Lieutenant JG Amelia Semara - Being Betazoid

[Max]

(( XO's Office, Deck 1, USS Khitomer ))

Amelia had finished the longest, most embarrassing monologue of her life, delivered straight to the long-enduring Connor Dewitt who was now holding her by the arms like she was an old-timey mental patient.  In all fairness, she probably seemed like one to the Human.  She even felt like one a little to herself.

Maybe she could partially blame the fact she hadn't had a telepathic conversation with anyone or anything in possession of a physical body for some time now, and now everything was just spilling out of her to the first person she could trust not to scold her for being, well... her.  Still, she could have handled it with quite a lot more grace judging from the chief engineer's plain concern for her.

She flushed bright red, and giggled manically - in no small part from how good it felt just to get it all out of her, but also because she very quickly became aware of how deranged she must seem.

Semara: I am so.  Sorry.  :: Chuckling and shaking her head with her hands held out in supplication. :: I didn't mean to give you one big monologue.  Seems I keep doin' that to you.  Embarassin'...  Not at all befittin' a Lady or an officer.  Maybe I've been too long away from other Betazoids.  I just start thinkin' out loud!  :: A frustrated hand gesture. ::  Trust me, that would'a been over a lot faster telepathically.  And here I am still talkin'!  Just get a hypospray already...  :: Another laugh. ::  We can get to work.  I'll be fine, promise.  Eventually, at least.

Now she was actually done.  She allowed herself to be steered into a chair in front of the desk by the arms - a move that reminded her of her grandma (the lady had the most vice-like grip and could move you anywhere with just two pincer-like fingers clawing into your ribs).  She dutifully sat down.

Yup.  She had this coming.  So much for her dignity.

C. Dewitt: I’ll talk now, if that’s okay. ::chuckling:: My name’s Connor. You’re on a first name basis with me now. We know each other from Yosemite National park. We happen to work together. You can calm down. ::pause:: I don’t know you much, but your work on the Lab has been extraordinary. The Captain only promotes with reason. He does so, because he knows you’ll do a good job.

She nodded.  Frankly, she had almost forgotten about the lab.  She'd been thinking about the prior mission.  She didn't feel like she'd done much other than be the right person in the right place at the right time.  He had a point though.  She had no shortage of accomplishments to claim both on the ship and beforehand.

Semara: :: A cockeyed smile. :: Good point.  :: Beat :: And my parents and friends back home call me Mimi, but Amelia's fine. :: A chuckle ::

She wasn't quite ready to use the man's first name, even though she'd enormously enjoyed their hike together back on Earth.  It was that experience together that had made her comfortable enough to let loose on him like that.  Maybe she'd use his name in a minute, when he'd finished letting her have what was coming.

It took until that moment that she realized Lera had used her first name too in the conference room, and she'd been too head in the sand to fully register it.  Even the formal Vulcan... She smirked to herself.  Funny how the brain seems to have a way of distorting reality around the user.

C. Dewitt: Good. Now, when I was assigned to the Arrow as an Ensign, that man, who just promoted you, had not even finished his Academy courses. Promotion and seniority is not only an issue of time. We all know that, Ensign Michaels does, too. And we are all glad it is like that, because it means that people are usually qualified for their jobs and their ranks ::pointing at the new pip::.

Semara: I know...

If he was going to go all fatherly on her, she could be excused for a sarcastic bit of teenager's whine she only half-meant.  She reached out and took a sip of the tea he'd given her, breathing in the herbal aroma.  It reminded her of all the cozy winter nights she'd spent under a blanket watching the snow fall outside her window as a child.

He sat down in Nolen's chair, and, for a fleeting moment, she felt a dim reflection of her own feelings ripple through him.  It was some comfort to know she wasn't just a complete lunatic - that he understood.  That what she was doing to herself wasn't just some special insanity all her own, but a more universal experience.  Something people navigated all the time, and she could too.

C. Dewitt: Don’t be so hard on yourself, Amelia. The universe is cruel enough, we don’t have to be its ally in torturing our minds.

The most embarrassing part of the whole thing was that she was quite certain she would be saying the same things had their roles been reversed.

She straightened out in the chair, the usual glint in her eyes returning as she realized a rather obvious, yet comforting truth.  She was still Amelia Magnolia Semara, Daughter of the Valley of the Sapphire-Crowned Sun, Heiress to the Golden Leaf of Semizad.  She just happened to be sporting a bit more jewelry now.  And, if she was being honest, it didn't look half bad on her.  She just wished the Captain had said something, but it couldn't be helped now.

Semara: :: A light smirk :: Fine, you're right.  I'm gonna be the best Lieutenant the fleet ever saw and make y'all proud...

She laughed at her own pretend overconfidence, but it helped to say something so unrealistically grandiose out loud.  She relaxed into the chair, this time with her typical grace.

C. Dewitt: ::smiling:: Good… You ready to talk shop now?

Semara: Almost.  :: Beaming. :: Thank you.  Seriously.  You sure you ain't part Betazoid?  Not even like one-sixteenth?

C. Dewitt: Response

She wished there was some way for him to know just how grateful she was for how he handled that outburst, short of projecting telepathically.  Most likely, he wouldn't want that experience just yet.  Perhaps never, and that was okay.  Well, maybe there was a way.  At least one person on the ship should know something about good country Betazoid manners, and know that she was always happy to return the favor.

Semara: :: A chuckle :: Well, since we're gonna be on a first-name basis - Connor - you should know if I ask how you're doin', yes I do already know how you're feelin'.  Back home, it's the polite way of sayin' I care and askin' if you wanna share the details.  Most Betazoids will telepathically dump everything that's goin' on pretty much immediately if you ask 'em.  Kinda how I did out loud, just usually not so... silly. :: a soft, low giggle ::  You definitely don't ever have to share.  Out loud or telepathically.  But if you're ever worried what I'll think, just remember Betazoids share weeeeird stuff with each other all the time.  :: A laugh. :: Bein' a telepath would be hell if we couldn't handle bizarre thoughts and intense feelin's.  For most of us, handlin' them means sharin' them.  So again, thank you.

If he needed any proof she was telling the truth, it sat before him in the form of Amelia already much more relaxed for simply telling him what was on her mind and having him patiently work her through all the things she already knew and needed reminding of.  Feeling everything around her all the time had a way of teaching her how to process most emotions quite a bit quicker than the average person.

C. Dewitt: Response

Semara: :: A sparkling grin :: Right?  That's why it really surprised me when I asked Commander Hobart, and he just closed up.  Even half-Betazoid, I thought he might wanna share.  Maybe my mistake for expectin' that from him, but still...

She shook her head.  For as sharp an officer as he was, it surprised her how distanced he was from his feelings and that of his crew.  Maybe it shouldn't have.  It would make sense that the XO and CO might have some similarities.

C. Dewitt: Response

Semara: I don't know.  At first I thought it was somethin' about sittin' in the Captain's chair - who wouldn't be nervous? But I honestly think there's somethin' else goin' on.  He wouldn't say, and a Lady never pries.

It was one thing to look at the landscaping of a house from the curb.  It was another thing to walk onto the lawn and press your face up against the windows to see what was going on inside.  She did the empathic equivalent of the former all the time - it was possible to take a few metaphorical steps down the street looking at her shoes, but otherwise it simply couldn't be helped for a gifted Betazoid like her.  Perpetually sampling the feelings seeping out of those around her was just a part of life.

But to deeply read a person telepathically, to inspect their inner workings without being invited inside?  It simply wasn't done, or even considered.  Then again, most Betazoids were gracious hosts and made frequent invites even to strangers and they didn't spend much time thinking about such things unless they lived with other species.

Semara: You're friends, right?  Maybe he'll tell you.  Not sure how it is for a half-Betazoid, but mama always said we ain't like Humans.  We're not s'posed to hold onto things.  Once a friend of mine had a bad breakup and kept quiet 'bout it for weeks.  When she finally projected, she almost bowled me over.  Had a headache for a couple days after.  :: A dimpled grin. ::

Now that she was saying it out loud, truth be told she was a little worried about Hobart.  Hopefully he'd tell someone what was going on with him if he hadn't already.

C. Dewitt: Response

Semara: :: Chuckling. :: Almost like we're different species or somethin'...  :: Standing up with the tea and stretching her neck side to side. ::  Okay.  You're right.  Let's get to it.

As she rose again, and finally her surety, strength, and wits came back to her.  She rolled her shoulders back, and stretched out her muscles to remind her brain it was very much attached to the rest of her body.  It was a pleasant thing to feel fully back in her skin again.  She gave Connor a big happy smile to thank him again, then turned her attention back to the screen.

The issue of her newfound rank and responsibility was hardly forgotten, but it seemed a lot more manageable now.  She wiggled a little in her spot, continuing to loosen her body as she studied his words and the diagram.

C. Dewitt: Response

Tag/TBC...

Lieutenant Junior Grade Amelia Magnolia Semara

Science Officer

USS Khitomer - NCC-62400

A239710MA0