"Compartmentalizing?"

Posted on 06 Oct 2014 @ 12:06am by Lieutenant JG Grayson Jones & Lieutenant JG Delainey Carlisle
Edited on on 06 Oct 2014 @ 12:18am

1,759 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo, Deck 3, Dr. Delainey Carlisle's Office
Timeline: MD 6: 1600 hrs.

ON:

Grayson dreaded it. He always did, like most would do. Talking about things he didn't want to was a skill he had perfected, yet counselling always managed to find away around it, with a gentle nudge or what sometimes felt like a stick of dynamite.

He never personally disliked his Counsellors as people, just what they did do him and how easily they did it. Hoping he would stay together for this introductory sessions, Grayson fixed his uniform, slicked his hair back into place, pressed the buzzer and waited for a response from the office within.

"Come in," called Delainey, the doors parting as usual upon her request. She came forward, offering her ready smile and noted her new arrival seemed to have taken care to leave no hair out of place. Offering her hand to him, she said, "Hello, I'm Delainey."

Taking the hand, and putting on his best, charming disposition, Grayson introduced himself. "I'm Grayson Jones, Ensign, new Assistant Chief Engineer. Fresh off the shuttle."

"Nice to meet you, Grayson," she replied, shaking his hand firmly, and gesturing for her to take a seat. "May I get you something from the replicator?"

"Just a water please." Grayson asked as he fixed his uniform while taking a seat. He took a seat towards the middle, not too far away from what he would assume to be the counsellor's seat. In his head he saw it as the middle ground. This was Grayson at his best, trying to out psych the psych, as futile as it would have been anyway.

Delainey retrieved the water easily enough and sat across from him. "I like to use these sessions as an opportunity to get to know you a bit and for you to know at least one person in case you ever need someone to help you sort things out. Care to talk about how you're finding Starfleet life so far?"

"That is a really nice way to think of things. Thank you." Grayson said with a smile, softening up and relaxing. "Starfleet is fine, I'm enjoying being part of it, love my job. The ship might be a little smaller and cramped than what I am used to...but I am sure I will adjust quickly to that."

"What are you used to?" Delainey asked with a smile.

"I have to admit, I have been a bit spoiled as of late, a room to myself at the academy after my room mate dropped out, previous assignments I had my own space. I enjoyed that space."

"I can imagine," Delainey offered with a grin. "How do you find getting along with people in close quarters like that? I know you said you adjust quickly, but is it difficult?"

"Not particularly right now, " Grayson said honestly. "I know when things settle into a more routine way of life, cracks and differences will show. Elijah, my room mate, and I get on quite well. I don't foresee any major problems." He smiled wryly.

Delainey wondered if the man's smile indicated something else. "Might you foresee some minor ones? You're smiling just now. Got some sort of prank planned?" Carlisle teased with a smile of her own.

"Maybe once a friendship has been established." Grayson joked. "I tend to do that. Minor ones, sure, timings, using the shower, mistakingly using each other's tooth brush, those sorts of things."

Carlisle laughed. "So you're not intentionally playing pranks, mistakes just happen." She offered, "Your smile before, when you said you don't foresee any major problems, I got the impression you might have been thinking of something that happened to you recently. Were you?"

"Turns out my room mates potential boyfriend and I had drinks the day I came onboard. Was certainly a whoops moment. Quickly remedied, but a whoops moment." Grayson said, thinking back to the night at the bar with Keval.

"Why would having drinks be a big deal?" Delainey asked, not quite sure what the mistake was.

"It was a little too far over the border of flirting for me. Well, after I figured out he was seeing someone and that someone had to be my new room mate." Grady raised a hand to his forehead, thumb and forefinger either side, gently rubbing his temples to get rid of the tension headache of the memory from that particular experience. He took a sip of water, finally feeling a little parched.

"So this man thought you were having drinks as friends, you flirted, and then he told you he was seeing someone?" Delainey wanted to understand the sequence of events because depending on what this other person believed, Grayson might not have been as culpable as he was making himself out to be.

"A bit of mutual flirting. I had a feeling something was up, so, before things went any further... I had to ask. I'm glad I did." Grayson took a sip of his water.

Thinking back to how Grayson had characterized the incident, Delainey asked, "You described what happened as a 'whoops' moment, like you had done something wrong. Is that how you feel?"

"Kind of, part of me knew something was up, but allowed myself to play a bit before acting on that gut instinct."

"But you did act on your gut instinct," Delainey pointed out. "If you hadn't asked, what do you think your companion might have done?"

"Taken it further, potentially lead me along a bit more, possibly try and make things a little more physical. I wouldn't like to speculate too much though, I hardly know the person. They could be a good friend in the future."

Delainey understood his desire not to paint this other man in a negative light after one interaction, but she was concerned about how quickly he was to accept blame for something that he not only put a stop to himself, but something he couldn't possibly have known, especially if this other man was keeping it to himself. "Is that what you want to happen? The two of you to be good friends?"

"Something would be nice, I'd rather not alienate myself too early on here." Grayson replied, taking a sip on his drink. "I'm the kind of person that likes to make friends quick. Feel a little lost without a little social group or someone to be with."

Delainey nodded to show she was listening but she filed the notion of feeling lost away for later. "What do you think makes a good friend or a good group to be with for you?"

"A shared sense of humour, the kind you aren't afraid to verbally knock lumps out of each other as long as it remains in good fun. A need for downtime. To sit together over drinks, pizza and chat. Then have the odd time you want to head out and party until dawn and you realise you have things to do in the morning. Just, laid back, chilled, supportive...who aren't afraid to get cosy and cuddle when we know each other needs it."

Delainey nodded and smiled wryly. "Those are all good qualities. I noticed you didn't mention honesty, something this potential friend didn't offer until you confronted him. I'm wondering how you feel about that?"

It took a few seconds for Grayson to think of his answer and why he missed it out. "I guess I thought honesty was a given. He might have had his reasons, might not have seen as much into it as I did."

"So just so I understand you, you're saying you didn't really see his behavior as dishonest?"

"Not with malice or intentionally. No." Grayson's brain cells betrayed him, he felt confused.

Delainey was confused as well. "So he was dishonest by accident?"

"Without intention." Grayson didn't want to see the worst in people, at least not right away. He was feeling guided into an opinion he did not necessarily have. He fought back against it slightly.

"How would you know if someone was dishonest intentionally?" Delainey asked curiously. She was more concerned that Grayson's desire to give people the benefit of the doubt would impair his ability to view them realistically. In addition, his seeming willingness to blame himself for other people's choices had the real potential to cloud his thinking.

"I'm just new here is all. I don't want to make rash decisions or make sudden reactions."

"Have you ever done that before?"

"Always," he laughed, thinking back to his academy days. The random 3am parties sprung to mind.

"You've jumped to conclusions about people?"

"Don't we all at times?"

Delainey smiled. "Answering a question with a question is supposed to be my schtik. Is there a particular incident that has meaning to you?"

Grayson smiled back. "Nothing in particular, just general observations I've picked up along the way."

Carlisle decided she would lay her cards on the table. "Rash decisions are inadvisable, I agree, but I'm a bit concerned about how much benefit of the doubt you're willing to give people and how quickly you were to take blame for someone else's choices. In a professional situation, being able to make decisions based on the evidence you have, not the evidence you're waiting to get, is important."

Being just as forthright Grayson responded, "That's professional though Counsellor. I can split the two. On duty, no one gets the chance to make a mistake with me. It could cost us the starboard side of the hull. Personally I might be a little more forgiving, but that is only because I have just arrived. I need to get a feel for the people here, the ship as an entity. People get the whole, 'Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice...' treatment."

"Fair enough," Carlisle replied. "Just keep in mind splitting the two can be more difficult than you might anticipate. We're a close-knit group here, and while you might be able to make the distinction, others may not be. That won't make them any less your responsibility on duty."

"I'll keep that in mind counsellor." Grayson said, hoping that was not...at least this first session over with.

"Good to hear," Delainey answered. "You're clear for duty," she added with a smile. "Know my door is always open if you ever need to talk."

"Thanks." Grayson said with a relieved smile as he got up to leave. "Thank you for your time."

Tag

OFF

Ensign Grayson Jones
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. Delainey Carlisle, M.D., Ph.D.
Counselor/Medical Officer
USS Galileo

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