Posted by Civilian Jeannette Mathis (Federation Ambassador) in Shadows of the Past

Posted by Civilian Karilan Massat (Owner, Quill and Parchment Books) in Shadows of the Past

Posted by Civilian Jeannette Mathis (Federation Ambassador) in Shadows of the Past
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snips)

Quill & Parchment

Dash had to head back to the embassy but he knew he needed to clear his head before he got there or else he’d been dealing with Jean shooting him intense looks all afternoon until he told her what was wrong. Right now, that was the last thing he needed. They had high stakes priorities that required everyone to be at their best.

He took a detour to his favourite place to grab coffee. Eela had been bang on about bringing him and Jean there that day. It had become a place where he could just enjoy a bit of peace before he jumped back into the fray of work. Karilan also was a joy and he understood why Eela had become such good friends with them.

Approaching the door, Jones took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he stepped into the serene place, taking in the smell of books, coffee and baked good. It helped, but the usual sparkle he went about life with was dimmer, even as he smiled. “Good afternoon,” he said to Karilan, smiling.

~Dashiel Jones, Attaché

Karilan was behind the coffee bar and smiled at Dash. “Mr. Jones.” they said and set a cup in front of him. “I am assuming the regular? Double roast dual bean with a shot of cream?” and they smiled, and then their eyes narrowed slightly and they said “Are you okay? You don’t look happy.” softly, so as not to be overheard.

Massat, Owner, Quill nd Parchment

Dash folded his arms on the bartop, mindful of the metal buttons on the cuff of his dark grey suit jacket. “I’m tempted to ask you if you have anything stronger than cream to add to the coffee, but I have to head back to the embassy,” he said with a sigh. “One of those days that started out fantastic and has become increasingly complicated. And it’s not even mid-afternoon,” he said, attempting a lopsided smirk.

~Dashiel Jones, Attaché

Karilan looked at the Vulcan next to them and said “Hevot, I have a meeting. Cover please.” and the Vul an simply inclined his head. Karilan turned and fixed a a small pot of coffee, grabbed two mugs and then looked at Jones. “Follow me.” they said -slash-ordered, and they walked out from the bar and towards a door at the far back of the store.

The door opened at Karilan’s approach and they entered… another dimension? The room was unlike anything on Oed: a strange, chaotic, colorful, and serene amalgamation of the various personality aspects of the inhabitant of the office. Machinery and high end tech sat in handcrafted boxes and cabinets. Small models moved in flawless motion. A plethora of analog clocks of all kinds softly tick-tick-ticked away. And a large brass banistered staircase flowed around half of the large room to a second level catwalk that gave access to a truly awe-inspjring collection of books. In the middle sat a massive desk with the most comfortable looking high back chair behind it. But it was to a back portion of the room Karilan led him; to a circular seating area set low into the floor. Four large chairs surrounded a low, wooden, marble topped table. It was on this Karilan set the coffee and poured the mugs full. “Sit, Mr. Jones. And let us discuss what troubles you, shall we?” Karilan took a seat opposite him and simply looked at him, their bald head softly shining under the lamps that surrounded them on the wall and lit the room in a soft glow.

Massat

Jones took a moment to truly take in the fascinating place as he followed Massat to the chairs. The space certainly added an interesting dimension to the shop owner that was rather interesting.

With nothing short of resignation, he took a seat and braced his arms across his thighs. He wasn’t sure what to say, but Eela trusted them implicitly. She didn’t invite people socially into her own without that trust. She couldn’t afford to and that was a more important point after the last few days. He gazed off to the side for a moment before his clear blue eyes took in Karilan. “A friend showed up. Not even really a friend really. Not anymore. Someone I knew when I was younger. He wants me to help him, and if I could, I would, but I can’t. Even if I had what he wants, life sent us our different ways for good reason. I can’t go revisiting the past, not even for him. I’ve worked too hard to get where I am. I can’t risk it.”

~Dashiel Jones, Attaché

Karilan sipped their coffee and felt the concern, irritation, frustration… and aprehension in him. “Alright. Let us break the problem down into manageable parts. First: are they your friend or are they not? Because friends bring joy and light when they show up. If theis person doesn’t do that… are they your truly your friend? Next: what are they asking you to do? Is it illegal, or just ill-advised? And can you truly not do it, or do you simply not want to? And lastly… the past is what makes us who we are. We are the sum total of the past. Everytime you make a decision, you are revisiting the past.” and they cocked their head at him slightly and asked “Unless your particular past does not match with your particular present?” and they took a sip.

Massat