That Knowing Look

Posted on Fri Sep 23rd, 2022 @ 4:28pm by Commander Liala Ziyal & Captain David Hawkins

Mission: The Goddess
Location: Counselling Offices
2204 words - 4.4 OF Standard Post Measure

With the Gladiator back together and now on the the hunt for the Trinity attacks, David wanted to check on a couple of his crew. It took a couple minutes before he found himself before the counselor's suite of the ship. He hadn't been in this area of the ship in over a couple years. So it all felt familiar but older then the Arcadia's suites. To be honest, he was more comfortable with this set up over the slick and shiny One could have easily blinded you in the right reflective light.

He tapped the chime to the primary area's Counselor's office just to see if she was near him. "Computer, if you were wrong in her location, I'm going to recycle you."

It had taken Liala some time to reorient herself back into the way things used to be, but in truth it was a nice feeling to put the blue back on, or teal rather... some ships varied their colour. She had missed counselling but wasn't sad she'd tried the XO thing and hadn't taken to it. It was an experience she would reflect over forever... and it did bring her to the people she now held quite dear.

"You shouldn't shout at her you know?" Liala had heard him grumble at the computer. "After all she has more power over you than any woman will ever have." she teased him.

"Are you jealous, Counselor?" David asked as he smirked slightly. "We have been together for almost a decade. Most have a hard time dealing with EXs. You live in her. Seems a little awkward."

"I can honestly say in my near 200 years of life I have never lived inside someone's ex before. It is quite something to live up too, but I was telling you to be nice to her though." she smiled softly at him as she brought him inside the counselling suite.

"Well first time for everything, I suppose," he remarked as he watched her move. She seemed relaxed and happy. The transition didn't seem to bother her and quite honestly, he was happy that she had chosen to stay with them. "I wanted to check up on you, kind of missed seeing you around so much. I know its only been a couple days, but its weird not seeing your smiling face in the mornings."

"Well aren't you full of surprises?" she asked rhetorically. "I didn't think you check up on people." Liala teased. "I miss you too, David." she went personal quite quickly as they were in closed company. "I, sometimes, still find myself heading to the bridge before I forget that's not my place anymore." she said with a touch of remorse. "If you ever need a consult on an unstable pirate or whatnot."

Her eyes lingered on him. It had only been a couple of days as he has said but the absence was very much felt by her. "Do you want something?" she asked indicating the replicator as she turned her back on him for a second to get a drink.

"Whatever you are having, thanks," the captain replied before taking a moment before he responded to her other remark. "And to be fair, I do check on others as well. But you were by my side for a bit. There is something about you, to say the least. I guess you got under my skin."

She smiled and brought him over a raktajino. Handing it to him she listened to his words. "Well I am glad to have gotten under such a hard exterior."

After a sip of the hot liquid, he smirked and shook his head. "Well not many can deal with me without snapping or quitting."

"I like to think what makes me a good counsellor as well as first officer, well former first officer, is my patience." She smirked at him. "Plus you are not as bad as you think you are. At least, not to me. I could have went to another posting after I stepped back, but I like it here and working with you."

"Well I am glad you stuck around," he motioned with his raised mug. "You never know when your patience maybe needed with a ship full of hot heads under my command. Although, is that all you stuck around here for?"

"Are you suggesting my addiction for hot heads is not enough to keep me here? I mean my caseload is huge and I've only just moved in." she teased at the group of people on the Gladiator. Although the events of recent times did have a lot of peoples minds running.

She bit her lip for a moment as he asked if there was any other reason to stay. She decided it was never good to keep secrets. "I stuck around for other reasons... you. I stuck around for you. I like you..." she kind of stumbled in her usual confidence.

"Well this ain't an old Earth Country Song and I ain't writing you a letter to pass in the class room to check and see if you would check 'yes' or 'no' to see if you liked me. But I'll take that," David joked as he nodded. "I won't lie, though. I am interested in cougars. I am pretty sure El Aurians are the ultimate cougars."

Most, if not all, of what Hawkins said confused the hell out of her. "Captain..." she said leaning in, the confused wrinkle on her brow very apparent. "Is a cougar not an Earth feline? Are you calling me a cat?"

"You seriously never heard of that metaphor before?" he looked at her with a slight surprise. "You are a counselor and have been doing this for how long?"

"Just because I am a counsellor doesn't mean I have heard every Human metaphor." she laughed. "And if you really want an answer, I've been a psychologist for about 70 years or so... but never have I heard that term before." she said looking at David as she thought a little deeper. "But I am happy that you are interested in 'cougars'. I am guessing that is a good thing for me?" she asked.

After taking a gulp of the warm liquid, the captain smirked before shrugging. "Well i guess we will need to figure that out over your stay here."

"I guess we will." Liala said parroting what he said. The smirk showed he felt he had the upper hand, and he most likely did but she could be vague in her sarcastically playful replies.

"Right, so what are your thoughts on the crew, and what do you need from me?"

Liala always liked David's direct way of getting to a point when he wanted answers. "Right now I don't need a lot from you. I am getting settled in new quarters, and here in the counselling suite. As far as personnel and equipment goes I have all I need to make sure everyone is seen to in a relatively quick fashion." Liala spoke quite professionally.

"The crew is anxious, some fearful about what happened here on board. The Holy Trinity has them worried that if it can happen once on board it may happen again... and a ship of this size and what not they are struggling to understand how it happened." she stopped to take a breath. "However, they are a strong crew David. They trust you, trust in the command structure of this ship and with the change in some of the leadership..." She said in reference to Raiden. "They are behind the choice of 'successor'. Even if some question why I removed myself from the role."

"Can't control their thoughts, feelings, or emotions," David tried to comfort her with her choice of stepping down to take on the bigger role of the mental health of the crew. " Are you sure about all of that believing in me and my command structure? Already had the good doctor acting like a twelve year old kicking and screaming because she wasn't getting what she wanted, and a marine officer thinking I'm being emotional taking this crew on a ship that's half the size, and half the fire power for a week to figure out how she had gotten taken over and possibly fight the threat."

"Timia is passionate, very forthright and honest, always willing to stand up and be heard. Now I don't know what you both spoke about but I think those are very strong qualities to have in a ships doctor." Liala somewhat defended Timia, she was her friend after all. "As for the marine, I don't know if you mean Hayter or Walken, but you know how marines think and surely you must see a point of view. Taking the Gladiator in its current condition did leave us in somewhat of a tactical disadvantage. But its your ship, its always been in your heart. Making an emotional decision here might not have been the marine thing to do but you thought more like a Starfleet Captain, than a Colonel. You have officers that speak their mind, challenge you to think. I know there is a time and place for that but in the end they will follow your orders because they trust you. Like we all do."

The seasoned officer took time to take in what his seasoned counselor had stated. All she had said was true, to say the least, and deep down knew that his officers were as well. Even when it came to the medical chief in which was the next person, at some point, had to have a conversation with. It wasn't as though they were going get along at first, but someone needed to be the ice breaker.

"What do you need me to do then, Counselor? "

"What do you want to do?" Liala asked. "Honestly, what do you think is the best way to handle this?" She asked him as a way to make him think for himself. She could help guide him but it was always best for those asking advice to not simply be handed the answer.

"Do as I always do," the captain replied as he stood from the his seat. He hadn't planned on sticking around long. There was other departments that he had to go check on. But this one he wanted to come to first before meeting up with his new executive officer. He finished up his drink and looked her over. "Let my people do their job, and I'll go chat with Timia. I don't need to be a micromanager over anyone. This is what they were trained."

"That sounds like a good idea." Liala smiled at him. "Trust the people to take the right road. If they begin to stray, a light nudge back on course. You'll feel a whole lot of tension lift from your shoulders if you them run things for you, like they should be doing. Like we should be doing."

David sat the glass down and looked her over before taking a deep breath. "I hear Raiden has the hots for you."

As David spoke Liala had began to take a drink of water. His words his her like quantum torpedo hitting the hull with shields down. Liala spat some of her water out and up her face in surprise. "He what?" she asked rhetorically as she wiped her face free from water and shock at the comment. "What can I say? At least he has good taste..." she added looking over to her Captain.

"More like great taste," the man smirked slightly as he started to walk towards the door slowly with his hands in his pockets and head slightly down as he thought to himself while moving. "Got to say, this is kind of interesting to see how all this turns out. I did have him promoted. May have to put him on double shifts for a bit."

Liala smiled almost in defiance. "I'm sure he could use the experience and would be quite happy to take you up on that." she countered. "You did make a good choice, David." she finished on a more reassuring note, not that he needed it.

"And what choice was that, Liala?" David asked as he stepped closer to the door but not before turning to look at the woman one last time.

"You know what choice." She said back to him, looking him over as they seemed to share a knowing look.

There was a long pause as he looked at her and thought of the choices that he had to make over the years. It wasn't like he hadn't had nightmares over some of them either. But in the end these weren't what she was referring to. In the end, he knew all too well what it was she was talking about. And she was right. Against all of his desires he had to step down from allowing himself to open up in a personal level. "I'll talk to you later, Liala."

"I hope you do, David." she added as he walked through the doors, a silent swoosh behind him. Liala sighed, maybe it was over, maybe it wasn't. Who knew what the future held?