Post 496: Tending the Garden

Stardate: 71014.0900
Title: Tending the Garden
Authors: Jariel Camen and Fox Margolis
Scene: Arboretum
Time: About 1 hour after "Two Outs, Full Count, Bottom of the Ninth"
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She wasn't even at the Arboretum, but already Fox's hands were clammy and shaking. She wasn't afraid of the consequences of what she had done; she was just plain scared of the meeting.

It was for that reason that she had requested to speak with the Vedek in the Arboretum. Fox had thought that since it was a less formal location, she wouldn't feel quite as nervous as she normally did any time she had to see a Starfleet counselor for her yearly evaluation.

She was wrong.

Her stomach was twisted into what felt like a hundred knots and every fiber of her being screamed at her to run in the other direction. The only thing that kept her moving toward the Arboretum was that she knew her career was on the line.

Reaching the Arboretum, she tapped the panel, and the door whooshed open. Fox walked in and took a deep, cleansing breath, taking a moment to literally smell the roses, which were planted on both sides of the doorway.

She had not set an exact location for her meeting with Jariel, but without a second thought, she headed down the path toward the right. She walked straight to a little plot of flowers that she had planted flowers that had actually grown, despite her previous ill luck with gardens and found Jariel planting a new set of flowers in the next plot over.

"Gardenias," Fox said with a nervous smile as she saw the plants he was working with. "Those will make a lovely addition."

[[Will you help me plant them?]] he asked, his hands and nails already caked with dirt.

Fox plopped down next to him and picked up a small hand shovel. "Sure. Where do you want the holes?"

Jariel pointed to five spots on the ground, and while Fox immediately went to work digging one hole, Jariel began on another. It only took the two of them ten minutes to get all five plants in and for Jariel to provide them with some water.

That task finished, the two of them stood up and returned all of the gardening supplies to a small shed at the edge of the walkway. Throughout this entire process, they did not speak. They both knew that Fox needed to be the one to initiate the conversation, and Jariel knew the best way to get the woman to speak was simply to give her the time she needed.

Finally Fox tuned toward him and placed her hand on his arm. Through his sleeve, he could feel the tremors in her hand. "This conversation is just between you and me, right?"

[[Of course, no one needs to know, not even the Captain.]] Jariel knew his personal relationship with the Captain would make it even more likely in Fox's eyes that whatever she said would make it back to Zanh Liis. It was important she know that everything said between them would remain confidential, or he could never gain her trust.

"He's not a bad man Jariel. No one knows him quite like I do. He shouldn't be treated the way he is."

[[Oh, how do you know this?]] Jariel continued to work with the flowers, digging up the soil to aerate and plucking dead leaves from the base of the plants. He was trying as best as he could to make her feel like this wasn't an interrogation. In his experience, sometimes people did not open up to counselors because the sheer intimidation of their stare, seeming to bore into your soul, made people defensive. He kept his eyes on his work and allowed Fox to speak, only looking at her to sign.

"He's never been anything but kind to me, and he has knowledge way beyond anything the Federation has. Just think about it, if he really wanted to hurt me or anyone on this ship, he could have easily."

[[You have a history with him that we do not. Surely you can see how an uninvited guest with his abilities, whom we know nothing about, would raise alarm amongst the crew?]]

"I guess." Fox shrugged, and busied her hands with the plants, a bit more feverishly then before. Jariel knew her answer was incomplete and was content for her finish it when she was ready. Five minutes went by in silence, then ten.

"Its just that, he cares for me a great deal, and the Captain said it herself, Corbinsky would never let anything happen to me. Maybe he shouldn't have been quite as... dramatic as he was... when he showed up. His arrogance probably raised the crew's suspicion, but that doesn't mean...."

Fox trailed off, not speaking. Jariel felt she was needing a prod. [[Mean what?]] he signed.

"Nothing, its stupid."

[[People usually say that when they have something important to say.]]

Fox sighed, knowing what she was about to say was probably going to upset him. "It doesn't mean that he needed to be humiliated and thrown in the Brig. He's a genius, and he can help us. If he would just be given the chance by this crew."

[[So, you are angry with the Captain.]]

"Yeah." *Here it comes, he's probably going to tear into me now for being upset with his girlfriend.* thought Margolis.

[[The Captain has a duty to protect this ship first and foremost, she can only act on whatever information she has at the time. That being said, Fox, you are correct that he could have done serious harm to us at any time he wanted to with the technology he possesses, and he could have escaped when you lowered the force field but he chose not to. I can tell your feelings for him are sincere and I'm inclined to believe that if you truly think he wants to help this crew, then perhaps he is worth giving a chance. I will personally advise the Captain on this.]]

"Really? You would do that?"

[[Yes, but if the Captain feels it best to keep the dampening fields in place to deny him use of his technology, that is her decision, and we must be supportive of her in that matter.]] Jariel gave an extra flourish on the "we" to emphasize the importance of it. [[But Fox, I must know one more thing before we proceed. Do you love him?]]

"I'll have to answer that when I know myself."

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Lt. Fox Margolis
Operations Officer
USS Independence NCC-90791

and
Vedek Jariel Camen
Ship's Chaplain
USS Independence NCC-90791