[Open]

[namednothing]

who: Odo & OPEN
what: Checking out his new environment
when: October 13th
where: Some park near the residential area
warnings: None, will update if needed.



For how many years he spent living on Deep Space Nine – or Terok Nor, as it once was – Odo was almost intimately familiar with its corridors, shops, and cargo bays. Criminals always knew the secret ways through vents or hidden deck plates to conduct their business – and therefore so did the constable.

However, here the buildings and roads were a mystery – a mystery that had to be solved if he had any chance of finding out exactly what had happened to him.

Not being familiar with the native fauna, Odo took the form of a Tarkalean hawk to take his impromptu aerial tour. He did his best to make a mental map of the area, but soon it would be too dark to make any more progress.

He looks for a suitable place to land, and finds one on a stone bench on the cusp of a street light. Anyone looking would see the bird turn into a shimmering liquid before growing in size and changing in shape to something much more human in appearance.

Comments

[namednothing]

The enthusiasm has him slightly confused, and he barely stops himself from asking why she was happy to see him.

"Earlier this morning," he replies, still a touch bewildered. "You've been here longer, I take it?"

[dancingmd]

She does a quick, silent calculation. "A little over four months now." Her expression falls at that realization. Has it really been so long since she saw home? She's fallen into a rhythm here, built new relationships and so doesn't think about it as constantly as she once did, though it's there in the back of her mind always.

[namednothing]

It was longer than he expected to hear, but not long enough to spur any feelings of hopelessness.

"Four months... " Odo's hairless brows furrow in thought. "And in that time what has been your experience with the quarantine personnel?"

His own experience with the introductory staff had been brief and impersonal. The constable hadn't had enough time to form a solid read on them.

"Has there been any indication that they might be hiding information from us?"

[dancingmd]

She shakes her head. "No, they have always been very kind and helpful whenever I have talked to them. If they can't answer a question, they're happy to give you access to records or to examine to portal yourself. From everything I can tell, both in talking to them and to other residents, the majority of people here are genuine refugees from their worlds and have no intention of going back. I think it's a surprise for them to find otherwise."

[namednothing]

Odo nods slightly and gives a thoughtful hum. "They've given me the same impression, but I find it difficult to believe it's that simple."

He hesitates a moment before asking the next question - it skirted into the realm of the more personal.

"...What about you? Is this where you wanted to be?" His voice is a touch softer, almost as if she wasnt really the one he was asking.

[dancingmd]

"No," her answer comes immediately, without any hesitation. "Not at all."

Even if she's found a place of sorts here, a role in the community and people she cares about, it's not where she ultimately wants to be. "I belong at home, on the Enterprise... and with my son."

[namednothing]

Her confident reply causes him to stand taller, as if it allowed him to lean his own desire to return on hers. He nods once, firmly. "Good."

The mention of her son stirred up a memory, and with it parental sympathy. He had not been a parent for very long at all, but the attachment he formed with the infant changeling had been intense. The blow of its death was only softened by the gift it had given him - the ability to shapeshift again.

"It must be difficult for you to be away from him," His tone and expression was neutral, save perhaps a slight softness in his eyes.

[dancingmd]

Her own expression is soft and a tad regretful. "It is." With a soft sigh she adds, "I hadn't seen him in several months, even before I was brought here. We wrote, of course, but not... as often as we used to."

Ever since Joshua Albert's death, things had been difficult for Wesley at the Academy and he had become more distant from her. To some extent, it's a natural part of growing up, but there's more to it than that.

[namednothing]

From what she was saying, Odo gathered that her son must have have been older, perhaps even an adult by human standards. However, he had learned from Sisko that parental bonds and instincts did not diminish in time. At the time he hadn't realized how stressful it was to be a parent, but now...

Now is not a time to dwell on the past, he reminded himself. Besides, her tone reminded him too much of Dr. Mora.

The constable nods to signify he had been listening, but he also crosses his arms and turns away in obvious discomfort.

"Doctor, I was thinking you might be able to help me with something, if you're not busy..."

[dancingmd]

Seeing his discomfort, she easily lets that train of thought go. After all, they hardly know one another, no matter how thrilled she is to find someone from home. "Of course. What do you need?"

[namednothing]

If there was one thing Odo had learned about Starfleet medical personnel , it was the concept of doctor-patient-confidentiality,which served as a big relief durring the brief time Odo had been a solid. Perhaps that was why it was easier to ask her for help with this paticular issue.

He takes a step forward, closing the space between them a little for privacy. He gets to the point. "In about four hours I will need to regenerate - return to my liquid state."

Odo glances away, looking for signs of being watched befor continuing.

"I need a container of some sort to... rest in. Something clean, water-tight, and able to hold at least 4.3 liters."

It usually did not bother him if people knew about his cycle any more than a solid might admit to sleeping, but it was the bucket part that would open him up to ridicule. He would not be scrubbing oatmeal out of his pail again.

[dancingmd]

For a moment, confusion flickers across her face - because of course, she's from before they know about anybody else from Odo's species and she hasn't had direct cause to look into his physiological needs. But she doesn't question it either, simply nods solemnly and keeps her voice low since this is clearly something he wants to keep private. "Of course. There aren't any replicators here, as you've no doubt already figured out, but I think we can easily find something at the store." Her brow furrows thoughtfully. "Are you assigned to communal housing?"

[namednothing]

"At a store?" he repeats incredulously. Odo sighs, and the next is said under this breath, "how humiliating."

Odo considers the alternatives, and comes up empty. "Well, as your people say... beggers can't be choosers."

Truth be told, he hadn't used his pail in a few years, but it seemed appropriate now precisely because of his housing situation. He wasnt about to spread out on the floor to be gawked at or maybe even slipped on. A container would at least provide a modicum of privacy, especially if he could find an unoccupied closet.

At that thought he scoffs and rolls his eyes dramatically. "Yes, unfortunately."

[dancingmd]

"No one has to know why we're getting it," she points out. "It'll be fine, I promise. Cashiers don't really question you on these things." Especially for something as basic as a bucket - everyone needs one at some point or another.

"And if it helps at all, I have an apartment of my own. I know we don't know each other very well but... You're welcome to regenerate there instead, if you'd feel more comfortable?"

[namednothing]

She had a point. At least here he was largely unknown. Back on the station if he were to buy a new pail he would have been bombarded with questions... and no doubt Quark would get wind of it and try to sell him something ridiculous and latinum plated.

At the prospect of having a more secure place to regenerate, Odo looks tentatively hopeful.

"I would appreciate that," he replies hesitantly. Again, he did nt know her very well at all, but of the options he had it would be the least uncomfortable. "That is, if it's not too much of an inconvenience... I only need about an hour."

[dancingmd]

"It's not an inconvenience. This can hardly be an ideal situation for you - I'm happy to help in any way that I can."

And she won't get him anything latinum plated, she promises. Just a nice sturdy, sensible sort of bucket.

"Though ah... how do you feel about cats?"

[namednothing]

"Assuming you mean a house cat from Earth and not a razorcat, I can't see how they would be a problem."

Truthfully Odo hadn't spent a lot of time around pets before. Sure, occasionally something illegal would find its way into a cargo bay, but the smuggler was usually arrested and the creatures deported swiftly. In the lab sometimes Dr. Mora would bring in some animals for him to study and emulate, but that wasn't exactly the same as a pet either.

"I admit I haven't really seen one in person, outside of the occasional holo-novel... I take it you have a pet?"

[dancingmd]

"Two, actually! Agatha and Christie - they're still kittens so they're a little rambunctious but don't worry, they're very friendly!"

[namednothing]

The word rambunctious has Odo reconsidering his original assessment, and it shows on his face.

"Really? Well... they should grow out of it," he says reluctantly.

Just as the constable is making a mental estimation of how long cats stayed kittens, he realizes something.

"Agatha and Christie," he repeats curiously. "as in Agatha Christie, the twentieth century author?"

[dancingmd]

Beverly can't help but look a little amused at his look of consternation, but then she lights up at his recognition of Agatha Christie. "Yes! You're familiar with her work?"

[namednothing]

"Only in name. Ever since Chief O'Brien introduced me to crime novels from that era, I've been trying to get my hands on one of her Poirot works."

Human literature was a little hard to track down so far from Earth. It had only been in recent years that the Starfleet personnel had started to introduce a demand for it. Of course, he refused to ask Quark.

"Most of what I've read have been from Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer series."

[dancingmd]

"Oh, I'm afraid I'm not as familiar with Spillane! Unfortunately, I haven't seen many Earth novels in any of the bookstores or the library here, but if you're interested in mysteries and detective novels, I have a few I'd be happy to let you borrow!"

[namednothing]

"I'd like that, though, right now I think I should focus on my investigation," he pauses, then sighs. Solving his more immediate problem was also a priority.

"Is there a store or shop near here that might sell what I need?"

[dancingmd]

Nodding, she answers, "There's a garden shop a few blocks from here that should carry something." As they start to walk in the direction she indicates, she adds, "By your investigation do you mean trying to figure out how we got here?"

[namednothing]

"Yes," he gives a half-shrug. "It's just habit to call it that."

As he walks along with her, Odo glances around their surroundings. It was still quite new to him, and he was a bit wary.

"I haven't been able to find out much, unfortunately - beyond what they tell you, of course."