Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Eela’s Apartment- Old Traditions

(snip)

Dash gazed at her intently, still mindful that they weren’t alone, but that didn’t stop him from feeling intrigue towards this woman. “I remember lots about you,” he said before meandering down the hall into the kitchen.

She watched him for a moment, a smirk slipping onto her face, before she too made her way back into the kitchen.

A little while later they were seated in the dining room digging into some sort of Terran-Haliian pasta. The sauce was made from blended vegetables and lot of basil they had tossed fettuccine into and Dash helped throw together a basic salad along with an interesting purple dressing Eela had made.

“So you said this was a tradition for you. Did you do this sort of thing often?” Jones asked as he poured wine.

Eela nodded. “Every Saturday, if I could. It was a part of how Cory and I got to know each other on the Majestic and it was a tradition I kept after we got married. Then when work took him elsewhere, I started cooking for the people I worked with and I kept it going my entire career. It’s a little harder here time-wise, but I’m working it into the mix.”

“Wait, he wasn’t in Starfleet though, right? So how did you meet?” Elema said.

Eela speared some of her salad. “He was collaborating on a project with Starfleet and they were testing things out on the ship.” She didn’t mind talking about Cory in this way, how it used to be. Those memories were the safe years.

“Huh,” Jones said. “I guess that makes sense, but I never really considered that that sort of thing happened.”

“Not all the time, and certainly less so on starships back then. You’ll see a lot more civilians on starships now then you ever did back then. But at that time it was unusual to have families aboard and even stranger to have a counsellor.” Eela grinned. “Things were changing and it was a bit of an adventure for sure.”

Cort chuckled. “She says so easily. Never mind the fact that her and like forty some-odd therapists all petitioned Starfleet Command to have counsellors available on all assignments, not just the ones in closer proximity to medical services. Right pain in the asses they were, or so Lieutenant Watts was telling me.”

Dash grinned at Eela. “You rebel, you.”

Eela laughed. “Well, the whole thing took some time, but it was ridiculous that they didn’t have anyone on deep-space and border patrols. That’s where people were needed the most, where early intervention could make a huge difference in outcomes. It was so frustrating that we had to make a big deal about it in the first place, but we got what we wanted in the end, even if it took time to rollout fully.” She dug into her pasta, remembering fondly the first time her children tried it and found their mixed palates actually enjoyed it.

“How long have you and the Ambassador been working together?” Elema asked Dash.

“Eight years now. I had been on temporary assignment with her on Cardassia, filling in while her aide at the time was on maternity leave. I moved on to another assignment and then Jeanette requested me as attaché while she was on Zalda.”

“Zalda. Now there is a a fascinating place to be stationed. I bet that was a learning curve,” Eela said.

“Massive one,” Dash said with a grin. “The stereotypes are true but also not. Like anything, there is nuance. But basically you learn to speak your mind bluntly or else no one will trust you.”

“I can imagine,” Elema said.

“We were there another year before Mathis was asked to take over the embassy on Tiburon. Been working with her ever since,” he said.

Eela knew that especially in the diplomatic world, your primary aide was an essential piece of the puzzle. There were usually so many moving pieces that having someone manage that while you focused on the bigger picture and more urgent demands was vital. That Mathis trusted Jones so deeply to keep him on so long said volumes about their working relationship and his abilities.

They continued talking while they ate. Elema chatted about her current partner Dalla, who was working on her Masters in social work, while Cort was telling stories about his mother’s comical adventures with his elderly great-grandmother. Sherri had had to also bow out of the evening because it was her husband’s birthday, which Elema had fun telling them about the scavenger hunt her and Sherri had plotted for him.

After dinner, they moved into the living room for drinks and Cort managed to get Eela to share some of her Starfleet adventures. None of the more difficult stuff, but she had some great anecdotes over the years and shared them freely.

Around eleven, things were wrapping up and they gathered in the foyer as coats and footwear were located. Elema looped her arm through Cort’s. “Hey, you’re going to walk me back, since you go past me, right?” she said with a significant look.

“Oh, uh, yeah, of course,” he said, momentarily confused until he met Elema’s gaze who very subtly gestured to Eela and Dash who were chatting about a mutual acquaintance from the Diplomatic Corps. He smiled in Eela’s direction. “Thank you, Eela. We’ll let ourselves out and see you in the morning.”

“Alright,” she said with smile as her two assistants headed out. She retrieved Dash’s coat from the closet and handed it to him. “I’m glad you could come.”

“It was a great night. Cort and Elema are great.”

“Yes, they are,” she agreed.

They stood there gazing at each other intently and Dash could see that look in her eyes- the one a woman had when they wanted to be kissed. But then it shifted for a moment and there was uncertainty in her eyes. He smiled warmly at her knowing that now was not the right time. Not yet. Dash reached out and touched the tips of his fingers to her jawline. “Good night, Eela Dasca. I’m sure I’ll see you sometime over the next couple of days, but if not, I will most definitely see you on Saturday,” he said with a wink.

Even with all the speculation Karilan had done, she was still surprised by the declaration. Delighted, but surprised. “Good night, Dash,” she said softly, her skin tingling where he had touched her.

He stepped out the door. Eela closed it behind him and drew in a deep breath. Oh, she was in so much trouble with that man. The best kind, of course, but trouble nonetheless. With an almost giddy step to her stride, she moved to the kitchen to toss the last of the dishes in the washer so she could unwind before bed. She was going to try and not think about Saturday and whatever might come of that. Nope, not at all.

~Eela Dasca & Guests