Posted by Civilian Urg’tohn, Son of the House of Duroc (Klingon Warrior) in Batarael, Day 1- Gather

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Batarael, Day 1- Gather

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Batarael, Day 1- Gather
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

The sudden hug from the woman she knew so little threw her off a bit. She stood frozen after Sharah left blinking in surprise and confusion. It wasn’t as if she was touch phobic, she simply had never really gotten to know the young chief medical officer and she wasn’t used to being touched by near strangers. Finally, she opened her mouth and took a breath as if she was about to speak but then she simply closed it and blinked more. Again she opened her mouth and pointed in the direction Sharah just went, turning her head to Urg and Jal’na. “Is that just something she does with everyone?”

Jal’na watched in shock as Sharah hugged Astrid. “No, no it is not, Astrid It is quite unlike her even with her family.” She shared a look with Urg. She knew there was something there between them, nothing that concerned Jal’na or made her jealous, but Sharah had never offered to even shake his hand, even on their wedding day. “She is… different for a telepath. I think I’ll go check on her. Make sure there is nothing wrong.”

Jal’na leaned in and tapped Alais on the nose. “Now I want to hear all about your adventures when I return. You keep him,” she pointed at Urg, “out of trouble. Fighting is for later tonight.” She tossed Urg a wicked grin and then went to find Sharah.

Jal’na, Lady Duroc

“Be’ah!” Alais said before clapping her hands and looking at Urg. For a baby, she had a rather intense look, but then again, he knew her grandmother and it wasn’t so dissimilar to ones he had witnessed from Eela in their meetings.

Eela was at the edge of the kitchen and had spied Karilan. Knowing it would get busy soon and she had a lot of guests to greet, she slipped her arms around the Deltan and planted a kiss on their cheek. “In case it gets so busy tonight that I don’t get to mention it, I’m grateful for you,” she said softly.

Karilan was arranging fresh herbs around marinated vegetables when Eela kissed them. They turned and smiled at her and said “I know. And I you. And by the way, in case it gets so busy tonight that I don’t get to mention it, I adore you.” They kissed her on the cheek, a soft and lingering kiss, and then they said “Go. We have to get this food set up or the Klingons will start eating the furniture.”

Slipping back to the kitchen proper, Eela joined Dee in pulling out the trays of salt baked fish. It was the same dish she had made for Kenzo and she hoped it would be enough for whatever crowd showed up. Fortunately, it was as tasty cold as it was hot. Grabbing the large knife, she set it in the middle of the mound of salt and grabbed a mallet looking tool. With a precise strike, the knife pierced the salt and cracked it open. She repeated this on the three other fish.

“It is really hard for you to not look menacing just now, you know that, right?” Dee’s spouse, Kian said, observing with amusement. The Napean was a quiet man who exuded a calm and centred presence.

Caridee laughed. “Oh, you should have seen her when she was in Starfleet and doing weapons training. There was something rather awesome and terrifying as a teenager watching your normally relaxed mother taking down targets on the holodeck like they had personally offended her.”

Eela lifted one of the now uncovered fish to a platter with a smirk. “It’s called stress relief.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Karilan Massat, Owner - Quill and Parchment Bookstore

Urg’tohn, Lord Duroc

Astrid Rousseau, HotJ

The door to the apartment opened and on the other side was the Colony’s Governor. He nodded at the guards and then stepped inside. He was wearing a soft dark blue linen suit with a faint pattern made of a just barely noticable darker blue. Close inspection would reveal that it was actually symbols of some kind. Those with such knowledge would recognize them as kanji.

Kenzo looked around and nodded to those in sight. “My apologies for being late. I do hope I haven’t missed any of the festivities.”

Hyrushi, Governor

Eela was carrying the fish to the dining room and felt Kenzo’s presence before she saw him. Setting down the tray, she moved through to the foyer exuding layers of emotions as she greeted the newest arrivals. Eela gave a deep and reverent bow of her head to Urg’ton and a soft smile to Kenzo, though she reached out to Kenzo’s mind and gave a small affectionate brush.

“Welcome. We’re just about set up and will kick things off momentarily.” While her surface was filled with serene ease, underneath that was a joy and love. It was probably the brightest anyone had seen Eela since she arrived on Oed. Sure, she had had moments, even a whole day here and there, but this was something else, something more.

Behind Kenzo, another pair entered. There was a tall dark-skinned Human appearing person next to a slightly shorter man who had the Haliian forehead markings but softer. Kenzo would recognize the shorter one immediately as Eela’s son, whom he had spoken with over subspace. The other person was obviously Jourin’s partner, whom was travelling with him.

“Good evening,” Jourin said softly, clearly shy around a bunch of people he didn’t know.

Eela moved over to him and they shared a brief but fierce embrace. “Everyone, this is my son Jourin and his partner, Sibu.” Then she introduced those in the foyer to her the newly arrived couple.

“And now that you’re here, we can get started. Let’s all move to the patio where there is more space ,” Eela said, radiating excitement. She all but bounced as she spun on the ball of her foot before pausing to correct her balance. “Damn, every time.” Even with all the work she did with Jal’na, there were just some parts of her brain that would remain less than optimal. But as she moved towards the patio, she brushed it off. It mattered little. She had so much else to be grateful for and everyone present in her home was a significant reminder of that fact.

Eela poked her head into the kitchen. “Dee? It’s time. Gather everyone?”
“On it!” Caridee said from the kitchen. “To the patio!” she said with a laugh as her and Kian carried out the last of the food to the dining room.

On the cozily lit patio, Eela moved towards the exterior wall and stood, radiant in her joy. “Thank you all for coming. As some of you know, Batarael marks more than just the Haliian New Year. It’s as much a spiritual holiday as it is a community one. For us”-she glanced at Caridee and Jourin briefly-“it is about reflection, on what we have, where we’ve come from, and the journey we’ve been on. It’s also about connection, to ourselves, our friends and family, and our communities. On Halii, everything pauses for Batarael. And while that is not possible here, I am honoured you can all be here to share in this special occasion with my family and I.”

“Over the next six days, I get to explore the different facets of my culture again in a way I haven’t in a very long time. Today, Day One’s theme is Gather, which is what we are doing right now. And at this traditional meal, we start the celebration with the singing of the Horath. And as a parent, it’s always excitign to be able to pass on one’s traditions, so…” She glanced at her children. “Who wants to do it this year?” she said expectantly.

Caridee was standing near her brother and simply held out a hand towards him. “Told you, pay up,” she said, highly amused.

Jourin just shook his head. “Later.” He looked across the patio at Eela. “We would love to… but next year. We decided that since we are celebrating the holiday together for the first time in a long while, it should be you. Seems only right and fair.”

Eela’s brows lifted and she smirked at the perceptiveness and rebelliousness of her adult children. “Fine”, she said, shaking her head. Normally they would all hold hands, but not only was that not practical in this case, it was also not necessary.

While she had sung the Horath in public before, it was in a very different scenario and this one left her feeling rather exposed. Closing her eyes, Eela allowed herself to find her centre, that place where the words and the tune came from generations of gatherings such as this one. Somewhere there her own late parents resided with all their love and wisdom. And so she sang those few delicate lines that summed up not only a welcome to the festivities of the next next days, but appreciation for the opportunity for reflection and connection. It was a song billions of Haliians had sung over many millennia. Somewhere in it was the root of all that they were as a people, and individuals.

“Jomiael hahnalia ma marou natalia
Rumael tavariel fatra di va Jomiael.“

Falling silent, Eela opened her eyes and smiled at everyone, gesturing widely. “And there we are, consider the festivities open. There’s plenty of food inside, though no meat, as we’re pescatarians, and there are alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages out here. Please help yourself, mingle and come and go as you feel the need to. And… let’s have a party!”

OOC: If you care to listen, there is an audio clip from the TNG episode it comes from: https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Horath_(song)

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Bump

Lord Duroc approached Jourin and said “You are the son of the Lieutenant Governor.” as if the statement of rhe obvious was somehow necessary. “Where have you been?”

Urg’tohn, Lord Duroc

Karilan overheard the question and choked on their mimosa. “L- cough - Lord D- cough cough- Lord Duroc, um… perhaps a less intrusive question would break the ice better?” they suggested.

Karilan Massat, Owner - Quill and Parchment Bookstore