Round 3 Lt Cmdrs Reinard & Eerie: Rockin' it!

[Sedrin Belasi]

((Counselor’s Office))

::Grier was leaning back in his high backed leather chair and listening to some Mozart as he made preparations for his speech and waited for Eerie to arrive for his yearly psych eval. He’d never listened to it before but despite his time constraints he’d done his homework and knew that Eerie listened to it. Having it play quietly in the background was as much an effort to understand the officer as it was to put him at ease when he arrived. Shame it did nothing for his, but then perhaps he was just procrastinating. That was an extremely bad idea right now. He needed to watch that news feed and get that speech prepared. He was making himself anxious now but he justified the diversion - he did really want to check in with those who’d been held hostage - and his review was due... ::

::Eerie was not pleased, another ship and another evaluation. He moved down the corridor, with purpose as always, new crewman got out of his way, but it was not for want of getting there. It was for want of getting it over with. He found the Counselor’s office and buzzed the door.::


Grier: ::Hearing the door buzzer:: Enter! ::Pleasantly.::

::Eerie entered the office to see Counselor sitting in his chair, he was a bit surprised to find some of his favorite music playing quietly in the background. But it did not soften his mood. He stood in front of the Counselor..::

Eerie :: Lt. Commander Eerie, reporting as ordered.. ::It was stiff and formal.::

::Grier noticed with a trace of disappointment that Eerie was every bit as stiff and formal as ever. Whatever friendliness he had glimpsed... or imagined the first day they had met was nowhere to be seen. The music however was not the only trick he was using in his ‘charm’ offensive.::

Grier: Hello Eerie, thank you for keeping your appointment and arriving punctually. As you are aware you’re here for your standard, yearly psych evaluation. Just a point of note, while we are in this room rank is irrelevant. In this case we’re the same rank but experience shows rank, particularly where there are big differences can present an obstacle in itself, so please, address me as Grier.

oO(Eerie) Not a bad speech. Gets an ‘A’ for effort, so far Oo

Eerie: Of course. ...Grier. if you want to address me as Eerie, that is fine. I am here to answer your questions. ...oO(Eerie) Come on rock head....what do they call it? ...little talk.Oo ::Pause::

Eerie: I hope you are settling in alright? ::It was still stiff and formal. But he tried taking some of the edge of it off. The Brikar took a quick glance at the table and saw a chess set on it.::

Grier: ::Smiling warmly and laughing lightly:: Eerie, this is not an interrogation you know. I’m not here with a purpose in mind. ::It seemed to him that so many people came in here thinking he was going out his way to find a reason to take them of duty or classify them as insane or unstable.:: However, in answer to your question i’m settling in great. We have a varied and interesting crew, i’m enjoying getting to know everyone and making some friends. How are you settling in yourself? ::Switching the focus back to Eerie::

Eerie: I am Brikar, I would not crack under interrogation. ::Stiff, but with a bit of pride.:: I look forward to getting to know the rest of the crew as well. But I am getting to know the ship. I have found the crew well trained, and do their jobs. ::Eerie’s tone was almost monologue.::

Greir: Of course not, never suggested such a thing. I am glad you’re settling in fine, but how did it feel to be held hostage like that?

Eerie: I was only a hostage so, no one else would get hurt. :: His voice stiff and formal, like a textbook response.::

Grier: Okay, but how much damage can a Brikar sustain. ::He imagined it was a great deal but no one was invincible.:: Did you have any concerns for your colleagues if not yourself?

Eerie: My concern was for my crewmates, Doctor. My life is to serve, it is our way, the Brikar way. I have put myself in the way of harm before for my crewmates, I will do so again.::With a bit of pride.::

Greir: Very courageous Eerie, we’re all very lucky to have you by our side!

Eerie: We all use our talents, just don’t ask me to save someone from a lake. It would take me a very long time to wade out to them. ::There was minor hint of humor in his voice.:: We don’t swim.::

Greir: ::Smiling and hoping to fish a bit more:: Perhaps there’s an interesting story there you’d like to share?

Eerie: Perhaps another time. ::Eerie remembered the time he almost drowned and froze. It was not a pleasant experience. ::

:: He was a little disappointed but decided it was time to play his next card in his effort to get the Brikar to relax with him a little more. He knew it was a tall order given the species psychological profiles and that’s why particular care had been taken.::

Greir: While you’re here, I thought you might enjoy a game of chess as I get to know you a little better. ::Grier had only had a little time to brush up on the game, and wasn’t anywhere near as ready as he would have liked.::

oO(Eerie) Chess?.....Hmmm. Oo

Eerie : White or Black? ::Eerie took a detailed examination of the the chess board.:: Oh...yes.:

::The board was on table with two chairs, and Eerie carefully eased into on. The game started with Greir using a knight to open the game. Eerie decided on a conservative approach to the unknown skill of the counselor. He remembered the conversation in the transport, and how good the counselor was supposed to be. He had checked the records of the Starbase, and had not found any record of him playing in any of the tournaments. ::

::The game progressed slowly as the Counselor, seems very tentative. Eerie started to get into the game and started to relax a bit. ::

::Grier was playing a bit cautiously and taking his time. It was difficult to concentrate on the game and also the counseling session. He had to be choosy not only about what he asked, but how and when. He had to be an attentive observer of body language, tone and general reactions. He wasn’t so much here for a chess match as the opportunity to unravel the mystery of Eerie after all. Though he was trying to anticipate what move Eerie might make after each of his possible moves before he settled on one.::

::Grier wanted to begin the session on a positive note and chose a subject that he thought Eerie would respond positively to. Not to mention it was quite interesting in it’s own right. He’s learned from records that Eerie had been involved in a personal relationship with a Bolian. It was a huge difference in personalities but he could see how it might have worked. Bolian’s being generally outgoing, sociable and upbeat creatures was possibly the best antidote to the Brikarn’s formal and stiff demeanor. ::

Grier: I hope you don’t mind me asking, but how is Peiy doing? ::The only concern was that if he was missing her terribly then bringing her up might be touching on a nerve. He took the gamble and observed carefully.::

::Eerie could see that the last move was a mistake and he captured a bishop. He said nothing. Just letting the game continue. The question was however a bit of surprise, he missed Peiy. But he knew that it was the best situation, for right now.::

Eerie: She is fine. We are sharing personal logs. But we thought that any direct communication should wait for a while, but I am sure that we will talk again. She...is a very special person. ::He tried to keep it formal, but he soften a bit, thinking of all the good experiences that he had with her. Forcing ‘Eden’ out of his memory. ::

::Grier was slightly kicking himself for losing a bishop but didn’t let it show. Who won the match was the least of his interests and concerns.::

Grier: I’m very glad that you still keep in touch with her. What was it that attracted you to her in the first place and did you have any difficulties during the course of your relationship? ::By that he meant as much culturally as physically. It was purposefully a broad question designed to allow Eerie to interpret it appropriately for what they’d shared.::

::Eerie wasn’t thrilled with the open ended question, by nature Brikar never talked about such matters, counselor or no counselor. But he had to say something. He paused for a moment, and took his mind off the game.::

Eerie: I worked will with her, and as she was tactical officer, we worked in close proximity. I felt some attraction to her. So we had a picnic together eventually. I was able to talk to her. We shared a lot. And she still means a great deal to me. There were of course, difficulties. Most Brikar do not have ‘relationships’ outside of their species.::Eerie’s eyes and mind focused back on the chess game, now wanting to be a bit more bold and aggressive in the game. He could now see an open path to a checkmate and hopefully and put an end to this ‘discussion’.::

::In answering the question Eerie seemed to have been distracted and Greir thought the last move might have been a mistake. More interesting than the piece he just captured was the question about how Eerie overcame the species barrier. He examined the captured piece in his hand as Eerie looked at the board, probably thinking how to compensate for the loss.::

:: Greir’s mind was not on the game. He was considering whether it would be more fruitful to pursue this line of questioning or come back to it another day after gaining some more trust. This was just a standard psych eval, there was nothing he had observed or written in any reports that suggested there was any concern about Eerie’s mental state or ability to function. He didn’t want to needlessly push him away.::

Grier: ::Sincerely:: That was very bold of you to be able to step beyond your boundaries like that.

::Eerie watched the next move, and it was a rare move that wasn’t employed very often. Eerie watched Grier executed a ‘castling’.Moving both the rook and the king. Throwing Eeries’ attack strategy in disarray.::::

oO(Eerie) Didn’t see that move. Come on Eerie, you better focus on one thing. Oo

Eerie: I had some help from one of my friends. She gave me some ‘dating’ advice. As most relationships are arranged for us. It was a good experience for me. ::Eerie tried to focus back on the game, and not doing particularly well as he lost a knight to the counselor.::

::Grier smiled, he knew it was important to have good friends and the best ones were those that challenged you to grow. It could be hard to make truly great friends like that and a big change such as moving ship could be the death knell for some friendships but hopefully not for this one.::

Grier: ::Upbeat and merry:: That’s good to hear, do you still keep in touch with this friend?

::Eerie took his ‘hand’ off of the piece he was about to move, losing his concentration.::

Eerie: She was killed during an away mission, Counselor. ::Becoming very formal again, and stiffening back up. His focus on the game, now gone. He straighten up to regain his equilibrium.::

::Grier knew instantly he’d touched a nerve and deduced that this was the person he heard about in the course of his foraging for information.::

Grier: ::More serious and very sincere:: I’m terribly sorry for your loss Eerie. Losing a friend is never easy. Did the two of you have anything special, or fun that you used to enjoy together?

::Eerie remembered back the the holodeck and the surprise greeting he got on more then one occasion.::

Eerie : She loved to call me ‘Buster’ and toss rocks at me to get my attention. But I got her back ‘good’ once. But it is a long story. ::Remembering the entire “Pippin Longstocking holoprogram.” ::Keeping a smile, down but his tone changed slightly.::

::Grier checked himself before frowning and just managed to maintain the mask of neutrality. ‘Buster’? … and tossing rocks... that didn’t sound too friendly. He supposed Eerie was more than big and tough enough to handle it but still... It wasn’t his place to judge, Eerie seemed to remember it fondly enough and he figured that was all that mattered. ::

::Eerie focused again and came back to the present. The game was still in front of him.::

Grier: No one can take away those fond memories and you’re welcome to talk to me - informally even - about those good times.

Eerie: Agreed. She was a great friend. My first real friend. ::There was a bittersweet taste in his mouth. He focused back on the game and make a move that would probably end the game soon.:::

::Eerie’s game seemed to be picking up again and it didn’t look as though it would be long before a winner was determined. There were just a few standard questions he wanted to ask before they finished up.::

Grier: What would you say has been the most challenging thing you’ve had to overcome?

::Eerie knew right away, but today was not the day for it and he would keep a lid on it.::

Eerie: The Eden mission, but it is not a topic for discussion. At least not yet. ::Eerie made another move, Using his Queen in a start of a systemic approach to eliminate the rest of the Counselors pieces. ::

Grier: Alright Eerie, I can respect that. What are your hopes and dreams for the future?

Eerie: Command....Someday.. ::The answer was simple and direct.::

::Grier had given it his best shot and had actually done better than he’d hoped, both with Eerie himself and the chess game. There were a few turns when he thought he’d turned the game around. Eerie most certainly seemed to have the upper hand now and seemed to be pushing to get finished, presumably so he could leave. Grier noted with disappointment that he’d clammed up again. He couldn’t see a way to turn the game around but thought at least he could be a little irritating and drag it out a few more turns to get his last questions in before the big officer tried to make his escape.::

Greir: Alright, a commendable goal... what are the things you most like and dislike about your job?

Eerie: I am the Chief Tactical and Security officer, other than the reports that I have to write and read. I have a great career. ::Eerie moved his rook in for the kill before there was a chance of a stalemate.::

::Well report writing certainly could be a bit boring but if that was all he had to complain about then he was either a very good liar or a very content officer. ::

Grier: I wish we could all be as content as you seem to be. ::Standing up and offering his hand.:: Well Eerie, you beat me fair and square but it was a good match. Thank you for coming to see me today, I don’t see any reason to detain you further. Please feel free to come and talk with me again any time you need anything. ::Smiling warmly:

Eerie:: Eerie got up from the chair and carefully gave the man a firm shake: Commander, you may not be the ships best chess player, but tactically. ::Thinking of the Chess game and the music, he had set the scene perfectly. He should of had Turkish coffee. But Eerie was certain that one does not play all of his assets to begin with. :: I will not underestimate you...

Grier: ::Watching Eerie depart:: Don’t kid yourself Commander, you've had one victory and only because I went easy on you. You’ve not had the best from me. ::Grinning jovially.::

::Eerie turned and decided that he ‘actually’ liked this officer, there was something about him. There was some cunning as well.::

Eerie: Commander, it was a pleasure. Just be aware that you have not seen my ‘best’ game either. ::The tone was still formal and dry. But the words conveyed some warmth. Eerie turned and exited the office.::

A JP by:

Lt Cmdr Reinard

Chief Counsellor
USS Vigilant

and

Lt. Cmdr Eerie
CTO/CSO
USS Vigilant