[V-COUN] Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek: Such Is Life
Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek
OOC: Takes place after Lael's conversation in Rahman's ready room.
((Counselor’s Office, USS Veritas))
::This was the first appointment she’d had with Dugoras since she’d begun her new regimen to suppress the symptoms of her season. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it appeared to be doing its job. Though she had to admit, the weakness, the headaches, and the nausea she was experiencing were damned inconvenient when it came to focusing on her job. She sighed. She’d picked this path and she was just going to have to see it through until she could find another way. Straightening, she pressed her thumb to the doorchime.::
Dugoras: Response
::She entered, plastering on her best smile. There was a good chance that Dugoras saw right through it, but she didn’t care. Maybe if she put on a brave face, she would be a little less afraid of the possible outcomes for this mess. Just when she’d thought her life couldn’t get any more complicated, it had. It was hard hiding it from Maddy and those rare nights where Maddy stayed with Dassa and Tobian, she often cried herself to sleep. One night in particular, she’d found herself waking from a nightmare and seeking out one of the people she’d sought to distance herself from.::
{{Flashback}}
((Thoran’s Quarters, USS Veritas))
::She didn’t know how she’d ended up here, exactly. Severe insomnia that not even a cup of her favorite Ligonian spiced tea had been enough to soothe had driven her to wander the ship, resulting in her stopping outside of his quarters. She worried her lip. It had been months since their intimate encounter. They were both far too professional to let their working relationship suffer from it, though it occurred to her that maybe it was why he was being more of an @$$ than usual.::
::It was no secret that he’d had a crush on her...though crushes for Anjar were as common and as fleeting as a woman’s fascination with a new outfit. She’d only known him to be in love twice...his wife, now deceased, and Quinn Reynold’s alternate universe counterpart. She cared deeply for Anjar. He was one of her closest friends. They’d known each other since before Chythar and Alex had come into the picture. He’d been one of her first true friends of the opposite sex. For most of her life, that had been a rarity. Until Anjar, she hadn’t believed that a man and woman could be friends without being attracted to one another.::
::While she was lost in her thoughts, the doors swished open. She grimaced. He must have sensed her presence on the other side of the door. Anjar rubbed his eyes for a moment before focusing on her, the surprise plain in his features.::
Thoran: ::rasps:: Lael?
Rosek: ::sheepishly:: It’s a bad time. You have company--
Thoran: ::shakes his head and steps aside, motioning her inside:: No, no. Come in.
::She stepped past him, careful to keep from brushing against him. She was in control of her thoughts and emotions...if barely. She wasn’t sure how much of her situation she really wanted him to know. Her subconscious’s reasons for coming here in the first place still remained elusive.::
Rosek: ::murmurs:: Liara’s asleep?
Thoran: ::nods and runs his hands through his hair, exhaling heavily:: So...what’s up?
::Her gaze locked with his, but she remained silent for several long moments, studying him. She couldn’t put her finger on it. The tension that she’d expected to fill the air between them wasn’t there. There was a bit of awkwardness; and yet, he seemed so open and calm. He was an anchor in the storm she was weathering. It was something she hadn’t ever expected to feel around Anjar.::
Rosek: ::grins wryly:: Well, that’s a loaded question.
::Once she started explaining everything that had happened, she couldn’t seem to stop until the whole story tumbled out, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. Anjar just listened, nodding, but avoided touching her and keeping his mind away from hers.::
Thoran: ::whistles:: Wow. ::pauses:: So Doctor Skyfire was able to come up with something? That’s good.
Rosek: ::sighs:: Yeah. But he didn’t recommend it long-term. His simulations seemed to indicate it could kill me just as certainly as my season could.
Thoran: ::nods:: So...what are you going to do?
Rosek: ::murmurs:: Honestly? I don’t know.
{{End Flashback}}
Rosek: ::shrugs:: Well enough. You?
Dugoras: Response
Rosek: ::sighs:: Required counseling sessions...both good and bad. ::smiles:: No offense, of course. It’s just more of a chore when I have the Brass breathing down my neck.
Dugoras: Response