Dressing Up

 Liana trying on a new dress for a last fitting before her next job.

She decided getting back to work with someone other than Zak might be just the medicine she needed to change her mindset and help relieve the ennui.

 When talking to Elspaith, she learned of an upcoming mission with a member of the team who was returning to work after being on hiatus for a while. She had not met him yet, but Elspaith assured her it might just be the distraction she was looking for.

Stepping back into a role she is comfortable in, while spending time with a man that Elspaith assures her is "charming and uncomplicated" might be just what the Dr ordered to help keep her mind off Zak for a while and help her come to terms with their complicated relationship.

Best Laid Plans

Zak typically enjoys most of his "assignments"....................this one has been different though. He finds himself anxious to bring things to fruition quickly, and nothing is going to plan.

Going into the assignment a bit unsettled over his conversation with Li (Liana) the day before has messed with his mindset.

She fancies herself in love with him, he knows this, he doesn't need her to tell him. Intuitively she understood this until recently. Recently, she seems to be pushing the point, and insisting her feelings are real. He's not so sure. He knows she "thinks" she's in love with him, but in his mind, she is confusing his action of rescuing her, with grander feelings. He does care for her.  He's not sure that he will ever be willing to "love" someone the way she would need him to though. He thinks of Wulf and Elspaith, and their relationship, and he just doesn't think he has it in him to love someone in that way.

Typically, he is very good at compartmentalizing. It is one of the things that makes him so good at his job. This assignment though..........................his thoughts keep going back to Li more than they should. He needs to get a handle on it before it causes him to take a misstep and put his mission in jeopardy. When he gets back, he will talk to Li again and try to get it through her head that she wants things that he isn't willing to give, even if her feelings are as real as she keeps insisting. In the meantime he needs to get his mind back in the game.

Ennui

 Lianna has been hit by a period of "ennui"....................nothing seems to engage her recently. She needs a bigger purpose. Something beyond her longing for something she fears she may never have. 

She longs for Zak to hear her, and know that her feelings for him are true, and not just some semblance of hero worship for all he has done for her over the years

In the meantime.............she needs to find a higher purpose. She longs to be something more to the team than window dressing when the men require a "wife" on assignment. There must be something more for her to contribute............

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