Posted by Lieutenant Commander Zoi Haven (Chief of Security) in Vega Colony- Reunions and Unions

Posted by Captain Dira Myqian (Commanding Officer) in Vega Colony- Reunions and Unions

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Zoi Haven (Chief of Security) in Vega Colony- Reunions and Unions
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
<snip>
“Good,” Sesara said with a warm smile, though there was something deeper in her gaze as she took in Zoi. There was nothing negative in that look though, and if anything it seemed to lean towards thoughtfulness.

One might think that Zoi would feel uncomfortable at the more penetrating gaze Sesara gave her, but she had experienced a great deal of odd looks in her life time… a substantial lifetime… and thus it did not seem to phase her in the slightest. Though she had not truly dropped her mask. Perhaps in time it would come down entirely among this kind and genial family.

“Now, I have enough people at my place that you’ll be more comfortable at Kesren’s. But we all have plans to have dinner tonight at mine,” Sesara said.
“Will Redar be there?” Dira asked, speaking of her mother’s intended.
“Absolutely. Plus some of his family. Fortunately, not all of them.”
“What, worried about being overshadowed?” Dira asked, unable to mask her teasing smirk. “Denobulans can match Betazoids in their ability to throw a party.”
Sesara waved off her daughter’s comments. “Pffft! Not even possible in this case. It might not be a traditional Betazoid wedding but it will a party, that is for certain.”

There was a relaxing way that they bantered with one another that put Zoi more at ease by the minute in their company. She couldn’t help but watch them with their back and forth and find it utterly charming and disarming even to a veteran security officer. She found herself smiling softly just enjoying.

“As soon as she had confirmation that you could get the time off, she went into full planning mode. I’m surprised you didn’t get specific instructions sent to the Ogawa,” Kesren said, also happily teasing his ex.

Dira just chuckled. “Well, we are glad we can be here and I’m glad I could get this much tome off. Though, they kind of owed me, so is there that.”

Kesren slipped his arm through Zoi’s. “Come my dear, let us show you my humble home.”

Zoi looked toward her beloved’s father as he slipped his arm in hers and guided her away. Her smile widened and she continued to warm to them all. For a moment, she allowed herself to glance at Dira with the smile remaining on her face. She couldn’t have asked for a more normal, informal, and lovely greeting than Dira’s family had given her.

Dira met Zoi’s gaze with a slight grin and a wash of happiness floated between them. She didn’t expect anything less than her parents welcoming Zoi ith open arms, but still, it was lovely to witness.

They set off into the transportation centre where there were step-through transporters. Sesara went into a different one, bidding them farewell till the evening, and Kesren led Dira and Zoi to one she was familiar with. When they were ready, they stepped through.

They appeared in the middle of a small neighbourhood not too far from the ocean. Dira breathed in deeply and closed her eyes for the moment, the salt in the air tingling her nose. It was home.

Dira slipped her hand into Zoi’s and brushed her partner’s mind as she offered a smile. “After they split up, my mother moved to her own place a bit closer to the university and I stayed here with him. But I would spent alternate weekends with my mother depending on her schedule and she would take me on holidays too.”

They soon approached a modest tall one-story cottage nestled amongst a stand of trees. It had a smooth, contemporary exterior, but all the trim was ornately carved. The home has soft curves and there seemed to not be a sharp angle anywhere. The landscaping around it was a intentional wild assortment of plants and shrubs. It faced the grasslands before the cliffs and dunes of the beach in the near distance.

~Dira & Family

“I think it is lovely that your family works so well together to make sure they do their jobs as your parents. I can tell they love you and even each other very much even if they are not together.” She gave Dira’s hand a squeeze and then raised it to her lips for a soft kiss. Even though the mask was not down, she was far more relaxed than she usually was. “I am so happy you were this loved.”

Haven, CoS

Something deep shone from behind Dira’s dark eyes. “Me too. I know I am very fortunate and I’ve never taken it for granted. I know things are complicated with your mother, but I hope you can let people here care for you too. They have very open hearts.”

Zoi closed her eyes for a long moment, feeling a small wash of grief mix with her nerves. What she wouldn’t give for her mother to be normal, healthy and happy. Until Dira had come along, she had not allowed herself to get close with people. The fear of losing them as time passed and her long life span out lived them was certainly a factor, but at the end of the day she had been traumatized by her mothers illness and the life long battle they had both waged to get even a day of normalcy in their lives together.

Dira started to walk backwards, pulling Zoi gently along with her. “Come on, let’s go inside. But I warn you, I’ve never known Ada’s place to be anything less than creatively chaotic.”

Zoi breathed out a laugh and let Dira lead her. She opened her eyes and shook her head ruefully, now quite prepared for what she was going to see.

And indeed, when they stepped inside into the something of an entry way, the entire vibe of the home was cozy and bright. Dira took off her shoes and followed her father in towards the open living space. There were pieces of art on all the walls, and the pieces of furniture didn’t quite seem to be organized. But they looked comfy all equipped with fluffy cushions and soft blankets. It was a lot like how Dira kept her own space. Everything had a purpose and then it was made as cozy as possible, even if it became a bit cluttered.

It seemed Kesren also used large portions of the space as his art studio. There were canvases leaning against walls and a large easel was tucked in a corner with perfect natural light beaming in from a window. On closer inspection, it was more than just paint on the canvas and it looked like all sort of other materials were embedded in the large vibrant swathes of colour. It was almost 3-D in style.

“So… when you tease me about being messy…” Dira gestured around her with a grin.

Captain Myqian, CO

“I see then where you get it from? Coming by your creatively chaotic mess honestly.” Zoi laughed and let her gaze linger on the painting. The details just kept coming the longer she looked at its surface.

Haven, CoS

“Something like that, I think?” Dira said with a laugh. She led Zoi into an adjacent room with white walls that would have seemed stark if not for the gauzy fabrics hung in swags from the ceiling, a myriad of vivid colours. There was a water glass and handmade ceramic mug sitting on a side table, with a pastel rag rug that rested before a plush chair. n the wall near the chair was a screen. This space was adjacent to an open kitchen that looked over the woods in the back of the property. There was the hint of water out that way too, in the form of some sort of creek.

“Ada, where did you go?” Dira called out, an amused grin slipping on her face.

“Just making sure the room was ready.” he said, his voicing from elsewhere in the home. Kesren appeared from the side entrance to the kitchen, a fluffy tortoiseshell cat trotting along at his heels. The cat gave a bright meow at Dira and soon had affection demanded from her as the feline wended her way around Dira’s legs. She crouched. “Hello, Seeda. It’s nice to see you too. Causing mischief still?” she said, scratching at the cat’s jaw and cheeks.

Kesren snorted. “She decided to lend her signature to a large canvas yesterday.”

Dira rose with a chuckle. “Isn’t that what you get when you don’t use a space with a door you can close?”

Captain Myqian, CO

“Guilty, but I just like the light better, what can I say?” Kesren srugged.

Zoi looked down at the creature that wended its way through Dira’s legs. Cats always seemed like such a mystery to her. Their eyes were windows to a very deep wizened soul. What else could she do but sit down and try to entice it to come to her? “Hello Seeda. I give good pets.” She said with an utterly guileless look of hope and happiness as she extended her hand carefully.

Haven, CoS

The cat stared at Zoi for a moment but then sauntered over and sniffed the proffered hand. Determining that this person was safe, Seeda rubbed her cheek against Zoi’s hand.

“She likes you,” Dira said with a smile. “Not hard, though,” she added with wink.

Captain Myqian, CO

Zoi grinned and gave very good pets to the cat. Obviously, the mystery of cats was never a deterrent for making sure they felt well and truly cared for. Her hand alternated between gliding along the length of the tortoiseshell coat and rubbing at the underside of the cats cheeks. “We understand our need to be mysterious. How else shall we draw you in?” she laughed and reluctantly let herself stop the petting so she could face Dira’s father. “Shall we drop off our things and settle in then?”

Haven, CoS

“Absolutely! This way,” he said with a cheery smile.

Through the bright and airy kitchen (with vibrant blue painted wood cupboards), the Haliian turned to the left and slipped down a hallway. Along the walls were small framed family photos of multiple generations, many of them obviously Kesren’s, but there were a few that had Sesara in them as well, usually with a younger Dira. But A prominent one was a double image: the two parents flaking their daughter at her medical degree graduation, and the second on Earth during Dira’s residency at Starfleet Medical.

Zoi took in the pictures. It was intriguing to see Dira before she became the Captain she was now. There was a whole life led before they met. Dira was deeply loved by her family. There was joy in every picture, every catalogued moment of her and her parent’s lives that lived on these walls. Zoi had some moments of her life catalogued in this way, but her mother had rarely been well enough during such big moments to participate in the pomp and circumstance of say graduations or promotions. Most of the time, Zoi did not feel like she missed out on anything, but sometimes her heart ached for those missed connections with her mother.

Kesren stepped through the first door on the right. The bedroom was spacious but not so big that it felt overwhelming. There was a large bed, a small settee and a desk, all set to take advantage of the span of large windows that overlooked the front corner of the house, the ocean just barely visible in the distance, but only because they were not high enough. The decor of the space was cozy but not cluttered (certainly tidier than Dira’s quarters ever were before she cleaned up). Soothing tones of blue and green were grounded in creams and beiges, with wood accents. The brightest accents came from the art on the walls that was clearly Kesren’s. The most vivid sat between two of the windows and was of the same view outside in a bright sunrise. There was a large dresser and a door that lead to probably a closet on one side. On the other was another door that was open to an ensuite bath.

Dira grinned. “You redecorated.”

“A friend helped.” Kesren turned to face his daughter, suddenly worried. “Is that okay?”

She chuckled. “Of course it is. Yes, it was my childhood bedroom, but I’m not a child and I don’t live here anymore. I’m glad you made the space functional for you,” Dira said.

Kesren blew out a breath. His demeanour and emotions shifting, eyes glinting with mischief. “Okay, though you’ll find some things around for you, plus I have some stuff pulled form storage you might want to look through and see if there’s anything you want to bring back to the Ogawa with you.”

Dira smiled deeply. “Well that will be interesting. You never know, I just might.”

Kesren took in both woman and gestured widely. “Go on and get settled. We’ve got an hour or so before we should get changed and head over for dinner.”

~Dira & Kesren

As she stepped into the room, Zoi took in the beautiful view and the well arranged space. She let Kesren and Dira have their chat but paid it less attention than she normally would. Her mind seemed full of the pictures from the hallway. Finally she stopped before the large window that looked out at the peak of ocean view they had, letting her mind wander and for her heart to feel. Perhaps if she simply let herself be here in this moment, the tightness around her heart could ease some. She didn’t even notice when Kesren left, so preoccupied with her own thoughts, was she.

Haven, CoS

Dira slipped up behind Zoi and wrapped her arms around her lover and best friend. Resting her head against Zoi’s, she exhaled audibly. “I know it’s a lot, and if you even need a break from it all, please let me know. You promised to do so for me, but the reverse is true as well. I’m here for you, my love.” It wasn’t like Dira was wearing her headband (though she brought it, just in case. So Zoi’s thoughts were far more open to her than normal, in part because Zoi was less guarded, but also the close proximity to someone with whom she had such a deep emotional connection.

Captain Myqian, CO