The rest of the day passed quite uneventfully except for Dovan's broken water pump and another villager's rusted door, which had fallen off its hinges. It was so rusted and old that he ended up having to find another door, which thankfully took up a good portion of his afternoon. The question of what to do with the rest of the evening was quickly answered when Dovan invited him to come to dinner with them. Kail did not have to think long about it; he was almost anxious to talk to Connie again and possibly get some idea what it was that she found so attractive about him.

Before he knew it, he was sitting at the small kitchen table with three other people, each eating generously from a very big bowl of Spiced Hasperat, except for Kail of course. Being a Changeling, Kail never got hungry, so he only ate to reinforce the ideals of his humanoid Bajoran disguise. Bajorans had to eat just like any other humanoid, so Kail had to pretend to eat, too.

"Aren't you hungry, Kail?" Kelsee asked, looking up as she shoveled the last spoonful of Hasperat in to her mouth.

"Kail never eats too much," Dovan said with his mouth full. "I don't know how he keeps his weight up."

"I just don't like to eat too much at once," Kail pointed out, making a note to eat even slower next time.

Everyone seemed to accept that, and silence dominated the room for several long minutes. Kail couldn't bring himself to eat any more, but everyone seemed to be almost done, so he didn't worry too much about it.

Connie finished her bowl first, and pushed it aside. "Kelsee and I are going to go hiking tomorrow and camp outside for a few nights. Would you like to come with us, Kail? You're welcome to join us too, Dovan, if you'd like. It's all right with you, isn't it, Kelsee?"

"Oh, sure!" Kelsee said, finishing up her own bowl. "I was just about to ask them myself."

"Thank you girls, but I think I'm getting a little too old to go out hiking for a long time," Dovan laughed.

Kail had to think about it for a few moments. There was nothing pressing for him to do job-wise the next few days, so her certainly had the time to join them. But did he really want to be out there alone with two women who seemed to be crazy about him?

"Sure, Connie," he responded with a smile. "I'd love to go hiking with you both."

"Great!" Kelsee exclaimed. "We'll leave tomorrow morning just before noon, but we'll meet here first to make sure we've all got the supplies and food we need."

"All right, I'll be here," Kail confirmed, then politely stood and collected the dishes to be washed. Kelsee gave Connie an encouraging wink while Kail's back was turned to them, and then she let out a loud yawn.

"Well, I think I'm ready for bed," Kelsee said while stretching out her back in the chair. "You all should turn in soon, too. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow!"

"Yes, I'm right behind you, Kelsee. Good night everyone," Connie said, letting out a yawn of her own, then followed Kelsee out of the kitchen to her bedroom, leaving Kail and Dovan still sitting at the table.

For a long moment, Kail's mind wandered and he said nothing. Dovan had noticed, but simply stared at him, as if reading his mind. Kail looked up in confusion when Dovan's gaze did not waver.

"What?" Kail inquired.

Dovan smiled at him. "You like her, don't you."

Kail blinked, not knowing how to respond.

"Yes, I know that look very well," Dovan said with a laugh. "I saw the way she looked at you. She's crazy about you."

"Yes, I think Kelsee is trying to encourage her, too."

"You're absolutely right, she is. But you don't seem very sure of yourself when it comes to knowing what it is you're feeling for her."

Kail smiled. "You're very astute. I'm trying to make an effort not to disappoint her, but I'm not sure what to expect from all of this."

"Tescar Kail, in all the years I've known you, not once have I seen you with a woman. Is Connie the first woman to really show an interest in you?"

"That's a difficult question," Kail began. "I honestly don't know if any other women I've met had any interest in a continuing relationship with me. I don't think so, but I just hadn't really thought about it until now. I never thought I was that interesting."

"Of course you are! I can't understand why all the young women in the village wouldn't be banging down your door."

Kail knew Dovan always had a tendency to exaggerate, but he appreciated the attempt to boost his ego. He had no idea what Dovan was getting at, anyway.

"Well, right now, I think Connie may be contemplating whether or not to try and bang down your door for some attention," Dovan continued. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

Kail smiled to himself. "I'm going to go hiking with them tomorrow and show Connie the time of her life."

"Good man." Dovan patted him on the back, and then stood to go to bed. "Good night, Kail."

"Good night, Dovan," Kail answered, and then Dovan was gone.

The day had proved itself to be more exciting that usual, and Kail realized it had taken its toll on his own body as well, making him feel very tired. He didn't normally sleep like most other humanoids, but the strain of holding a solid humanoid shape all day would force him to return his body to it's natural, gelatinous-liquid state to regenerate. Kail was becoming even more tired as he left Dovan's house and he approached his home just a few houses down the dirt street through the middle of the village.

As he walked through his door, he was tempted to just revert back to his natural state right then and there on the floor, but instead he forced himself to remain in his solid form for a few minutes longer in order to relieve himself of his dinner. He had no digestive tract to digest the food. But the comment he had made to Dovan not too long ago stuck in his mind, so he sat in a chair at the small kitchen table to think.

How did he intend to show Connie the time of her life? What could he possibly do to impress her? They were going on a hike, so maybe they might pass a bed of wild flowers he could pick for her, or perhaps he would show her how to catch fish in the creek. Then he remembered the cliffs just beyond the forest. Not many people knew how to get there, but Dovan had shown him a few times before, and Kail had a good memory. Perhaps Connie would like to see the entire Lerrena Valley from the cliffs. It was a breathtaking view.

Just the thought of taking Connie to see the Lerrena cliffs was relaxing him so much, he began to lose what was left of his weakened control over his solid humanoid shape, and he collapsed into a puddle next to the chair he had been sitting in. He rested for a few moments and then picked himself back up in order to climb the steps up to his bedroom where his comfortable bed was waiting.

As he turned to leave the kitchen, he was unaware of the shadow that moved just outside his kitchen window, watching him as he retired to his bedroom.