Again, thanks to Sensara and her collaborated efforts on this one! Also, I stole Fameanon's O_O_O because acstrics weren't working.
T'Pel was sure she opened her eyes, but was unable to see anything and she attempted to get to her feet when she was pushed over, "Watch what you are doing mutant!" An old ladies voice crooned.
"My apologies...I was simply..." Her voice trailed off, the woman was no longer near nor did she care. There was the nearly overwhelming feeling of resentment from all around her. Logically, she would have to rely on the one sense she normally disdained using. If for no other reason then to avoid hostile people.
O_O_O_O_O_O_O
Solok opened his eyes and looked around in confusion at the strange trees around him. This is not Gol, he thought to himself. Where am I? Where are mother and father?
He could see a group of people with strange colored hair walk toward him. "Excuse me, could you help me?"
A large lady in a blue dress smiled down at him. Her grin was frightening. "Why certainly, little boy, what can I do for you?"
He sighed. "I am lost. Where am I?"
The lady and her friends laughed. "You are down the rabbit hole, young man. Why, can't you read the signs?"
He looked around and saw several wooden signs around him, but none of them made sense. Kalamazoo, 6 miles and two Thursdays one read. Queen's Castle, 2 inches and a sneeze, said another.
"The signs are not logical," he protested, and the lady scowled.
"Well, what were you expecting, the theory of relativity?" Her group laughed and walked on, leaving Solok alone in the strange forest.
O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O
Larkin was being shaken awake and when he opened his eyes, he saw nothing and sat up quickly, "Who are you and why are you shaking me? What is going on?"
His hand was moved to T'Laras comm badge and then to her face and ears.
"She can not speak. Can you not see?" Varel's voice sounded to the side of him.
"I can not. How are you fairing, Varel?" Larkin asked.
"I am unable to hear you. I have been doing the best I can to read lips. It seems that we are...bound to one another until we find the others." He huffed, obviously distressed.
O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O
Solok continued walking through the woods, both fascinated and frightened by the trees and animals around him. He was certain he saw a flock of Earth origami birds flying overhead, and twinges of homesickness and childish fear began to pull at him. He stopped and sat on the ground, folding his hands and reciting the mantras his father had taught him. It helped a little, but the fact that this place was so illogical was making everything difficult: finding his way, controlling his emotions, keeping the fear at bay.
T'Pel really had no way of knowing what direction she was going, but was feeling tree branches hitting her in the face. She came to a sudden stop as she heard familiar words and feeling a fear she shared then called out in Vulcan, "Hello? Who is there?"
Her hand was gripping tightly to a branch that was slightly slimy, but her fear would not allow her to let go, lest it be her mind playing tricks on her.
Solok looked up when he heard someone call out to him in Vulcan, and he saw a beautiful woman on the other side of the clearing he was sitting in. She was clinging desperately to a tree branch, as if afraid she might fall, and he leaped to his feet and ran to her.
"T'Sai, how did you come to be here? Do you know where we are?" She did not look at him, and it occurred to him that she was blind.
She heard a boys voice and made an effort to glance in his direction, "I believe it is Q's doing. However do not concern yourself with that. Tell me, what is your name? Are you injured?"
"My name is Solok, and I am from Gol. I do not believe I am injured. But who is Q? Are you saying this Q sent us here? And what of you, T'Sai?" He paused, remembering what his father told him about rambling on. He was often chided for it. "Are you blind, T'Sai?"
Her eyes widened, "Captain?" Her hand moved to his shoulder, and indeed felt his familiar vibrations and she pulled it away just as quickly.
"Q is a...very powerful being, who I do believe has sent us here, as well as taken my sight." She wanted to tell him that this was not his normal form, but was unsure of how he would take it.
"If it is agreeable to you, Solok of Gol, I require your aid. As I can not see, but I feel there may be others. We need to search them out. Will you assist me in this task?" The sudden urge to scream atop her lungs was growing, simply out of frustration.
"Captain?" Solok repeated. "I am not a captain, T'Sai."
He paused and looked up at her, at her beautiful dark eyes, lovely even when clouded and unfocused. "I will certainly aid you, T'Sai. What is your name?"
A small smile graced her lips, "T'Pel Kestra. Also...what I am about to tell you, as I am sure I will need to at some point, may be difficult for you." She paused, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, so he may in fact know it was true.
"You are a Captain of a Starfleet vessel called the T'Kumbra. You are...my captain. I believe that involved in this joke of this Q, he as altered you to a younger form. He has the ability to do so. Do you understand?" It felt so strange to be speaking to him in such a way. She had never been big on children, but knowing she had his company currently offered her some comfort. However, to her, Solok was not a child, yet her senses told her he was to be handled with care. Her brow raised, feeling great strength in him of character and duty, regardless. It almost surprised her.
His eyes widened, but he straightened his expression as was proper, even though she could not see his face. A captain? Of a Starfleet ship?
"If you say so, T'Sai," he whispered, knowing that she was speaking truth. "Forgive me, my lady, but this is...difficult to comprehend. I understand that you are speaking the truth, at least truth as you know it, but it is difficult to come to terms with this."
She gave him a nod and a pat on the cheek before standing up-right, "I do not doubt it. Nothing in this place seems to make much sense. However, I believe the two of us will find a way out. It may be best not to dwell too much on it just now." She was saying it just as much to comfort him as she was herself.
She closed her eyes and made a concentrated effort to telepathically search out life, and found there were really only two directions they could go, "One direction has a more concentrated collection of life, "And she gave a point in the direction of the city, "The other, not much so. I am unable to decide which direction to take. What would you suggest?" She asked casually, attempting you get his focus on something more familiar. Logical thinking.
He paused, trying to ponder it with logic and reason as he was taught from a very young age. "If, as you say, we have other companions to seek out in this place...I would go to the less populated section first. It would be more difficult to survive in the wilderness here than in a city. I suggest we search the less populated area first, and if we do not see your companions, we will backtrack to the city and search there. Is that agreeable?" He paused another moment. "Is that rational?"
She heard doubt in his voice and she looked to the sound, "I find it agreeable. However, may I suggest that in this place of illogic, that you keep all options open. Do not take anything as truth no matter how they appear." Something in his voice then had touched her. The feeling of inadequacy and the longing to prove himself, and she gave a small smile.
"I do not doubt that I am in good company. However..." Then it occurred to her, that he had no clue of who to even search for and just in case she was unable to sense them as she had with him, she began to think of a solution.
"Solok, in order for the others to be found with relative ease, you will need to know what they look like. Would..." She swallowed, as this was not something she would ever ask lightly, but the situation called for such a tactic, "...would you allow me to meld with you...to transfer my memories of them. I will need you to be my eyes. My...empathy may not allow me to single out familiarities among others."
She was asking for his thoughts, but he could think of no viable alternative. Perhaps she could describe her companions to him, as she was Vulcan, or at least partially so, and probably had impeccable memory. However, there was bound to be a loss in the translation, and considering that this was all a game contrived by an omnipotent being, and that logic did not work here, a mind-meld was the best option for them and she seemed like an agreeable female, someone worthy of his trust.
"I grant you permission, T'Sai. You may have my thoughts, and I am honored to have yours."
T'Pel got to her knee's slowly to bring herself to his level, and a knot formed in her stomach, "I thank you. I will attempt to keep it to what we need to search for, nothing more." Hesitating only once, she moved her fingers to position themselves in the proper spots.
"My thoughts to your thoughts...your thoughts to my thoughts..." She silenced herself as she had slipped in with ease and felt herself attempt to pull herself out simply out of habit, but forced herself to remain.
He had very little in the way of mental barriers, and he lowered them when he felt her mind pressing on his. He let her enter, and he was suddenly filled with warmth and security. It was as if he were being held in a warm embrace, her warm embrace, and he tried his hardest not to allow himself to stray past the images she was giving him. He could feel a myriad of emotions behind each image, but he attempted with all his discipline to focus on the images. They were now lodged in his brain, and if he saw these people in the wilderness or in the city, he would be able to recognize them.
Her task complete, she prepared to leave, retracting the tendrils of warmth that had filled him with such contentment. Against his better judgment, against his will, almost, he felt his mind reaching out to hers, trying to get her to stay, trying to keep her wrapped around him so securely. But he chided himself and let her leave, ashamed of his moment of weakness, and he opened his eyes when she had withdrawn completely.
Her hands remained a moment, as she had picked up a deep loneliness in him and had even felt him reach for her. There were images of human children teasing and tormenting him, much the same way the Betazoid children did with her. He had grown up a single Vulcan child on a starship. She blinked and released him, forgetting herself, "Now that you know who we are looking for, we should depart."
He was embarrassed, and needless to say, she shared his concern. He was a boy now, but if and when he returned to his normal self, would he still be so amiable to her knowing? Still she wanted to say something to him, but couldn't find the words and instead clumsily took him by the hand and smiled sweetly, "I will trust you to lead me. It is not agreeable to be hit in the face by wood."
He lightly took her wrist to lead her (not trusting himself to hold her hand; it wasn't proper), and with him in front, they walked together through the woods, in the direction she indicated. He hoped she had not seen his memories of the human children teasing him...those were painful memories, ones he did not like to visit. They had mocked him, trying to make him lose his emotional control, teasing him about his hair, his skin, his ears. They called him "devil", and he had never even told his mother and father about those children. He did not want to be chided for not having the discipline to ignore their taunting.
"Do not worry, Solok." She said instinctively, feeling almost motherly to him, and feeling a bit odd about it, "Children are often cruel when they encounter someone who is different from themselves. I..." She saw her own memories and paused, "...I would know this far to well myself. However...human children are not able to mentally poke at your boundaries as Betazed children are. They were not so...forgiving."
It was a relief, but at the same time she felt a little ill. She had never told anyone. Only her parents and brother knew of her torment. Her fist tightened slightly. Now her captain knew.
He looked at her in amazement, hardly believing that one so strong and confident as she, had been teased as he had been. This shared experience, the shared pain, made him feel a warm sense of solidarity with her, and he led her on with renewed confidence, feeling now that he was not so alone. He had the lovely T'Sai with him, beautiful T'Pel, and although he was young, he would do his best to protect her from the dangers that most likely lingered in this illogical place.
O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O
Larkin was pacing, his hand sliding across a wall, "Surely we are not the only ones in this place. We should attempt to find others."
T'Lara took his wrist and led him on, helping him navigate the walled labyrinth they had found themselves in. Varel was in front of her, scanning the area visually, looking for a new path to follow. It felt like for the hour they had been in here that they had been going in circles.
"I agree," Varel said as he turned to look at Larkin's lips. T'Lara had learned to pull on his wrist and get his attention when Larkin spoke, and they were slowly developing a system to work together.
Larkin, always having been a little head strong veered off in a direction, "Then let us try to get through this as soon as possible."
T'Lara grabbed Varel's wrist and headed off after Larkin. Not being able to speak was beginning to ware on her nerves. Especially when she had to reach out to grab Larkin to keep him from stepping on something sitting in the middle of the walk way.
"Why have we stopped?" Larkin asked.
She turned and tapped Varel on the shoulder and pointed down to the small object so he could tell him what it was, "Looks like a...small table. With a smaller box set upon it." Varel said leaning down to get a better look.
"What is it doing in the walk way?" Larkin asked. T'Lara placed his hand on her shoulder and shrugged.
Varel gave a small squint and pointed just ahead of them, "It would seem there is a small opening. There is also small...pastries in the smaller box. If I am not mistaken, they say 'eat me'"
Larkin quirked a brow, "I wish we had a tricorder. That would make this far easier. However...that would be far to boring for Q." He gave a sigh and turned, "I suggest we head back the way we came."
T'Lara turned but tapped Varel on the shoulder and he looked at her then to where she was pointing, "It would appear that the way we came, is no longer there." Varel sighed.
"What do you mean?" Larkin asked.
"I mean that the path we just came from has been transformed into a wall." Varel responded, "It would appear that we must figure out another way."
The three of them stood and thought a moment, Varel and T'Lara eyeing the small door and the small cookies for a while before T'Lara tapped Varel on the shoulder and made an 'eating' motion then pointed to the cookies. Varel quirked a brow and tilted his head, "Why would you suggest such a thing?" He asked.
Larkin turned his head, "Suggest what?"
"That we eat the pastries." Varel responded with a slight huff.
Larkin thought a moment, "Well, they do have such an instruction. Not to mention I am not too keen on another attempt at trying to climb over the walls again."
"It was not your fingres you nearly lost." Murmered Varel, putting his hands beind his back.
"No. However I do not have any medical equipment. I also have no way to see if the pastries are poisoned." Larkin retorted.
T'Lara gave a small roll of her eyes and bent down, picking a small cookie out of the box and placed it into her mouth. Varels eyes went wide as he attempted to stop her, but it was too late and he stared in wonder as she began to shrink, "Larkin...T'Lara ate one. Do not move or you may step on her."
A confused and annoyed look crossed the doctors face, "That is not amusing, Varel. Simply because I can not see does not mean..."
Varel placed a hand over Larkins lips, "I am not being humorous. She shrank."
Larkin sighed, "Your sense of humor is becoming concerning. Perhaps I should put you under..." He stopped and gave a jolt as T'Lara had run and jumped onto his leg and began climbing up it.
Larkins hands gently moved to the thing crawling up his leg and he was now holding T'Lara in his hands, the clouded saffire blue of his eyes becoming clearer with belief, "How...is this possible?"
Varel let T'Lara cross over to his hand as he was not blind, "I do not know. I would say that the pastries somehow affect one's size when eaten. If I am not mistake, she is small enough to fit through the archway now."
"I will need to begin devising a solution to return us to normal size should we not find one here." Larkin said and he nelt down to feel out the small box and table.
"Assuming we are ever able to return." Varel said quirking a brow as he set their female companion on the ground again.
After struggling a moment to get two cookies out, he handed one over to Varel who looked at it, unsure, "I do not think I like this idea."
"Well, we can not leave T'Lara alone in that size and it is the only way through. What other logical choice do we have?"
Another moment latter, Larkin had joined T'Lara in her size. Varel sighed and popped the cookie into his mouth and clenched his hands into fists as he could feel the change in gravity through out his body as everything around him grew.
"It was not all that bad, actually." Larkin chimed in. T'Lara nodded over to the archway and peeked through, and her eyes grew wide that the huge expanse of flowers on the other side.