Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Unpacking More Than Books -

Posted by Civilian Karilan Massat (Owner, Quill and Parchment Books) in Unpacking More Than Books -

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Unpacking More Than Books -
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Karilan looked thoughtful for a moment and then said “I am familiar with his writings. I have a manuscript of his from his time with a group from… the location slips my mind right now… but it was very intriguing, his take on spirituality and often conflicting beliefs as facets of a greater whole.”

Karilan

Eela nodded. “I am eager to see what you think of his experiences on Halii. I came to his work later, after I had been in Starfleet a number of years and there is something about seeing my own homeworld and its people through his perspective that is fascinating. Because I know the rituals and daily practices he talks about learning and experiencing. He gets very, very close to my own experiences in most areas. Except for the crystal caves. Those…” She shook her head. “That is a difficult one to sum up fully. It’s best experienced for yourself and shared in memory.”

~Eela

Karilan gently set the book in their toolkit and said “Maybe one day you could show me. It sounds fascinating.” They went and looked at a row of shelves, its relation in space to the desk, and then they said “I think your work related materials should go here. You will be able to simply look up and see the texts, can skim for any one you may need… it would be most efficient.”

Karilan

The idea of sharing something as special as the caverns with someone like Karilan appealed to her greatly. If she could bring herself to go back to Halii. “Yes, that makes sense. The diplomacy works would fit there as well, as a work-adjacent subject.” There was a fair bit of subtle diplomacy involved in her day-to-day tasks even if overall it was not her primary focus.

She helped fill the shelves, her fingers lovingly tracing the spines. It was taking a lot longer to complete than she had imagined but it was an enjoyable distraction. Still, after awhile, she realized she was thirsty. “I’m going to make some coffee. Can I get you anything? Maybe when we’re done, I can make you some lunch? Goodness knows we’ve bene at this awhile.”

~Eela

Karilan looked up as if woken from a trance. “Wha-? Oh! Oh, no. Nothing for me right now. But lunch does sound lovely. Yes, please. Or there is a wonderful Bajoran public house nearby. I would be happy to treat you to lunch.”

Karilan

Conflict warred within her briefly and it had nothing to do with Karilan. Eela blew out a breath. “Okay, umm, I mean…” She laughed, feeling silly, and just smiled at them. “Yes. Lunch out sounds lovely, but other than the Tower and here, I’ve not been in public yet. And it matters that everyone now knows my personal business. I’m not so much worried about how others will act around me, but I’m a bit self-conscious about it, Karilan, even if people will tell me I’m making more of it than I need to.” It was one thing for her to issue statements but it was quite another for her personal business to have been aired so publicly. Most of her (with a few rare exceptions) Eela had managed to keep her work and public life very separate. Here it was now all blurred together and she suspected it would remain that way from now on. That was okay, hypothetically, but it meant adjusting to a new normal and she -quite simply- had feelings about it.

~Eela

Karilan paused a moment and thought. “Well… what if we go incognito?” They looked at her with an appraising gaze and said “We put your hair up and back. Sunglasses. Wear relaxed clothes. Send your security team ahead. We walk. I can almost guarantee you that no one recognizes you. And if they do? So. What. You are entitled to your life, Eela. And if that life means a meal here, fantastic. Or out, either way. But your life is yours to live. And you’ll have to go out in public at some point.” and they nodded their head in finality and went back to arranging books.

Karilan