Taya was so enraged that she hardly felt her hot tears dribble down her cheeks.

It had been 3 weeks of exhausting training and even after her over the top efforts she put in everyday, he still didn't trust her but the trust wasn't the issue, it was the fact that he still wasn't willing to give her a chance.

What had she ever done to him?

She'd been overly confident a couple of times but that never effected her performance in training.

She never once complained even if she was tired or sore, she kept smiling and kept her attitude as positive and upbeat as possible whenever she was around him in the Holodeck, during her training.

Was it really that hard for him to compliment her?

Was it realy that difficult for him to admit he was impressed by her progress?

She attempted to convince herself that it didn't matter, he never wanted her there anyway, so why should she be so broken up about this?

He already admitted he didn't want to be responsible for her and that he was seriously thinking of sending her away.

This was just another scheme of his to make that possible.

Taya went to hide in a abandoned area of the promenade.

There was a flimsy table and two chairs on this far end of the promenade.

It was out of sight even from below deck, so he might have trouble spotting her at least but Odo was smarter than that.

It was potentially the first spot because it was so incredibly obvious that perhaps it would be the last place he would look.

The promenade was the first place he decided to look since the computer claimed there were no life signs in her quarters his security office was already located on the Promenade already.

"Bashir to Odo.

What's your hurry?

I saw you speed past Sick Bay like a bat out of hell.

Any criminals afoot?"

Odo heard Bashir's voice interrupt his pursuit via Intercom Badge.

"Odo to Bashir, No criminals...at least not yet".

He spoke snidely into his communicator as he thought of how Taya had claimed to go through his private and personal star date files.

"You looking for someone then?"

Bashir's voices became a bit staticky at the end.

"Yes I am actually.

I'm looking for one of my cadet's if you must know".

"A lost Cadet, how absolutely thrilling.

That wouldn't be the new girl now would it?"

"I'd hardly call it thrilling Bashir.

She's just upset that's all, a little misunderstanding which I will gladly clear up for her... once I find her".

"She's upset with you?

I hardly would think that possible with that incomparable charm and those unmistakable good looks."

"My thoughts exactly, Bashir.

Now are you done with your jests or are there more jokes you want to "lay down on me" right now?"

"No, not really but may I make a suggestion?"

"Yes, Bashir, I suppose the suggestion box is open... for now".

"Go easy on her. You've been working her to the bone.

She has regular check ups here at sickbay, we chat up our time most visits but she's under a lot stress, her cortisol levels are alarmingly high, she gets very little sleep and due to anxiety she often skips meals.

She's running on pure adrenaline, Odo.

Of course that's just the basic information that I've gathered from observation, I can't really reveal much else, hypocratic oath you know."

"Patient Confidentiality, I understand.

I hadn't realized I'd been working her that hard.

Thank you for the suggestion, in the meantime, I think I have a pretty good idea where she is."

"Oh and where might that be?"

"My favorite place on the whole station, The Promenade".

"Really? I thought you hated the promenade".

"Correction I hate disorder on the promenade, not the promenade itself."

"Is she being disorderly?"

"Not at the moment from what I can tell but she was a few minutes ago. I'll keep you posted.

Odo out".

Odo decided not to race across tbet promenade since finding her wasn't that urgent and racing on the promenade was clearly prohibited.

Odo's long strides were sufficient enough for him to progress along the promenade and in no time he was able to spot her at the very end of the promenade.

He approached the table slowly, careful not to alert her to his presence right away.

She hadn't even noticed him because she was gazing down at the people that were bustling below.

"Why the promenade?"

Odo announced his presence.

"Oh I don't know, it was probably because you said something about how you enjoyed it's seclusion and solitude."

"You actually listen to me don't you?"

"I've always listened to you.

Have I liked everything you've said? No but still I listen to you.

I guess I keep hoping you'll say something worthwhile, something spectacular, something that will change my outlook on life, maybe something that will stick with me for most of my life and years from now I'll look back and say "Wow that was a wise man. I'm so glad I was able to train under such a great man. I wonder what he's doing these days".

"He'll probably be doing the same thing he's been doing for countless decades, yelling at people on the promenade and growling at Quark for annoying him for the 10th time in a row that day."

Taya had to laugh at that as she smeared the tears off her face with her sleeve.

"You should know, I don't want you gone, not yet at least.

If I wanted you stationed elsewhere, I wouldn't be making such an effort to train you."

"Yes that makes the most logical sense but still I can't help but feel that you want me to be elsewhere on this station.

I feel like you want to discourage me somehow, so I'll go someplace else, like to Engineering or something".

"You are extremely difficult to discourage, so you can scratch that scheme off your list."

Odo huffingly remarked back.

"Then why are you so hard on me?"

"I'm hard on all my cadets, you are no exception, yet in all my years on this station I've never seen any cadet train under me that was as willfully determined as you are and I've trained alot of cadets over the years, so believe me that's saying something.

I challenge you because I know you can be challenged more than the average cadet and I happen to know that you like to be challenged."

"Yes I do but not all the time.

Sometimes I'm tired, sometimes I get fed up and sometimes I even like to have a break once and awhile. I also don't know why you avoid any sort of conversation with me.

I stopped trying to figure that out after awhile, finally I just came to the conclusion that you not only don't trust me but you must not like me very much either".

"Oh Great we're onto this scenario again.

Look as Chief Security Officer, I'm not supposed to like my cadets, they aren't pets that I'm destined to tame and train, they are people, people who have their own lives, lives that may take them other places, to other stations and who knows maybe even to other galaxies.

I don't get attached to the cadets I train, it simply wouldn't be professional and it certainly isn't logical, Believe me I know from experience that forming emotional attachments to people is usually never wise especially with those that you know will only leave this station in the end.

So you'll have to forgive my shallow superficiality, it's a defense mechanism and it's also something that the job requires.

I don't usually have any say on who gets to stay on this station but You were different, this time was different and since I've allowed you to stay this long, it should count for something".

"Then what about the phaser and that weird device?"

"That's what I came here to tell you, this isn't mine.

I don't use primitive terran technology.

The Computer records everything all on its own so there's really no reason for me to take that information elsewhere.

The phaser was Broken, you apparently had crushed it during your first training session.

Yes I thought about showing it to Sisko, maybe even Kurland when he returned but that was 3 weeks ago.

The truth is it was a matter of pride, after Sisko and Bashir took a liking to you, I thought I could prove them wrong somehow, so that's why I held onto the phaser.

Then I genuinely forgot about it since I was so occupied with the training programs.

Fortunately for you I'm not going to be that petty, I'll dispose of the phaser properly, later today."

"You will? Do you really mean it?"

"Yes I will, Taya.

Honestly I don't understand why you're so pleased with that especially when I admitted yet again that I wanted to send you off to another station".

"You wanted to yes but you also admitted you don't want to anymore and you were brave enough to admit that to me, so I commend you for that and I forgive you but just this once".

She playfully displayed a facetious smile.

She struck out her pointer finger and very quickly tapped his nose but before be could say anything she was racing ahead him, all the way across the promenade.

"No racing on the promenade, TAYA!"

Odo bellowed after her.

"Or what, you'll call security?"

She yelled back to him for all hear.

"I am Security Taya!"

"Well then good Constable, you will have to catch me first before you drag me away to the brig".

She laughed maniacally as she raced towards the holosuite.

Taya made sure she ran a few at least 3 times around the promenade before taking off downstairs.

However for good measure she called out "Call Security! There's a Mad Woman running amuck on the Promenade!" as looped past people enjoying their day on the promenade.

Odo shook his head and just casually strode behind her, he even stopped when she decided to run 3 loops in the front area of the promenade as he was in no mood to catch her at that point.

He just crossed his arms as she raced around like a toddler let loose after a sugar rush.

"I hope you know I am not taking you to the promenade ever again".

"What's the matter good man, why aren't you calling Security?"

She caught her breath as she finally reached the main holodeck doors.

"It must have slipped my mind.

I'll call for security later."

"Security is being rather lax today.

I wonder what happened to the Constable".

"I often wonder myself.

Perhaps he's busy training his pesky cadets today."

"You really should ask him what he's been up to today".

"Oh believe me I will, I will be issuing a formal complaint to him because of his lack of Security management today."

"I wonder where his head must be at".

"Probably focusing on his cadets yet again.

I've heard They have become quite difficult this time of year.

I hear he has a particularly difficult student that's just enlisted, she's apparently some sort of Cardassian prisoner of war. She has quite the story, remind me to tell you sometime".

Odo smirked smugly as they both entered the Holosuite.