situation for everyone."

'Ah, yes you did of course, forgive me Amanda.' He returned the smile, 'and call me Yiv, as I said. New people and new relationships are exciting, of course. I'm not averse to either,' he continued with a chuckle, 'I think it's just the sheer turnover, so many of the senior officers moved on at once it's been ... disconcerting to have consider building so many entirely new relationships at once. Probably not the only one to feel that way.'

"Most likely not," Amanda replied certainly. "Change makes most beings nervous, Yiv. There is a certain confidence and reliability to stability. Do you have any idea why there was so much turnover?"

He pulled a face, 'for some, it was just time to move on - they'd served aboard the Ontario for a while, and needed a change. Nine months in deep space can give a person plenty of time to think. For others, it was ambition that took them on their way - an Ambassador-class ship is hardly a prestige posting anymore, and more than one officer was using the ship as a stepping-stone to bigger and better things. Still, it seems the Captain has managed to shanghai, filch or request very capable replacements.'

"In my case," Amanda told Yiv, "I was just transferring from my former ship. I was not particularly specific about anything else."

'No? You had no preference at all?' asked Yiv, interest piqued by the admission. He leaned forward in his seat, 'I hope you're happy with where you've ended up. It took me a while, but I am now.'

"Other than a brief bit of confusion that landed me on the Missouri for a brief second before coming here, I have no complaints at this time." She paused and smiled more broadly. "And if I did, what good would it do? I made my choice, did I not?" When Yiv leaned forward, Amanda leaned back a little.

Yiv leaned back in his seat for a moment as he considered the question posed by the Counsellor. 'Surely if you're unhappy with your circumstances it's better to express those feelings of dissatisfaction?' He smiled fleetingly, 'I was given to believe that was healthier, mentally. Unless, of course, you mean it's unhealthy to dwell overmuch on your choices in life and fantasise how they could be different?'

"I'm not dissatisfied with my choices. I fantasized way too long, Yiv. This was the healthy choice."

He nodded in response. 'Well then, I hope it works out for you Amanda, truly. Healthy choices aren't always the easiest but they're important to make.'

"Are you trying to take my job now?" Amanda asked with a small giggle.

'Ah,' he caught himself, and chuckled, 'not quite. I just have some experience with not making healthy choices, and I thought I would share. I didn't want to be here initially, and it soured most of my professional relationships. So, although I'm apprehensive about the change in crew, it's been an opportunity for a re-set and mental adjustment.'

"Tell me about your experiences," Amanda encouraged. "And why did you not want to be here in the beginning?"

'It's quite simple really. I was re-assigned from a promising Intelligence assignment at Starbase Two-three-four which was providing me with a great step in my Starfleet career, to here. At the time Ontario was preparing to depart on a nine-month tour of deep space in an area where my expertise was largely useless.' Yiv shrugged and smiled sheepishly, 'when it became clear I could recycle the same report back to Starfleet every week or so, I admit I became a little surly and I sulked for a long time.'

"So why were you reassigned in the first place? And are you finding ways to fulfill yourself here?"

'I was part of a project aboard the starbase,' replied Yiv, careful not to give too much of his work away. 'Broadly speaking we were looking into the fate of those missing since the Dominion War. We noticed a pattern with some of them. I was ordered not to pursue it. I did. I was reassigned.' He sighed, 'I'm still determined to get to the bottom of it, but, for obvious reasons I haven't pursued it.'

'As for fulfilling myself aboard ship, I do a little horticulture here and there - there's a few plants and flowers in my quarters I'm particularly proud of.'

"Do you know why you were ordered not to pursue it?" Amanda asked concerned. "It sounds like it still bothers you a lot. Perhaps you could tell me while showing me your plants and flowers?" she offered.

'I assume it was a political decision due to the fluctuating nature of our relationship with a possible third party involved,' replied Yiv dryly, 'the evidence was - is- incredibly circumstantial, but I wished to pursue it further.' Yiv smiled sourly, 'that's the way it goes sometimes. But it's frustrating - I would have liked to have seen it through to the end.' He brightened as he got to the end of his spiel, 'well, I can show you the plants and flowers any time, I wouldn't mind that at all.'

Her curiosity was unabated. "Maybe you can tell me about the third party on your way to show me the plants and flowers...."

Yiv raised a singular eyebrow, 'you want to see the flowers ... now?' He was a little confused. 'I suppose that would be OK.'

"I'm sorry. If you want to show them later, that is fine too. But you did say anytime and what better time is there than the present?" Amanda asked innocently.

'I did, in fairness,' Yiv relaxed slightly, 'of course it's fine. I'm sorry, I don't show them off often. It would be a pleasure in fact.' He got to his feet and shot her a mischievous glance, 'besides, you're the expert here, so I'll defer to it.'

"I'm far from an expert when it comes to plants and flowers. However, I do enjoy them and I enjoy learning more about you."

'Alright then,' Yiv nodded, he supposed it was astute of the Counsellor to want to see his quarters. It probably would give an insight into what kind of man he was. 'Shall we?'

He led them down the corridor a short way to the turbolift. After a short journey they wound up outside his quarters and he keyed the code to open the door.

Stepping inside he instructed the computer to raise the illumination levels to Earth-standard. 'Efrosian light-levels are lower than yours,' he explained, 'luckily only enough to make us uncomfortable rather than render us useless.'

"I have no desire to make you uncomfortable," Amanda replied, somewhat taken aback and concerned. "Feel free to reduce the lighting to your comfort level. This is your home, not mine." The Counselor stepped in and somewhat closer to the Efrosian.

Slipping on his glasses Yiv grinned, 'we've learnt to adapt. Besides, having the Counsellor trip and fall over the Chief Intelligence Officer's sofa on their first day wouldn't look good on the CMO's report, now would it?'

His room was sparsely decorated, save for the standard furnishings of his rank. There was a shelf of audio books, a traditional Efrosian throw across the sofa, and a more recent, post-Federation membership style of throw on the comfy chair.

Amanda laughed at Yiv and informed him, "Except on the dance floor, I have been known to have inanimate objects attack me regardless of lighting. So, I'm pretty certain that no blame would fall on you." She walked around lightly, looking for the plants and flowers. "So, where are your pride flora?"

He pointed to the closet, 'there's just enough space in there for some shelves with adjustable lighting. Please, be my guest.'

"And they get enough light in a closet?" Amanda asked as she walked to the closet. "Did you have to modify the closet for them?" she continued asking as she opened the closet. Privately, she wondered why Yiv did not leave the plants out so that others could admire them, as well.

'No modification of the closet per se, but I have installed a small atmospheric controller,' he pointed in to the closet, 'stick a hand in there and you'll see it's warmer at the bottom than the top. Bottom is dry and hot, Earth-style desert, top is cold, but a warm Efrosian-type tundra temperature. Each shelf,' he rapped on one of the six levels, 'has light sources that can be customised. Top is low-light conditions similar to Efros Delta, the bottom is set to a Mexican temperature for the cacti there.' He smiled at her, 'it's pretty neat, no? The top and bottom shelves require the least care, middle shelf with the orchids and Andorian lilies take up most of my time.'

"It is very well done," Amanda told him impressed as she put her hand in the closet at the varying levels, marveling at Yiv's ingenuity. "And of course, hot air rises and cold air falls, which is why you have organized it the way that you have. But keeping the lighting levels so diverse, as well... Truly an accomplishment. Where did you learn to do all of this?"

He walked over to his shelf of audiobooks, 'I was lucky to come across these when I was at the Academy, Beginner's Guide to Apartment Horticulture and The Serious Bolian's Greenhouse. They both deal with growing plants and flowers in confined spaces. In all honesty, I've picked up everything I know from these two books.' Yiv shrugged and smiled sheepishly, 'I just found it incrediby interesting, and all the parts were easy enough to scrounge - I traded a couple of days holodeck time for the atmospheric controller and the Engineer who installed it, and a weekend leave pass for the shelving units from a crewman in the arboretum.'

Rationally, Amanda politely chided Yiv, "But, if you truly enjoy doing this and it has lasted that long, a weekend leave pass and a couple days on the holodeck seems like a very small price to pay, no?"

'Oh yes, it's been quite fulfilling, I wouldn't trade back the holo time at all,' he pointed to the Andorian lily in pride of place, 'I've been at it for almost a decade and a half, and I'm yet to have an Andorian lily flower. They die off. Incredibly delicate things, truly. The Andorians have an endearing little folktale that the lily will only flower if the horticulturalist is in love. A load of nonsense, but it shows you how difficult it can be.'

"You do not believe in love, then?" Amanda asked. "Or just the myth of the lily?"

'The myth of the lily. Personally I think that's a story emphasising how difficult it is to grow the flower successfully.' Yiv looked at Amanda, 'love, on the other hand, is a thornier problem still. I don't think the same concept quite exists in traditional Efrosian culture. Due to the hostile nature of our planet, the men were encouraged to, ah, I believe the term is 'spread it about' in order to maximise our chances of procreation. Until we met other species we had no concept of mate-pairing for life.'

"I see," Amanda replied interested. "So, it is rare that Efrosians stay with only one person, then? And the women do not get jealous?"

'Before First Contact it was exceedingly rare for an Efrosian male to stay ... well, 'faithful' is a loaded term, but it will suffice.' Yiv shrugged, 'In the last few decades, pairing for life has become commonplace, even on the Motherworld, but it's still taking time to adjust. I can't speak too much to what passed before we met the wider Federation, but I would say now that women expect more of their men, and legitimately so. Jealousy can rear it's head. It must sound quite backward to the rest of you.'

"Not at all," Amanda replied honestly. "Your planet's environment caused a biological response that was necessary to the survival of your species. It is completely logical and rational."

'To an extent, yes. But even before First Contact we had the ability to mitigate the worst of our climate. It's just taken a long time to change, I suppose.' Yiv hesitated, 'the project I was talking about before? It involved the Romulans. Maybe. I'm not sure.'

"You say that you are not certain, but you name the Romulans. Why?"

'Pattern of evidence,' he replied, 'the disappearances occur up and down the Federation's old border with the Romulan Empire, and some cases pre-date the Dominion War. There is, however, very little physical evidence. Little enough that it was not taken seriously. I feel it in my bones that I'm correct, though.'

"Well, perhaps something will prove your theory sooner or later," Amanda told Yiv encouragingly. She smiled warmly at the Ephrosian and waited for him to continue opening up to her.

'You never know, some things are years in the making before they come to fruition,' replied Yiv with a smile. 'It's taken a while to adjust to that fact, but I'm getting used to it.' He realised he was still holding the two audiobooks and moved to out them back on the shelf with the rest. 'I'm sure you have individuals who you spend a lot of sessions with before a breakthrough. I imagine it's the same kind of process.'

"Not everything in my profession is about breakthroughs. Some people just need a safe place to talk. Others come seeking self improvement. Not everyone has an issue that needs 'fixing.'"

'I thought talking it through was the fix and the breakthrough?' asked Yiv, trying not to sound facetious. 'Look, while we're here, take a seat,' he motioned to the comfy chair, 'no sense standing around.'

"Thank you!" Amanda replied happily and sat down in the chair. "It is comfy. Did you replicate this or bring it from somewhere?"

'Some of it's original, some of it's replicated parts. They're fairly old pieces of furniture now. I got them when I was first promoted to Lieutenant about seven years ago - I finally had the space to put in a set like the ones I had in an apartment from my Academy days.' Yiv sank onto his sofa, 'I figure a comfy couch and chair make a home, y'know? Plus it just seems rude to offer an uncomfortable seat to a guest.'

"You sound like you think very much like me. I try to make everyone feel comfortable in my office. If people are to open up to me, I really cannot afford to have any barriers. So, sometimes my office gets a little crowded with places to sit or recline as someone prefers."

'Isn't that a bit of a hazard when combined with your clumsiness?' Yiv grinned, 'yes I suppose they come from the same source. I like people to feel comfortable around me. Efrosians delight in hearing stories, rather than reading them, and discomfort isn't an inducement to share.'

Amanda turned pink when Yiv mentioned her clumsiness. "Give me an open floor and you would see me dance. But yes, inanimate objects near me can be a hazard. I swear that they reach out and grab me." She laughed self consciously. "Do you delight in telling stories as much as hearing them?" she asked curiously.

'I think we'll have enough to find an open floor, then,' Yiv replied quickly. He considered her question honestly. 'I think I would have to say, yes. Intelligence work in the main is pulling disparate threads together and essentially putting them into context. You could argue that's a story.' Sighing he continued, 'being a record keeper for an Efrosian community, so essentially an oral historian, is considered a great honour. I think sometime in the future I'd like to be one for a community.'

"Why not start here?" Amanda offered. "With me or the ship? We are a fairly sized community. Call it practice?"

'I ... I hadn't considered that, actually.' He was delighted at the idea, 'I suppose if you look at it in a certain light, the Ontario is a community after all, complete with civilians.' Yiv smiled gratefully, 'I think it's a ... swell idea, I believe you humans call it?'

Giggling softly and pleased, "That is exactly what I would call it. I'm glad that you see it like I do."

'Once it was pointed out to me, it made sense - sometimes you just need to see something in a different light to realise the potential it has,' Yiv smiled, settling back onto the sofa. 'It seems that if your arrival aboard here was unintended in the long term, it's a happy accident for the Ontario - you're quite good at this Counselling shtick.'

Amanda laughed a little harder and her face turned a bit more pink. "I'm no Betazoid, but I appreciate the compliment."

'Well, it was sincerely given, so I'm glad.' Yiv shrugged easily, 'I'm not entirely sure being a Betazoid is necessarily an advantage. I imagine for many people it's discomfiting to know someone can pick up on your emotional state. Not to mention the misunderstandings about their mind-reading abilities.'

The Counselor's eyes grew wide. Her heart burst with joy. Someone understood! Yiv understood. Choking back potential tears, Amanda told Yiv, "I could kiss you right now."

Taken aback by the reaction, Yiv broke into a smile and chuckled, 'perhaps not while on duty, eh? I take it it's an actual issue amongst non-Betazoid counsellors?'

Turning her head slightly away, Amanda admitted, "There is a bit of a bias towards Betazoids as counselors, given their pacifism and empathic abilities."

He frowned at the admission, 'it seems silly, though, if there isn't any inherent advantage to being a Betazoid. They should just encourage the most proficient people, or those with the most passion for their work, to apply for it.' Yiv shrugged, 'just because Andorians can be hotheaded doesn't mean they should all be shoved into the Marines.' He smiled again, 'sorry. It's a minor annoyance of mine that a lot of Federation members are pigeonholed because of famous exemplars of their people.'

"I completely agree!" Amanda replied, practically gushing. "I made it through and I'm more than qualified but the prejudices exist."

'Exactly, exactly, it's a complete nonsense - you're more than qualified, and you're insightful.' Yiv asked her curiously, 'do you think that it's affected your career in any way? ... not that I'm trying to pry into any personal business now.'

"I...I don't know...." Amanda replied hesitantly. "It is not as if I'm particularly career driven, regardless."

'No, I suppose that there are more important things to a Counsellor, such as helping nosey Efrosians with their certifications,' replied Yiv easily. The notion of keeping a guest comfortable ran deep in his people, and he had no desire to make the Counsellor uncomfortable in his quarters. I'm sure there's more behind what she said, he thought to himself.

Yiv supposed if he'd earn her trust she'd open up to him eventually

Amanda blushed again and started stroking the right side of her long, wavy, auburn hair. "I'm happy to help and besides, from what I can tell you're psychologically sound to serve." She tried looking directly at Yiv but then looked above his shoulder and said, "You have been a rather gracious host. Thank you so much for having me here."

He chuckled, 'thank you for proving what I suspected.' He leaned forward in the chair, clasping his hands, 'and moreover thank you for giving me a few things to think about. Being a gracious host was very little in return for you letting me blather on about the flowers.'

"It was hardly blathering. I rather enjoyed it," Amanda gushed, letting her hands fall forward and leaning her body in more towards Yiv. "My door is always open for you." Oh, my God! What did I just say?! How is he going to take that?!

Having the politeness to blush slightly, Yiv looked away for a moment, before glancing back with a warm smile, 'I hope you mean that, it means a lot, Amanda. You can consider mine open too. Any hour. I'm a light sleeper,' he finished up, deadpan.

"I mean it, Yiv." She rose from her seat. "And I appreciate the offer, as well. Who knows? Maybe one day, I'll come by to bring you some warm milk to help you sleep better."

'I find,' he began, losing himself in his flirtations again before remembering the situation, 'nevermind. I've not had warm milk before.' Getting up from his seat he moved to the door, 'this has been the most comfortable certification I've gone through, can't imagine why I was worried at the beginning.'

Amanda smiled warmly at Yiv. "It is normal. Now, you know, though, there's nothing to worry about. If you need anything, you know where to find me." She made a small side step to the door, not completely decided on what to do next.

She hesitated. Yiv took stock quickly. 'Look,' he said after a moment, 'can I impose on you for some of your time, off-duty I mean now. For the record-keeping I mean. If you're willing to be a ... guinea pig. That's the expression right?'

"Of course," Amanda replied. "I'll be your guinea pig. And yes, that's the correct expression." She smiled, her cheeks flushing slightly.

'That's, uh, that's great,' Yiv was delighted. There was something warm about the Counsellor that he enjoyed. 'So, the Officer's Lounge when you're free? I'm sure you're busy, plenty of people to see and all that.' He realised he was starting blabber and forced himself to stop talking.

"Alright," Amanda responded with a smile. She then looked down at her feet, not sure what to make of the situation. Deciding not to dwell on it, her gaze fell back on Yiv. "I'll give you a shout when my shift is done. Is that sufficient?"

'That'll be more than sufficient,' replied Yiv with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. 'I look forward to it. And I hope you have a good day in the meantime.' He could see that she was unsure about something, but couldn't quite read her body language. He clasped his own hands together to prevent himself fidgeting.

Sucking in her top lip for a moment, she let it go after another second. "So, it is a date, then." Is it a romantic date or platonic or...? The counselor was not sure, not fully understanding everything about Efrosians but she was going to make it a point to learn before meeting up with Yiv later. She made her way to the door, which obligingly opened. However, at the threshhold, she looked back and favored Yiv with another warm smile.

He grinned in return, 'definitely,' he replied. 'I'll see you when you're ready.' Yiv still stood with his hands clasped, he was excited for later, but belatedly realised he'd have to work his entire shift before he'd be able to get down to business and record an audio file. Amanda seemed a good subject to start with, warm and engaging. It's a pity the audio files don't carry images alongside them. Not sure my description of her can do her justice, he thought wistfully.

Amanda nodded and left Yiv's quarters. There was much to do before she met with him again with all of the crew mental evaluations and therapy in between.

As the door closed, Yiv felt a wave of tiredness wash over him. The meeting had taken a lot of out of him. There was still an hour til his shift. A short nap wouldn't hurt.



Lieutenant Amanda Rose
Chief Counselor
USS Ontario

Lieutenant Yivliph Ra-Gruvloveii
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Ontario

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