Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Government Tower- Governor’s Office

Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Government Tower- Governor’s Office

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Government Tower- Governor’s Office
Posted by… suppressed (11) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Eela didn’t spend too much time at the embassy, but it was enough to fill Jeanette in on her own status and see how the Mathis family was coping. The brief meeting also smoothed a worry about support for the Ambassador after she learned that Lady McKenzie had offered to help out a little. It would make things a bit easier to not have her staff running back and forth, since everyone had enough on their plates as well. Still, she knew that had the need still been there, everyone would have pitched in to make things work. Oed to the rescue.

She confirmed his location before leaving and had sent a quick message that she was stopping by while he was in the office, but wrote nothing else. They would suss each other out rather quickly in the first few seconds, so why pretend otherwise and end up repeating themselves?

Eela had prepared herself for the press, and thankfully none had been at the embassy, but as she stepped out of the slider and bearing weight on the cane, her security kept everyone well back. She had been adamant that she would not talk to them today. Perhaps she’d comment tomorrow but for now she needed to finish recovering.

But having made it through the gauntlet of the entrance and security, Eela braced herself on the wall of the lift as she made her way up to Kenzo’s office. Stepping out onto his floor, she made her way over to Dorma, her cane tapping on the floors as she moved, her loose fitting grey garments swaying with her body. “Morning,” she said softly. “He’s expecting me.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“Indeed he is.” Ms. Fen said. “And if I may say so… Eela… I am very happy to see you. I was very worried about you. All of us were. Butbdo not worry about agendas and meetings. The ‘Gatekeepers’ are on the job.” and she smiled. She pressed the icon on her desk and the doors to Hyrushi’s office swung open.

Dorma Fen, Governor’s Aide

“Thank you, Dorma,. I appreciate you all immensely.” Eela said warmly, briefly touching her fingertips to Fen’s shoulder as she passed. She moved with sure strides, taking care not to move so slowly and use the cane to keep her weight even. The last thing she needed was to lean too heavily to that one side and cause more issues. Reesa was going to have a fun enough time working out all her body’s issues tonight- she didn’t need to make it worse.

Kenzo stood as Eela came in and he walked towards her; meeting her by the seating area. “You look much better than when I last saw you.” he said and gave her a soft embrace. “Sit, please.” he said and gestured to one of the chairs. “How are you feeling?”

Hyrushi, Governor

That embrace was welcome and spoke to the tone of this gathering. She eased herself into a chair, wincing only once as she adjusted her position. “Well, my body feels like it’s been beaten up and we’re going through great lengths to convince it otherwise, but Caridee said my neurotransmitter levels should be normal in a few hours. So… progress. As for my mental and emotional state, I’m… more level. Devastated, of course, but also I feel more in control than I did when Cory showed up. I think it’s slightly different because it’s not just my personal tragedy. There’s more going on that allows me space to separate myself out of it a little when I need to. But I mainly think that having been through all that crap with Cory, I’m more assured about my support system. I know you are all here for me, so it’s been very natural to allow everyone to help, even when I’m resistant at times.” Her hazel eyes were fixed intently on him, speaking in many layers.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“We are here for you, and I am glad that that knowledge was able to push through the rest.” Kenzo said. “As far as business goes, we are in a holding pattern. The Ambassadors postponed their meetings a day, and the Vren Ambassador made an appearance at Mr. Jones’ vigil. It has apparently made a significant impression on the colony’s social media networks.” and he sighed heavily. “Which is a good, because according to the Police and the CIA, there is some evidence of a Vren presence at the scene. Although both agencies believe that is… questionable. Which leads us to many other possible scenarios; none of which are good, I’m afraid.”

Hyrushi, Governor

Eyes wide, Eela’s mind was a flurry of thoughts accompanied by emotions. She didn’t even know which to reply to first to be quite honest. “Vigil?” she said finally before shaking her head. “And what sort of evidence?” Her stomach twisted as the potential ramifications unfurled before her.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“A trace of Vren neurotoxin. But there were other evidentiary items that seem to cast some doubt on the validity of the toxin. Oed Police, Colonial Intelligence, and FedSec are working on that as we speak.” Kenzo said flatly. “That is not public knowledge; but as I am sure you are well aware, it is only a matter of time.”

Hyrushi, Governor

She nodded slowly and drew in a measured breath. “We really need to have clear evidence one way or another, some way to prove or disprove their involvement, because otherwise the chaos that will ensue. And if we can trust the premise that the Vren are not involved in anyway, then we should assume an above average risk of talks being derailed.”

Eela rubbed her eyes. “It’ll be interesting to see how that affects Mathis’ talk with him tomorrow. Which, I’ll be in tomorrow, by the way. As far as everyone else is concerned right now, I was never here,” she said, the corner of her mouth quirking ever so slightly upwards. It was mostly a joke since she was sure the moment she set foot in the building that most people had known soon after. It was hard to keep her presence a secret unless she was going to have herself beamed everywhere she needed to go. As tempting as that was, she understood that throwing herself in public in small doses would be necessary.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“Of course not; because I have reputation for talking to myself.” Kenzo replied and gave her a slight upturn of the corner of his mouth. “Are the talks something you feel ready for, Eela? To not put too fine a point on it… these negotiations are far too important to risk because you feel an obligation to fill in for Mr. Jones.” The words were direct and, coming from someone else, could have been considered cutting. But the two of them knew one another on a level far surpassing just words. His concern was for her, and that priority was clear as he spoke.

Hyrushi, Governor

She shook her head. “I would never be there to fill in for Dash. I will be there because I am the Lieutenant Governor and it is a pivotal moment in this colony’s history. Will I be perfectly on the ball? Maybe. Maybe not. I can’t guess. But I will be fine, Kenzo. Of all the things I’m dealing with, the Vren negotiations are the ones I’m the least worried about.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Kenzo looked at her for a moment in silence and then said “They are what I am most worried about. You are my dearest friend, Eela… and I am worried about you and how Mr. Jones’ murder is and will be affecting you. But the Vren and the colony have, to not sound vulgar, exposed themselves to one another in a fashion that has never before occurred. And I do not want to put our people… or the billions on Tutsikara because of a single loss. I trust you to do what is best, both for the colony and the Vren; but I sometimes hold my tongue when it comes to you doing the best for you if the best is at odds with what needs to be done for others.” He leaned forward and in a very un-Kenzo like gesture took both of her hands in his. A wave of support, concern, care, and friendship washed gently over her. “Right now, you must do what is best for you first. I know it goes against your nature, but you have to everyone else aside for a moment and make sure you are taken care of. And before you ask, yes… that is an order.” Kenzo stood up without letting go of her hands, moved to her side, sat down, and embraced her.

Hyrushi, Governor

It was one thing for him to hold her hands, to maintain that contact, but as his arms slipped around her, Eela felt something inside her dislodge. That something was hard to describe precisely. It wasn’t the same as the grief for Dash that had poured out of her yesterday while in Karilan’s arms on the patio. No, this was more the combined grief of years of hits that kept coming while she worked hard to create a new life for herself. It was her parents, the Steadfast, the Khaari, her spine, her career, Cory… oh, Cory, and a multitude of things that she was still wrestling with. But more than grief it was this tenuous balance she was trying to find between living her life and upholding her sense of duty. Of letting herself be her open-hearted person she was and making sure she was protecting herself from those that would seek her out for their own gain. Of accepting her physical limitations but also fearing the decline that was now inevitable.

It was too much.

The overwhelm swept through her and rather than pull away to spare him what she could, Eela sank into his embrace, resting her head against his. She almost thought she would start crying, but she didn’t.

He was right. She wasn’t looking out for herself. “I don’t know how,” she whispered, all but clinging to him. She didn’t know when precisely she had lost that ability but it wasn’t hard to guess that her forty-year abusive marriage was a major culprit. Add in a career focused on duty to something greater, and her own culture and personality focused on connection to others and a greater whole, and it was like she had slipped into a void without knowing it. Was this something others knew how to do? Had she ever truly known? Eela had no idea. But at least in this moment with Kenzo, with their ever deepened connection, Eela could at least let herself be at a loss.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“Then I will help you.” he whispered back and simply held her for a long time, no thoughts to schedules or meetings or comm responses or who needed to be connected to who. It was just him and his best friend, together, because she was in pain. He slowly took in the anguish she felt, the fear. Not to remove it from her, but to make it more bearable so that she could think just a little more clearly… on her own; without someone telling her what she needed. Because as intelligent and educated as Kenzo was, as experienced he was in dealing with people in need, he was acutely aware that the only person who would ever truly know what Eela Dasca’s needs were was Eela Dasca. So he slowly trickled the negativity away from her. Not fast enough to burn him, but in his embrace Eela grew very warm.

She should have been alarmed at him using his abilities, especially after yesterday. It bothered still that the canar’s purpose had been been twisted by events outside of anyone’s control. But thought it had been a partially one-sided experience for Kenzo, she suspected he now understood more keenly than anyone else in her life the power of the canar and why it was so important to her. Was important? She didn’t know how to feel about it anymore. Karilan had spoken true: Eela was going to have to use it in small ways to gain comfort with the crystal again.

But Eela let him soothe her in this way and she accepted to comfort this simple intimacy offered. It was a respite that took many forms.

It was almost twenty minutes before he spoke. “I will do anything to be of help to you, Eela. Through this and through anything. But I am not going to impose what that is on you.” and he sighed. “Yiu have had more than enough people telling you how to be or how to be better. So I will simply say that however I can help you, I will.” He pulled back slightly and kissed her cheek. His black eyes found and locked her in his gaze. “Don’t think, just answer. If you could have anything or anyone right now, who or what would it be?”

Hyrushi, Governor

A small bitter laugh erupted from her. “To hide away somewhere for while? But I don’t want to be alone at the same time.” There was genuine fear in her hazel eyes that was stemming from a place, an experience, that Kenzo’s efforts couldn’t quite touch. “I want Roger here. But fortunately, as it turns out, he’ll be here in two days. Caridee told me about the whole surprise and I got a message from him before I could even reach out to him myself. So, thank you for your schemes. It’ll be good to have him here, and not just for Batarael.” It was no small feat they had achieved by arranging that surprise, especially given how informed Eela liked to remain.

So many things were in conflict within her and none of it could be ‘fixed’. No resolutions were hers to have just yet. Her hands gently squeezed his arms, even as her own right own hurt suddenly and she had to take a deep breath to push it down. The pain wasn’t hers. “What I would love to do right now is go mess about my apartment with all the things I’ve been gathering to make watercolour pigments. I’ve been thinking about the painting I used to do and realized I missed it. But honestly, my body is not in a great place and I won’t have the energy or strength for that. Besides, Jal’na was adamant I should n’t be upright at all today.” Of course, she was not following that directive very well. And just like that, Eela had lost any thread of her own wants. She sighed, dropping her gaze. Just because she wanted something, didn’t mean it was hers to have.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“Then do that.” Kenzo said adamantly. “Take the time from now until after Batarael to recover and get grounded. It will be tasking for a few days administratively, but we can handle that. And it will be a boon in the long run if you can recover faster. We have to look past the immediate and focus on the long term, Eela. And long-term it will be better to be without you for a week than to have your recovery take even longer.”

Hyrushi, Governor