by Vol Tryst and Zanh Liis
81010.00
During and after Enough
81010.00
During and after Enough
-=Guest Quarters=-
The fog began to clear, the mind slowly awakening the body's senses so that one might recognize one's surroundings. The scent was one of a clean, but recently disturbed, bed.
Vol could not see due to his still heavy eyelids, but he could hear his own grogginess. His body protested to moving from his warm insulation, created by the bed's blanket. This bed was even better than the one in his quarters, but that was only because this bed came with something extra.
*No moving...* The tired thought echoed in his mind, and Vol smiled. If only he could abide by that request.
Vol hugged Orynn in closer, pressing the man's bare back against his own chest. Vol lifted his chin, and planted a slow soft kiss onto Orynn's neck, and another on the man's shoulder. Orynn's neck stretched, and his left leg extended as his toes scrunched up together. It must've been an effort to try and wake, and had nothing to do with the attention he was getting. Or maybe it was both?
*I thought you said 'No moving.'* Vol teased, to which Orynn mumbled audibly in protest. It didn't take long however, for Orynn to come up with a defense.
*In fact I did, but it was requested of you, I said nothing about me.* As Vol was receiving this thought, Orynn was rolling over so that Vol found himself pinned to the bed on his back, with his Imzadi resting on top of him.
*Good morning.* Orynn smiled smugly.
"Mmm hmmm." Vol's grin was wide. What a good morning it was too.
==== Captain's Ready Room ====
Zanh Liis folded her arms and sighed. She would have been tempted to stomp her foot in protest like a child younger than Arie, if she could be sure she wouldn't get caught doing it.
People wondered why she hated vacations. They always told her that she worked too hard and needed to take time for herself.
As she regarded the mountainous backlog of work awaiting her, she came to the conclusion that this was exactly why she hated vacations.
As it had all turned out, her medically ordered suspension from duty had hardly ended up as time off at all- and in no way qualified as a vacation.
It was ironic that now, with Keiran's return bringing such sweeping, rapid changes to her life she really wanted time off for the first time ever. She was determined to take it, too, come hell or high water. She would waste no time in prioritizing; matters that could not be put off would be seen to before they reached the planet, those that could wait would simply have to wait.
She had entirely sacrificed her personal life and happiness for her career for more years than she cared to remember.
She would not be making that same mistake again.
Perhaps she mused, she could convince Salvek to take some of these PADDs along to help keep him busy while the Alchemy was undergoing all that testing back at Temporal...
*He lives for this sort of thing anyway...* She thought, justifying the idea.
The ringing of the door chime was welcome. Zanh would gladly deal with flesh and blood people than a PADD any day. She set said PADD on her desk before announcing that those on the other side of the door could enter.
Vol, Orynn, and Siter all filed in one after the other. Vol was clad in uniform, and Orynn seemed to be mindful (perhaps a tad too much so) that he was to see the Captain today, and so dressed for the occasion. Siter, seemed to not be as wary, for his clothes were stained with paint in some places.
Vol's face lit up when he looked at the Captain, having not seen her for some time, though he kept his composure. With a big smile, he said, "It's good to see you Captain." Vol held his hands behind his back, and Orynn and Siter stood beside him.
"Likewise, Ensign." Zanh stood up and nodded to each the Betazoid before her. The thought crossed her mind very quickly, as to how much longer she should be able to stand calling Vol: "Ensign.'
Within seconds of entering into her presence, Vol was nearly overcome by the vibrant emotions radiating from her. He wished he was alone with her so that he could ask her exactly what was going on, but he was forced to stay in the moment and abandon his curiosity as his Imzadi spoke up.
"Captain..." Orynn began. "We wanted to personally thank you for your agreement to bring us here, and for your ship and crew's hospitality during our voyage."
"Yeah, I don't ever really want to leave." Siter interjected.
The Captain was pleased.
"I'm glad you feel that way, but I can't really accept the compliment since I haven't been in command of the ship. But I'll be sure to pass your regards on to those who have been." She rotated slightly in her chair. "It has been a pleasure to meet you, especially since you are so close to one of my favorite Counselors of all time." Zanh smiled as she spoke the truth.
*She hasn't met very many then, has she.* Thought Siter, but Vol ignored it, and he tried not to beam with pride.
*You're blushing,* Commented Orynn.
*Stop it, both of you.* Vol tried to hurry this along. *It is rude to continue like this in front of her.*
"He appreciated the compliment, Captain." Orynn answered for Vol, causing Vol to place a mocked hurt expression on his face.
"I was going to tell her myself."
Zanh enjoyed the antics of the closely knit group, but she did have a pile of PADDs to attend to and even more so, she had gotten to wondering what a certain Irishman was up to and it was taking all of her restraint not to try to find out. He'd said he had a surprise for her, and she could hardly stand not knowing what it was.
The clock was ticking down to mere seconds until their arrival in orbit of Earth, she could not afford to continue the current conversation much longer. She stood and circled her desk, still grinning.
"Alright boys, play nice." She of course, was flaunting the fact that they kinda had to listen to her. Zanh did enjoy her authority on occasion. "Orynn, Siter, you each have my permission to disembark at your convenience as soon as we reach orbit. Now, I ask that you give my Ship's Counselor and myself and moment of privacy."
"Certainly." Orynn nodded, and Siter reluctantly followed him out the door.
"Hello there." Zanh greeted Vol again, once they were finally alone.
"Hello yourself." Vol smiled broadly, feeling fully the difference in the spirit of the woman since she had returned from the Away mission or more specifically, since she had seen Keiran O'Sullivan standing beside her in the transporter room.
Yet there was more, he was certain of it, something drastic had happened to change her since the last time they had spoken. "Don't we feel wonderful this morning."
The comment prompted Zanh's lip to turn up into her trademark, lopsided grin. Coming from any other Ensign of any other species, his words would have been seen as overly familiar, and as such a sign of disrespect.
Coming from this particular Betazoid, however, it was a pure expression of joy at seeing her so happy.
The change in her was nothing short of remarkable. He could not remember a time since boarding the Serendipity that he ever sensed she was so close to feeling at peace.
"I do, actually, thank you for noticing. I could, matter of fact, say the same about you and I'm not even an empath." Zanh walked to the replicator. "Coffee, double cream." She looked up Vol. "Want anything?"
"Passion Fruit Tea, four sugars. Please. "
"So." Liis looked at Vol, and tilted her head curiously. "When were you going to tell me?"
"Tell you..."
"That you need some time to think things through?"
"I should ask that you not counsel the Counselor, Captain." Vol teased. "Do you see me marching onto the bridge in the middle of a Red Alert and asking Mr. Blakeslee to fire all phasers?"
"I sure hope not. I'd hate to have to have you court-martialed." Zanh teased back. "Vol," She walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you happy?" She thought she knew the answer, but wanted to be certain. "Like I said, I'm not empathic but I do have a sense about people. Do you want to go with him, and see where it leads?"
Vol took a moment, though he didn't really need one. He knew the answer, it was just difficult to tell his Captain.
"I fear I might regret any other decision, Cap'n."
"Believe me when I tell you, Vol, of all people, I can understand how you feel right now. I'll miss you while you're away, but..." she nodded gently, and her earring jingled softly. "Go. With my blessing. Just know this,"
Her expression turned serious as she set her coffee cup down and began rifling around in the top drawer of her desk.
"I have something for you, but you're only going to get it from me if, and when, you return to duty aboard my ship."
She held up the small box, and Vol's heart skipped a beat. He was sure he knew what it was, still he was afraid to look.
Zanh opened the box and displayed a single black pip.
"When you come home, you'll be rightly known as Lieutenant Vol Tryst." Zanh said. Then she simply closed the box, tucked it back into the desk and slid the drawer shut.
"That's it?" Vol blinked. "You mean, you're really going to..."
"Yep." Zanh replied. "I know that life aboard ship can't compare with the life you could have as a civilian, living on Earth or Betazed with Orynn, should you choose that."
She thought about her own past life outside of Starfleet, in her home as it had once existed in Cork, and of the life she hoped to build there in the here and now.
"If giving up your post is your choice, not only could I understand but truth is, if you need that life to be happy then that is the one I want for you, Vol. You're a good man and a great officer, but you are, most of all, someone I care about. I warn you though if you do decide to leave me," Zanh teased him affectionately, "someday you might be summoned to a rubber room and find me inside of it. If you do, then you'll have to deal with it then."
"Understood." Vol smiled. Somehow, though, he sincerely doubted that the rubber room scenario was a danger now, if it ever truly had been.
Thinking back to her dream of this morning, she felt a chill when she considered how close she may have come to that destiny, if one or another small thing had been different and changed the timeline.
For his part, Vol felt certain that if there was ever a time in her life when Zanh was going to be making good, solid decisions that may finally lead her to the happiness that had so eluded her, it was now.
"It'd be a shame though, if you were to miss a once in a lifetime chance..." She sighed, opening and closing the small spyglass she kept on her desk.
"Chance to what?"
Zanh's smile broadened, her eyes taking on a new light.
"The chance to see me wearing a wedding dress."
----------------------------
Vol Tryst
Ship's Counselor
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
and
Zanh Liis
Commanding Bridezilla
(not really but that was fun to type LOL)
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Vol Tryst
Ship's Counselor
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
and
Zanh Liis
Commanding Bridezilla
(not really but that was fun to type LOL)
USS Serendipity NCC-2012