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 (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Eela bowed her head and smiled. “Thank you,” she said, genuinely pleased he was enjoying the meal. Cooking for someone could go horribly wrong for a lot of reasons, but it was like they had discussed: there was no better way to get to know someone than sharing something personal of yourself.

“What is your mother up to these days?” she asked, curious, but also treading carefully to not intrude where she might not be wanted.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Kenzo shrugged absent-mindedly. “I honestly have no idea. I have not spoken to her in some time. Probably several years now. My… ‘previous endeavors’… did not sitt well with many on Betazed. And my leanings to following my human heritage was seen as a slap in the face by her family… even though I expressed the desire to learn both.” He ate a bite and thought for a moment. “The last time I communicated with my mother was when she sent me a formal congratulatory message from the Betazed Embassy on Bajor for my appointment here. So… almost two years now.” he added flatly.

Kenzo

She nodded slowly. “I won’t pretend to know what that sort of distance is like, but I understand feeling the absence of parents in one’s life. I’m sorry you’e experiencing distance with her. What about your father’s family? Anyone you’re close with?” Eela asked before scooping up some of the sweet and savoury salad.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov

Kenzo swallowed a bite and took a drink. “I feel the absence of my father. My mother was a fine instructor and a wealth of information. But her maternal instincts were… well… not as high a priority as her training me. As for my father’s family, I do keep in touch with them. Our family has been close for a very long time… hundreds and hundreds of years, all the way back to the early seventeenth century on the Old Earth calendar; and all the members of the family, both biological and ‘adopted’, are keen to keep it intact.”

Kenzo

Swallowing a bite, Dasca smiled and nodded. “That’s really lovely. Haliians are very big on family and history. Passing down family stories is an important tradition. In fact we have a whole day of Batarael for it. It’s extraordinary that your connections go that far back.”

Eela sipped on her wine. “I get the situation with your mother. Mine was loving and I had a good childhood, but she was… uniquely minded,” she said with a small laugh. “She was a forensic anthropologist and was very much a proponent of culture and traditions, but she was very focused on science and her work. She was very well known in her field, but she sort of left me to my own devices. My father was much more the hands-on parent.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Kenzo nodded. “I appreciate all that both of my parents did for me, and what they taught me. But I feel the lessons themselves came from different places. My mother’s lessons were so I could become more acceptable to her family and peers. My father’s lessons came from a place of pride. Pride of self, of family, of culture and tradition. He made me feel welcome in those places… as did my family on his side. Even if I had to learn to be a part of those people, it was because they wanted me to be there. My mother made me feel as if I had something to prove. As if I was somehow starting off as something less than.” He took another bite of fish and was thoughtful a moment. “It was an interesting dichotomy, from a psychological perspective, to be sure.”

Kenzo

She couldn’t help but smile. That shared perspective they had was interesting, especially as they allowed it to affect their actions in different ways. “Indeed. And I know Betazoid culture is hardly ubiquitous, but from those I’ve known there are high expectations of family appearance. It’s understandable at times, even if difficult to exist within it.”

“I love Halii, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been back. My grandparents are all gone now and while I have a few extended relatives I’m not close with them. There’s little familial reason to visit.” She could have at any point since her retirement but it would have been too much while she had been sorting out her recovery and trying to maintain a failing marriage. It was too much to ask of herself.

~Eela Dasca, Lt Gov.