05-22-2026, 01:54 AM
== Lt Mala's Quarters ==
== NPC Lt Andrea Tate ==
Andrea nodded as she sat and sipped her tea, "Now you understand why you can't work your own case. It's the same reason that doctors are not supposed to operate on their own family members. We've known for thousands of years that people see things differently when they are able to look at it objectively. If you're too close to a situation, your own emotions and desires get caught up in it and judgement often gets compromised. It is a rare thing that someone has a well enough trained mind to separate themselves enough to see it clearly."
After a moment, Andrea continued, "Jez, you're not the same woman that fell for his tricks. You've learned more and grown since then. This experience has shown you the danger, like burning your finger in a candle flame. You're relatively immune to his tricks and charms now. This has strengthened your resolve and you walk away the wiser for it. We can often learn things through the experiences of others, but sadly there are still times when we have to fall on our own faces to learn certain hard lessons. It happens to everyone. Sometimes you're simply in the wrong place and become a victim. Your parents and this custody battle likely have nothing to do with each other, but we'll find out. Either way, you can't blame yourself for risking your heart on a relationship and getting burned by it. There's always a risk, this guy just turned out to be a really bad one. Your training is still valid. Your skills are still as valuable as they were before. If anything, you know how to spot a guy like this better. The hard part is to not replace your rose colored glasses with a jaded heart. That's where friends and family come in."
Andrea decided to take another stab at her previous question, "I know that this might seem unrelated, but I want to ask you again, why you haven't tried to form many new relationships. There is clearly part of you that wants more friends and perhaps even someone intimate, and it isn't just Devynn that has scared you. You seem to be holding yourself back and that doesn't seem like your normal self. What happened to the strong and confident woman I knew before?"
== Tag Mala ==
== NPC Lt Andrea Tate ==
Andrea nodded as she sat and sipped her tea, "Now you understand why you can't work your own case. It's the same reason that doctors are not supposed to operate on their own family members. We've known for thousands of years that people see things differently when they are able to look at it objectively. If you're too close to a situation, your own emotions and desires get caught up in it and judgement often gets compromised. It is a rare thing that someone has a well enough trained mind to separate themselves enough to see it clearly."
After a moment, Andrea continued, "Jez, you're not the same woman that fell for his tricks. You've learned more and grown since then. This experience has shown you the danger, like burning your finger in a candle flame. You're relatively immune to his tricks and charms now. This has strengthened your resolve and you walk away the wiser for it. We can often learn things through the experiences of others, but sadly there are still times when we have to fall on our own faces to learn certain hard lessons. It happens to everyone. Sometimes you're simply in the wrong place and become a victim. Your parents and this custody battle likely have nothing to do with each other, but we'll find out. Either way, you can't blame yourself for risking your heart on a relationship and getting burned by it. There's always a risk, this guy just turned out to be a really bad one. Your training is still valid. Your skills are still as valuable as they were before. If anything, you know how to spot a guy like this better. The hard part is to not replace your rose colored glasses with a jaded heart. That's where friends and family come in."
Andrea decided to take another stab at her previous question, "I know that this might seem unrelated, but I want to ask you again, why you haven't tried to form many new relationships. There is clearly part of you that wants more friends and perhaps even someone intimate, and it isn't just Devynn that has scared you. You seem to be holding yourself back and that doesn't seem like your normal self. What happened to the strong and confident woman I knew before?"
== Tag Mala ==