Oh, It's You!

Posted on Sat Jun 6th, 2015 @ 8:31pm by Lieutenant Raj Amani & Ensign Six of Ten

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Counselor Amani's Office

* * * Counselor Amani's Office * * *

Raj had spent his two days off arranging and setting up his office. That meant some shopping on the Promenade and the end effect pleased him. He'd added lots of plants, some softer, more comfortable furniture, some lighter colored accents. The office had a decidedly tropical flavor, much like a cool and relaxing beach house. He smiled as he stepped into the outer office where his assistant Cela sat at her desk. She had been a nurse out at Outpost 23 when Raj was there and one of the coolest heads in the line of fire he'd ever seen. He had requested her and when Starfleet agreed, she had happily moved to the Delta Quadrant, glad of a little peace and quiet.

"Busy morning." She looked up at Raj with a smile. "Nothing like jumping in again with both feet."

Raj nodded. "It's nice to be back in the swing of things. There's a lot of variety here and not, as before, with most of the issues being PTSD-related."

"Indeed," Cela agreed. "And that PTSD included us at times, too." She checked her terminal and looked back up at Raj. "Six will be here in just a few minutes."

"Send her right in. She's the last today, yes?" At Cela's nod, he smiled. "In that case, once we're done, call it a day. I'll get the recorded notes to you on this one in the morning to enter into the files."

"Thanks, Raj."

He gave her a wave and vanished back into his office.

Soon thereafter, Six arrived and stepped inside. Cela looked up from her terminal and smiled at her.

"Welcome Ensign Six. Counselor Amani is ready if you'd like to go on in."

"I..uh...sure." Six glanced around the quiet outer office. The cool, relaxing colors were restful and she liked it immediately. "Thank you."

She passed on by Cela's desk and through the doors. Her eyes were drawn to the man who stood inside, over by a counter and she froze. Oh shit, was her first thought. It was the man from the bar. More specifically, the man whose head she had smacked on the bar. She could feel the hot flush creeping up her neck and realized her mouth was open.

"Umm...Counselor Amani?"

"That would be me."

He smiled at her and despite her embarrassment, she really liked that smile and the twinkle in his eyes.

"I didn't realize...the other night I....I'm so sorry about that. I just thought that you were..." Her words came out in a rush, tripping over themselves. "Choking," she finished, and took a deep breath.

"And I appreciated the gesture." Raj brushed back the lock of hair that had fallen over his forehead, which looked perfectly normal. "And see? No harm done. Would you like to sit?"

"Thank you." She looked over the chairs, then chose one closest to the portal. The same restful colors had been used in here, including her chair which was soft and deep. She leaned her head back and looked up at the underside of the large palm in the corner. "It's like being in a jungle. I like it."

"Why thank you." Raj settled in a seat to her right. It was situated just right so that if she wanted to face him she could but he wasn't directly in her line of sight. "As for the Nexus, don't give that another thought. It was actually --"

"Quite funny," Six interrupted him. "At least it was after I thought about it." The memory of that evening rose up and she laughed softly.

"It was indeed," Raj agreed. "Today, I wanted to take a little time for us to meet, get used to each other and talk about what we hope to accomplish. That doesn't mean what I want to do, but we. You are the reason we're here and what you hope to do is what it's all about."

Six nodded. "I don't envy you this job, Counselor. I know that you are supposed to help me integrate into this society more effectively. I am not so sure that will be an easy thing."

"I don't know about that. At the Nexus it looked to me as if you were getting along fine. You dance well, you obviously have made a friend in Ensign Madhava." He didn't mention Vic. He wasn't sure what the situation was there so he left it to Six to bring up if she chose.

"And Vic took me to dinner." She smiled brightly. "To a place called Lao's. Marvelous food. The company was good too."

"I see." Raj nodded. "How did that go?"

"Surprisingly well, for the most part," Six answered and grinned at Raj. "He thinks I am sexy."

That was not news to Raj, but he kept his expression neutral. "I see. So why were you surprised?"

Six shrugged as she considered the question. "I suppose because men don't normally look at me that way. Scary yes, never sexy."

"Perhaps you've just met the wrong ones," Raj suggested. "Not everyone you encounter will be so narrow-minded as those you've encountered so far, but each day will be its own adventure for you Six, whether it's facing down prejudice or adjusting to the vagaries of everyday life."

She considered his advice for several seconds and finally nodded. "I like that....an adventure. Put that way, it seems more like something to accomplish and something interesting instead of something bad to be beaten down."

"Good." Raj smiled back at her. "Don't get me wrong, there may be bad days but we'll get you through them, I promise. Your post here will expose you you to a vast array of beings, unlike your spot on the Evariste. That was a small core crew who understood what you were going through. Here, you may find it to be more of a challenge but to quote an old Earth song, if you can make it here, you'll make it anywhere."

"New York, New York," Six answered immediately. "I watch a lot of movies to catch up on social history. I love Frank Sinatra."

"If you love that genre of music, the Nexus Club is right up your alley." The thought pleased Raj. Six struck him as the type of woman to whom elegance would come naturally, once she was used to the atmosphere. He'd already seen hints of it in her choice of dress that night and the way she danced. A thought struck him then. "Six, have you seen My Fair Lady?"

She shook her head no. "Should I?"

"Absolutely. Since a lot of our focus is adjusting to this life for you, we'll be doing some things out of the office - field trips if you will. That film will be the first. I'll arrange it with the theatre here." Raj checked his padd, then looked back up at Six. "Your next session is scheduled for two days from now. We'll meet here and then go on to the theatre."

"Sounds lovely," she answered. After a moment's hesitation she continued. "I like you. Thanks for not being mad about the bar incident."

"Thank you. As for the bar, nothing to be mad about." Raj laid his padd aside and offered his hand. "It's been a pleasure Six and I look forward to our time together."

She shook his hand, taking care not to squeeze too hard, then rose. "See you next time, and Counselor? Maybe you should try drinking your beverages, not breathing them in." With that, she departed, leaving Raj sitting in his office laughing.

"Touché my dear," he murmured.

*****************
Lt. Rag Amani
Chapter One

Ensign Six
Getting The Last Word in

Ensign Cela Bonham
Enjoying The Peace And Quiet