Posted by Civilian Karilan Massat (Owner, Quill and Parchment Books) in The Art of a Great Date

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in The Art of a Great Date
She pulled the brush through her thick hair one last time before twisting the sides to the back of her head and, securing it with a lock she wrapped around to hide the clear elastic, tucked the end through a back loop of the elastic.

Eela swept a bold red over her lips, completing her makeup and went to dress. Stepping into the dress carefully with her glittery black kitten heels, she slipped it on her body and did up the side zipper.

Giving a little twirl, she smiled and took a picture that was half from the front, half on the side and sent it to Karilan: Well, my fashionista, what do you think? Arts patron appropriate, but still good for this part of the date?

~Eela

The response was almost immediate. Appropriate, yes.. But… If he isn’t doing what he should be doing and staring at you when he thinks you aren’t looking, call me and I will have a ‘chat with him.

Karilan

She laughed. “I doubt it’ll be necessary, but I appreciate the support. I’ll call you for the magical dress change,” Eela said.

A few minutes later the chime sounded announcing his arrival. Eela swept through her place to greet him. Living up to his name, Dash was dressed in a smart looking three-piece navy suit with a silver and purple tie. His unruly mop of hair was slightly tamed and those lovely blue eyes sparkled as he drank her in. “You look lovely!”

Eela beamed as she stepped to the side. “You look pretty dashing yourself,” she said with a slight chuckle before giving him a sideways glance. “Do people use that line often?”

“On occasion,” he said with a grin before holding out his right hand that clasped a posy. The nodding heads of the bell-shaped flowers were purple with blue stripes and were encased in striking chartreuse foliage. “I know it’s a bit of a date cliché, at least for a human but I saw these and thought you’d enjoy them.”

Eela took them with a soft smile. “They’re beautiful, thank you.”

“Well, just in case it was too much of a cliché, I have these as well.” Dash reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet. Of seeds. “I warn you in advance that I know nothing about growing anything, so these could be a disaster but the woman at the shop said that they’re pretty easy to grow, and the instructions are apparently all there on the label.” The seeds were for the same flowers that she held.

She uttered a delighted laugh and for a moment Eela just gazed at him before she shook her head. “I am not often truly surprised, but you do find a way of doing that more often than not.”

“What can I say, it’s a gift.”

Eela laughed heartily and gestured for him to follow her to the kitchen. “There’s a little vase up in that cabinet. Can you pull it down for me?”

Dash reached up into the upper cabinet and pulled down a small crystal vase and set it on the counter for her. Soon, with the flowers in their new home and the seed packet left beside them, they moved back to the foyer where Eela gathered her coat and together they left.

Arriving at the Community Arts Centre, Eela stepped out of the slider and Dash was at her side a moment later offering an arm. “You ready?” he asked.

She beamed at him and nodded as she slipped her hand onto his arm. “Yes, definitely.”

Inside the soon to be renovated building, the pair were greeted by one of the organizers. Eela introduced Jones, and the trio chatted for a few minutes before they were shown to their seats. The theater was fairly small (though that was soon to change) and as such Eela and Dash found themselves sitting in the front row of the balcony. She sat on the end of the aisle with Dash next to her. Immediately behind her was a plain clothes agent that she acknowledged with a subtle nod.

Soon the performances began. Eela had specifically requested that the organizers not announce her presence even though everyone knew she was there. It left her to just enjoy everything without eyes constantly on her. Beside her, Dashiel watched each performance with interest but he often found himself watching her watch the performances. There was something lovely about the different expressions that would traipse across her face and he could tell that each performance, whether it was a skit or a comedy piece, evoked emotions that she shared freely. But the most poignant moment came during a dance piece. There was a background drumming beat and a dancer stepped out dressed in a black bodysuit with strips of sheer colorful fabric hanging off the arms and legs. She danced to the beat but it was like she was moving across currents of air effortlessly flowing across the stage. Eela leaned forward, resting her arms on the balcony railing, utterly entranced. Dash watched her face and he didn’t need to be an empath to know exactly what she was feeling. The one word that summed up what he saw there was longing. He could imagine for a moment where that feeling might come from but as she leaned back into her seat again he said nothing and simply rested his hand on hers. She didn’t look at him and simply curled her fingers around his.

The Showcase was early in the evening and meant for families to be able to attend, so when it was over an hour and a half later Eela and Dash had time before dinner to join the other audience members in the lobby to mingle. There were a wide variety of people present- families with young children, seniors, students, and friends of the performers. Eela happily chatted with different people and the organizers introduced her to some of the more well-known donors for the theatre. The goal was to renovate the existing auditorium into a larger space that could hold a wide variety of Performing Arts. They wanted to do something that looked as rich as the arts community that was present on Oed. Eela thought this was a fantastic idea and was very supportive. At her side Dash played the charming companion and asked intelligent questions and generally made the people around him smile. When the time came for them to leave Eela could honestly say she was even more smitten with the man. She knew in part that it had to do with the conversation they had on Tuesday after she had returned home to her apartment. Having laid out the situation and the things she was dealing with, Eela knew that they were both on the same page and that made tonight freeing. She could be how she needed to be and know that he understood what was also required of him. Then again he was a diplomat and these sort of functions were typical fare. And with the press about too, they were both ‘on’.

Stepping out of the theatre into the cool night air Eela slipped her hand into Dash’s and gave it a squeeze. “I’ll see you at the restaurant in a little bit?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I can’t wait.” He kissed her hand before she stepped away and she just grinned at him.

Going their separate ways for a short while Eela returned to her apartment to change. As promised, she set up a screen in her bedroom and called Karilan. Still in her black dress, her cheeks were flushed slightly and Eela’s expression was elated.

~Eela