Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Tenkiller’s House- Tipping Points

Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Tenkiller’s House- Tipping Points

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Tenkiller’s House- Tipping Points
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Kenzo didn’t reply. But he did something he never did… to anyone.

He stepped up to her and took her in an embrace and dropped (most) of the barriers he maintained. He flooded her with concern, support, understanding… and love. A deep, soulful love not born of attraction or desire… but of deep commitment and respect. She was his partner… his friend like no other… and he shared all her feelings at that moment. Her anger. Her sadness at the ugliness that her once-love had inflicted. Her disappointment in Cory… and her fear of what this would do to her children. Kenzo became an emotional sponge. It was… he was not supposed to be able to do something like this. Sure, empaths could sense and some could even project emotions. Kenzo was actually absorbing some of hers. Not taking it away, that was impossible. But the sharp edges of her whirlwind of feelings were rounded off and made… more manageable.

Her surprise was obvious. Their deep respect for each other had been obvious to her after they had settled into working together, and had shown that to her on many occasions, but Kenzo was not what one would call an affectionate man. At least not in day-to-day interactions. Even their playful banter about riské subjects had its limits. There was a firm line and they did not cross it. Strangely, this was not crossing any line either. It was more like this whole situation had prompted a shift of the line. So as he mentally softened the pieces of her that were so like her broken vase, Eela let him. She sank into his embrace in something akin to an emotional sigh.

When he finally, after what seemed like forever but was in fact just a minute or two, released her; his obsidian eyes were wet with tears and rimmed in red. He had quite literally taken her pain and made it his own. His hands still on her shoulders, he said “Better?”, his voice the same even and nonplussed cadence it always was.

Kenzo, Eela’s Friend

It was so strange to see him this way, a mirror to her own experience. For a moment she could see and understand how the others had been experiencing her chaos and it only made her more grateful to all of them. Eela reached up and touched her hand to his face. It was brief but filled with intense gratitude.

She nodded. Eela wanted to say he hadn’t needed to do that, but that was the point, right? None of them had had to do anything but secure her physical safety. The rest was the result of a simple truth coming to light: she was home.

Eela took a moment to grab her smoothie and take a sip, smirking. “I have been ordered to eat. But I can still chat. The den is just over here.”

She moved inside and took a seat where awhile ago she had fallen to entirely apart. It felt like it had been days ago when really it had only been a couple hours at most. “When I told you about the Khari and the aftermath where I was not okay, I told you my feelings didn’t feel safe with him. That moment in my apartment was just like that, but somehow worse, because a part of me feels like I should have seen it coming. I know it’s not true, but well, I don’t think we’re expecting my emotions to necessarily make sense right now. But oh it was so stealthy. I’ve fought in a war, I’ve faced the Borg, and nothing made me feel so terrified as being in that situation with him. But it’s not him I was terrified of, Kenzo. It was me. I was worried about what I would do next if he didn’t leave. And it made me hate him so intensely for encouraging me to be afraid of myself. He was so good at what he did he got me to gaslight myself into thinking I was making a big deal of nothing. Sharah said he probably didn’t even realize what he was even doing. I think she’s right. But it was still an extraordinary performance.”

~Eela

Kenzo sat, the composed and placid expression returned and firmly affixed to his countenance. “Realization or no, there is no excuse for… that.” The amount of derision in that last, single word was like a waterfall of loathing. “And you did nothing to deserve it; nor did you make a mistake or miss anything. You have nothing to blame yourself for, Eela. You did what was proper in offering to hear him out. He was the one who invaded your space, your home… your existance here. And for one to do so with no concept of what they are doing is simple narcissistic behavior.” He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Eela’s instinct was to interject, to qualify events, but she stopped herself. Wasn’t that the whole issue? For three and a half years her confused mind had been turned on itself. She blamed herself for so many things, even if it was a subtle as letting someone off the hook for whatever. Because of course she couldn’t do anything right, right? Wasn’t that what she had written down with Sharah and shared with Tandra. So, she could try to argue with Kenzo but she was going to have to go through the process of unlearning a negative self-concept that had snuck in when she wasn’t even looking. That was going to take time. Perhaps a lot of it.

She just sighed.

“Now. Do you wish to discuss what transpired after his removal from your home? Or would you prefer to wait… or not know at all, even. And no, no physical harm of any kind befell him… regardless of how many requests were made for it.”

Kenzo

The easy answer was no, she didn’t want to know. Plausible deniability and all that. What happened after he was removed from the building had not involved her. However, reality struck just as hard and what she didn’t know about she couldn’t adjust for and couldn’t factor into the reactions of others. “Well, I’m grateful people listened to my request. I understand why they might no, but adding more violence to the situation would not help. I don’t want to know. I would rather just push him from my mind and try to move on. But I have some decisions to make in the coming days and I might need that information. I’m not ready for it now. So, send me a message, tell me later, however you like. But after I’ve returned home, or the office, whichever comes first. I suspect I’ll be in a better place to deal with the information. Tenkiller told me he’s gone and that’s enough for me right now.”

~Eela

“He is. And he will not be coming back.” Kenzo said with a finality that was as if the gods themselves had spoken.

He looked at her and said “Very well… do you wish to talk about what transpired from your perspective? Or would you like to simply rest?” He did glance down at the smoothie and then back up at her expectantly.

Kenzo