[for Liz]

He wasn't entirely certain how the tribble had gotten out in the first place. Since the Incident, he'd been sure to keep a tight lock on the thing's cage, and moreover, he'd moved it out of his office, which meant fewer people to forget to lock the cage up again. But somehow or another, either he'd forgotten to lock the door, or else the creature had figured out how to do something so complex as working a lock designed for someone with thumbs.

It didn't help that the tribble had taken up residence in a bit of the ceiling that he couldn't quite reach. He'd tried everything. He'd tried calling its name. He'd tried coaxing it down with food, which should have drawn the creature's attention in a heartbeat. Nothing had worked. He'd been standing almost directly the tribble for the past five minutes now, just staring upward and trying to figure out how the hell he was going to get it down.