Therapy & Gossip - Part I

Posted on Thu May 29th, 2025 @ 9:15pm by Lieutenant Endymion Tox & Lieutenant Amanda Rose
Edited on on Fri May 30th, 2025 @ 2:23pm

1,276 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Preservation Instinct
Location: Counseling Office | USS Ontario

ON:

Endymion Tox had just arrived and dropped off his things in his new quarters. He headed towards the Counseling center hoping to get that out of the way. The new ship was...smaller but at least he had requested and been approved for a tub in his quarters. He was beyond happy.

It didn't take him long to arrive at her door and ring the chime.

Amanda was sitting at her desk, pondering the mystery of Xavier. She had been mulling over how to get him to confess his love and get the two would be lovers together when her chime rang. Dreamily she called out, "Come in."

Endymion walked in and smiled. "Hello Counselor. Well don't you look like you're in a daydream? Those always help the day move faster. Sadly, I'm here to spoil it with my whining." He laughed. "Okay, maybe not whining by I'm here to get cleared for sickbay!"

"Are you now?" Amanda asked amusedly. "I guess I'll have to see about that. Please take a seat and tell me who you are and what brings you to the Ontario."

"Ha! We're getting to the existential questions I see." He gave a small bow. "I am Endymion Tox, super Nurse or rather the super head nurse here." He sighed as he walked over to the chair sitting down. "As for what brings me to the Ontario, I have absolutely no idea. I was minding my own business when WHAM! Transfer orders and two days later here I am!"

"That does happen in Starfleet," Amanda conceded, while being slightly amused by the 'super nurse's' sense of humor. "Well, where were you before? Tell me about that and maybe a bit more about yourself?"

He sighed. "I was on the USS Tegan, the garbage scow of medical ships...nothing ever worked and we spent half our time chasing cloaked tricorders...I kid you not. We had a mean engineer who decided it would be fun to randomly cloak our tricorders." He sighed. "But hey you got to have some fun. As for more about myself....what do you want to know? I'm an oddly open book."

"I can see that!" Amanda answered humoredly. "Well, tell me about your family, your relationships, your interests...."

He sighed. "Ah that's where things get interesting. Let's see....I'm the youngest of seven brothers and I have three younger sisters. My parents are .... on the symbiosis commission or rather work for them. I was refused joining for not having proper spots, but this thing," he pointed at his stomach area. "This thing likes to choose his own host so here I am. My mother actually threw an in-your-face party with the whole symbiosis team saying my son got a symbiont anyway." He snorted but there was something there. "Anyway interests...I read, I write, I play music, I like to race cars and motorcycles old Earth style and I spend a disturbing amount of time dreaming about finding my perfect match."

"I do that too. Unfortunately, I've not been successful," Amanda said regretfully. "I think I'm going to be a spinster."

He sighed. "Oh, you are not. You're beautiful and smart. You will find someone. Don't give up." He grinned. "You got the world's best matchmaker at your fingertips...well not me my second host. Karvel Tox was a matchmaker. The best on Trill!"

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I think I am done with love for some time. Besides, did you not come here to see me for your own concerns?"

"I came here for you to tell Starfleet I'm sane enough to start work BUT there is no reason not to get to know a good friend."

Amanda laughed prettily. "Well, I'm not Starfleet. I'm just a counselor who does her job, which just so happens to be determining whether or not you're mentally fit for duty. So far, I must admit that I have seen no concerns."

Tox snorted. "Ha! You're the first person to say that." He grinned. "Well so far the medical staff seems amazing. We have a great counselor and I only have yet to meet the new doctor." He sat forward. "Let's raid the replicator and you can tell me about the CMO?"

"I have a replicator here. What would you like?" Amanda asked, carefully avoiding the question about the CMO for the time being.

"Counselor, have you ever had a carpet picnic?"

"Probably as a young child. I tend to prefer outdoor picnics, even if it might be a holodeck generated outdoors. Why?"

"Let's have one now. Does the soul good. Do you like chocolate?"

"Do fish swim?" Amanda asked with a devilish grin forming.

He laughed as he proceeded to order a lot of desserts and then he set up a little area of plates taking a seat, cross-legged on the floor. "Alright! Let's eat and chat. Tell me about the ship."

"That's not a fair question," Amanda quipped. "There's so much I could say and so much that I'm not allowed to say. However, it is a bit chaotic here."

"Chaotic can be fun. I find a mix of personalities makes things interesting. What about our department? What are the ...unspoken rules?"

"Well, the Chief Medical Officer is not pleasant to anyone. He thinks he knows more than anyone else and he will most likely give you some derogatory nickname that he will call you by rather than your own name. His name for me is 'Thorny.'"

"Why on any planet would he call you that?"

"Probably because I'm a thorn in his side. I don't allow him to get away with his BS and I keep pressing him to address issues that he does not want to address." She shrugged, as she took a bite into some chocolate, melting as she did so. "He's not particularly original."

He snorted. "Oh, I hear you! We had a few on my previous ship. You are in luck. I'm a Grump fixer. I will hug the grump right out of him."

Amanda laughed heartily upon hearing that. "Good luck! I think the Grinch has more of a heart than he does."

He smiled. "Ohhhh we'll find it." He paused a moment. "You know this has been the best Counseling session I've had."

"Why do you say that?"

"It included chocolate. None of the other counselors were open to chocolate, so ergo they were bad. You like chocolate and ergo you are the best." He smiled as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"I'm not certain that's a valid basis for evaluating a counseling session."

He grinned. "Oh, it is! Trust me on this." He sighed. "So how long have you been with the ship?"

"Quite some time. I've seen people come and go. Why?"

"Just wondering. I like to listen to people's origin stories." He sighed. "It calms me."

"Maybe, but right now, I am more interested in your origin story. We can talk about mine another time."

He groaned. "OMG can we not." He sighed. "I'm not that interesting."

"I disagree. However, it is part of my job and we are in my office. Perhaps when we're out of my office, we can talk more about me, alright?"

He sighed. "I suppose. What would you like to know?"

"Everything," Amanda said simply. "Well, that might be a bit too much. Why don't you tell me about your family, what made you want to join Starfleet, any significant relationships, and improvise from there."



To Be Continued...


====

Lieutenant Amanda Rose
Chief Counselor
USS Ontario

&

Lieutenant Xavier
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Ontario

 

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