Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Dasca’s Apartment- The Comfort of Friends

Posted by Civilian Astrid Rousseau (Chief Justice) in Dasca’s Apartment- The Comfort of Friends

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Dasca’s Apartment- The Comfort of Friends
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Eela had been careful about how much she checked messages. Cort had put out an announcement about her time off so that people weren’t surprised by her absence in the office, but that didn’t mean her inbox wasn’t just as busy. Fortunately, her staff flagged the things that they knew she would want to see or were urgent and Eela had filtered her messages to show just those.

The message from the Chief Justice checking in on her had made her smile and Eela sent a reply saying that she was doing her best to manage but would be happy for some company. And so they arranged for Astrid to come over for a little while. Eela could manage tea or coffee just fine, even if she was still moving slower than she would have preferred.

When Astrid arrived a block and a half from the Government Tower, she found a modern and clean building with the security desk set to the left in the large open lobby. From there, one could see the sets of lifts, with one set farther at the back on its own. To the right was a hallway and large windows that showed a glimpse of a pool. The junior grade Lieutenant working the desk, a Denobulan female greeted him and seeing that he was on the approved list, did a very quick screening. “You’re all clear. The Lieutenant Govenor’s apartment is on the twelfth floor and that back lift will take you straight up there. We’ll let her know you’re on your way up.”

Up the lift, Rousseau stepped out into an entry way in front of a large door that was flanked by two CCDA agents. The small upper floor had only the one penthouse apartment.

The door opened and Eela appeared in her grey mourning outfit (sans hooded scarf), offering a tired but sincere smile. “Astrid, come on in,” she said, stepping to the side and using her cane for stability.

She smiled softly and entered as bidden. She had not had cause to visit someone else in a long time. Just being in another person’s space was a nice change. A person’s home could say so much about them that she was eager to see how Eela decorated hers.

She wore a simple pair of linen slacks in a shade of cornflower blue and white silk tank top tucked into the waistband. A dark blue belt with a pretty little enamel red cardinal bird belt buckle. Her dark chestnut soft curls
hung over her shoulders but a small part of one side was clipped back with a matching cardinal barette.

Her apartment was essentially a giant rectangle broken up into visible and hidden spaces. Iven was standing in a large foyer, which had a closet to the right and another door on the left that led to a storage room. But there were also two comfortable arm chairs in a floral pattern on either side of a console table. On the walls were a couple of art pieces: a delicate pencil drawing of some sort of shop with jars of items on shelves behind the counter, and a watercolour style painting of an aurora sweeping over the night sky, illuminating a lush looking hillside. The sight lines from the front door looked right into the open plan dining room, which held double doors amongst the span of floor-to-ceiling windows and led onto the large patio that spanned two-thirds the length of the penthouse. There were no buildings right beside hers that blocked the view, so one could see the central part of the colony in and around the Government Tower.

The dining room had a solid wall on the left (the kitchen was on the other side, and it was divided from the living room on the right by two smooth pillars and a transparent fireplace. A long hallway bisected the entire place, passing in front of the foyer. The hard floors were a black matte stone with white veining, and the walls were painted a light taupe that added warmth.

“I thought we could have tea or coffee on the patio if that would work for you?” Dasca said.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Astrid smiled as her eyes traveled over the space, taking in the layout and decor. “Yes please.” She said, her soft French accent adding a musical lilt to her voice. “You have a lovely contemporary home Eela.”

Rousseau. HOTj

She smiled. “Thank you. I really like the space but you should have seen it when I moved in. Everything was so stark and plain. I’m not sure if the last Lieutenant Governor just didn’t like decor or if they returned the penthouse to a blank slate after they left, but it did give me a chance to make it my own.”

“Come, let’s make coffee in the kitchen. I could use a hand carrying things out to the patio,” Eela said, waving her cane for a moment before she moved left down the hall.

The right side of the available wall space was taken filled with framed images that documented the six decades of Dasca’s life. Family, friends, three quadrants of travel- the highlights of much of her life where there. The images on display were deeply important, like those of all her grandparents and her late parents, or her promotion ceremony when she made Captain. But nothing from her wedding, and there was an obvious hole in the gallery of photos where one no longer hung.

On the left side of the hallway was filled with recessed bookshelves entirely full of books with protective doors. Some looked newer and many appeared old. There was poetry and many volumes of literature in a myriad of languages. This all seemed to be works of fiction.

The hallway led to the side of the apartment with the spare rooms, her office and the family area that included the kitchen, that was open plan to a small casual eating area and a cozy U-shaped sitting nook with a sectional sofa and a coffee table. She hung a right at her office and stepped into the large and well appointed kitchen that was along the opposite wall from her closed office and had a large island in between.

Astrid let her eyes wander more and followed Eela through her space to the kitchen. She smiled softly seeing the family and event oriented photography hung with care. It was nice to see something so normal and so telling about a person.

She set about turning the kettle.”What would you prefer, coffee, tea? I have a collection of tea blends, some of which I crafted myself from Haliian herbs, but I also have great coffee I get from the Quill and Parchment. Karilan, the owner, would be appalled if I used subpar coffee beans,” she said with a fond smile that seemed to soften some of her weariness.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Astrid considered. To some it might be a small and quickly decided answer, but for her, contemplation was a natural first step to any decision. After a moment, she chose. “Tea, I think. Perhaps you could share your favorite midday blend?”

Eela studied Astrid for a moment before nodding an looking over at the open shelf above the end of the counter. “Hmm, I think I have just the thing.”

“How goes the healing?”

Rousseau. HOTJ

It was a reasonable question, all things considered. She had heard through her staff that Kenzo had told the cabinet that she wasn’t there because of ‘unrelated medical reasons’, but no one knew outside of a select group of people what had gone down. It probably helped general perception that she also was using her cane in public, so
people would likely assume it was her back that was bothering her. Eela had no idea what Astrid knew, though she also trusted the discretion of her medical team.

Eela went to go reach up to grab some glass jars containing loose herbs and frowned. “Do you mind grabbing those two middle containers in front? I’m still a bit sore.”

Astrid seemed at ease when she reached and pulled down the jars of herbs. She set them on the counter and opened them so that Eela could get some then stepped back a simple pace to give her room to maneuver. She did stay nearby though, just in case.

While Astrid helped her, Eela got the infuser and the teapot out. “To answer your second question, it is progressing. The medical issue I experienced is resolved, but I am dealing with the fallout. It will take some time. And that of course is not even factoring in Dash’s death.” She paused, hands wrapped around the clear glass teapot, and looked over at Astrid. “I experienced his death, Astrid. Or rather, my body experienced what he physically went through. It’s complicated, and it created a dangerous situation for me, but it’s forced me into a place where I have no choice to process things. Not just his death and the medical issue, but Cory’s abuse, and the loss of my ship and career.” She let out a throaty chuckle. “It’s been… a lot.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

She couldn’t pretend to understand the emotional and mental turmoil added to whatever physical injury had occurred. She honestly had no idea how to help her friend. Astrid took many psychology classes as a part of her education because she needed to understand the nature of people and why they did what they did so she could mete out the proper consequences to assist in rehabilitation rather than doing nothing but locking up all offenders of every rule. Still, it wasn’t the kind of education that helped her BE a psychologist and she was a bit out of her league. “I cannot even imagine what that is like really. I have never been in anything close to that kind of situation. Do you want to talk about it? Or shall we let it be for now and heal your heart by talking of idle gossip and other subjects of an equally amusing caliber?”

Rousseau, HotJ

A genuine smile traipsed across her face. “You know, something lighthearted would be good to start. I’ve been warned that pushing my feelings to the side will only complicate things so I’m okay talking about it all, but gossip and tea sounds lovely.” Eela measured out a roughly 50/50 blend of the herbs and poured just hot enough water over in a swirl, letting the pot fill. She grabbed a cover, slipping it over the pot and reached to the lowest shelf under the tea where colourful handmade cups sat. She pulled out two that seemed to match a set that were glazed white with a watercolour pattern in bright colours. Finally she grabbed a small tray and set the tea pot atop.

“Come, if you can grab the tea pot for me, we can go sit out on the patio.”

Astrid did as she was asked, carefully taking the teapot outside. Astrid loved the outdoors of patio spaces. Her own home had a substantial patio and outdoor sitting area as well as the hot tub and pool. Compared to her time working as a Justice before her appointment to OED V, she was quite in the lap of luxury. Mostly, she simply was being practical. Her home was the only other place besides her office in which she spent substantial time. For her to be able to work as much as she did, it had to be comforting. It seemed that Eela was similar. Though, her home was more colorful than Astrid’s who’s home was a mix of pastels instead.

She led them past the breakfast nook and casual sitting area and around the corner to the right where a hallway followed along the floor to ceiling windows. They passed the dining room where they could see directly into the foyer, and from here Astrid could see that the living room and dining room were actually an open space divided by a wall in the middle that held a fireplace visible to each other side and was passable on either side.

The patio was essentially a large L-shaped space that Eela had divided into rooms of sorts. The doors opened out onto a dining area and cooking area. To the left was a large pergola with a sectional and large coffee table. To the right was a pair of lounge chairs, and beyond that disappeared out of sight. The sides of the patio were protected by an almost imperceivable glass like structure that served to protect Eela from any attempts to intrude on her space or threaten her safety. A necessary precaution. Amongst all of it were raised beds set at a different heights, with many such that Eela wouldn’t have to bend too far. Everything was lush, in bloom, or producing fruits or vegetables. It was a riot of colour, with no specific theme. Eela just grew what she wanted and loved.

The patio space was lovely and much more a riot of plant life than Astrid’s. She found herself charmed and bent over a bit to smell some of the blooms as she passed by them. Astrid had never gardened herself, choosing to employ people to make plants live around her. She believed in the importance of fresh air and plant life being a morale booster.

She led Astrid to the the pergola and setting onto the large sectional sofa, placing the cups on the table while they waited for their tea to brew.

Astrid placed the tea pot on a trivet, careful not to let any spill, and then took a seat.

“So, gossip. Tell the good stuff,” she said with a gleam in her eyes. “I hear things in the Tower quite naturally, but I’m intentionally out of the loop.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“I wish I had a lot to tell you but I am afraid I am also often out of the loop. I do know that one of my assistants has a significant crush on Lord Duroc. She could barely speak when she accompanied me to my usual hand to hand and weapons training session on board his ship. When we left, she caught sight of him and turned the most unflattering shade of red.” Astrid smiled. “The poor girl wouldn’t say a word but has requested to be my assistant for all such activities. Of course, I had to say no. The man is married after all. His wife was very kind to me when we had that delegation in.”

Rousseau, HotJ