Love, As Loud As A Whisper

 Episode Name:  Love, As Loud As A Whisper

   Written By:  Eidolon

         Cast:  Eidolon, Galen, Nesa, Nor and Taimol.

  Produced By:  Starfleet

  Directed By:  Eidolon

     Aired On:  Tue May 03 16:21:31 2005

     Stardate:  54941.9

Time: Fri Apr 01 13:29:15 2005

Stardate: 54865.0

0700, 1 April 2378.
Deck 21, Docking Port 4.

The airlock to USS Atlanta.

A rather taciturn gentleman stands at the ticketing counter, accepting PADDs and identification from those boarding the transport, whose next port of call is Betazed. A sleepy Bajoran Vedek stands toward the rear of the line, slowly rocking back and forth on his feet as he waits for his turn to board.

. o O Taimol thinks, "Morning. It's far too early for this."

. o O Taimol is sleepy. Extremely so.

There's a quiet jingling sound as someone approaches. That someone would be a Betazoid woman with one of those elaborate poke-an-eye-out type of hairstyles, complete with ribbons and tiny quiet bells. Nor heads toward Taimol and once she's near, reaches a hand out, fingertips moving to touch his arm lightly.

Taimol straightens up a bit as his arm is touched, coming out of his 'itstooearlyforthis' haze. "Good morning, Norala," he greets softly as the line moves forward a few feet and stops.

. o O Taimol is confused. It's... early. Especially for a hairstyle like that.

Nor smiles brightly. Despite the early hour, she's awake and alert and ... chipper. Well at least, she's smiling beamingly. She wiggles her fingers in a wave and looks over her shoulder toward a few bags. Possibly more than she'll need, but not overboard. She's certainly hasn't packed up all her wardrobe, or even half of it. Of course, her smile fades for a second and a hand reaches up to her hair, lightly touching it as she has an expression of sadness creeping over her face.

. o O Nor thinks, "He doesn't like my hair? But I spent so long on it. I have to get back into practice. I can't let my mother see me looking... well how I was looking!"

Taimol raises both of his eyebrows as he looks at the bags, then looks back to her. "Oh, no..." he murmurs. "I just was thinking that it must have taken you quite some time to coax your hair into that fashion, not that it was bad." And then, back at the bags. "Where are you going?"

Nor extends one finger and points it at his chest in a 'with you' sort of motion.

Taimol stops in his tracks, considering her for a moment before he just nods. "Allow me to assist you with your bags, then," he replies softly.

. o O Taimol thinks, "We will find your mother together."

Nor's expression relaxes slightly, like she was holding a smile in place and just now feels comfortable enough to let it go back to a /natural/ smile. A nod is her response to the offer of assistance and she turns and walks back toward her bags, picking one up.

Nor's fingers fumble a bit and she nearly drops it when she picks it up.

. o O Nor projects, "I'm nervous."

Taimol takes hold of two, on top of the one he's got for himself. "You have time to prepare," he murmurs, keeping his voice gentle.

. o O Taimol is calm and confident. They can do this, because they're working together.

Nor keeps her single bag held close to her and nods an agreement, taking small steps, much like the type you'd take on your way to your death. Slow. Decisive. She can be heard swallowing hard, but the smile stays mostly in place even though it wavers a little. Yep. She's committed to doing it, it seems, and doesn't look back. Much. There's a tiny bit of a shift in the way she holds her head, like she's contemplating it, but she doesn't. She instead looks at Taimol from the corner of her eyes and smiles more.

. o O Nor thinks, "I can feel his confidence. I just wish I felt the same way. What would I do without him?"

. o O Nor feels a spark of pure /excitement/.

. o O Nor thinks, "My mother. I'm going to see my mother!"

Taimol follows behind her, coolly confident and smiling.

The man at the counter looks to Nor. "Ticket, please."

Nor stops for a moment and looks at the man. Then looks confused for a second, like she's deep in thought. That's when the light goes on and she sets her bag down on the ground and bends over to take a little PADD from it, holding it toward the taciturn gentleman who asked for it. She smiles brightly. Friendly one, she is.

The man scans the PADD, then nods once and hands it back to her. "Quarters 510 will be your stateroom." Then, his eyes are on Taimol. "Ticket, please."

Likewise, the Bajoran fishes out a mini-PADD and hands it over. It's scanned and handed back. "Quarters 510. Please board, you're the last of our passengers."

Edan clears his throat, blinking a few times.

. o O Taimol is embarrassed. Must be neater than normal!

Of course, Nor's not known for being one who pays very close attention to things. She accepts her PADD back and turns toward Taimol when he coughs. Confusion shows on her face and she tilts her head to one side in a questioning way before being shuffled on board.

And duly shuffled they are. A harried steward wearing the rank insignia of a Crewman leads them to a stateroom, showing them inside before heading off. It's a fairly good-sized area, with a common living area split amongst two bedrooms.

When the doors slide closed, Edan smiles. "Well. It's much bigger than the last space we shared," he points out, smiling brightly. "Which room do you prefer?" Apparently, seeing two bedrooms has done much to ease his mind.

Nor stops, sets down the bag and points. Taimol's chest. Her chest. Around the room. It's just a little movement of her hand and finger but it encompases the entire question that's on her mind. After that, she glances and shrugs, smiling a bit.

. o O Taimol is relieved.

. o O Taimol thinks, "Nor will have her own space to retreat to now, rather than being cooped up with me all the time. Hopefully, that will be better for her."

. o O Nor thinks, "He'll be close. That's good. Barana'd be glad of that. He'll be here if I need him. That's... good I think."

Taimol glances left, then glances right. "I am left handed, I will take the left-side room?" he finally offers, all things being identical and all.

. o O Nor projects, "Edan. I am capable of taking care of myself. Stop worrying about what I want. I'll let you know if you need to stay or go. You don't need to play nursemaid."

Nor turns a bit and gives one of those patient 'I have to remember that he's a man and men aren't as smart as we women' looks. A grin threatens to tug at the corner of her lips, but she manages to keep a straight face. She nods her head in agreement that it's fine. She doesn't mind the room on the right. And with her free hand that doesn't hold her bag, she makes a motion with her hand. A universally recognized symbol for thank you.

Cheeks coloring, Edan offers, "I only worry because I... worry." Without further ado, he sorta flees into his room to drop off his bags.

. o O Taimol thinks, "That was, quite possibly, the most unintelligible thing you've ever said. Congratulations, Edan."

. o O Taimol, embarrased. Highly so.

Nor grins after him and shakes her head a little, moving to check out her own room. She tosses her bag down onto the floor and heads back out, still amused. At least, the expression playing on her face is one of great amusement.

. o O Nor projects, "I wouldn't be here without you."

Taimol returns from his bedroom, moving to help her with her bags. Cheeks still red, he sidesteps the subject and asks, "Can I help you with your things?"

. o O Taimol must avoid the subject; modesty dictates no less.

Nor shakes her head and moves over, picking up a suitcase. So far so good. Things aren't going /quite/ as planned, but close enough. They're turning out fine, in fact. She moves back to the doorway and turns to enter, only to catch her crazy-elaborate hair on the side of the door with a loud THWAP and chiming of bells.

Taimol blinks at her, then breaks into a smile. "Are you certain?" he asks, bubbling with amusement now.

Nor drops the bag and raises both hands to her head like it hurts. Of course, with as much product in her hair as it takes to /keep/ it in that style, that had to have hurt. Even if it was just her hair that made contact with the door frame. She turns to look over her shoulder, offering up a bit of a glare. A friendly one, though.

Taimol shakes his head, moving to her side to take a look at her head, very carefully. "I think you may survive," he murmurs before patting her shoulder. "But, if it doesn't stop hurting, let me know?"

Nor pulls back a bit after a moment and gives another patient look. The 'you're playing nursemaid again' look she's gotten good at lately. She's perfected it. But she does smile and nod.

. o O Nor projects, "I will. But stop worrying. I'm not fragile."

"I know," Edan replies softly as he backs away. "You are anything but." Smiling, he turns toward his bedroom, intending on unpacking his things.

Nor sticks her tongue out. She's been hanging around the human children too much lately, it seems. She turns back to start unpacking her own things. Somehow, she manages to get her bags into her room without further difficulty. And unpacked? Well that goes well. Mostly. There's a loud crash though after a while. It's really more a sound of something heavy landing on top of something else heavy with some odd things in between. A dull thudding.

Taimol returns to her doorway, peeking through it. "Everything okay?" he asks softly. Outside the viewports, the station starts to vanish from view as the ship leaves its berth.

. o O Taimol can't help trying to take care of her. It's like asking him not to breathe.

Nor whips around and tries to hid the mess behind her back. She nods. Too much. Too brightly. Too fast. Smiles a bit too easily. Ignore the fact that the contents of one bag, complete with two /very/ heavy paper books, the old fashioned kind, fell over when she left it too close to the edge of the bed. She moves to shoo him out. Which might just look suspicious.

Taimol holds up his hands, grinning. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry," he replies as he backs up and away from her door. "No more worrying."

. o O Taimol is curious about what he's seen, but not going to press the issue.

Nor doesn't look convinced. She does pause and turns to look over her shoulder before making shooing motions. Go on. Out with thee! Then she stops and gets a look of intense concentration on her face. It is, after all, hard for her to keep up long-term telepathic communication with anyone who isn't a Betazoid. It's pretty much impossible with humans, but Bajorans... well they aren't /quite/ as bad. It take a lot of concentration however.

. o O Nor projects, "We need to lay down some-- ground rules."

Taimol pauses, glancing back over his shoulder at her. "Alright." He's fine with that, apparently.

Nor looks thoughtful. She points to the floor in the doorway and makes a line-drawing motion with it. Sort of drawing a line on the floor right across the open doorway. She wiggles the finger. Okay, so that's rule one. No going in each other's room. After all, Nabrun put the Fear Of Hurley into her before she left.

"That's fine," Edan replies softly, nodding.

Number two... Nor thinks about this one. She doesn't seem to come /up/ with anything though so just smirks after a moment and taps her hair.

. o O Nor projects, "And no making fun of my hair. I want to look /nice/ when I meet her."

Taimol smiles brightly. "I would never dream of it." He pauses, then adds. "Often."

Nor glares and breaks what will become rule #3: No pillow fights. She grabs a pillow off the bed and throws it at him.

Taimol laughs as he's hit. "Very well, then. No making fun of your hair."

Nor smiles. Good. Ground rules one, two and almost-three are laid down. She seems pleased by this. And with a smile, she makes another shooing motion.

. o O Nor projects, "And now you have to go so I can change into something more comfortable. This hair looks nice, and I need the practice fixing it, but I have /got/ to take it down before it breaks my neck."

Taimol laughs brightly, gently tossing the pillow back to her before he heads into his own half of the quarters to unpack his own things. "If you need me, I will be just over here," he calls to her.

The Atlanta slowly banks, turning away from the station and clearing the debris field before leaping into warp speed.

The journey to find Nor's mother begins.

Time: Wed Apr 06 14:43:48 2005

Stardate: 54877.0

It's a typical day at the Medara spaceport on Betazed -- sunny, warm, and just generally beautiful as Nor and Taimol emerge from the main building into the outdoors. The atmosphere is typical for this city -- quiet, peaceful, and contemplative, even just outside the spaceport.

There's a constant hum, a whispering of minds back and forth, as the people go about their business.

Edan blinks in the sunshine, then takes a deep breath. "I have missed being on a planet," he murmurs as he stands just behind Nor. This is her turf, after all -- he's content to let her lead.

And as soon as the pair hits the sunshine and fresh air, Nor stops dead in her tracks, utterly ignoring Taimol's words for the moment. One hand, the one not carrying one of her lighter bags, goes to her forehead in the 'headache' pose. Her head shakes a little bit like she's clearing it.

Taimol frowns, moving forward a bit protectively. "What's wrong?" he asks softly, glancing around.

. o O Taimol's elation at being outside dims with concern for Nor.

'My head' is what Nor response in single-handed sign language once her bag is dropped next to her, still retaining the slightly-bent posture for a moment. 'I am not used to this many telepaths at once. I have not been here since I was much younger.' The hand drops to her side and the other hand remains pressed to her forehead for a moment more. She breathes in deeply, steadying herself.

At that moment, a largish sort of hovercar pulls up and slides to a stop before them, humming softly as those types of things are wont to do. After a few moments, the driver's door slides open, and out steps a familiar figure -- Galen, her mother's servant.

The man she ran away from, in a different life.

Now greeting her with a brilliant smile.

. o O Galen projects, "It is good to see you again, Norala -- it really has been far too long. Welcome home."

Taimol looks sidelong at Nor, his brows furrowing before he speaks up. "Ah, hello," he greets.

When Nor's hand drops, revealing the figure in front of her, she starts looking at his feet and draws her gaze upward. Her lips part a bit as she stares, like she's right on the verge of calling out to him, only she doesn't. Instead, the hands go to cover her mouth. Taimol? Oh. She kinda forgets that he's there for the moment.

. o O Nor projects, "Galen? It's you? I-- you look... well." Yes, even her thoughts tend to come out halting in spots. "And I... I missed you."

Galen continues to smile, turning his attention to Taimol for a moment. "Yes, hello. Mrs. Tassan sends her greetings," he greets softly before his attention is back on Nor.

. o O Galen mentally beams. "You do not come home often enough," he replies. "-We- have missed you, very, very much."

Taimol ahs softly, smiling as he falls silent.

. o O Taimol thinks, "He's friendly, at least."

. o O Nor thinks, "He's alive. I didn't even know if he was alive anymore. How could I not have checked? I've been selfish. I just didn't expect him to be here. Which if she's here, he's here, and why didn't I at least tell him when I left? It's so hard to think here. I should have practiced the techniques Barana was teaching me more."

Nor blinks a few times, like she's trying to get a grip on something, then her eyes go over Galen again. She smiles after a moment and reaches a hand out toward him, peeking at Taimol over her shoulder for a moment with a 'come along' jerk of her head.

. o O Nor projects, "This is Taimol Edan. Where is my mother? How is she?"

Galen steps around the car to wrap her up in a hug -- forget the hand. "Let me get your bags. You must both be exhausted," he murmurs, dropping into the vocal out of deference to her friend. "Your mother is at the house, still. She's fine. And it is a pleasure to meet you, Mister Edan."

. o O Galen is extraordinarily pleased to see Nor, but... concerned at her thoughts.

"It's Mister Taimol, actually," Edan replies cheerfully as he lifts as many bags as he can carry. "Just show me where to put them, sir."

. o O Galen thinks, "Why would I not still be alive?"

Nor stiffens a bit at something, her eyes going to Galen with a look of something akin to fear. Or confusion. Or the 'I can't believe I just said that' sort of look. She shakes her head a little and drops her gaze toward the ground, not even giving a second thought to helping with any of the luggage. Her hands are busying themselves by slightly wringing together.

. o O Nor projects, "I've been... my head. It's been wrong lately. Don't listen to me. Is it always this loud here? So many people talking. Edan can tell you. I've been wrong lately. Just wrong."

"In the trunk -- here," Galen replies, tabbing the control that pops it open before he looks at Nor with concern touching his eyes, now.

. o O Galen projects, "You're home, and you're safe now. We'll get you to the house -- it's much quieter, there."

Taimol swallows as he starts to move the bags in silence, gently depositing them. Even Nor's bags go without a word.

. o O Taimol is concerned.

Nor gives Taimol a bit of a 'help' look. Though he's probably got no idea what help she might be requesting. Maybe it's a look that's supposed to read 'if you leave my side right now, I'm going to hunt you down and make you regret it.' Either way, she gets into the vehicle without pause.

. o O Nor projects, "Edan, this is hard. I can't keep my thoughts my own. I'm not used to this. He's going to know I'm not who they think I am."

Galen moves around to the driver's side door and gets back in, definitely looking worried now as he glances in the rear-view mirror.

After closing the trunk, Edan slips into the car as well, giving Galen a cheery smile. "All set."

. o O Taimol thinks, "We'll just have to tell the truth, Nor."

. o O Nor feels a bit overwhelmed. Okay, a /lot/ overwhelmed in bursts, but she's mostly got a handle on it.

Nor sits up straighter and takes in a deep, calming breath, practicing some of the techniques to help block too much incoming traffic, to to speak. And when it comes to speaking, she starts to, only using sign language since it's directed at Taimol. 'I do not know if I should warn you about my mother. I do not have any idea what she is like. Galen is much the same.' a pause. 'He is older.'

Deftly, Galen manuevers the car into the hovercar traffic -- which is thankfully light. Gradually, Medara melts away, replaced with rolling green hills as they head deep into the countryside. The further away they get from the city, the quieter the mind noise gets, until, at last, it recedes into the background.

. o O Galen projects, "Your friend told us that you both were coming." He pauses, then asks, wryly, "Is he your boyfriend?"

Taimol nods to Nor, tilting his head to the side as he watches her hands. Finally, he offers a soft, 'It will be fine. You'll see.' And then, it's time to stare out the window at all the new stuff -- first time on Betazed, and all.

Nor suddenly perks up a bit, eyes opening a tiny bit wider. She looks at Taimol, then up at the front seat, shaking her head a little. Then a hand goes up to her hair, like she's hiding from Taimol that she was shaking her head.

. o O Nor projects, "No. He is a friend. A very good friend. One I care for very much. But no. There are only two men I am involved with, and one does not care for me very much."

Galen smiles as he watches her in the rear-view, both of his eyebrows raising a bit -- and then, he's driving again.

The way is dimly familiar to Nor, like something out of a half-remembered dream -- and then, Lake Cataria comes into view, its purplish waters gently rippling in the breeze. Near the shore is a house -- really, more of a mansion, standing tall on the shoreline -- and it becomes apparent that Galen is heading there.

Taimol is, by this time, asleep, leaning up against the window. He could, quite possibly, sleep anywhere.

. o O Nor thinks, "Home. I've had dreams of this place. I forgot it was real."

Nor reaches over toward Taimol to grab his arm for attention to point something out, but she realizes he's asleep and withdraws her hand just before it touches him. She smiles faintly and then looks back out the window.

. o O Galen projects, "Your mother should be home shortly, if she isn't already."

. o O Nor projects, "Do you think she'll like me? I mean. I haven't seen her in some time, right? I might not be how she expects me to be."

Galen smiles as they wind down the hill, pulling up in front of the house. "And, we're here," he offers brightly before he climbs out. "I will collect your bags."

. o O Galen is given pause for a moment. "You haven't been home in a year, but... your mother still loves you, just as she always has."

Taimol stirs, yawning as he straightens up. "Where's here?" he asks quietly.

Nor nods a little bit at something and reaches out toward Taimol, this time she /does/ lightly touch him, shaking him slightly to make sure that he's waking up and not just yawning and stretching and talking in his sleep. She points out the window. Sort of a 'yeah we're here' kind of way.

Galen is rather efficient, all things considered. He collects all the bags, then vanishes into the house with them. Then, gently, another mental voice is heard.

. o O Nesa projects, "Dearest, you're here?"

Taimol pops open the door and steps out, taking another deep breath. "This is your home? It's quite lovely," he murmurs.

Nor is out of the car and looking around with a soft, dreamy expression. One that goes suddenly to a look of pure and utter shock. Shock doesn't even begin to cover it, really. She reaches out toward Taimol's arm with the intention of grasping onto it as tightly as possible, meanwhile all color leaks from her face rapidly.

. o O Nor thinks, "Mom. Mother. My-- mom. Thiscan'tbereal. It's not her. It can't be. Please let it be."

. o O Nor is tentative, really. "Mom?"

A very elegant woman comes to the doors, smiling brightly. She's far older than Nor remembers, but not really -different-, more along the lines of one of those timeless beauties who just refuse to age. She looks about, then spreads her arms for a hug.

. o O Nesa projects, "Welcome home, Norala. I have missed you so -much-."

. o O Nesa is so very pleased to see her daughter.

Taimol places a hand over Nor's, squeezing it briefly. "It's okay," he whispers. "Everything's okay."

. o O Taimol tries to be quietly reassuring.

Nor's face still lacking color, slowly brings her hands back to her mouth. One would think by her pose that she just won the Miss Universe contest. And that's difficult with those Orions and Centaurans running around. Tears have sprung to her eyes and she looks for a moment like she's going to sink to her knees and turn into a blubbering fool. But she doesn't. Instead, she launches herself at Nesa, her mouth moving a little bit even though, as usual, no words come out. She mouths 'Mom' over and over a few times when she goes to embrace the older version of herself. Besides, with genes like Nor's, both her parents /had/ to have been really good looking, so it's not surprising if her mom looks a lot like her.

. o O Nor projects, "Mom. Mom. I-- It's you. It is. You aren't dead and you're here and I missed you. Thank the Deities, it's you. I love you. I never told you. I love you so much."

Nesa wraps her arms around Nor, hugging her tightly -- although she looks a bit confused as she does so.

. o O Nesa projects, "No, dearest, I'm not dead... whatever would make you think that?"

Sob sob. There's a shaking of Nor's shoulders as she cries into the hug, clutching Nesa as tightly as she can.

Taimol smiles, dropping his gaze to the fine white rocks of the driveway and scuffing his toe in them. Tears well up in his eyes, and he looks away, so as not to intrude on this moment.

. o O Taimol is happy. Exceedingly so.

. o O Nor projects, "You were. I mean, /you/ weren't, but the other you was and I missed you so much. We found you. And you were-- no, don't even go looking for that. I don't want to think about it. It's you. It really is."

. o O Nesa doesn't know what to make of that, so finally she just asks, "Dearest, why don't you come inside and sit down. You must be tired after your trip."

Nesa smiles, although it's one of those "Oh, dear," kind of smiles. "Please, come inside?" she asks aloud of Taimol.

Taimol turns and nods, wiping at his eyes. "Certainly," he murmurs.

. o O Nor projects, "Yes. It was tiring. And it's so quiet here. I can't hear myself think in the city. So many people all talking at once. I had no idea it was like that."

. o O Nesa projects, "I feel much the same way, dear... much the same. Come, come, sit, rest. You may tell me all about your adventures." Pause. "And that boy you brought with you."

Nesa giggles slightly, her smile warming.

Nor turns toward Taimol and reaches a hand out toward him, down low like she's intending on holding hands or at least keeping her hand on his arm as they walk.

Taimol steps close, taking hold of Nor's hand and squeezing gently.

. o O Taimol thinks, "I'm here."

. o O Nor projects, "No mother, we are but friends." Strange how easy it is to slip back into routines lost over the years. "But I will tell you what I can. And this /boy/ is a Vedek."

. o O Nor feels strangely safe. Still overwhelmed, but /home/ now. Nervous, though.

Nesa smiles as she slips back toward the house. "Come, relax... we'll talk about your trip. It is so good to meet you, Mi...Vedek Taimol," she amends brightly.

. o O Nesa projects, "Of course, dear."

. o O Nor feels proud. Cuz mommy likes him. And mommy likes /her/. So far, anyway.

. o O Nor thinks, "Mom. Galen. Edan. Most of my family is here. I should feel happier than this, shouldn't I? No. No. I /am/ happy. I'm just scared I'll turn my back and they'll fade away."

Casting one glance over her shoulder, a lingering look like she's committing it to memory, Nor sighs softly and then turns to head inside after her mother.

Taimol follows along, squeezing Nor's hand tightly as the doors swing shut behind them.

Now comes the hard part: convincing Nor's mother that they're not crazy.

Time: Tue May 03 13:36:31 2005

Stardate: 54941.7

The sun shines brightly in the skies above Lake Cataria, with the white sand of the beach stretching into the distance. At this point in time, Nesa and Galen know the whole story, but -- unsure what to make of it, they proposed an outing for everyone to just take some time off and relax.

So, it is that they find themselves partaking of a lazy day in the sun. Taimol, being who he is, is all sorts of bounding, exhuberent energy -- swimming, running around, and generally just carrying on, if only because he can. Galen and Nesa have set up an umbrella and some chairs, and seem content to rest in the shade with a picnic basket.

All in all, it's a nice day.

If anyone is disturbed by Nor's silence, it isn't /her/. Nor is Taimol, probably, since he's used to it. But the fact that Nor hasn't spoken verbally hasn't been as much an issue lately for her, since her 'family' communicates telepathically. And so the silent girl is lounging on her stomach in the direct sunlight, basking in the type of thing that one never /gets/ on a space station: a real day at the beach. She goes from watching Taimol frolick in the water to making a pillow of her arms and resting her cheek on them, eyes going to her mother instead as she silently watches her.

Nesa smiles as she catches Nor's gaze, then lifts her chin to indicate the water in a sort of 'why don't you go and play' gesture.

. o O Nesa projects, "Or are you just enjoying the sunshine? You do seem so pale after living in space."

. o O Nor projects, "I haven't been in real sunlight in a long, long time until we came here. I missed it. I missed... a lot of things."

Nor looks thoughtful for a moment, then shakes her head and smiles, instead resting her chin on her arms, eyes watching Taimol again. Or at least she's staring off in the general direction of him and the water.

Taimol is in the middle of paddling back and forth, radidating cheerfulness. Fresh air, sunshine, and warmth apparently do Bajorans good -- even if he is turning just a little pink from the sun.

Nesa nods slowly, her gaze travelling to the Bajoran in the water as well for a few moments.

. o O Nesa projects, "It is good to have you home, of course. You -- and your friend -- may stay for as long as you want." A few beats. "Although, I really didn't expect to ever see you bring home a priest."

. o O Nesa is amused.

. o O Nor gives a bit of a pause before responding, though it's more from amusement than any sense of having to collect her thoughts, "You do not approve then? He is a good man and a good friend, mother."

Nor shifts a little bit, but doesn't look away from the water, she just moves her head a bit to one side, squinting against the sunlight. She's also gotten a lot of sun, much like Bajoran running around in the water, but her skin has gotten more of a golden brown rather than pink.

Nesa smiles broadly at that, taking a sip from her drink as she turns her gaze back to her daughter.

. o O Nesa projects, "No unusual piercings, body art, and polite as well? Of course I approve, I'm just surprised." A pause for another moment, then more amused thoughts come from her -- something to do with the last male her timeline's Nor brought home, but it's not very distinct."

Taimol wades out of the water, grinning from ear to ear -- and dripping, too. "It's like the Southern Sea!" he calls, excited. "Just as warm, even if the water's purple, rather than green!"

. o O Taimol is so happy to be outside.

Nor's head turns a bit, eyes veering to Nesa's general direction, eyebrows slightly raised but not enough to notice from afar. Then it's Taimol's arrival that gets her to turn back and smile at him, waving after unhook an arm from the pillow she's made under her head, then replacing it.

. o O Nor projects, "What was that, mother? And no, he doesn't need any, does he? Body art. His practically /is/ art."

Nesa smiles at Taimol as he exits the water. "Have you had enough swimming for today?" she calls, although her eyebrows arch slightly.

Galen, for his part, just shakes his head and turns his attention back to his book, smiling himself.

. o O Nesa projects, "Oh, nothing important -- and yes, I suppose. If I were twenty years younger... well."

. o O Galen thinks, "-Women-."

Nor sits up a bit, cheeks pink, and not from the sunlight. She /stares/ at Nesa for a moment, then reaches for a towel nearby and throws it at Taimol, pointedly not really looking at him very closely.

. o O Nor thinks, "MOTHER!"

. o O Nor projects, "I mean-- mother. Stop-- I mean, just /no/. You are not to think of him in that way. Even if he is quite handsome in his own way."

"Yes, ma'am -- at least for the moment," Edan replies, although he blinks as he's thrown a towel. "Thank you," he offers to Nor after a moment, earnest even if he is a bit confused.

. o O Nesa chuckles softly. "It's -hard- not to, but I'm quite content, dear. In fact, I've been thinking that -- if and when you do return home, I'd like to come with you and see what your station is like, for a change of pace."

Nesa smiles even more broadly, her brows ticking downward after a moment. "Well, come and have a seat in the shade. Poor dear, you're going to be sunburned."

. o O Nor has a flash, brief and quickly pushed aside, of the station. There's a lightning-quick montage of Lithians, Reytara-the-meaniehead-Flaxian, Laco's head crystal, Shamash holding a kitten while looking out the viewport and, of course, Nabrun carrying away a blanket-wrapped baby.

. o O Nor projects, "I uh think you would like it. There's a very nice view of some blue space thing. And Aiden is there."

Taimol bounces over to flop next to Nor. Even now, with the station fifty-some-odd light years away, he can't quite kick the protective streak. "It's been so long since I've had real sun that I don't mind at all, ma'am," he replies brightly. "But thank you."

. o O Taimol thinks, "I wonder if Nor needs sunscreen?"

Nesa's smile fades for a moment, then returns full-strength. "You're quite welcome, of course."

Galen looks up and smiles once again, giving Nesa a look before returning his attention to his book again.

. o O Nesa projects, "It would be interesting. It's been so many years since I've been in space."

Nor's gotten used to having a protector kind of thing and she doesn't seem to mind it in the slightest when Taimol flops down, though she does still give her mother a slight hint of a sidelong glance while she scoots aside to give Taimol enough room to not be crowded. It's Gelan that her eyes remain fixed on while she moves, though she does look up at Taimol afterward and smiles beamingly, shaking her head. She reaches up to touch his shoulder where it's turned pink

. o O Nor thinks, "Gelan, you either think my mother is as insane as you think I am or you're up to something. Mother, which do you think it is?"

. o O Nesa projects, "With Galen, it's always hard to tell."

Taimol grins brightly. "It's nothing," he replies. "Just proof that the sun has kissed me."

. o O Galen projects, "I would never plan anything untoward or dangerous. As for thinking you're insane -- I think you've had a rough time of things, and I've heard stranger stories, to be honest."

Shaking his head, Galen remarks, "Youth. Were it still that I were so young."

Nesa can't resist the tease. "You're still fairly vigorous in your old age, dear," he murmurs, patting the male Betazoid's arm. It could be that she blushes just a bit.

Nor cranes her neck to look over her shoulder, possibly checking if she's got a slight burn as well, or maybe just to pointedly avoid looking at her mother and Galen /flirting/. Because it's just /wrong/. After a moment, she smiles up at Taimol with that smile that could mean almost anything, though her eyes are faintly glassed over to show she's making use of the Betazoid talents.

. o O Nor projects, "Mother, are you and Galen--? And I'm not sure you'd particuarly /like/ the station. But... I would like if you came back with us."

Taimol smiles back, his eyebrows lifting a bit.

. o O Taimol likes that smile, yes he does.

. o O Nesa projects, "Are we what, dear?" Playing coy, it seems. "I would very much like to come back with you. It's been far too long since I've seen Barana, at the very least."

. o O Nor thinks, "Barana." It's almost a wistful thing, clouded by Taimol's presence for a moment. "I miss her. She was my only real friend on the station."

. o O Taimol thinks, "It is good to see her smile. I have missed it."

Nesa's smile dims a bit. "So, Edan, I believe that I would like to return to the station with my daughter. You wouldn't mind having an old woman like myself along, would you?" Of course, she's just teasing -- her eyes sparkle playfully.

. o O Nor projects, "And put a shirt on." A pause. "Before you burn more, I mean."

Taimol smiles. "No, of course not. I think it's an excellent idea," he replies before he looks at Nor a bit oddly and smiles. "If it will make you feel better." With a bound of energy, he hops to his feet and wanders off to find his shirt -- under the umbrella, he left it.

. o O Nesa projects, "Perhaps if I were ten years younger?" A beat. "I'm just teasing dear. He's a very nice boy, but yes, I'm quite content with Galen."

Nor looks over at Galen and then gets a look on her face. Her mouth makes a slight 'O' and her eyes shift to the side to pointedly look away like she's saying she does /not/ want to visualize... that. It's like walking in on your parents in their skivvies or something. It's just the sort of visual that gets stuck in the head, so she shakes her head to try and dislodge it. Taimol gets a smile, like she's approving of what he says.

Taimol finds his shirt and tugs it on, smiling at Nesa and Galen both before he wanders back out into the sun. "Better?" he asks Nor as he plops down next to her again.

Nesa laughs at Nor's expression. "There are worse things, dear," she chides softly. "You should come in out of the sun before you burn up."

Nor sighs softly and nods, obediently and all that. She nudges Taimol to get up and then moves a hand to ruffle his hair.

. o O Nor projects, "My mother thinks you're handsome, you know. She's right."

. o O Nor projects, "Yeeees mother. And we're supposed to leave to return to the station soon. Will you really be coming with us?"

Taimol blushes as he stands, offering Nor a hand.

. o O Taimol thinks, "That is very kind of you to say. Thank you."

. o O Taimol has a surge of warm feelings.

. o O Nesa is right on the spot with an answer. "I will. It will be a fascinating experience, I'm sure." She pauses, mentally smiling as she watches the hair ruffling, but saying nothing more.

Nor glances over her shoulder, looking confused for a moment as she stares at her mother, meanwhile taking Taimol's hand and rising. The other hand not in his reaches to brush herself off absently from any sand particles that cling to her.

. o O Nor projects, "What, mother?"

Taimol moves to help her, pauses, glances at her mother, then puts his hand back at his side and proceeds to look innocent -- even if he doesn't release Nor's hand.

. o O Nesa projects, "I think it's cute how you dance around with one another, that's all."

Nesa continues to smile, taking another sip from her drink. "Please, come under the umbrella and have a drink. It's too hot out there for cavorting around."

. o O Nor projects, "What do you mean? We haven't gone dancing. Though I did offer once to teach him how."

Nor tugs at Taimol's hand a little to lead him toward the umbrella. See, not removing her hand from his. But not for any reason other than to lead. Really. Her eyes linger on her mother's form, like she's trying to see right through her.

. o O Nesa projects, "He obviously has feelings for you, dear. You'd have to be blind not to see that."

Taimol follows along, wiping his brow as he gets under the umbrella. "I've missed being on a planet," he offers, voice soft.

. o O Nor projects, "Of course he does, mother. We're friends. His heart belongs to another. A girl back on the station." A pause. "As-- as does mine."

Nesa reaches into the nuclear-powered cooler and pulls out various beverages. "This is what we have to drink," she murmurs, her smile warm and friendly.

Nor takes a beverage randomly, not looking up. She even grabs one and nearly shoves it at Taimol, like she's trying to keep from looking at him for the moment.

Taimol blinks at the shoved beverage, his smile fading a bit. "Thank you again," he murmurs.

. o O Taimol is confused and concerned.

. o O Nesa projects, "Does it?" Her mind falls silent for a moment, then she adds, "Of course, dear. Of course."

Nor smiles at Taimol, whatever had been distracting her now seeming to be past. She mouths the words 'You are welcome' to him, as she's been doing the past few days in her ongoing attempts to cure herself of the whole mute thing. Then she smiles beamingly like she's proud of herself for mouthing the words.

Taimol gives her hand a squeeze of encouragement, his cheeks coloring again before he looks down at his drink.

. o O Taimol is very, very proud of Nor for even trying.

. o O Nesa thinks, "Poor children."

Nesa smiles again, taking a sip from her drink. "Come, come... sit. we'll discuss all the details."

Nor sits up a bit and gets a rather patient look on her face. The kind of look that adults get when their parents make them feel like they're 6-years-old again. It's gone in a second and the smile is back, possibly not even noticed to have been missing since the look was so quick. She takes a drink and tilts her head to show her mother she's listening.

Taimol smiles again, taking a sip from his drink as he settles down for the details...

Two weeks and who knows how many trillions of miles later, the transport ship USS Venice pulls into dock with the newly repaired and rejuvenated Station 419-Upsilon in the Dulcais Sector to release three passengers: Norala Tassan, Taimol Edan, and Nesa Tassan.

Who knows what kind of adventures are in store now?