Posted by Civilian Cort Belanger (Executive Assistant to Lt. Gov.) in Aria’s Kitchen- Breakfast

Posted by Civilian Dorma Fen (Governor’s Assistant) in Aria’s Kitchen- Breakfast

Posted by Civilian Cort Belanger (Executive Assistant to Lt. Gov.) in Aria’s Kitchen- Breakfast
Posted by… suppressed (8) by the Post Ghost! 👻
It had been a rough night, but Cort had eventually fallen asleep. He had had maybe four hours before he was wide awake. Tossing the covers off, he simply got up and made some coffee. At least it was after five am and he could feel like it was something of a reasonable time to be up even if it was still early.

Awhile later, having had coffee and checked on messages and the news, a new message came through and he inhaled deeply. Dasca said to come over to her apartment before he went into the office. She had physio at six, but was free after that. He messaged back that he had a breakfast meeting at seven and would come by after. That worked for her, so he carried on getting ready for his day.

Just before seven, Cort approached the place Dorma had mentioned and stepped inside the door, searching for her, knowing it was highly unlikely he’d made it first.

Cort Belanger, Executive Assistant to Lt. Gov.

The place was an actual twentieth century American style diner. It smelled of bacon, pancakes, fried potatoes, and coffee. Tables sat around the white tile floor, and booths of red faux-leather lined the walls. Each booth even had a small ‘jukebox’ set in the wall where the table joined the wall. A long counter was along the left side, with a break at the far end to allow access to the space behind the counter where the food was cooked on a large , flat griddle.

Dorma was nowhere to be seen, but a human woman came around from behind the counter and said “Heya hun. Mornin’. Just you this mornin’?” Her accent was similar to the Vice Commandant of rhe CCDA, General Tenkiller.

Aria of Aria-s Kitchen

Cort smiled at the woman as he took in the place. “Uhhh, I’m supposed to be meeting someone here. Not sure if she reserved a table or not. If so, it might be under Fen.” There was something cozy about the place that made him feel at ease- a sensation he couldn’t say had been in repertoire lately.

Cort Belanger, Executive Assistant to Lt. Gov.

“Oh honey, we don’t do any ‘a that stuff here.” she said with a grin. “You just go ahead and find ya a place to sit. You want coffee?” she asked. At that moment, the door opened and Dorma walked in. She was dressed in dark blue pant suit and her hair was tastefully piled on top of her head. She looked at Cort and then at Aria. “Coffee. Yes. Please gods above all of the coffee.” Aria smiled and said “You got it, hun. Go sit and I’ll have it right out.” Dorma looked at Cort and said “And yes. I did sleep at my apartment, thankyouverymuch.” and she walked past him and took a seat in one of the booths.

Dorma Fen

“Coffee for me as well, please,” Cort said to Aria and then moved to join Dorma.

He looked her over and a subtle smile tugged at his lips. “What, did you and the comfy couch have a disagreement?”He was teasing of course, which at the moment felt rather nice all told.

Cort Belanger, Executive Assistant to Lt. Gov.

Dorma snorted softly. “No. But I knew if I didn’t go home and get some sleep you three would never let me forget it.” Aria came back and set two large mugs on the table and filled them with piping hot black coffee, then put two menus on the table as well. “Cream and sugar on the table and today’s breakfast special is chicken-fried steak and eggs with hashbrowns and your choice of toast, pancakes, or biscuits and gravy.” and she walked away.

“Lovely!” Cort said, rather enthusiastic about the breakfast options. He took a sip of the coffee and sighed. It was just what he needed right now. He was also glad she had taken his prodding last night seriously. If they were all in this together, then they had to look out for each other. Burning the candle at both ends only got you so far and they had already been running slightly ragged since before the Vren arrived.

Dorma looked at the menu and said “I can see why Tenkiller likes this place so much.” and she chuckled.

Dorma Fen, Governor’s Aide

“No kidding. It’s definitely not approved for training so I’m just glad I’ve only just been gearing up.” He was still working on swimming and running, but hadn’t quite made it to cycling outside of the gym yet.

Cort Belanger, Executive Assistant to Lt. Gov.

“Have you spoken to Eela today?” Dorma asked as she looked at the menu. “I haven’t checked in with Hyrushi yet, but I understand that Karilan Massat was watching over Eela last night.” She set the menu aside and took a drink of the coffee. “Oh wow… that is good.” she said more to herself than to Cort.

Dorma Fen

“Mmmhmmm,” he said, taking another sip again and for a moment just savouring the warmth of the mug in his hands before he picked up the menu and looked it over. “She sent me a message awhile ago. She’s up early rather early for a last minute physio session, which surprised me, but she’s asked me to come by before I go to the office to fill me in. I’ll update her on where we’re at with everything but only if it’s clear she’s in a space to process it.” He lowered the menu for a moment. “Please tell me I’m not the only one who obsesses slightly about their bosses well being I mean, there is respect and healthy boundaries, but when you’re immersed in the totality of someone’s life out of necessity, it’s hard not to be concerned when you see signs that they’re barely keeping it together. I don’t know how it is exactly for you and Hyrushi, but you know Eela well enough now to know she’s not interested in superficial relationships with those she’s in the trenches with, as she puts it. And I like that. I like that we’re all friends. It makes sharing the burdens of this kind of work more natural.” He frowned. “Am I even making any sense?” Maybe he was just too damn tired and this was all a bunch of gibberish.

Cort Belanger, Executive Assistant to Lt. Gov.

Dorma looked at him for a long moment and then said “You are. And I agree. I probably know Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi better than anyone in existence. And with that knowledge comes trust. Trust that I will do everything I can to make sure he is able to focus on the colony.” She went back to reading the menu but asked “Have I ever told you how I met him?”

Dorma Fen

“Not in detail, no. I vaguely remember something about your families knowing one another?” he said, also returning to glance at the menu.

Cort Belanger, Executive Assistant to Lt. Gov.

She smirked slightly. “I did say that, didn’t I?” and she chuckled softly. Setting aside the menu, she said “My family has known Hyrushi’s for almost six hundred years. We have always worked with or for them. Every generation, every family within our ‘clan’, for all that time. Japan is a very … traditional… culture, and our relationship with his family, his ‘clan’, is well established. I met Kenzo Hyrushi for the first time when I was six and he was sixteen. His father was a distant relative of my grandfather, and Kenzo and his dad had come to pay their respects on his one hundredth birthday. I was working in the restaurant I told you about, the one my family runs. Anyway, I was watching from a hiding spot, which I wasn’t supposed to be doing-” and she laughed slightly, “- as all these older men and women I had heard stories about from my mother and father came to wish my grandfather well. Side note: I was really good at hiding when I was little. Like… really good. So I had no worries that I wasn’t seen. That is until this very reserved and very quiet teenager who was standing in the reception line all the way across the courtyard just turns and looks right at me… and he had black eyes!” she said with mock fear. “I had no idea what a Betazoid was, so I thought what any six year old Japanese kid with a vivid imagination would think - ‘That’s an Oni.’, a Japanese demon.” and she laughed at the memory. “So anyway, my eyes go wide and the Oni just smiles at me and puts his finger to his lips.” and she repeated the universal gesture for ‘Be quiet’. “He then turned, waited for his turn to speak to my grandfather, and then walked away. He walked right past my not-so-great hiding spot and stops. He holds out his hand and says ‘Chīsana ko mo issho ni kite kudasai.’… ‘Come along, little one.’ I don’t know why, but i came out and took his hand and he walked me over to one of the elders. He pushed me forward, set his hands on my shoulders, and said ‘Imōto wa manabu junbi ga dekite imasu.’ … ‘Little sister is ready to learn.’.” She took a breath and looked out the window, seeing sights decades in the past and millions of miles away. She stayed quiet for a long moment and then looked at Cort. “From that day on, I was no longer a simple cook’s helper. I was sent to a private school, taught languages, manners, protocols, history… anything I wanted and more. And every month until the war started, Kenzo would come and sit with me and ask how I was doing and if I needed anything. And if I did, he got it for me. And if I was doing poorly, I got a vid-call.” She smiled out the window again. “He never yelled. Never scolded. He just asked me why and what he could do to help. And I would be honest and tell him. We would talk about it. And then I would do better. He never pushed or mandated or got angry…” and then she looked at Cort again. “Well, except when the first boy broke my heart.” and she smiled and shook her head. “Then he got really mad. Didn’t do much for my social life at school, but everybody knew after that that you didn’t mess around with me.” and she grinned.

Dorma Fen