SIM:JalanaCaydenMentor

((Sick Bay - CMO Office))

After Oxford had left she took another deep beath and bent forward, putting her palms onto her desk and hung down her head. This wasn't a good start. Well the start itself had been good, but as soon as she left Viktor it had drastically decreased. And there was more she had to make up her mind about. The conversation with the Comission Offical and the one with Viktor about it came back into her mind. Straightening up she bis her lip, she would have to give them an answer in just 3 days and she had to jump over her own stupidity's shadow and talk with her. Straightening her back she pressed onto her communicator, forgetting the reasons why she did not call the Captain at this time.

Laxyn: =/\= Laxyn to Adyr.=/\=

Adyr: =/\= Go ahead Doctor. =/\=

Laxyn: =/\= Would you have a few minutes to meet me, Lieutenant? =/\=

Adyr: =/\= Uh, sure. Something I can help with in medical? =/\=

Laxyn: =/\= No, no medical Problem. It is rather... personal. I would prefer not to talk about it here. =/\=

Adyr: =/\= Alright. I’ll be down in just a minute. =/\=

(( Timeskip))

After speaking with Cayden Jalana left her office and checked on her patients. At last she stood at Tao's bed, though the woman slept, which as most likely the best for her. With the injuries she had carried away, despite the surgery it would take some time until she was fully recovered. Her lifesigns were stable for the moment, which was a very good sign. And that she had woken up was another. But apparently the whole healing process took so much energy that she had fallen asleep again.

Cayden walked through the doors of the infirmary and glanced around. It certainly looked different now than when they were rescuing refugees and dealing with the energy creature. Though there were a few people there, it was generally quite. Wandering deeper, she found the doctor and shot her a warm smile.

Jalana just turned around to head back to her office for the reports on her patients, when she heard the voice of the woman she expected.

Adyr: Doctor Laxyn?

Laxyn: ::Looking up:: Ah, Lieutenant. Thank you for taking the time.

Nodding, Cayden glanced around marveling at the quiet that seemed to fall on the infirmary just then.

Adyr: So, what can I do for you?

Laxyn: ::Turning back to Cayden:: Please, come into my office, it's easier to talk there.

Nodding, Cayden followed the woman into the CMO’s office. The doors closed behind them and she looked questioningly towards the other Trill woman. Was something wrong? Or worse, was this something to do with Vik?

Adyr: Nice office.

Jalana gave the other Trill a small smile. She was nervous and not sure what Cayden would say to her request, but there would only be one way to find out. She headed the few steps into her office and behind her desk to sit down in her rather cozy seat.

Laxyn: Please sit down.

Adyr: Sure.

Sitting herself down in one of the chairs on her side of the desk, she gave the doctor a reassuring smile. Even though she felt as if she were in the proverbial ‘principal’s office’, she maintained a cool demeanor. It was a lesson learned by Alaryc that passed on the Cayden when she needed it. However, nothing that had run through her mind even came close to what came from the woman’s mouth next.

Jalana leaned back and although she had a little bit of time to sort her thoughts, she still didn't know how to begin so she just had to go with the flow, because sitting her being all silent didn't solve anything. Leaning back she took a deep breath. It would possibly be best to hold it with her old history teacher's favourite quote 'Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead'.

Laxyn: Just like many others I have undergone the tests and every required step to be joined with a Symbiont and I thought already I have been forgotten. ::She smiled slightly:: Shortly before the of attack of the Klingons, I have gotten a call from the Symbiosis Comission on Trill, letting me know that I would need a mentor if I still want to be considered. Either choosing one myself, or getting one from them.

Cayden let her mind wander back to the days of her own training and mentoring. In many ways, her mentor had become a friend, and someone to lean on in the toughest moments. Though prepared, suddenly being able to remember things you never did and talk to people who were long dead were things that could really get to you. Smiling at the moment of reminiscence, she nodded.

Adyr: A mentor becomes a friend. It is a very important decision.

The doctor seemed to agree quickly, just before making the purpose of the meeting.

Laxyn: ::nodding:: Yes. I don't doubt that this choice is an important one, but... apart from my parents and you I do not have much contact to any Trills, let alone joined ones.

The problem, stated, out between them, drifted around her mind for a moment. Still, Cayden wanted to be sure that she was reading the situations correctly. Calmly, and with the knowledge of many previous lifetimes, she smiled and sat back in the chair.

Adyr: So you’ve chosen someone then?

The doctor seemed nervous, as anyone did when they began training, but that would come and go in time.

Laxyn: ::Leaning forward she looked nervously down onto her crossed hands:: I am not quite sure what a Mentor is supposed to do and how much time it would take. Well, I ... spoke with Viktor about this and he actually suggested to ask you, though I would understand if you have already enough to do.

Cayden’s smile grew slightly.

Adyr: Viktor suggested, but what do you think about it?

The look she’d given her yesterday, and the potential trepidation that Cayden could see in her eyes, made the experienced Trill take an interesting path. It wasn’t the path towards rejection, but one towards a better understanding and, perhaps, bond between them. Still, it was strange to hear the words come from her mouth and not her own mentor’s.

Jalana thought about that question, hesitating for a moment. Yes that was a good question. What did she think about it? Two days ago she was very hesistant, but that before she had her very fruitful conversation with Viktor after the Soiree. To hear that he loved her seemed to make everything better. Without worrying and having this nagging voice in the back of her mind she tried to look at Cayden with new eyes. And that she had a recommendation from Viktor could not hurt either.

Laxyn: That I would rather like to have someone for this task, that I at least know a bit, than a stranger I've never seen before. And... well you said it yourself, a mentor becomes a friend. I would not mind if we would become friends or at least for now getting to know each other better.

Nodding, Cayden let things fall silent for a short time before speaking again.

Adyr: Why the hesitation?

Jalana thought about that for a moment. What should she tell her? About Viktor and her nagging jealousy that had attacked her vigorously from behind without announcing itself first? What would that achieve? Possibly nothing and it was not important anymore, she had been stupid and it was over. But there was another reason that she had hesitated.

Laxyn: My parents are not joined and I did not have any friends I could have learned from. Honestly, I do not really know much about the mentor candidate relationship or what will expect me.

The woman had given her an immediate out, despite the idea that she needed a mentor. Cayden had known her’s since she had been a teenager, while she’d known others who were accepted dealing with a mentor that had been assigned. In the end, all of them had been joined, but there were whispers of difficulty. For that, she’d done her best to celebrate her friends that day and those that followed. Looking over at the doctor, she nodded again, slowly.

Adyr: To be honest, I’m not completely certain either, but that can be found out. I’d be honored, Doctor.

A smile wandered over Jalana's lips that also reached her eyes. Cayden was right, it could be found out and she was relieved to hear, that the woman agreed.

Though it came as a surprise, Cayden considered the request to be a mentor, or field docent, for Jalana an honor. It would certainly be a first for her, but logistically, it simply made sense. The Commission could send someone else, but on a ship like the Apollo, they would have a difficult time really being what Jalana needed, which could result in problems along the way. As she looked at the Chief Medical Officer, she realized that she stood at a pivotal moment; not only was she moving into Intel, but she stood to make a fairly close friend in the process of mentoring.

And all roads, they said, led to home; a home where she had the ones she loved, close friends, and colleagues she respected. It was the chance at a real place to not only fit in, but settle as much as Starfleet would allow.

Laxyn: Thank you, Lieutenant, I really appreciate you doing this. ::Leaning forward:: Then you are going to learn something about me right away. Something I've told others before. I am really not a Doctor yet, title wise I mean. So I prefer to not be called it until I have earned it. So... if you like I would not mind you to call me Jalana.

Nodding in agreement, Cayden filed that away for future use.

Adyr: Of course, as long as you stick to Cayden. ::Questioningly, she continued.:: You do plan on earning it though, right?

Laxyn: ::smiling:: Yes, I am actually working on that. I'll have to talk to someone before I can start but then in time I won't mind anymore if someone calls me Doktor ::chuckling::

Adyr: Fair enough.

At least she seemed to know where she was going. A year ago, Cayden would have known where she was going too, nowhere. There was something to be said for the flighty nature that brought her from place to place after she’d been joined. As laid back as she had been, the acclimation to the symbiont had been fairly simple, and the Zhian’tara had been quick. It was at that thought, though, she stopped herself for a moment.

For a time, the block on the sensitive knowledge Alaryc had been trusted with prevented her from really knowing the prior host. It was the same for Jazra and Norah, who could only go so far as to know what his childhood had been like. Most of his Starfleet career, by default, had been kept under a blanket of blackness, for security reasons, until she accepted the post on the Apollo. Now, she had a chance to really know him, but she hadn’t sought out another Zhian’tara. But, why?

Half of her wanted to say that it just slipped her mind, while half of her was attributing it to the fact that there had been no one she wanted to stand in front of her as Alaryc Adyr. Was it because of the flashbacks and the vivid readjustments? Perhaps. Or maybe there was something else that haunted her at the outskirts of her thoughts. She frowned only slightly before Jalana’s voice brought her back.

It was like a little miracle that everything seemed to work smoothly. Not only had Viktors suggestion been a good one, as far as Jalana could see, because the woman in front of her did not only have the experience of being joined but also of going through the mentor program more than once, but also she had agreed to take this important role in Jalana's process of being joined. Despite her hesitation at the suggestion two days ago, Jalana was looking forward to this and to getting to know Cayden better.

Laxyn: ::Leaning forward slightly:: So... how will we go on from here?

Blinking for a moment, Cayden let the words sink in as her own questions faded. This was not exactly the time to be second guessing herself or her past. Jalana would need something more than a less-than-confident mentor, and that’s what she needed to provide. Sitting up and flashing a confident smile that wasn’t quite what she felt, she shrugged.

Adyr: You let the Commission know you’ve found someone for your field docent and have them contact me. We go from there.

Laxyn: ::nodding:: That I will do, and then?

Winking and making a show like she knew what she was doing when she really didn’t Cayden stood and extended her hand.

Adyr: One thing at a time. There will be many tests and reports to be made and things to learn, but it’s only possible if you take things one thing at a time.

Laxyn: oO Right, one thing at a time. You always wanted too much too fast. Take a deep breath and relax Oo Of course, I'm sorry. It's just that I actually thought they had forgotten me by now it is quite a surprise.

Beneath Cayden's feet, she could almost feel the changes in the way the power ran through the ship.

Adyr: Don’t worry too much. Just, ask, if you have questions.

It was a statement that extended to anything, given in light of the look she’d gotten from the woman the other day. If they were going to work that closely with each other, then it meant a certain level of trust and friendship that would be far easier to build if they were open about things. Still, for now, this was a start.

Laxyn: Thank you. ::She got up from her chair and smiled to Cayden:: I am looking forward to work with you.

With a nod, Cayden moved towards the door.

Adyr: I believe we are getting ready to leave. If you need me, I’m just a call away.

Laxyn: Good to know, then I should get everything ready for departure. Have a good day, Lieu... Cayden.

And with a smile and a wave, Cayden left sickbay with far more on her mind than when she entered. Not only was she worried about whether she’d be able to be a good mentor, but she was concerned about really ‘meeting’ Alaryc and not the shell that had been there during her original Zhian’tara. Would he be much different in personality? She shook her head. Of course he would. The memories that still came to her had been. It was then that she decided it would require a second attempt at the meeting. When, she would not state, but it would come. In time.

Jalana returned the smile and even the wave when Cayden left Sick Bay and sank back down onto her chair. Well that went way easier than she had worried when she had contacted the other Trill. This would be a big change in her life, she knew it, a huge step. It was a mix of excitement and fear that washed through her. Jalana took a deep breath and sent a message to the comission. She could have called them, but since they were about to leave and because she needed a quiet moment to herself right now, she decided against that. Just when she hit the send button the nurse came in and let her know that Ensign Cross was here for her physicals...