Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Dasca’s Apartment- Dinner with Kenzo

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Dasca’s Apartment- Dinner with Kenzo

Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Dasca’s Apartment- Dinner with Kenzo
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

She took the bottle with a soft smile. “Hmm, yes, a lovely and fitting sentiment I think, thank you.” The wine was definitely of an age and she was immensely curious what it would be like.

When offered his jacket, she set the bottle on the console table and hung up the garment in the closet, closing the door with a click.

Retrieving the bottle, she gestured. “Come on, we’ll head to the kitchen. Do you cook?” she asked as she moved through the foyer to the main hallway. She turned left.

“I do, but its not necessarily a passion. I can cook for company and, mostly, not embarrass myself.” Hyrushi replied as he looked around.

“Well, you’re welcome to help with a couple things if you like, but I’m happy to handle things myself,” she said over her shoudler.

“I am at your disposal.” Kenzo said.

The entire wall of the hallway opposite the foyer was filled with framed images that documented the six decades and of Dasca’s life. Family, friends, three quadrants of travel- the highlights of much of her life where there. Though not everything. Nothing from her wedding, and Cory showed up in only one image that was of him and their two teenaged children on Earth. She hadn’t cut him out of her life- that was impossible- but she was giving herself room to disentangle herself from a shared life. Other images on display were also deeply important, like those of all her grandparents and her late parents, or her promotion ceremony when she made Captain. Out in her work life, Eela might be picky about what she showed and didn’t show of herself, but in the sanctuary that was her home, she did not hide herself. What you saw was what you got.

He took note of the pictures, the people present and not present, as the moved down the hall. What one chose to display in one’s own home said a great deal about them.

The hallway led to the side of the apartment with the spare rooms, her office and the family area that included the kitchen, that was open plan to a small casual eating area and a cozy sitting nook. The smell of baked fish was starting to be apparent but it wasn’t intense. She hung a right at her office and stepped into the large and well appointed kitchen. It was clear by the tools and equipment that it was meant for someone who enjoyed cooking. She set the wine bottle on the counter of the island near a vase of flowers and hunted for some glasses. “I had the lovely opportunity to check out the farmer’s market this morning. It’s going to be a regular thing I hope, though Doctor Fayth did joke she could write me a doctor’s note if work tries to stop me,” she said with glint of humour in her eyes.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“I hope the note will not be necessary, …” Hyrushi said with a slight smile, “-… but it may be wise to keep that handy.”

Kenzo

“Indeed,” she said as she turned to check a couple cabinets for her wayward stemware. That was the trouble with having someone help you unpack: you dind’t know where everything was.

It was not unlike her comment to Sharah that morning: she was second guessing herself, but in an entirely different way. The reality was that her and Kenzo didn’t know each other. He had gotten to see her in action troubleshooting a serious situation and that was a good thing. But they weren’t at work and she was the most relaxed she’d been all week. But maybe she was too relaxed right now? She too a slow deep breath, internally pulled herself back just a fraction. Eela grabbed a couple glasses from the second cabinet she peeked in and set them on the counter. From a drawer in the island, she brandished a corkscrew and offered it to him. “Care to do the honours?” she asked, still with a light smile.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Kenzo nodded once, but eschewed the corkscrew. “Oed V used to have an amazing tree.” he said as he began unwrapping the foil around the neck of the bottle. “It was sponge-like, but very dense. And it would expand and contract based on sudden changes in temperature.” He removed the last of the foil and set the bottle on the counter. He leaned in close and opened his mouth and blew a long, slow, steady breath across the top of the bottle. At first, nothing happened. But then the cork moved… just a little. Then a little more. And a little more. Soon it was slowly expa ding and rising from the bottle… all on it’s own. After a moment, there was a soft pop and the cork, now significantly larger, fell to the counter top. Kenzo looked at Eela and smiled slightly. “And now we know the wine is still good.” and he poured them each a glass.

Kenzo

Eela had set the corkscrew to the side and watched with immense curiosity as the cork removed itself. She picked it up and studied it, her eyes alit and a soft smile on her face. Many things had changed in her life but one thing that hadn’t her ability to be surprised and awed by small things. “How fantastic,” Eela said.” She set the cork down with almost a touch of reverence and picked up one of the glasses. “To the beginnings of new chapters,” she offered as a toast.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Hyrushi inclined his head to her and touched his glass to hers. “And mutual support and coopoeration.” He took a drink and then said “I was relieved when you were selected for the position, you know. The other candidates were less than ideal… some even entirely problematic. I was pleasantly surprised the Senate actually chose you. My input on such matters has been less than appreciated in the past.” and he chuckled and took a drink. “Mmm… that is quite pleasant.”

Hyrushi

Eela inhaled the wine first before taking a generous sip. “Huh, it’s quite a bit more delicate than you’d expect from such an aged dinner. It’s rather delightful,” she said before taking another sip and setting the glass to the side.

She moved down the island to where she had been chopping vegetables before his arrival. “I have to admit that I still find the whole thing madness. But sometime the most interesting things in life are the ones we least see coming.”

She pulled a large clear glass bowl out and set it on the counter near here but giving them both space to work. “I have a bunch of different greens for the base of a salad. They’ve all been washed already, but you’re more than welcome to help by tearing leaves into bite sized pieces and tossing them in the bowl.” She began pulling out several varieties of tender greens from the fridge and setting them on the counter. “Pick whichever ones you want, and if you’re not sure what they are, well, it’ll be a surprise for us both.”

“You know, I was so nervous when I went for the interview with the Senate. I’d faced down enemies in all sorts of situations, but something about a room full of politicians was scary as hell. And they asked me all sorts of questions that I had to seriously take my time to think over before I answered. Except for one. I already knew the answer before I walked into the room,” she said as she went about chopping vegetables with quick precision. Her eyes flicked over to him and the knife paused. “They asked me what plans I had for the colony. I told them… none. Not a one. When pressed, I explained that I had never been there, had only read reports of the place and who the hell was I to show up with grand plans for a place and people that I didn’t know or understand and who didn’t know me? I told them it was the height of arrogance and anyone who did have such plans before they had settled in and gotten to know everything and become a part of the place was outright dangerous to the progress siad place.” Dasca smirked. “I didn’t have to be an empath to know a few people in the room were not happy with that response even if the majority seemed pleasantly surprised. I think they all expected a dedicated former captain to be exceptionally regimented in their thinking and toe the line. I could tell that they knew the highlights of my record but really hadn’t tried to read between the lines. You don’t have to work that hard to know how I operate,” she said with a shrug. “It’s all there.” Forty years of assignments, reports, evaluations and awards told a clear story. Even if some parts of her had changed, those fundamentals had not.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.