Ace Observations

Posted on Fri Jun 19, 2026 @ 10:11pm by Lieutenant T'Lul & Ensign Matilda Cromwell

2,957 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Jubilee
Location: Counselor’s Office
Timeline: Just after shift started

T'Lul continued to ponder the Brianthe, Ace, Matilda, and maybe even Naomi relationships. She had come to a number of logical conclusions. One, Ace was what humans called a lady's man. However, he had romantic feelings for Brianthe and Matilda. Two, Ace was charismatic. Three, Brianthe was emotionally harmed somewhere in her past and trusted next to nobody because of it. Four, Ace and Matilda were sexually compatible and had high sex drives. Five, Matilda was highly emotional, possessive, and jealous.

Logically, Ace and Matilda were a good match for one another but both needed assistance to have a relationship, if they were going to have one. Perhaps Ace and Brianthe also could be a relationship, but it seemed less likely, both because Brianthe did not reveal much to her and second, because it was unlikely that Brianthe could trust Ace and his overly flirtatious ways with other women.

Perhaps it was time to be more direct with both Brianthe and Matilda to see who, if anyone, wanted her help. When she checked the manifest, she noted that Brianthe had gone down to Pangaea. Therefore, it was only logical that she start her discussion with Matilda.

=^= Ensign Cromwell, this is Lieutenant T'Lul. Do you have time to come to my office? =^=

Looking up from another project she had been working on, Matilda wiped her brow with a kerchief. Placing it back in her back pocket.

"Sure I can take a break, I'll be there shortly."

Matilda making her way to T'Lul's office. The door closed behind her and then walked over to where she could take a seat upon the sofa.

"Hi, you wished to see me?" Matilda greeting the counselor.

"I did," T'Lul confirmed. "I was thinking about our last conversation in my office and I was curious if you considered everything that you said during our session."

Matilda thought for a moment or two, trying to remember just what she had said in the fiest conversation she had with T'Lul.

"What do you mean my having considered what I said in the last session? What did you gather from it? I am curioius as to what sort of reflection you have come up with?" Matilda knew she spouted off quite a bit as she was angry. Now, though, that anger had cooled, where Ace was concerned.

"I wanted to follow up with you. Last time that we talked, you had a great deal of anger towards Ace Cannon. While we met, you seemed to have a quick turnaround regarding your emotions after some time. I was curious where your head might be now with regard to him and Brianthe Oaxaca."

Matilda contemplated as to T'Lul's questions.

"My feelings where Ace is concerned. As what I had mentioned sometime to Ace during our previous intereactions, I had commented that I don't own him, and he doesn't own me.And, I do know he was or perhaps still is, angry with me. I don't know. This due to after that last encounter with him in his quarters, I've not sought him out. I've not even kept tabs on him."

Matilda leaned back against the couch cushions as she thought more.

"As for Brianthe, what is her business is her business. She has treated me well, and I am hoping that we are on the path of friendship." Matilda gave a shrug.

T'Lul sat back, wondering at Matilda's response. This was a very different woman than the last time they had met. "I wonder...." T'Lul started. "Last time we talked, you expressed frustration that Ace had feelings for Brianthe. Do you think you can be friends with her knowing that?" the Vulcan wondered. "While you just said that you don't own him and vice versa, you expressed very strong emotions towards him."

"Yes I did, and he did hurt me, and I had admitted to him that I fell for him, during that argument. He then basically told me that it was at an end. Whatever was developing between us. Though I think it was more of my own imagination where that was concerned. He was honest and up front as to how things worked. Also what I found curious thinking about it, was that he had decided to spend more than a one night stand."

She paused. "Very perplexing on that part and thinking it over, it may have made me sound like I am possessive of him. He is a free agent, A lady's man. One who loves to chase after those he feels is filled with fire. As for me, I served a purpose for him and he served a purpose for me. That is about all that I can sum things up as. I was attracted to him. I knowingly fell for him. Wanted to be honest and let him know how I felt. Result, a truly strange page of experience put down in my own book of life." Matilda did sound tired after she had relayed that to T'Lul. "I just have to completely let things go and move forward. And, call it a day, as I need to look forward and continue on to see what else is around the river's bend." She gave a small derisive chuckle at herself. "And yes I still have feelings for him, but T'Lul. That isn't a path I can follow anymore."

"Are you certain?" T'Lul inquired.

"He is in a committed relationship, even if it is just platonic one with Brianthe. And he is devoted to her. I got frustrated with him that he couldn't see that. I am not the sort of person who will step in and break up a relationship. Therefore the answer would be, most assuredly I can't. Besides he is rather protective of Brianthe. He isn't someone who, from my own perception doesn't want to open his heart to anyone else. He'll use someone for his indulgence, then go on his merry way, pining after Brianthe. And she isn't the sort of person who wants to be linked to someone who likes to sleep around with other women." It was something she observed. "And I actually felt that he is possessive of Brianthe and doesn't want anyone else to be friends with her. Or maybe rather me being her friend. I have no clue, at all." Matilda giving another shrug.

"Again, I ask, 'are you certain'? My observations tell me that these statements are not wholly inaccurate. However, I do not believe they are completely accurate, either." The Vulcan shifted in her seat slightly. "Tell me, when the two of you were involved, was he sleeping with anyone else?"

"T'Lul. I have not a clue. We spent three nights together, we had the same days off so we spent the time together, and didn't leave his quarters. Until I had determined that, I did need to go back to my quarters in order to be ready for the next work day. Anything happening after that, I don't know, I wouldn't know. As I didn't ask and don't keep tabs on him." Matilda gesturing with her hand to one side.

Audibly, T'Lul mused. "Well, if the only time you had with him, you had not left his quarters, I should suspect that the answer was no." The Counselor knew she could not breach privilege. "I agree that Brianthe would not want to be with anyone that sleeps around based on my observations. Yet, you admittedly developed feelings for him." The Vulcan shifted again. "Have you considered why he might have tried to keep you separate from Brianthe, other than he might be possessive of her?"

"Now there is a telling thing there, he didn't toss me out of his place as, he seemed to enjoy spending the time with me. This is due to I seemed to have had been a satisfying partner for him, well." Matilda paused in a moment of thought. "That was my assumption."

She wasn't done talking, it was as if T'Lul had opened a floodgate.

"As I had remarked to him, I wasn't planning on moving in with him, as I felt he needed his own space and I needed mine. There also was the acknowledgement that what we had was a temporary arrangement. Those three days filled with passion, well, were lovely. Still though I knew it was temporary, and that was that."

She rose from the sofa to get some water from the replicator, then moved back to resume her seat on the sofa.

"He had mentioned that he would love to keep me in a garage, as we had spoken of me being a classic sportscar and he'd be making certain to take me out for a spin, or two then tuck me basically back in the garage until he was ready for me once more. Yeah, that to me, also didn't sound appealing to me. I just am not a person to be tucked away like that."

She took a drink, letting the cool water soothe her dry throat.

"As for Brianthe. I have no idea why he would keep us separated. Though, it almost sounds like he had wanted to keep me as a lover and Brianthe not knowing he had a sidepiece. And that feels, right now, that he felt guilt, that he was cheating on Brianthe. And perhaps he didn't want to cause her any hurt."

Matilda looked down at the glass in her hand.

"I don't know, the man boggles my mind. He had made his decision where I was concerned. I accepted the terms, as he said, he and I are done. He had made a verbal contractual statement. If anyone says that they are developing feelings, the relationship was over. When I got into that argument with him and stated that I had feelings for him, that ended any sort of possible continuation of engagement of the intimacy kind."

"I understand your logic. However, I do not believe that that all of it is accurate," the Vulcan counselor informed Matilida. "My logic tells me that he desires both you and Brianthe, which you also stated. However, my assessment would be that he wanted to keep you both apart because at some level, if he was ever to commit, he knew he would have to choose. By keeping you separate, he could weigh the pros and cons. From his point of view, I speculate that now, you're both together and you took his job from him in the Arboretum which kept him closer to Brianthe. So, inadvertently, you pushed him more towards Brianthe."

The Vulcan paused before continuing. "Everything that I know about Ace tells me that underneath his womanizing bravado is someone that almost anyone who has gotten to know him says is a decent being. Certainly not perfect, but decent. I would be curious to know what caused him to be the way he is."

She raised an eyebrow at Matilda. "In the field, my non-Vulcan peers would likely call Ace 'a project.' You seem to have calmed from our last meeting, so I wonder if you are just resigned to your non-pursuit, which could be healthy given Ace's proclivities and potential trauma, or if that is merely a rationalization for your contribution for how you find yourself in your current situation."

Matilda listened carefully to T'Lul. weighing her own thoughts to what the counselor had said.

"I have already owned up to my own fallacy of what has transpired. I admitted to you as well as him and myself that I had fallen for him. I don't think it is my rationalization of the matter either. I didn't ask him or even thought that I could have put him into a position of choosing between me or Brianthe. He made himself very clear, and also I didn't take away his job. i believe it was his self appointed task. I had merely stated that I was interested in going to the arboretum as I hadn't been there yet and he did state that I wasn't to go there, at all. And I had stated that previously."

Matilda finished up her glass of water, then regarded T'Lul with a piercing gaze. "We seem to have gotten back on the proverbial merry go round once more. I though, am thinking I need to step off of it now." There was a determination in her voice.

Matilda looked at the now empty glass then back to T'Lul.

"Ace may need someone to get to know him and figure out why he is the way he is, which perhaps it is to protect himself. And I had mentioned that I saw another side of him when he sang." Matilda rising up from the sofa with her empty glass.

Walking over to where Matilda put the glass in the recycler. She didn't turn around she spoke her next part. "When someone sings they actually open themselves up, showing a vulnerable side to them. I haven't thought him to be terrible except for the hurtful words he said to me."

She turned around, her back towards the recycler. "And I do understand that he lashed out due to embarrassment. I paid the price and I don't wish to pay the price again. Besides T'Lul, he was serious when he said he and I were through. I had actually reached out to him, on that fateful day, before I came to see you. Caring about him, checking on him. And he slapped me hard verbally. Even if he spoke out in anger, he was right. We are through, he and I."

Her shoulders drooped. She was now feeling more emotionally exhausted. Matilda now just wanted to go back to her quarters or go some where no one knew her and just get blitzed. On second thought it would be better if she were to, get drunk by herself. She'll stay out of trouble that way.

"Yes, you went to him, and he was angry with you. Time has passed. Just like you have cooled, so he may have as well. Humans do tend to say things they do not mean in anger." She shrugged. "I cannot say that is true or false in your situation with Ace. Ultimately the decision is both of yours. I am merely offering thoughts." Well, that was a lot of research that did not work out. I will have to try a new hypothesis or just help Ace get together with Brianthe. That will be difficult, though. Brianthe does not talk much about herself and likely will not open up randomly about her personal life and Ace must be shown his true feelings. But how would I ever get him in here again to do that? Certainly, that is an interesting problem. I did believe that Matilda and Ace were better suited, though.

The Counselor stood up and said, "Thank you for coming. I hope that I have been of service to you. Should you need me further, I will be available for you, Matilda."

"You know something T'Lul, the truly sad thing about this whole affair with Ace, is, I fell for him hard. And that maybe the reason why what he said hurt so much. Questions have popped up in my mind. What was I thinking? Why did I fall for him so hard? Why did it hurt so bad? Why did I let him through my guard?"

A brittle smile appeared, "I don't even think he knows how to say he's sorry that he hurt me and if he does know, maybe there is just too much pride in him to come say he was sorry."

Matlida leaned one shoulder against the wall, as she spoke.

"I am tired. I haven't slept much and I have fretted about Ace and what he said to me. I just need to let it go, and I can't chase after him." It was as if she were trying to let him go, to convince herself to continue to let him go.

Rubbing her forehead Matilda gave out a sigh. "And T'Lul, I've not slept with anyone since this whole deal with Ace. Thank you again for the help you've provided, and also... for in some aspect opening another can of worms."

Before she could say much more, Matilda heard a beep from her PAD, of which she looked at it, gave a quick gasp. "I've got a work order to do." With that she stepped through the door of counseling, her brain turning to something she could fix, that was needing her attention.

T'Lul watched as Matilda left. For all her bravado, as she finally admitted, she was not over Ace, which validated T'Lul's opinion. After all, T'Lul had not asked about Matilda's sex life and she felt it necessary to volunteer the information that she not yet been with anyone else. She doubted that the same was true for Ace. He probably was sleeping with Naomi, as she determined from her, well, what Raiden called a date. Ultimately, though, at this point, T'Lul had done as much as she could to play matchmaker. The rest was up to Ace and Matilda if they were to do anything.

In the meantime, T'Lul considered talking to the Doctor. If Matilda was this worn out, it might behoove her to have some sleeping aids. Unfortunately, Matilda had left before she could make the suggestion. Yes, she should speak to the Doctor. After all, Matilda's production might suffer given her current state, which could be unsafe for the station. Decision made, T'Lul walked out of her office and to sickbay.

---

Ensign Matilda Cromwell
Engineering/Operations
Deep Space Five

Lieutenant T'Lul
Chief Counselor
Deep Space Five

 

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