Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) 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 Civilian Astrid Rousseau (Chief Justice) in Dasca’s Apartment- The Comfort of Friends
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Eela grinned. “Oh, I never minded the uniform. I had fun with clothes when I was off duty, though I will say it’s been a wonderful adventure since it got here. I fully believe clothing can change how you feel about yourself and I have definitely used it both as a revelation and armour when needed.”

“I definitely agree. If I am ever feeling down, I get into the outfits I most feel beautiful in. If I am feeling less than confident, I put on my most professional wear. I like to find unique pieces. I love fun patterns as long as they don’t blind me. I am more delicate in style than bold.”

“As for our shopping excursion, we’ll have to pick a day and have Cort put it in my schedule. Otherwise, it’ll never happen,” she said with a lopsided smirk.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“I will have my people call your people.” She said with a laugh and sipped her tea, finishing the first cup.

Rousseau, HotJ

Eela studied her new friend for a moment before a smile crept onto her face. “Want to see one of my little hobbies?” It was something she had picked up again and had just puttered with until this new idea had come to mind. Now it was this tiny bit of secret joy she had shared with almost no one.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Curiosity piqued by the almost secretive nature of the question and attitude, Astrid laid down her almost finished cup of tea and leaned forward. Her eyebrow raised in quizzical way and then she smiled conspiratorially. “Absolutely. I love a good hobby.” There was a sense of joy in her that she was coming to earn a friend like Eela. It had been a long pushed away goal that finally was coming to fruition. Perhaps now she was really finding her own place.

Rousseau, HotJ

Eela set down her own cup and rose. “Come, I’ll show you. It’s in my office.”

She led the way back through the apartment, around and past the kitchen to the first open door just before the main hallway she had led Astrid past initially when she had arrived.

Stepping inside, Eela beamed. “Picture just plain walls and windows, a solid floor, and a big desk on the right wall.” A new sit/stand desk that appeared to have wooden legs stoo in the corner, giving her work options that supported her back.

The two interior walls were filled with more of the same recessed bookcases as in the hallway, but at least one of them had a biometric lock on it. The windows still let in light, but had floor to ceiling transparent bookcases with a rolling ladder and track to get to the higher shelves. There were small cubes around the room on the walls, also transparent, where pieces of importance were singled out and displayed. A framed handwritten poem was inside one of the transparent cubes on the wall behind her desk. Another contained a model of a Sovereign-class ship.

But perhaps the most eye catching part was the spiral staircase that led down to a reading nook with more books and a cozy chair.

Eela stepped over and rested a hand on the railing, peering down. “When it’s not in use, I can have a transparent floor covering block the opening so I can walk over it. Karilan also set it up to not only be a safe room, but the stairs are on tracks, so if I’m having a bad back day, they’ll carry me up no problem,” she said, looking back at Astrid.

The office was certainly impressive. It seemed Eela liked natural light around her as much as Astrid did and she appreciated the intelligent design of the room. IT definitely got her mind going about different touches she might incorporate into her own space. She took her time taking in the room while Eela moved around. She was curious about what hobby Eela might have picked up, but ones home says a lot about a person and Astrid liked getting to know more about Eela.

She moved to one of the transparent shelves and crouched only slightly to grab one of two light coloured wooden cases. She brought the first over to her desk and lifted the lid. Inside an interior tray were little compartments filled with not only paintbrushes and small paint tubes, but also little glass jars. She lifted the tray and set it to the side. Underneath were sheets of watercolour paper with what looked like colour swatches. Eela pulled the top one out and set it on the desk. There were different shades of browns, greys, and greens, plus a dark earthy red and some muted yellows.

“So, on and off through much of my life, I’ve dabbled with water colours. Most of the time I’m not aiming to do more than let myself relax and enjoy the way the paint interacts with the paper and how the colours intermingle. But I learned years ago about making my own paints. It’s not really hard, but there are some particular considerations for getting a quality paint.” Eela lifted her gaze from the page and focused on Astrid, her hazel eyes lighting up. “You can make pigments from a lot of different things, including ground up rock. And so I had this interesting idea come to mind to use materials natural to Oed or that others have brought here and make paints from those. They would be uniquely Oedian. And then I my mind got really ambitious and thought what if a bunch of Oed citizens all had a square sheet of watercolour paper and got to use these paints to do their own little painting and then we assembled them like a mosaic into a really large mural. I was thinking of pitching the idea to the Arts Centre as part of the renovations I’m supporting.” Eela sucked in a breath. “It’s such a whim but it feels like the right kind of whim for Oed. Or am I being silly?”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

The Chief Justice returned her attention from the room to the small wooden case. Her eyebrows shot up, and though she was surprised, she didn’t think she should have been. Besides the fact that the palette suited Eela’s taste in colors, it seemed very much like something she would do… if Astrid was any kind of judge. Her fingers traveled over the dry swatches and she smiled. “I think you are a beautiful and complex person Eela. Its an excellent idea. How incredible is it that you made your own paint?” There was a mix of excitement and awe in her voice as she took in the depth of the colors she too found to be some of her favorites.

Eela flushed. Compliments were one thing, but the intensity of it directed at her caught her by surprise.

“It is not at all silly. It is magnificent! You really do undervalue yourself.” Astrid remarked, looking up at Eela and finding she heard the truth ring through her words. Where did such an automatic reaction within someone come from? Eela was talented, intelligent, wise, and yet she didn’t seem to value herself in the way someone with those attributes should.

Rousseau, HotJ

She drew in a deep breath, feeling tears begin to well in her eyes. “Oh, Astrid,” she whispered. Eela planted her hands on her hips and dropped her chin, gathering herself.

When she felt composed enough to speak again, the words got stuck, like they were all jumbled. But she knew she needed to get them out anyway. “Between everything with Cory and our abusive marriage, and then my accident, my confidence has felt so selective. When I was in uniform and in my office, or on the bridge, I knew who I was and what I was good at. I also knew where my weaknesses lay. The beauty of my career was that most of the time I was working with others in a collaborative manner. We utilized each other’s strengths and filled in the gaps of each other’s weaknesses. We were better as a whole. Which so very much mirrors Haliian society.” She picked up a delicate paintbrush meant for line work and traced circles in her palm. “After my accident, and feeling forced to accept the medical discharge, I was angry and grieving, and my marriage compounded every doubt and ill thought I had about myself.” She finally lifted her hazel gaze to her new friend. “I can see it all now from the perspective of someone who has had bright light shone into the dark corners. I can how my ex husband was punishing me for daring to ever live a bigger life than him and he very much saw my accident and the loss of my ship as some sort of karmic payback for whatever sacrifices he might have made.”

Astrid’s mouth opened a little in shock, seeing how affected Eela was by her genuine compliment. She hadn’t thought her words were all that valuable, but it seemed Eela had needed to hear something like it for a while. It hurt a little to hear how hard it had been for her. Even though Astrid had known some of it, it really had only been surface level. She personally knew the pain of someone who was punished for existing and her tender heart bled for the woman before her.

She set the paintbrush down, feeling her emotions hovering on the edge and demanding they have their say. “When I’m in my office in the Tower, or working with the Cabinet, or anything else related to my work, I can push all that crap to the side and be the leader they expect me to be. But ever since Cory showed up and fired that metaphorical torpedo into my life, I was forced to shed those outer walls, to truly let Oed and its people in. You’re seeing the real Eela Dasca, in all her messy glory. But the thing is, she’s new to me too, Astrid. I was so very young when I met Cory. We were married for forty years. I’m trying to give myself grace and be imperfect, but the truth is I’m constantly scared to be judged and found wanting, and that Oed will cast me out. There’s an unhealthy remaining voice lingering in the back of my head that whispers that maybe Cory was right all along. It’s a process, like anything. One I’m doing intensive therapy for. So I guess I need to say, thank you, for saying those lovely things aloud, and ask you to remind me of them now and again. I won’t always need the reminder, but right now I do.” She wiped at tears that had actually slipped down over her cheeks.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Astrid reached forward and gently touched Eela’s arm. Her touch was light but present. A kind and compassionate smile came to her lips as she nodded. “That is a long time to take that kind of abuse. I am glad you are in therapy for it and I know it takes time to face that voice in the back of your mind that tells you all those horrible things and tries to keep you down. It’s like the wrong kind of unwanted and lasting present given by one’s abuser. Eventually, you will learn to identify it and ignore its implications or reach out for reassurance as you need it to fill your bucket.”

She sighed and gently squeezed the arm. “You are not alone here and I will always be glad to remind you that you are an incredible, vivacious, creative and intelligent woman.”

Rousseau, HotJ