We Meet Again (Part 1)

Posted on Sat Aug 22, 2026 @ 11:30pm by Lieutenant T'Lul & Lieutenant JG Anson Lee

1,889 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Jubilee
Location: Chief Counselor's Office

Anson made his way to the counselor’s office, a funeral dirge playing in the back of his mind. Boring. He had to be boring. As dull as a lump of rock. Of course, a lot of Vulcans had science-related hobbies. Hopefully, hers wasn’t geology.

T'Lul had been satisfied that Anson actually kept the appointment. She had approximated that there was a 52.95 per cent chance that she would have to go and find him again. However, as Anson seemed to be rather nervous, in general, T'Lul decided that it might be best to wear casual clothes for this meeting. Perhaps then, Anson would see her more as a colleague rather than a superior officer or a counselor. Thus, T'Lul left her hair down, though each strand of hair was meticulously straightened so that they fell perfectly upon her back. For clothing, she chose a teal jumpsuit that cinched in at the waist, showing a bit of her female shape. She also applied some light lipgloss onto her lips.

Anticipating Anson's appointment, she also arranged for some chamomile tea to be placed on a table between them and arranged for soothing lavender scents to be filtered into the air.

The moment that he arrived, she asked him to enter. "Welcome back, Anson. You are on time. Thank you."

Anson took one look at T’Lul and his first thought was Nope. This was some type of bizarro seduction scene and he was not having it. Absolutely not. But that was quickly followed by the thought that if he walked away, she’d go through with her previous threat to pull him from duty. Besides, he’d come straight from his shift, so he was still armed with a phaser, and she wasn’t. So instead, he took a seat, folded his arms over his chest, and picked a spot on the opposite wall to memorise. Boring. He was going to be boring.

Immediately, T'Lul noticed several things: no acknowledgement, no greeting, no comments, and a defensive posture. What did I do wrong this time in his mind? If I were human, I would think that his behavior was rude. I've done everything that I can to make things comfortable for him. He is so illogical. I must sort this out. T'Lul allowed the door to close behind her as she sat at a 45 degree angle from Anson. She knew from several studies that sitting directly opposite of him would make the two of them feel like adversaries to him. "Would you like some tea, Anson? It is chamomile. I hoped that it would assist you in relaxing. Similarly, I had the air infused with lavender to make you feel more comfortable."

Chamomile “tea” was not real tea, but manners won out over fake tea, and he took a cup, tapping his index and middle finger against the arm of the chair in automatic thanks. He took a sip, trying not to grimace, before setting it down and returning to trying to memorize the opposite wall.

"Why are you not talking?" T'Lul inquired curiously.

Anson glanced over at her and shrugged. “Nothing to say.”

T'Lul cocked her head to the side. "Were I human and affected by emotions, I might consider your behavior rude. You have not engaged in any conversation, and I have done what I calculated would lead you to feel more comfortable. I am confused why you are behaving like this. Could you please explain it to me?"

“Like I said, I have nothing to say.” With a sigh, he leaned back in his seat. “You said I had to be here. I’m here. This is your show, not mine.”

"Most illogical. There is no show," T'Lul replied. "I never said that you had to be here. You wanted to procrastinate our last discussion to solve our communication issue, and I gave you a number of different options and you said that you would prefer to meet me here, and now you behave like this. I do not understand. Please explain."

He wasn’t sure if she was being delusional or intentionally dense. Vulcans were completely capable of not taking things literally, no matter how much they liked to pretend otherwise. “So, I can go and not come back?”

He moved as if to stand from his seat.

"Why?" T'Lul wondered. "Something bothers you about me and I should like to know what."

Anson turned to stare. “Seriously? You’re rude. You’re pushy. You don’t listen, and you don’t take no for an answer. Pick one.”

T'Lul blinked twice. "I listen. I keep trying to understand and I get answers that I don't understand, so I ask more questions to get answers. I have no intent to be rude, so I would like to know how I have been so. My sole intent is to be helpful. When you complained that you did not like my analogy to Schroedinger's girlfriend, I stopped phrasing it that way when you said that it made things sound like a zombie. I try to make you comfortable at every opportunity. Yet, you call me pushy and rude. I do not understand why you have these impressions."

“Demanding over and over that I explain is not asking questions. As for making me more comfortable, did it ever occur to you to simply ask,” he turned as if speaking to a hypothetical person, “‘Lt. Lee, would this thing I’m thinking of doing make you more comfortable?’ and maybe accepting my answer instead of just throwing it at me with no warning? The only time you’ve ever bothered to ask what I’m most comfortable with, you tried to argue with me about my response.”

"I believe that you are misunderstanding a great deal about me, which is why I suggested we discuss our communication styles so we could understand each other better. It also might be more helpful if you were direct with me rather than trying to make me make educated guesses about you and your behaviors. I find you most illogical. I still do not understand why if you want to know if you are dating someone or not, why you simply do not contact her and say hello. Your indirect nature and unwillingness to confront situations is likely the cause of not only your issues with her but with whatever your perceptions of me are. All I want to do is assist you."

"It's my life. 'I don't want to' should be enough. If it were even still an issue." Anson rubbed at his temples. "It's like talking to a sentient headache."

"Except that you came to me twice, without me ever seeking you out to discuss these issues. Have you forgotten that? If you did not wish to involve me, then why did you come to me for assistance?" T'Lul asked logically.

"What?" Anson's face screwed up. "I came once because I panicked, and you were the only one in counseling who knew about the time stuff. The rest is all you refusing to let it go."

T'Lul froze for a moment. Blankly she stared at a wall beyond Anson as she considered their past. "You are correct. The first time we interacted you were ten minutes and twenty-four seconds late for our appointment. In that first meeting, you told me about having broken up with your girlfriend and telling me how a long distance relationship was impossible. The second time you came to me and were uncertain about having broken up with her or not because of the time change. You refused any logical methods of determining the facts and became upset with me for making an analogy to Schrodinger's Cat. You also refused to acknowledge any potential feelings you might still have for that woman."

The Vulcan counselor tilted her head to the side and observed, "You really do not like to listen to anyone but yourself, do you? You claim to want assistance or solutions but when you receive anything other than some secret desire of your own, then you lash out. Very curious." T'Lul straightened her head and nodded sagely.

Anson rolled his eyes. "And you're stuck on blaming me for the fact that you suck at your job. And I just told you, the Marnie thing isn't even an issue anymore, expect that you're weirdly obsessed with my love life."

"Your illogical opinion is noted. Furthermore, I do not understand why you believe that I am obsessed with your love life. I am not. I merely listen to what you say and offer advice. You choose to ignore it, which is your prerogative. Incidentally, you must be experiencing a lapse in memory because you have never told me your girlfriend's or ex-girlfriend's name, though I presume it is Marnie from your last statement. You also never told me that it was resolved or how it was. Perhaps I should have the doctor take a look at you."

"Okay, one, pretty sure I mentioned her name before. Second, I. Just. Said. If it were still an issue. What the hell do you think that means?"

"Does speaking in a condescending attitude assist you in feeling better about yourself or what you wish to express?" T'Lul asked before blinking once.

"Does ignoring what I'm telling you make you think you're good at your job?" Anson snapped back.

"More insults," T'Lul observed. "I wonder what makes you think that you can determine the difference between a good counselor and a bad one. Just because you do not get the reactions you desire from me does not make me bad. In fact, the former Captain was quite satisfied with my services." The right side of her lip curled upwards a millimeter as she remembered how she threatened to take Maritza off duty and made her see reason. Counseling was not always for the meek.

"Did you ignore what she said and then demand she explain, too?" He'd completely failed at his 'be boring' plan, but this was ridiculous. "Maybe you need your hearing checked."

"Your insults are not getting the reaction you desire. Perhaps you should change tactics?" T'Lul observed, trying to redirect Anson to something more productive.

"Why? You'll just ignore that, too."

Deciding that it was best to give in to Anson's delusions, T'Lul answered, "You do not know unless you try. I believe there is an ancient Earth phrase that says to assume is to make an ass out of you and me."

“Well, at least you admit you’re an ass.” Anson picked at some dirt under his fingernails. They were on a space station, and still he ended up with dirt under his nails.

T'Lul raised an eyebrow. She did no such thing. This ensign certainly liked to view the world with his own set of rose-colored glasses. "So?" the Vulcan encouraged.

“Hmmm?” Anson gave her a bland look. Boring. The goal was boring, he reminded himself. He’d failed so far, but he could always try again. After several seconds of her expectant look, he added, “So… What?”

"So would you like to try a new way of communicating? I would like to understand you better."

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Lt. Jg. Anson Lee
Asst. Chief of Security
DS5

Lieutenant T'Lul
Chief Counselor
Deep Space Five

 

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