Posted by Civilian Cassandra Klrin of House Ke’dass (Person Who Really Keeps the CO In Line (Wife)) in A quiet night in

Posted by Captain Ch’otok Klrin of House Ke’dass (Person Who Runs The Ship (CO)) in A quiet night in
Ch’otok had retired for the evening on this Thursday evening. It was a special day that normally would involve a hike out on Delotha to a remote ridge looking over some rubble and a ritual meal with tea, hasperat, and a few candles. This was the first time he had missed this evening and, in a way, it wasn’t anything strange. He indeed prepared the hasperat from ingredients he brought from his hut and farm, and brewed the tea as he always had, then took a deep breath with the two tins he would bring them in. One for him, one for a woman he first knew as Casela. Times had changed, and this was a wonderful thing. He waited for Cassandra to get home, a small reminder of their mutual past and what had been lost, but what had also been gained. They were together, and that was something beyond what he ever thought possible. Sure they had flirted with the possibility before, but now? It was reality.

Ch’otok, CO

Having been informed that he needed time to prepare something for this evening, Brenna had kept Cassandra out a bit later than normal. Today Cassandra was calmer, accepting the confusion and missing memories, rather than raging at them. She had fallen into a kind of routine where she spent her days with Brenna, waiting for Ch’otok to get home. She knew that, she felt that she was safer with him than anyone else. Safer from herself. Some days she knew it wasn’t herself he was keeping her safe from, but she couldn’t identify what.

The door swished open for her and then closed. She inhaled and paused. The aroma was spicy and heavy and *familiar. She moved towards the kitchen, “Ch’otok?” She saw the two tins, the thermoses, the candles. Her hand traced the edges of her tin. She knew it was her tin. “I remember these…” Her voice was reflective. She moved to stand next to him. Ch’otok was the calm center in a world full of storms. She hesitated before taking his hand. As if she wasn’t sure she should. He was her husband and hesitation was absurd, but as she did it felt new and wonderful and she felt nervous. Her reaction made no sense to her.

A memory, a real memory, teasing at her consciousness. She looked up at him. “Today is Thursday. I…I remember..sitting in a clearing. We eat hasperat and drink tea.” There was a question there, wondering if she remembered correctly.

Cassandra

Ch’otok looked up from his preparations and heard her mention the memories of the tins. A couple of old beat up boxes that Ch’otok had on the farm, repurposed to be lunch tins. His a deep chocolate brown with faded blue trim, hers a crimson and green box… crimson… always something related to blood with her it seemed. Of course they were dented, the paint was chipped, and there were far better and more modern ones out there that would allow the food to be kept at optimal temperature and so on, but these were simple.

He felt her hand reaching for his as he set down the kitchen knife and clasped both hands around hers with a soft smile. “Of course you remember these, they were our lunch tins from a lifetime ago.” He said, letting go and putting the prepared meals in their respective boxes. “Grab yours and come with me.” He said as he walked to their main living room and sat down on the floor, slowly but surely the old war vet got down and said, “Come now Cassandra, we shall eat here and.....enjoy where we are.” He said, not mentioning the reason for his ritual, not wanting to trigger something too soon as it seemed her mind was still working through it’s jumbled mess. “I made a point to enjoy some hasperat and tea on Thursdays, a um…remembrances of sorts for where I used to call home.”

Ch’otok, CO