fandomtownies | The Park, Saturday Morning

Entry tags:

The Park, Saturday Morning

Stark had, eventually, gotten over his initial shock from yesterday at least enough to take Zhaan home. He'd tried, and failed, to explain everything that had happened since the last time she had made a visit here. Nearly everything. He had avoided a few topics, for now. There was simply too much for one night even for two people who could share thoughts without words.

It had been a long night, though one he wouldn't have missed for anything. She was here, even if it was only for a brief time, and he was doing his best to enjoy every moment of this that he could.

Right now, he simply wanted to show her around the island he was once again calling home. Perhaps even introduce her to some of his friends should they run into any of them.

He thought she would enjoy the park and had brought her there after a stop at the Perk for beverages. There had been plenty of baked goods already in his apartment between the cupcakes he'd made yesterday and the cookies he'd purchased on Thursday.

"It's a good place to just sit, sometimes," he said after they'd settled on a bench. "Sometimes I just need to be outside. And there are the ducks. It's usually peaceful. Or we'd could go to the beach? We can go everywhere. It's not a very large island, but you know that. From the last time."

"I know," she agreed, smiling and patting his hand gently. "And I am happy to see all of it you'd like to show me."

[Open for any Park, Stark, or lovely blue bald alien woman needs you may have!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Lizzie had wanted to see the island and was asking non stop questions about it. So where else would he take her first but the park?

She always liked feeding the birds back in Haven so she she heard there were ducks at the pond, she had insisted on bringing the stale (actually not all that stale)bread she had found on the counter. Dwight wasn't about to stop her and soon they were at the park.

Dwight watched as Lizzie ran towards the pond, bag of bread in hand and started feeding the ducks. Looking around, he saw Stark sitting with someone at one of the benches and gave a friendly wave and smile.

Stark offered a small wave in return. "Hello, Dwight."

Zhaan nodded to Dwight but offered the child a wide smile. It had been a long time since she'd seen a child of any sort.

Dwight watched Lizzie with the ducks for a moment.

"I'll be right over here Lizzie" he said as he started towards where Stark was.

"Ok, Daddy!" Lizzie laughed before turning her attention back to the ducks.

As he walked over, Dwight gave Zhaan a smile. "Hey, I', Dwight. Nice to have you on the island with us."

Was that a bit awkward as far as greetings go? Yeah, it was. But somehow 'hey glad to have you visiting for dead person weekend on the island' didn't sound good either. So Dwight just went with it.

"It's good to be here, Dwight," Zhaan replied. It was good to be anywhere. She was where she was meant to be, and she had gone to her Goddess willingly, but a chance to walk among the living once more would always be welcome.

"I am Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan. Zhaan. You have a visitor as well?"

She didn't really want the answer to be yes. That was a child. To have lost her so young was simply cruel.

"Pleasure to meet you, Zhaan," Dwight said simply. He fell silent for a moment at her question and glanced over at Lizzie.

He was grateful that despite the reality that she had died, Lizzie seemed to either not care or in some simple line of child-like innocence didn't fully understand what had happened. Whatever the case. Dwight was simply glad she seemed exactly as she had been before. He turned back to Zhaan as he answered.

"My daughter, Lizzie" he said with a somewhat sad smile.

Edited 2021-08-21 16:32 (UTC)

"I'm sorry," Stark said, looking up at Dwight and then over to the girl. "This is...I hope you can enjoy the time you have. It's a gift." If he said that often enough he might even convince himself.

Zhaan nodded her agreement before making a quick motion of her hands around her head.

Dwight nodded slowly.

"When I thought I would never see her again, yes, any time is a a gift."

Dwight could say the words. But he didn't want to think about when this gift the island had given him would be taken away.

That was the problem with this sort of gift. It ended far too quickly. But any sort of end would be too soon.

"It is. I'm glad we've been given it."

He was just going to slide a little closer to Zhaan on the bench now. Don't mind him. Sometimes he needed reassurance she was truly there.

Much like Dwight with Lizzie, Liam had a guest who he was showing around the island.

Unlike Lizzie, Liam's guest leaned more towards teenage cynicism than childish enthusiasm.

"Not much to the place, is there?" Amanda pointed out.

"It's small," Liam agreed. "But it's home."

Spotting Stark (and his unfamiliar companion), Liam headed over that way.

Liam was always a welcome presence. Perhaps even moreso right now because of Stark's companion. He did want her to meet some of his friends, if possible, if only to reassure her that he really was generally happy here.

"Liam!" Stark smiled widely, then turned to Zhaan to offer a quiet "you'll like him, I think."

"Stark," Liam greeted. "How's it going?" He had... something of an idea, of course, considering who was trailing along after him.

It was going oddly, Liam, obviously!

"I have a visitor," Stark said, as if that answered the question. And maybe it did. If Liam had one too then he might at least have some idea of how Stark was feeling. And Stark wasn't going to say that it was wonderful that she was here, terrible she had to leave, confusing that it happened even though he'd known about the possibility once, and that he knew the whole Faye thing was precarious at the moment.

"This," he said, turning to Zhaan and taking her hand once again, "is Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan. My...Zhaan."

"Zhaan," Liam greeted. He wasn't going to offer a hand for a handshake, though. That might be the human custom for meeting someone, but Zhaan wasn't human. Nor was Liam, entirely, and in fact that non-human side was where his distaste for the gesture came from.

"It's a pleasure," he said.

"This," he said, gesturing to Amanda, "is Amanda."

"Liam saved my life once." A beat. "Then I saved his."

Which was, you know, how she'd ended up dead and all. Though she didn't say that part out loud.

"We saved each other as well," Zhaan said, nodding to both of them. "Once or twice. And everyone else on the ship." Both of them had gone to their presumed deaths to spare their shipmates' lives. It was just that Stark had survived his execution and returned.

"Stark mentioned you, Liam," she said with a smile. "It's good to meet you both."

Stark just nodded.

"He's-" Stark hadn't talked about Zhaan to Liam, but he recognized her now, she'd been in one of those memories of his that he'd glimpsed when the Night Mares had come.

"He did?"

"That you're a friend," Zhaan confirmed with another small smile.

Don't worry Liam, he hadn't mentioned your shared impossible child. Or the incident with Faye. Yet.

"Thank you for looking out for him." Goddess knew he needed it sometimes.

Amanda let out a soft snort of laughter.

"That's what he does."

"That explains why he's good at it. Plenty of practice," Stark said.

But at least it wasn't all due to Stark!

"Right," Liam said, scrubbing a hand through his hair and looking faintly embarrassed. "Well. You know."

"So," he said to Zhaan, "Pa'u? Is that- part of your name, or a title?"

"A title," Zhaan said. "To show I'm a member of Delvian Seek, serving my Goddess."

"She's a priest," Stark said. "Of her people."

"Huh," Liam said thoughtfully. "I understand if there's other things you'd rather do this weekend, but if there's time... would you mind telling me a little about that?" he asked. "I enjoy learning about new cultures."

Amanda, for her part, looked a little taken aback by that admission. She hadn't known that about Liam.

Of course, she'd known him for less than a week before she'd died, so she supposed it wasn't all that surprising that she hadn't known that.

Zhaan glanced at Stark, who made no move to protest, before answering.

"I am always happy to share the teachings of my Goddess. I think we could find a little time. Are you familiar at all with my people?"

Were you going to get weird when she told you she was a plant?

Liam’s face went blank for a few moments, eyes vague and not focused.

“No,” he said, finally, coming back to himself. “I’m not, sorry.”

He had several million years worth of memories and the DNA of countless species mixed with his own. Beyond that, he worked with cryptids. Sapient plant-based life wasn’t all that weird.

"There's no need to apologize," Zhaan said, watching his face. "I would have been surprised had you said yes."

Pleased, certainly, but still surprised.

"Is there anything specific you might like to know?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The Park, Saturday Morning

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject