=/\= Kallistra's Quarters =/\=
Kallistra gave a soft sigh as she gaze over at Bellona, brushing a strand of dark hair out of her daughter's eyes as she slept softly. The past few days had been rather difficult due to the crisis. When the Romulan had materialized in their quarters, Bellona had screamed but luckily Security had remedied that. For days, her daughter had been paranoid and wanted to spend every waking moment with her. It was her wild guess that Bellona's subdued feelings somehow surfaced after the crisis and she was becoming increasingly emotional. The thought the Vulcan High Priestess instilled in her made her shiver. What if Bellona did have to travel to Vulcan? What if that was the best choice for her?
Running a hand through her dark hair, she climbed slowly out of the bed so as to not wake her daughter then wandered over to the window to gaze out at space. For a long time, she found the darkness to be lovely and imagined the small pinpricks of stars to be small jewels. All of a sudden her attention was drawn to the soft chiming of the chronometer that announced it was time to start another day. Bellona woke quickly out of her slumber and rubbed her eyes. Kallistra strode over to the replicator and ordered two Delvan fluff pastries, some hot cocoa, a cup of jumja tea, and some Betazoid melon.
Breakfast was quiet as Bellona rarely could bring herself to speak. All she did was stare into her puff pastry and sipped her hot cocoa. Of late, Kallistra took leave from work due to her daughter not feeling well that last week but that day was to be her first day back. Once breakfast was concluded, Kallistra pulled her dark hair into a braided chignon then set to work combing through her daughter's bologna curls.
"Mamma. You are combing too hard. You are hurting my hair." Bellona cried softly in pain. Kallistra apologized then worked her fingers slowly and eventually finished attending to her hair.
"Gather your toys. You are staying with Mrs. Carmichael today. I am sure you, Brandon, and Rachel will have fun." She responded in a gentle tone. Bellona was rather scared of being alone and absolutely refused to go to the daycare so Kallistra was forced to resort to their polite neighbor, Mrs. Carmichael. They left the Grey quarters and meandered onto the door to their right, sounding the soft chime. Mere seconds later, Mrs. Carmichael answered the door with a polite smile and beckoned Bellona into the room. Without saying much, Kallistra afforded a gratuitous smile before making her way to the turbolift.
=/\= The Counselor's Office =/\=
Five minutes later, as she entered her office, she immediately moved over to the replicator and ordered a jumja tea. She knew that it was going to be a long day and she was going to have to make up a lot of stuff she pushed off the past couple days. Once she powered up her computer, she studied her itinerary and established who was to arrive when. Glancing at the chronometer flashing on the desk, she noted that her first appointment was to arrive in three minutes. She decided she would peruse some earlier files concerning earlier visits since before the whole crisis occurred. A few minutes later, the chime at the door sounded and Kallistra raised her voice as she uttered, "Come in." With that, she deactivated the computer and spun around in her chair to face the person. It was a Bajoran ensign by the name of Tay Chanon. She motioned him over to the seat and offered him a drink. He seemed a little bit shook up and it seemed that he was radiating emotions of apprehension and anxiety.
"How can I help you?" She inquired in a polite voice, resting her hands atop her knee.
"I've been…disturbed for the past few days. With all of the crises going on presently, my wife had decided it is best that we separate. You see, we were attacked in our quarters by two invaders and my wife told me that she had it. She is taking my children, and leaving." He declared, obviously aghast at his own words. "There is no way to change her mind. As much as I entreat her to stay, she says it is too dangerous and that if I truly do love her then I will take her feelings into account." She assumed a pensive expression as she nodded slowly in response to his remarks, trying her best to keep his far-flung emotions at bay.
"And…what do you think is best? What are your thoughts on the matter?" She elevated an eyebrow, simply observing his body motions.
"Well…I…I don't want her to leave me. I love Darta. I just wish that she would consider my duties on here. On the last starship I was commissioned on, one of our children was abducted by some Ferengi assailants with ulterior motives. While, thank the Prophets, I did get him back, Darta blames me for all of it." His face exhibited his concern. "Night after night now, all we do is fight. What can I do?"
"Might I offer an option to you? Although it is not all too common on a starship, did you think maybe of marriage counseling?" She allowed a small but reassuring smile. "While her concerns are valid and moreover, understandable, there are ways to still make your marriage work. Should you wish to mull over such an option, and that your wife is willing, then I will be glad to help in anyway." The ensign nodded eagerly at the remark, the stress seeming to almost drain altogether from his face.
"I suggest that you go speak to your spouse first. If she has any desire to go through with it then I think that you ought to at least try it out." She spoke in a polite informative tone. He assured her that he would make another appointment then departed altogether, cutting the appointment short. That gave her leave to reorganize her office and to finish some reports via the computer. While her appointment was an hour later, she was visited by a walk-in, a young woman that looked to be the spouse of a young lieutenant that worked in engineering. She voiced the depression and dejection that she felt. Kallistra listened attentively, offering advice in the politest and kindest way she possibly could, suggesting ways in which to improve her self-esteem. She even suggested that the lady meet with other people on board, perhaps the husbands and wives of other officers so that she would interact with others in the same predicament as herself. Her eyes lit up at the idea and she did not stay much longer.
The day continued and Kallistra spoke with a Xindi that declared that he felt that he was being discriminated against, an Orion woman that wished to at least get her frustrations off of her shoulders, a Klingon that faced issues with his family back on QoNos, and a young Human male that was having a problem exhibiting emotion. Several other walk-ins arrived and the day continued on.
=/\= Counselor's Office =/\=
Cadet Kallistra Grey
Chief Counselor
U.S.S. Charon
