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 (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“Very well. What else can I do to assist you, Mr. Jones?” Karilan asked. “And when can I meet Mr. Rafael Torres?”

Karilan

“You’ve done more than enough,” Jones said. “I’ll talk to Raf and see what he says and we’ll go from there.”

He downed the rest of his coffee but held the mug in his hand for a moment before letting out a slight sigh. “I appreciate you taking the time to help,” Dash said before he looked back up at Karilan. “Look, I know I can’t control any of this, as much as I might want to. But I did my community service, and I did the therapy and hard work to move past all that crap from when I was a kid. I regret what all happened back then deeply, but I’ve tried to move and use those experiences to remind me to do work I can be proud of. I let it go. Raf doesn’t always know how to, so I guess I’m hoping that if he agrees to the terms, that he’ll come through for you. I don’t want you to get burned.” Massat was taking a risk, this Dash knew, and it felt important to him right now to let Karilan know that he fully understood that.

~Dashiel Jones, Attaché

Karilan looked at him for a long time, blatantly appraising him as he sat in their office. “Mr. Jones, I believe that you believe all of that. But I will say, as an outside observer with no background in this, you have not moved past it. You have done what was required to meet the expectectations of others, but you may not have done what was needed for you alone.” They reached across the small table and took his hand. “Trust me, I know of what I speak.” and they squeezed and rekeasd his hand. “Go and fetch this Mr. … Torres, was it? Go get him. Now. Give him the offer, bring him here… and then leave him alone. From that point on, he is no longer your concern.”

Massat

The squeeze of his hand had been unexpected and Dash drew in a breath as he processed Massat’s words. Dash was used to being charming when dealing with people and utterly serious when it came to his work. He took none of it for granted. But he also wasn’t used to letting himself be transparent with people other than a select few. Eela had been unexpectedly one of those people, and maybe it was because she trusted Karilan that Dash felt okay with the Deltan seeing through him right now.

Jones nodded, both at the practical nature of the request and offer. Massat was indirectly saying that Dash could keep his boundaries and not be sucked into whatever Raf was going through. In that way he could find a way to work through whatever was lingering from back then. Simply put too, Dash needed to protect himself so he could protect those he cared about and who cared about him. Blowing out a breath, he set the empty cup down and rose to his feet. For a moment he seemed conflicted before resolve settled over his handsome features. “Thank you,” he said softly. “I appreciate this more than you can know.”

~Dashiel Jones, Attaché

Karilan leaned back and said “You can repay the favor by being the best you you can be for Eela. Every second of every day. Whether you are around her or not. And that means putting your past to bed for you. Do that, and I will consider this a small price for her happiness.” They stood up walked towards the door, setting their hand on his elbow and gently ushered him to motion. “Now go on. Go find him and make him accept the terms. Leave the rest to me.” and the door slid open and Karilan walked him back to the coffee counter. They poured him a small cup of something that smelled incredibly strong and said “A little liquid caffeine courage.” and they smiled and slid the cup to him.

Massat