Late in the Pleasure Gardens

The lights were low in the Pleasure Gardens this time of night. The shadows had fallen deep over the jagged foliage. Da-an's strange voice came through Inabnet's comm badge.
"Lieutenant Inabnet? Are you awake?"

Lieutenant Inabnet was indeed awake, her guitar back in her lap, staring out at the stars yet again. Because this particular night felt endless. And she had no doubts that if there were more nights before she got to the Cardassian camp, they were feel even longer.

"I am," she assured Da-an, tapping her badge. "How can I help you?"

"I have... something for you. I don't think you want me to walk it through the station to Ops, do you?" they asked nervously.

T'Pren sat up straight at that, staring wide eyed out at the void. "No, of course not. I wouldn't put you through that. I--" Her slightly drunken wheels turned hard. "Would you like me to come to you? I'll come get it."

"I believe you ought to come to me," they said. An awkward silence followed.

Since Da-an didn't give his actual location, T'Pren packed up her guitar again and tucked the empty flask inside, carefully clasping closed the case. She hefted the guitar case by the side handle and walked to the nearest computer panel. The computer located Da-an for her -- just where she figured they'd be -- and with no blushing at all, she made her way to the Pleasure Gardens and stepped inside. And was once again stopped in her tracks.

It was infinitely more lush and beautiful than it had been the last time she'd come, and in her awe, she and her guitar case began to wander. Was she here for a purpose? She was a little drunk and very distracted by the greenery. Whatever reason she'd come was put on the backburner while she touched leaves and petals and vines with a Vulcan reverence for living things.

"Lieutenant," they said, trying to rouse her gently from her reverie. "I hope you like what I've done with it."

"It's..." T'Pren breathed out, trying to find the right word. She couldn't come up with anything that seemed sufficient, so she just slowly shook her head. The half-Vulcan hadn't actually bothered to look away from her plant worship as yet, but she did finally set down her guitar case on some moss so she could stretch up on her tip toes to touch a particularly vibrant flower hanging over her head.

"I hope this place will gain some popularity with the changes I've made," they said. "I won't keep you long, since it's so late," they said. They held up a specimen jar of clear, faintly green discharge.

T'Pren opened her mouth to say something, anything, about how Da-an wouldn't need to worry about visitors once word got out about what they were doing with the Gardens, but no words came out. No words seemed adequate. "No," she murmured, shoving the heel of her palm across one eye to catch a surprising tear, "I can't sleep anyway. Keep me as long as you like."

She wiped the other eye as well before turning to Da-an and actually taking them and their sample in. She wasn't actively crying so much as she was simply overwhelmed by the beauty of the place. It was with only scientific curiosity that she took the sample jar, and she managed to only drunkenly peer at it for a moment before she remembered to be considerate of Da-an's feelings and closed her hand over it so it couldn't be seen by either of them. "Thank you, Da-an. I'm going to do my very best with this." And maybe, just maybe, if Adlai was alive...

No, she thought fiercely. No hoping.

"Follow me, I believe I know just the thing," they said. They led her through a number of shrubs to a small clearing, an artificial meadow with a bed of Jacob's Tears. "Feel free to sleep off your-- condition here," they said. "I'm going to go sit in the pond."

T'Pren opened her mouth to explain that sleeping hadn't worked for her so far tonight, but since it seemed she was keeping Da-an from his own things, she just smiled at him. "Thank you, Da-an. I will." Or at least she'd sit. And if it seemed like the pond was far enough away, she might play guitar.