Unfriendly Discussions

Posted on Mon Aug 21st, 2023 @ 1:59pm by Lieutenant Evelyn Stewart & Lieutenant JG Koaruh Avestro

1,701 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Year One: Whispers in the Wind
Location: USS Moore - Counselor’s Office
Timeline: MD 002 1330 hrs

Evelyn sighed as she tapped the chime for Avestro’s office. With Greco and Kei off the ship, she was acting first officer. She didn’t have time for this. It was ridiculous she was even ordered to meet with Koaruh in an official capacity at all. Letting out a frustrated breath she cleared her mind of all thought and reinforced her mental walls. She knew Koaruh was a Betazoid and while she was friendly and open with him off duty, he didn’t need to read her now.

The clouds of frustration could be felt from outside the door. This mixed with the attempt of shutting him out made him smirk a little before opening the door. "Good Afternoon, Lieutenant. Please come in." he moved to the side of the door and waved his arm for her to enter. "Feel free to sit where ever you like."

Evelyn gave Koaruh a look of mock sternness as she made her way to sit in the corner of the small couch that met the wall and looked at him. "So formal.." She teased him playfully with a small smile. "That doesn't mean you don't still owe me that latinum you lost to me in poker the other night." She said playfully in an attempt to assert control of the conversation.

"Don't know what you mean." Koaruh fake protested. He had a feeling she'd come in hard and fast, look to dominate conversation and control the room. This was fine, in fact that was what counselling what mainly about. To get someone to open up they must feel in control, that they can be open about anything and everything. If she wanted to talk nonsense then that's also fine, just meant they would have more sessions over a longer period of time. "Want a non alcoholic drink?" he teased.

Evelyn’s eyes snapped up to Koaruh at his choice of words. She knew counselors were intentional and purposeful with their words. She used a mental exercise to control her emotions and remained composed and calm. She gave a polite smile. “No, I’m fine. Thank you.” She said evenly. “Mind telling me what this is all about?” She would counter his passive aggressiveness with directness.

"Cards on the table, Commander Greco." Koaruh could be direct too if that's what Evelyn wanted. "He has felt that you needed someone to talk to given several incidents involving Commander Davaris. The incident in the corridor, the incident in the cargo bay. Since the latter you have been spotted in the DMZ most nights. He has... concerns..." he saw no need for subterfuge. People did not move forward when lies were uttered.

Stewart sat back in her seat and looked at the Betazoid. “Interesting approach.” She commented on his attempt to get her to talk. “I’m used to most counselors trying to back their way into their point, hell one even tried to bribe me of keep an incident off my record if I agreed to regular sessions with her.” Evelyn laughed dryly at the absurdity and unprofessionalism of it all.

With a sigh, Evelyn looked at Avestro. “Listen, Koaruh, my issues with Kei have been resolved. We had a misunderstanding and we dealt with it.” She said with a shrug. “Greco just needs to mind his own business. I haven’t done anything to compromise myself or my duties. As far as being in the DMZ so much recently, nearly everyone is there every night. Like I said, I haven’t done anything wrong so there is nothing to worry about.” Her tone a little firmer to get her point across she wasn’t just thinking Steve needed to mind his own business.

"I'm not like most counsellors." Koaruh replied. "I don't care if you open up about your deepest darkest secret. I means nothing for personal growth or realisation if I pull it out of you unwillingly or if you tell me what you want me to hear simply to get out of here quicker. You don't want to be here, there's the door but you'll be off duty due to medical concerns if you do." he lightly threatened her but not in a way where he was being authoritive. He was just merely stating what Greco had told him.

"If you say things with Keishara are resolved then that is good. How did you come to resolve them after such an aggressive start to your relationship?" he asked. "As for Commander Greco, he has a fixation with you and your performance on the Moore. He keeps a close eye on everything it seems." he said aloud as he thought of a few others who had visited him with their 'views' on him. "People keep calling him a 'boy scout' but I am unfamiliar with that term..." he shrugged.

Evelyn set her jaw in annoyance at the thinly veiled threat if she didn’t cooperate but said nothing. Instead she sighed and shook her head as she thought. “Kei and I beat the hell out of each other. That’s how we solved it.” She said bluntly, annoyed and frustrated at being cornered into this position. Despite when the Betazoid said, he had no problem in manipulating the situation for his means.

“As for Greco…” she scoffed in her growing frustration and building anger at the thought of the man, remembering their exchange in the shuttlebay. “It means he is the kind of officer Starfleet brings out as an example of the fleet. Ignoring the fact he is a rat.” She added under her breath.

"So do you usually resolve differences in such a physical way?" Koaruh asked. "Surely there are better ways to solve disputes?" he continued the line of questioning.

"Ah so, Commander Greco is a poster boy. I get it. A shining example of what Starfleet is, what it embodies etc." Koaruh nodded to himself. "He is a rodent? I have heard rumours of something he did, or said, but nothing concrete..." he commented.

Stewart shrugged at his question regarding Kei. “She walked in on my holodeck time.” She said with a smirk. Her face clouded at the mention of Greco and his history. “He snitched on his fellow crew mates. No loyalty at all.” She said with something near contempt in her voice. She went to continue to rail against the XO, but stopped herself, catching herself before saying another word and keeping quiet.

"So if I was to come in to your holodeck time purely by chance, or accident, would you physically confront me as well?" Koaruh asked. "How do you deal with disagreements normally?" he continued. At the moment he saw no need to delve into the XO's history. They were here for Evelyn, not Commander Greco and they'd gone a bit off topic.

“Of course not.” Stewart snapped at his question regarding interrupting on the holodeck, finding it ridiculous. “What does Kei have to do with any of this?” She practically shouted in her irritation, her emotional and mental control slipping in the moment.

"Nothing." Koaruh replied. "I'm just looking to see why you respond to different situations somewhat aggressively. "By all accounts you admit you would not attack me for something as small as interrupting holodeck time, but Commander Davaris seemed deserving of it. Commander Greco has also voiced concerns of temperament. Do you feel threatened by either of them in any way?" he asked.

Evelyn sat back in her seat, adjusting her jacket and looked at him self assured. “Not at all, Counselor.” She said, holding his gaze for a moment. “The issue with Commander Davaris was unrelated to her interrupting my holodeck time. She started a dispute and I simply finished it.” She explained matter of factly.

Koaruh made some notes on his PADD for later, taking a few moments to put them down.

"Do you have anything you want to talk about?" he asked her.

Stewart sat back more comfortably, slightly annoyed at the notes the Betazed was making. She considered his question and smirked. “You still owe Dulay those three bars of latinum for losing at foosball to him?” She teased.

"Oh don't remind me... he wont." Koaruh rolled his eyes. "You'd think I was holding out on him. I just need to get to a starbase first to swap some things over and he'll get it. Fooseball is evil, I have decided."

Stewart gave a friendly smile as she nodded. She had successfully taken control of the session. That’s all she really cared about. “Do you have a gambling problem, Koaruh?” She asked sympathetically.

"If you consider losing a lot a problem..." he shrugged, his family was flush enough for him to not think it a problem. "I just don't carry a lot of latinum with me on the ship. Who knows what trouble you'll fly us into?" he smirked at her.

She looked at him curiously. "What do you mean by that?" She said with mock offense.

"Nothing at all." he smirked back.

Evelyn leaned forward and gave the Betazoid a playfully flirtatious smile. “Am I free to go now? Imprisoned me long enough?”

"Is anyone ever really free?" Koaruh asked a rather existential question. For some reason he asked it out loud. His feelings of his overbearing mother and family badgering him to get married floating around in his head. He didn't need to be in any way telepathic, or empathic, to hear the flirtatious tone to her voice.

"Depends if you want out of hours time?" he smiled and rose from his seat.

Evelyn smiled back. “Why? Do you want to lose to me in poker some more?” She asked as she stood. “Or you looking to play other games?” Stewart knew she was pushing the boundaries of the session and playing with fire. At the same time she also found Koaruh good looking, even if she didn’t like the idea of fooling around with telepaths.

"I think this session is over. I have what I need from you." Koarah replied. "Let's see what other games we can find..."

Stewart matched his smirk and gave a slight laugh before nodding. “My quarters or yours?”

 

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