461: A Day Like No Other: One

by -=/\=- Zanh Liis
80812.19
After Faltering

-=The Tryst Residence, Betazed=-


"Thank you, I'll take your advice and try them out." Zanh Liis was satisfied with the answer to her question that Valerie, Vol's mother, had given her. She needed to consult the advice of professionals in this instance, and Valerie assured Liis that the people at the establishment she recommended were the ones for the job.

Liis would make an appointment to see them, first thing in the morning.

She turned around seeking Arie now, and found the little girl sitting quietly with a perplexed expression on her face before the central video screen in the large living room.

"There you are. We should let the Trysts get on with the business of decorating for the big day," Liis said brightly, approaching the suddenly gloomy looking child. "What's the matter? You didn't eat too many cookies did you?"

Arie wondered if she should say anything about what she had just seen Vol doing, as somehow it seemed odd to her. But she was also concerned by the fact that in an effort to find something of interest to watch on the vid screen, somehow she had managed to hit a button on the remote that had adjusted the monitor so that the Vulcan language captioning was showing.

She couldn't figure out how to turn it off again.

"Nothing. What are we going to do now?" Arie was concerned about the remaining time she had with Zanh. She had so much she wanted to ask the Captain some questions, and had been trying to think up a way to get to do it for a very long time. Now that she had the woman's undivided attention, Arie found her to be more than just a little intimidating.

"Let's figure that out on our way back to the Inn." Liis gestured toward the door, and the pair made their way quietly out without interrupting- or getting recruited into- the remaining wedding preparations. "What would you like to do now, if you got to pick?"

"Well," Arie rolled her large eyes heavenward and considered the options. "I should like to see some shops, perhaps I can select an appropriate anniversary present for my parents."

"We can do that. Anything else though? We've got the whole day, it's pretty outside, and you're not cooped up on a starship. What would you do for fun if you were with anyone but me?"

"Captain?"

"Ah, you see?" Liis looked at the girl sympathetically, considering her plight. She had a world of entertainment possibilities to explore, but she was stuck trying to explore them with the person that not only she considered a figure of authority- but the one person on the entire ship that outranked even her own father. *That can't be a good time.* Liis thought. "Arie, today, I am not the Captain. I'm a friend of your family,"

"My friend?"

"Yes," Liis smiled gently, ruffling Arie's bangs again. "Your friend too."

"In that case..." Arie grinned, "I believe there are eighteen holes of miniature golf offered as an activity back at the Inn! Come ON Zanh Liis, let's GO!" She grabbed Liis by the hand, and pulled her forward, picking up speed.

"I don't golf," Liis muttered, but she decided that if she was a woman who could jump timelines, command a starship and pull out her phaser and shoot errant Admirals when called upon to do so without batting an eyelash, she could handle one afternoon of entertaining one nearly-nine year old girl.


-=An hour later, Hole #9, Miniature Golf Course=-



"Your ball appears to be stuck within the pipe meant to transport it through the water from the upper green to the lower." Lair Arie gave her final, in-depth analysis of the engineering problem to her Captain with all seriousness.

"So it seems. How do we get it out?"

"Allow me." The child maneuvered the tip of her putter down below the surface of the small pond, hitting the edge of Zanh's ball and freeing it from the pipe which trapped it.

Liis shook her head. *The apple does not fall far from the tree.* "Thank you." She slapped at the ball half-heartedly, knocking it into the hole and then bending to retrieve it. She groaned slightly, all this bending was hard on her spinal implants.

"Captain, perhaps we might skip the second half of the course and engage in another activity."

"Such as?"

"Swimming? Please?" Arie pleaded. "My suit is in our room and I have a key..."

Zanh Liis hesitated to take the child back to her own room; imagining a 'do not disturb' sign may be hanging on the door by this point in the afternoon if Salvek and Kellyn had returned from their outing for some quality time alone. "Why don't we pick out a new one from the gift shop?" Zanh suggested. "My treat. I should be swimming anyway and I need a new suit myself. Doctor McKay and Doctor Hubbard both have been wanting me to stick to my physical therapy."

"Yay!" Arie squealed. "Let's go!"

-=Two hours later=-

Liis floated on her back in the crystal clear water, gazing up at the fluffy white clouds above. The view from the pool was spectacular, and the day was the most beautiful she could remember experiencing in a very long time.

Arie was running herself ragged, up the steps to the water slide before splashing down for a landing near Zanh. Liis observed her every move, keeping a watchful eye on her as the girl played to her heart's content.

*It's so good to see her happy like this,* Liis thought. The child had known too much sadness in her life. To be a small part of a day of such joy was something that Liis found to be unexpectedly rewarding, and very comforting. It was a welcome respite from reality, as she tried to begin to fathom how she was going to heal a heart broken in so many places she'd lost count.

As Arie's speed up the stairs began to slow, Zanh knew the child was growing tired. "One more trip down the slide, then it's time to check into some dinner, all right?"

"Three more?" Arie haggled from the top of the slide.

Liis blinked water from her eyes as Arie splashed down next to her. "No."

"Two more?" The child tread water as she begged for just a little more time. "Pleeeease?"

"All right. Two more. Go on then."

Liis climbed slowly out of the water and began to towel off. She sank into a lounge chair and waited with a fresh towel in hand for Arie to appear. The girl dragged her bare feet as she approached Zanh dutifully.

"Do we have to go?"

"Afraid so. Here you go."

She gave Arie the towel but ended up helping the child as she attempted to extricate the water from her long, dark hair. "Into a warm shower with you, back at the room." Arie was shivering a little now that she was out of the pool, and so Zanh quickly shepherded her back.

As Arie soaked up the heat from the sonic shower, Liis checked her messages.

There was a short note from the Alchemy, stating that Vedek Jariel had requested a leave of absence and had departed. Liis nodded silently as she read it, then quickly deleted it as Arie came up behind her. Apparently, it was too late, the child had already read the message over her shoulder.

"The Esteemed Vedek is leaving?" Arie frowned deeply. Jariel truly was a member of her family.

"For awhile." Liis said softly, hoping it was only for awhile.

"He will return?"

"We'll see, Arie." She handed the child a fresh set of clothing. "Get dressed, I'll clean up and we'll go eat. You must be starving after all that swimming."

When Liis reappeared from the shower in dry clothes, Arie watched carefully as she grabbed a jacket and led the way to the door.

"It would appear that you and the Vedek are no longer engaged in a romantic relationship, is this correct?"

-----------------------------
-=/\=- Zanh Liis
Commanding Kid Sitter
Currently on Betazed