PNPC Lt. Pershan — Sailboat
Naxell
((Pershan's Office, Counseling Suite, Deck 6, USS Khitomer))
Pershan: Sailboat.
The El-Aurian’s blue eyes narrowed as he took in his task. He was nearly doubled over, hands clasping his knees, staring at the wall. Or more accurately, at the art hanging on the wall. His old decor, some abstract Bolian art thing, used to cover up this stretch of wall, but it had been wrecked by invisible space needles from the bug cloud.
Lieutenant Pershan stood upright and approached the wall, his arms spread apart, fingers landing lightly on either edge of the frame. The painting itself was mostly blues, with a pair of white slashes, vaguely triangular curves off-center, one mirrored above the other as if in reflection.
Pershan: Computer? Is the bottom edge parallel to the deck?
Computer: Say-ill-bo-tuhh. ::negative chirp:: The frame’s lower edge currently hangs at an intersecting angle of two point three-eight degrees.
Counselor Pershan made a series of pops and whistle noises.
Pershan: …Soalbait. ::gentle adjustment:: Now, Computer?
Computer: The intersecting angle has been reduced to zero point two four degrees.
Pershan: Perfect. Ish.
For a moment, he just stood there admiring the painting. There was something clever done with it, such that the horizon wasn't actually colored in, but it was still perfectly perceptible. Some trick of evolution, he supposed. And then, when he was done admiring, he stuck the tip of his index finger into one of the lower concave corners of the picture frame, and tugged.
Pershan: That’s better.
LeDoux: Doctor Pershan? You have a patient.
Pershan: No. ::holding up a finger, looking at her:: I have endless patience.
It wasn't the first time he'd made that joke, and Rachel hadn't laughed at any of the other instances, either. If practice couldn't make perfect, then if nothing else imperfection could become familiar routine.
LeDoux: Lieutenant Junior Grade Lera Michaels.
Pershan: Now?
LeDoux: Now.
Pershan dashed over to his desk, a single piece that looked more like artistic sculpture than a piece of working furniture, with gentle sloping curves where the corners ought to have been. Atop it was a neatly piled stack of PADDs. He picked them up and then carefully laid them down, one at a time, in a scattershot array, before circling back around his desk and planting himself in the chair there.
He gave LeDoux a thumbs up, but she was already gone. A moment later, Michaels appeared in his office doorway.
Michaels: Doctor Pershan. ::slight bow:: Thank you for seeing me. I do not wish to take too much of your time.
Pershan: Great! I promise I won't let you.
Michaels: I do not know how much you know about me. I am not a typical Vulcan. I was raised from infancy by a human couple.
She sat down in the chair across from him, which wasn't where he usually put his patients. This would be fun. He loved weird Vulcans. And weird Andorians. Weird Anticans. Weird Betazoids. He could go alphabetically through the list of Federation species and he'd love all their weirdos.
Pershan: Usually I like to start with the more recent problems and work my way back to childhood trauma, but it's your hour. Is that what you wanted to talk about?
Michaels: There was an ... unpleasant incident during our previous shore leave. It... to use a human term... haunts me in ways ... I would prefer it to simply be forgotten. I suspect that is not going to happen.
Pershan: ::sympathetic frown:: That sort of comes with the territory on hauntings, kiddo.
Lieutenant Pershan sat forward in his chair and propped his elbows onto strategically bare patches of his intentionally messy desk.
Michaels: Response
Pershan: Is it impacting your work? Relationships?
Michaels: Response
He folded one fist into his other palm, and rested his chin atop his fingers. Pershan’s eyes narrowed as he listened to Lera’s accounting. Vulcans were a tricky species to counsel generally, but one raised by humans might have a little more healthy approach to their naturally intense feelings. Or less. It kinda could go either way.
Pershan: And how are you regulating your emotions? Meditation?
Michaels: Response
TBC
——— ●● ———
Lieutenant Pershan
Counselor
USS Khitomer (NCC-62400)
as simmed by
Commander Nax-Ellarneii-Tellargo
Commanding Officer
USS Khitomer (NCC-62400)
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