by Zanh Liis and Keiran O'Sullvan
80117.12
Following The Not-So Constant Gardener
Soundtrack: Black Balloon by The Goo Goo Dolls
--=The Arboretum, Deck 8, USS Serendipity=--
80117.12
Following The Not-So Constant Gardener
Soundtrack: Black Balloon by The Goo Goo Dolls
--=The Arboretum, Deck 8, USS Serendipity=--
Liis showered drops of water from a small can down onto the freshly planted flowers below, as she waited for the last person on her list to arrive.
She was making good time this morning and more importantly, gaining excellent insight into the people who were joining the fold of those she considered 'her own'.
She was content with her progress, though she knew she would not get a chance to meet individually with all of her new people today.
Somewhere along the line she had stepped back and into a mound of moistened potting soil. Her thin canvas shoes instantly became intolerably squishy.
She slipped them off and was actually enjoying the sensation of standing in the grass in bare feet. It was something she honestly didn't remember having felt since she was very, very young.
"One more for now," she said softly to herself as she mentally reviewed her list again. "Our Irish cop."
Liis stopped what she was doing as she realized part of the reason that the morning seemed to be going so slowly for her between appointments was because she hadn't turned on any music. She firmly believed that everything in life went better with a soundtrack playing in the background.
"Computer, has my personal music database been uploaded yet?"
^Affirmative^
"Who uploaded it?"
^The musical database of Captain Zanh Liis was uploaded into main computer memory on stardate 80111.5 by Commander Salvek.^
"Another thing to thank him for," Liis thought aloud.
^Please restate request^
"Initiate playlist Zanh 332."
The computer beeped compliantly and a ringing guitar intro began to play. It was followed by a sultry male singing voice.
Liis returned to watering the last of the violets. She stared off into the distance as the song continued, reliving her last days on Bajor and thinking of all they had cost the man whom the spade in her left hand belonged to.
She was so lost in the music that she didn't hear the door open, or the sound of footsteps approaching.
*Lovely,* Keiran O'Sullivan thought, as he took in the scenery before him. Then he chided himself mentally for the fact that it was neither the trees nor the flowers that had garnered his attention.
He had hardly had a chance to look at the Captain when he'd briefly gone chasing into her ready room after Dane Cristiane yesterday. Seeing her as she appeared now, wearing a thin white cotton t-shirt beneath blue denim overalls and with bare feet, Keiran had to remind himself very sternly that this woman was his new Commanding Officer.
Sensing suddenly that she was no longer alone here, Liis raised her eyes.
"Top of the mornin' to ya, Captain Zanh." His deep, musical voice greeted.
"I don't know what that means, but I'll take it as a good thing." She saluted him with two mud-stained fingers. "So, Lt. Commander, it seems that your performance of your duties in the opening days of your career here aboard the Sera have truly gone above and beyond the call."
"Sir?"
"Cristiane. He's been giving you hell and you've been taking it in stride."
"All in a day's work, Sir."
"Oh, I don't know about that. He got so smart with me the other day I was tempted to slap him around a bit myself."
She attempted to rise from the ground, but teetered. Without thinking, O'Sullivan grasped hold of both of her arms and lifted, and instantly she found herself in a standing position. The man was a powerhouse of strength.
"Going up!" She laughed as she wobbled a little on unsteady, half-asleep legs and he embraced her to prevent her from falling. He laughed as well.
After a moment, both realized his hands were still clasping her arms, and he hastily released her.
Liis looked up, and up some more before her eyes settled on his facial features. That was something she didn't do often, being six feet tall herself. But O'Sullivan was very tall, in his boots he had to be six foot six.
"You feelin' all right, Captain? I've been warned to look for. . ." he chose his words tactfully, ". . .signs that you've been overdoin' it."
"Oh, have ya now?" She teasingly echoed back his charming brogue. "And just who, pray tell me sir, charged you with that joyous little assignment?"
"D'ya really want the list, Captain?" Keiran's eyes shone brightly as he rolled them up toward the 'sky' above. "It's lengthy, and starts with a soft-spoken Vulcan. Ends with that curiously excitable Trill."
"Which one?" She grinned mischievously. "We do have a matching set."
"The male."
"Ah, yes, Reece. Well." Liis shrugged. "They went through a lot to bring me back here, I do owe it to them to take better care of myself than I've done in the past."
"That being the case, shall we call it a day on the gardening, Sir?" O'Sullivan suggested politely. "The plants look beautiful and I think you've worked hard enough for one morning."
In truth, the rows of violets were horribly crooked, and they both knew it. But Liis knew also knew that Jariel would have them fixed in no time. He nurtured and tended his plants as he did their relationship- with the greatest of care.
What O'Sullivan wasn't telling Zanh was that he had also been charged with the assignment of getting her out of the arboretum as quickly as he could without raising suspicion.
This was so that the kitchen staff could move in and prepare the space for this evening's event, which the Captain was still under the impression was to be a low-key affair in the dining hall.
"Very well," she acquiesced.
Without being asked, O'Sullivan took the container the new plants had been in and recycled it. Then, he took her gardening tools to the nearby faucet, held them beneath the spigot and ran them under the water to clean them.
While his back was turned and the music drowned out his voice, he quickly tapped his badge and told the staff to get ready, Zanh was on her way out.
He brought the tools back to her a moment later, spotless. He shook the remaining water from them, down onto the lawn.
Liis shook her head. "Such service. I could get spoiled, be warned."
"You've been through a lot." O'Sullivan offered softly. "Seems to me you could stand a wee bit of spoiling." His hands lingered beside hers a moment as he gave her the diminutive rake and spade Jariel had loaned to her.
Liis felt an intense and sincere energy radiating from this man. One greater than casual friendliness. One that, being a woman in a committed relationship already let alone his commanding officer, she had no business encouraging.
"Thank you. Computer, discontinue musical playback."
Her expression changed, and her voice took on an all-business tone. She took a marked step in reverse, and O'Sullivan's face reddened. He backed off several paces as well, and offered her an unspoken apology with his eyes.
He was mortified that his long-standing weakness for Bajoran women had come through so clearly- especially during his very first real interaction with his new CO. It wasn't just the ridges, though, that had done it this time. He was certain of that. There was something about this Zanh Liis.
*Bloody idiot.* He cursed himself internally.
Liis ignored the awkwardness that was trying to wedge its way into the conversation and walked slowly toward the entrance, beckoning him to follow with a slight jerk of her head.
He fell into step behind her, hands properly clasped behind his back as he walked.
"You've been through a lot, too, Lt. Commander." Zanh spoke again at last, trying to smooth over the moment. She knew that he'd served several brutal tours on the front lines during the Dominion War, and from the remarks she'd read in his file, they had cost him. Dearly.
"War is hell. Jumping for TI, worse." Keiran paused. He'd been able to access enough of her personnel file prior to her arrival to understand that he could speak of this to her, as he could to few other people he'd ever met.
"You of all people understand, don't you, Captain?"
Liis nodded somberly. "I do."
She tilted her head and analyzed him. "I also understand that you are a man of great value to Starfleet. So much so, that they refuse to make you my permanent Chief of Security at this point. They feel so strongly that they may need to yank you away from here quickly should the need arise that they insist I call you," she paused before choking out the last word distastefully. "Acting."
They remained silent a moment as she considered her own personal loathing for the term, and he considered how unique it was that a woman who had just been handed her own ship and a project of this magnitude would give a rats arse what her officers thought of their individual titles. His look of surprise clearly amused her.
"Something wrong, Sully?"
"Sully?"
"Bad habit of mine, giving nicknames to my officers." She replied. "If it bothers you,"
"No, Sir. You're the Captain, I'm crew. You can call me whatever pleases you."
"I'm the Captain, yes," she replied quickly, "but that doesn't mean I'm any better than anyone else aboard this ship."
O'Sullivan smiled again. Yes, this Zanh Liis was certainly unlike any other CO he'd ever had. "Sully will be just fine, Captain."
As they reached the doors he dragged his feet, hating to see this conversation come to an end even though he knew it had to.
"As far as where Starfleet sees fit to put me, Captain, I'm an officer of the law, sworn to protect and serve. I'm also a soldier. As such, I will go where I'm told. Title means nothing to me. I do appreciate the thought."
O'Sullivan was not merely putting on a pretense of false modesty, Liis surmised. He was entirely genuine.
"I just mean to do the best job I can here," he concluded. "For you, and Sera's crew."
"You're well on your way." She thought of Blakeslee and Breaux as well, and was glad that she didn't need to be concerned with ego when it came to the newest members of her crew. She had her hands full with the prima donna called Cristiane, she didn't need any more drama than he was surely going to provide.
They stepped outside of the arboretum and as soon as her feet touched the carpet, Liis realized she'd left her shoes inside. She hesitated in the doorway.
"Glad to finally meet you properly, Lt. Commander. See you at the dinner tonight?" She asked, prepared to conclude their interaction.
Keiran realized if she went back into the arboretum at this point she might see the staff beginning to bring in tables via the rear entrance. "Something the matter, Sir?"
"I forgot my shoes."
"Oh, allow me to see to that. I'll have them cleaned up and delivered to your quarters."
"O'Sullivan,"
"Please," he bowed slightly, insisting. "Allow me-" before he could say anything more, his combadge chirped.
[Security to O'Sullivan.]
"Sully here," Keiran replied, grinning broadly at Zanh.
[Sir, Ensign Rada Dengar has passed his security check and his medical examination. He is ready to meet with the Captain at her convenience. Should we escort him to the bridge?]
Keiran watched the expression on Zanh's face alter entirely at hearing Dengar's name. She held up her hand, silently begging his attention.
"Stand by," Keiran advised, growing concerned. "Captain, would you prefer I bring Dengar to you myself?"
"No, thank you." Zanh replied softly. She rocked her weight forward from her heels to her toes, and remained there a moment before standing flat on her feet again. "Just, ask him to meet me in fifteen minutes. In my ready room. I've got to get back into uniform."
She strode up the hallway with purposeful steps, too distracted now to say goodbye.
Kieran watched as her figure disappeared down the hall, pale bare feet stepping into the turbolift as she vanished from sight.
"She's a fine bit of stuff, O'Sullivan," he sighed to himself as he headed back into the arboretum to fetch her shoes. "Just you mind your station."
-=/\=-Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
and
Lt. Commander Keiran O'Sullivan
Acting Chief of Security
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
and
Lt. Commander Keiran O'Sullivan
Acting Chief of Security
USS Serendipity NCC-2012