Posted by Major General Charles Tenkiller (Vice-Commander, Colonial Customs and Defense Agency) in Tenkiller’s House- Tipping Point, Day 2

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Tenkiller’s House- Tipping Point, Day 2

Posted by Major General Charles Tenkiller (Vice-Commander, Colonial Customs and Defense Agency) in Tenkiller’s House- Tipping Point, Day 2
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“And used every spherical part if his body for batting practice!” Yavia’s voice carried up from the lower floor as she and Sharah came up the stairs. They paused, looked at Tenkiller, then at each other and laughed, more like giggled. Both women hugged Eela as they passed. “Sharah you want coffee?” The shorter woman made a face. “Eww No. Chocolate.”

Eela welcomed the hugs. It was so strange to have such contact wth people again. She had had more physical contact with people in the last 18 hours than she had had her entire tenure on Oed. And she realized how much she had missed it.

“One of these days, Sharah I am going to convert you to coffee.” Yavia pulled down a mug and poured it to the brim.

“Sure and how do you plan to do that?” Sharah asked as she started to heat milk on the stove.

“I am going to hide all your chocolate so you have no choice. And refuse to think about where I hid it.” Yavia bumped her hip and moved away from Sharah with the hot milk.

Eela laughed. “I don’t know. Hiding chocolate might be considered an offence.” She sipped on the coffee. Something about all the care and affection in the kitchen made her feel actually happy, rather than sad like it might otherwise. For some, being surrounded with genuine love and happiness while you in crisis could amplify your own feelings of struggle and despair. But not Eela. She revelled in it as a positive reminder.

Sharah looked over at Eela with a ‘See what we put up with’ look. “Would you like breakfast?” Sharah didn’t ask how she was, not because she didn’t care, but she knew Charles had asked and you could only be asked the same question so many times.

Yavia and Sharah

She shook her head. “I’m good with my coffee. Not a breakfast person. But you do you need to.”

Eela moved a little ways down the counter so she felt less like she was in the way of them working and leaned her back against the counter. “Any restraint I showed him was hard won. Sometimes I think relearning emotional control was harder that getting up on my feet and walking again. So sometimes that middle ground between expressing emotions and knowing when to hold back is hard for me. It feels like a slippery slope.” It was hard to explain just how volatile she felt after the coma, how everyday simple things would reduce her to tears of frustration and she’d shout and throw things. Sometimes it was a perfectly reasonable reaction to the stress and grief she was experiencing after such a dramatic set of changes in her life. She vividly remembered that one day she felt fear from Caridee and had doubled down on the therapy. She had been determined to not be someone those she loved was afraid of. The irony of this reverse situation was not lost on her. “Besides, therapist first by training, remember? I’m trained to not escalate a bad situation if I can help it.”

~Eela

Yavia shook her head, “Eela you did NOT escalate anything. He did. The moment he grabbed you. What you did next was self defense, to protect yourself. So you threw a vase on the floor. That is so mild.”

“She’s tight Eela. In this case your reaction to your anger was more than appropriate. It brunedbthrough your doubt and gave you the focus to do just enough to make him stop rather than go over board or give in. You were not a therapist in that moment. You are not required to be on call all the time. Certainly not in that moment. You did exactly what you needed to do.”

Eela closed her eyes, tipping her head down. She focused her attention on the warmth the mug transferred into her palms. Was this one of those messages she had to learn to undo, to rewrite? Or was she just not communicating something well? She didn’t know right now.

Sharah smiled at her. ‘No Eela you are fine. We just want to remind you and make sure you don’t forget we support you.’ Then she reached over and squeezed her hand.

“Right, ‘cause thats my job. And ladies, lemme tell ya business is booming!” and he laughed. He snapped his fingers and said “Oh yeah… late last night. One of rhe Governor’s guys came ‘round. Left somethin’ for ya. Be right back.” and he started to move into the den as he said “V, leave my coffee alone! You want yours to taste like that, you make it! Stop stealing mine!”

“But you won’t tell me how you make it or where you get it from. Besides,” she called after him, “You like sharing with me!” She looked at Sharah and wiggled her brows. “Hasn’t shown me how to make paw-paw juice either. When his ma gets here she and I are gonna have to talk.” She looked at Sharah who suddenly looked like a cat that finished the cream. “What?”

“You steal my chocolate I am going to make your paw-paw juice disappear.” Yavia held her hands up and backed away.

Eela smirked and sipped her coffee possessively. “Don’t look at mine,” she teased.

Sharah poured the milk into a mug and added the chocolate to it. “That reminds me. Cpt McBride instructed me to tell you do NOT answer your comms. He and Lt Watts and Cort have it handled. Take the time you need and then some. Jal’na will be back after lunch to see to your back, sooner if you need her.” Sharah set a hypo on the counter, “Adjusted dosage per her instructions. She said take it.” Sharah grinned. Jal’na would give them all crap over it.

Eela nodded. “I think I’ll need it. Back feels off today.” She smirked at Sharah. “I read a message Cort sent me yesterday. Said they had the office, like you said. Also told me if it was the same day to get off the damn comms.” She broke into a light laugh and Eela shook her head. “I adore that man,” she said, full of gratitude.

Yavia sipped her coffee, “I like him already.”

A few moments later he came back in with a medium-sized crate. “Want it here? Or in your room?”

Tenkiller

Dasca set the mug down and moved to a free area of the counter. “Here,” she said softly, eager to hold that book. She knew it by memory and which crate she had put it in, but she hadn’t handled it since she had packed her things after the separation. She hoped Karilan hadn’t had too much trouble finding it.

~Eela

Charles set it down and opened it for her.

Inside was the book, but under it were packets and vials and jars and sealed envelopes. There was a handwritten note on top. The script was almost art, it was so eloquent and flowing.

‘Eela…’ it began.

‘I hope the night treated you more fairly than the day did. Per your request, here is the book you asked for. You friend Karilan was most helpful in locating it. I hope you don’t mind, but we perused the book and took it upon ourselves to collect an assortment of the materials mentioned in the tome. Use in good health.’

‘Kenzo’

Tenkiller

Eela was flooded with warmth and affection as she read the note. She really was very blessed to have such wonderful people in her life and with Kenzo it really did feel like it was them against the galaxy some days. But whatever battles might lay ahead for them she knew there was no other person’s side she’d rather be at. She also had found Karilan to be such an unexpected friend and one she was very much wanting to get to know better.

Setting the note to the side, she pulled out the book. It was hefty but still easily held in both hands. The cover was embossed with flower shapes into a pale blue paper with a title in Haliian script- a mixture of fluid and staccato lines and dots and dashes focused around a circular pattern for each word. She traced a finger over the word. “Sanctum,” she said softly. “My father was a herbalist, a healer who practiced it as much as an art as a science. It wasn’t just about healing wounds or illnesses, but about connecting yourself to, well, everything. He wrote down he most important recipes in this book and gave it to me when I left for the Academy. So I would remember where I came from and root myself wherever I am.”

She carefully flipped through the handmade paper pages that had Haliian script all over them, also handwritten. Eela looked at them. “Apparently I have some or maybe a lot of the ingredients I need.” She gave a fierce grin that was backed by a feeling of indignant righteousness. “Cory tainted my space and I can’t be in my home again until we do something about that. Who wants to help me banish some evil energy.”

~Eela

Sharah was fascinated by the book. It was the kind of thing she was going to need out about. “Not the weirdest thing I have ever done. I’ll help.”

Yavia grinned, “Just let Skip go in and glare at it. All that negative energy will take off with its tailntucked.” She laughed and blew him a kiss across the counter. “I’ll help. Sounds like something my grandma would do.”

Sharah

Yenkiller smiled and said “I have some sage for just such an occasion. You can use it.” He sipped his coffee and then said “But I have some reports to review and favor or two to call in back at Earth spacedock.” and he wiggled his eyebrows wickedly.

Tenkiller

Hands on the precious book, Eela looked up at Tenkiller, a frown on her face. Ah yes, reality, well… hello again. “I don’t know what it looks like, but I’ve come to a decision,” Eela said, the uncertainty and fear returning. She had known after Kenzo had made his comment that there was only one path forward and it gutted her. It would makes this whole thing easier.

“I could have this all buried and just try to move on with my life, but a part of me would always be on edge. More than that, I don’t know who that man is. He is most definitely not the man I married, that I raised my children with. And I don’t trust him.” She was hoping to be able to say this without crying but the tears blurred her vision. “They vary drastically between jurisdictions, but…” Eela swallowed. “I think I need a restraining order, even if it’s only for a short while. I don’t know that I can go farther than that though. My mind is muddled with that one.” It was hard. She rebelled against the idea of pressing charges, but once she involved the police and or the courts it was all potentially public. She had to trade some more of her privacy for her safety. Cory had proven to be a chameleon and she had never in a million years think he’d cross the line he had with her, so while she felt her children and grandchild were still safe with him, could she trust that? Could any of them?

~Eela

Tenkiller nodded his head and wordlessly walked away. He came back a moment later and handed her a PaDD. “Sign and date and it’s done.” he said,and set a hand on her shoulder briefly before returning to his coffee.

On the PaDD was a legally binding restraining order against one Cory Fletcher citing physical assault and mental anguish. It was deemed that no contact could be made by either party for a period of one standard year barring an emergency concerning their children or grandchildren. Cory Fletcher was barred from entering Oed space without the express written consent of rhe Oed V Police. That stipulation referenced an Executive Order from the Governor’s office, and it had no experation. Tenkiller said softly “I spoke to the police unofficially. Since this is a domestic abuse issue, the order is kept sealed. He will know. You will know. The court knows. Thats it. It won’t be in the public eye unless you press charges.”

Tenkiller

Sharah was making toast and Yavia was…who k ee what she was doing other than being a bright warm spot in the room. They ladies were quiet giving her the space to deal with that. Sharah’s comm chirped and she moved I to the den to answer.

Sharah