Round One

Posted on Tue Jan 21st, 2014 @ 6:45am by Lieutenant Commander Nicolao & Lieutenant Commander Robin Swift M.D., PhD & Petty Officer 1st Class Drusilla Dupree

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Counselor's Office

"We'll see you next time." Dru smiled at the departing crewman and remained 'at attention' till the doors slid closed. Once she was alone again in the outer office, she checked her terminal. By the day's schedule, Nicolao was due in fifteen minutes. Dru hadn't spoken to him since the previous day but he hadn't cancelled and that was good. Not that he really had much choice.

"Want some fresh tea before your next, Robin?" she called out.

"Do we still have some of that strawberry sencha green tea? That sounds lovely, if we do." He exited his office and placed a PADD from the last session on Dru's desk. "Have you tried it? It's amazing."

"I did." She rose and moved past him to see to the tea. "Nicolao's up next. Fifteen minutes. His file noted that he liked rooibos so I'll make up the spare pot."

"Good thinking. I knew I kept you around for something." He winked. He'd set up his office for Nicolao's visit, straightening up the chairs and pillows and lowering the lights a bit. He'd even had the air filtration system scrub the air so that he could start a new pot of potpourri with a more neutral smell. He didn't want something harsh or too powerful to potentially trigger something in Nicolao that would put him on edge.

Dru handed him a cup and saucer. "Thank you. I'm beginning to think that this may be my favorite out of all I have in stock, so far. It was a good find."

"I'll make sure to find some more then." She sniffed the air and raised her eyebrows. "Nice choice. How do you think this is going to go?"

"I honestly have no clue, but I'll start easy on him. I want him to kinda' set the pace." He sipped the tea and closed his eyes, savoring it. "Wow. Anyway, this session will pretty much just be him getting a feel for things with me. The next session, however, will be a little more in-depth. He doesn't know it yet, but Starfleet has set a deadline. I only have two months. And with the potential problems he has, that's not much time."

Dru turned away from the tea she was brewing. "Interesting, did they say why? They're not planning to throw him back into the pit again so soon?"

"Well, if it all works out here, then yes. He's good at his job, despite the mental toll it seems to be taking on him, and they need people of his caliber in those positions. But it's going to be tough, for both of us. I have a feeling he's going to be a tough nut to crack."

"Count on it, Robin. Poor guy." Dru stopped as the outer office doors slid open. "You're on." She hurried out to greet Nicolao, then show him into the inner office.

Nico gave her a silent nod, then followed her in. Once she'd gone, closing the door behind her, he spoke.

"Morning, Counselor." He remained standing, but he sniffed the air, much as Dru had done.

"Nicolao," Robin replied. "Please, have a seat anywhere. Would you like some tea, coffee or anything else? I hope you don't mind that I'm having tea."

Robin sat in his own chair and waited for Nicolao to seat himself and to decide on a beverage.

"Tea's fine. Rooibos perhaps?" Nico looked the office over, then began to move around slowly, checking it out and noticeably checking to see if there were any other exits. He paused by the portal taking a moment to look out.

Since the door to his office was closed, Robin tapped his communicator. "Dru, some Rooibos for Nicolao, please." He looked to Nicolao and studied him as he made his way around the office. "Have you enjoyed your time on the station so far?"

Dru's voice came back to them. "It's already on the warmer. Enjoy."

A hint of a smile touched Nico's face at her words, then faded. "It's been interesting. I decided to follow Drusilla's suggestion and see the promenade. I stopped into the Nexus Club and met some of the local entertainment, a young woman named Bella. I don't think her turbolift goes all the way to the top." He turned away from the portal and moved towards the teapots. "I'll get the tea."

Robin smiled as Nicolao helped himself to the tea. "One of the pitfalls of the Nexus is that you don't always go to the entertainment, sometimes it seeks you out. Have you become any more at ease being here? I know it's a big place and vastly different than anywhere else."

"No." He poured out the tea, taking it straight and returned to sit across from Robin. "Despite the time in San Francisco, I'm still not used to so many people so close. Especially some of them, like the Orion I met last night outside Palaxia's. Apparently Bella complained that I turned her down." The flash of anger he'd felt with Seyla returned unexpectedly.

Robin inhaled and his eyes narrowed momentarily. "That would be Seyla, the 'madam' of the station," he said, using air quotes. "In my opinion, not a person of very good character, but that could just be me." He sipped his tea again. "Have you met anyone else that you might know? There are quite a few people here."

"No, not yet. It was a quiet night, aside from Seyla. She wasn't too pleased with me when she left. I don't think they get no for an answer too often." His amusement returned and he let it, not bothering to shield it from Robin. It was harmless enough. He sipped his tea before he continued. "I don't know how social I'll be, other than when your assistant drags me off somewhere. Is Starfleet concerned about that?"

"Being social? No, not really. That's more for my curiosity than anything else," Robin replied. He crossed one leg over the other and balanced his tea on his knee. "It sometimes helps to be able to loosen up a bit with your surroundings and that could help you in here. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect you to want to be the life of the party or anything--unless you decide to do so on your own, that is. But feeling safe, knowing that there are people here whom you can rely on and who rely on you can really help ones outlook."

"Trust and reliance is a rare thing in my life. No offense Counselor." Nico studied Robin a moment, then set his cup aside. "Look, I don't want to waste your time. I"m not one usually to volunteer anything, past habit, so if there's something you need to know, you'll have to ask. Deal?"

With a slight nod, Robin replied. "Deal. Oh!" he said, remembering what he had for Nicolao. "I have something for you." Setting the cup and saucer down on the table, he went to his desk and pulled the journal and pen from his desk. He held it up for Nicolao to see. "This is a journal that I am prescribing you to use, and it is mandatory."

Nico raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Mandatory? I've heard that word a lot lately." He held out his hand for the journal and pen. It was old-fashioned, that was for sure, but it felt good in his hands and he liked the old paper smell that rose from it. "Very well. Can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can. I'm your counselor," he replied, curious as to the question. "You may feel free to ask or tell me anything and rest assured that it will go no further than these walls, with exception of Dru. But believe me when I tell you that she is just as good as any intelligence operative in keeping things to herself."

"I don't doubt that." Nico laid the journal aside and retrieved his tea cup. After a sip, he lowered it, his gaze leveled on Robin. "They know where I was, which is why I was recalled to Starfleet headquarters. Rescue efforts were not forthcoming, for a variety of reasons. It was a touchy situation. I know that much is in my file. The counselor there had hoped that I might open up and tell him all about it. That wasn't forthcoming either, again for a variety of reasons. Is this something you're going to want to know? Because I can tell you right now, be careful what you ask for."

Robin thought for a moment before replying. "The mission isn't really my concern, to be honest. If I need information about it that's not included in your file for our sessions, I will ask, but I don't need you to relive the entire thing for me. My real concern is getting you better, mentally. If not for a return to service, at least to help you with a potential civilian life."

"I don't know what I'm hoping for in that regard." The words slipped out and seemed to surprise Nico. "I don't know what I'd do as a civvie, but then again I'm not sure what I'd do back in the Fleet either. My first impulse either way is what they hope to avoid."

"Maybe we can help flesh some of that out here, then." Robin looked down at the journal is Nicolao's hand. "As for that being mandatory," he said, "I don't throw that word around lightly. But that could possibly help you work through some problems on your own. I want you to write in it every day, at least once a day. If you want to write more than that each day, that's better. It's essentially your diary. I would like to see things you've done, how you felt during the day or any encounters you've had, no matter how big or small."

Nico nodded, surprised that Robin had not asked what that impulse was. Perhaps, though, it was better for now that he didn't. "Got it. How do you feel about dreams?"

Robin paused momentarily. "They can be helpful, even when they're not good dreams. Sometimes they're just dreams, your subconscious having a little fun. I've had my share of both. Why do you ask?"

"There is a lot I don't remember, mainly as a result of the things I do remember that I wish I could forget. But there's a voice that comes in this recurring dream and it means something." Nico shrugged. "A voice that becomes a lifeline in a horrible place."

"That's very interesting," Robin replied. "Do you recognize it, and do you remember what the voice is saying once you wake?"

There was a long pause before Nico finally answered, and when he did his voice was quiet. In the lull, the atmosphere in the room seemed to change, to grow cooler as if Nico had suddenly closed his connection to Robin and the conversation.

"Yes." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object, which he set on the table between them. It was a small vivid blue stone. "It has to do with this."

Robin looked at it and resisted the urge to pick it up. He had no idea if the stone was just a stone or if it was something else entirely. "A stone," he said, not questioning the object, or Nicolao's suggestion that it was at the root of the dreams. "How is it involved in your dreams?"

You don't need it anymore.... The voice echoed in his thoughts as he looked at the stone. How was the question, wasn't it? It seemed to be there just out of reach and the more he tried to grab it, the more elusive it became. The echo in his head became louder until it seemed to blot out Robin, his office....everything. He needed to move, to get away from it and from Robin for his sake. In one fluid motion he was on his feet, bumping the table with his knee. The blue stone skittered closer to Robin's side of the table and the tea cup fell, the delicate handle snapping off.

"Sorry, I need to go."

He turned and dashed out of the office as the doors slid open, then past a surprised Dru and vanished into the corridor.

Robin stood as he left and tried to call out to him, but he was gone before the words could even form. He looked down at the tea cup and grimaced at the sight of it being broken. Leaning down to pick it up, he heard Dru come into his office.

"Well, that was strange," he said before she could speak. "This stone brought something to his mind, apparently, and he just bolted."

She looked from the stone to Robin, then bent to pick up the broken cup, which she passed to him. "Did he say anything about it before he did? I don't recall any mention of that in his files."

"We were talking about his dreams," he said, standing with the broken cup, "and he placed that on the table. He said they had to do with that stone. He got all quiet, said he had to go and you saw the rest."

Dru blotted the tea from the rug, then sat back on her heels, regarding the counselor. "Would you like me to see what I can do?"

"That would be nice." He placed the cup on his desk to try and fix later. "As long as you don't mind it? I thought you were a bit standoffish around him?"

"I am also not his assigned counselor, but I do work for you. Perhaps the perspective of someone who knows you well would help. Maybe. He's just as likely to shut the door in my face. Besides, I need to take his journal to him so he can use it before his next visit."

With a nod, Robin approved and handed the journal and pen to Dru. "Thank you, Drusilla. And you may be right. He may be a bit more at ease with you."

"I doubt that. Besides, you kept him longer than his previous counselor. His notes said that he normally left before the halfway point of the session." She stopped at the door to smile back at Robin. "Congrats." Moving on out, she let the doors close behind her.

He was alone in his office and replied to the closed door. "That's because his other counselors only had twenty minute meetings. Mine are an hour long."

With a shrug he set about making notes of the meeting.

--------------------
Lt. Cmdr. Robin Swift
Getting Off To A Rough Start

Nicolao
Fast On His Feet

PO2 Drusilla Dupree
The Buffer Zone