Want to meet at the Library?

[smartass_captain]

Jim hasn't braved an audience with Harrowheart's rune blades since his first visit to the death knight's humble abode. If he had the free time and the liver capacity he'd go and see Harrowheart every day just to shoot the shit and take a much needed load off of his shoulders. It's nice to be Just Jim to some people, but he hasn't been able to stop thinking about that insidious laughter when he was alone in the dark hall.

Has had to lie to Felix about what jars him awake at night before he settles back into bed and stares up at the ceiling.

So he puts it out of his mind. Best as he can. There's so many other things that need his attention. So many deadlines to be met and decisions to be made. Lessons to be crafted and taught. He's wearing himself thin enough that even Jim knows this isn't sustainable for much longer. Thankfully there's not much longer they'll have to wait. In either case his new ship's departure date is steadily approaching and with it Jim's plans will have to be put to the test. His sleep or lack thereof won't make that date come any slower.

But that is the how and why when the what is most important. Jim Kirk is dozing off at his seat with a stack of textbooks detailing the properties of electricity and its application in basic engineering when his arm slips and knocks the largest off the pile to the floor in a clatter that echoes through the near silence of this grandiose space. It jars Jim from his nap and probably spooks the heck out of anyone nearby.

Comments

[weathering_it]

Tams and Lawrence
One minute you're enjoying a nap in a silent library, the next there's a boom and a squeak and you're startled awake, arm(s?) flailing as your chair nearly tips over. That's just how it is when you're Lawrence. He's used to it by now – or at least he's resigned himself to his fate.

Nearby, Tamminy is laughing as she fans her face to banish the heat from her embarrassed cheeks. "Get a load of that asshole," she whispers to Lawrence as she nods at the captain. "Dropped his book."

"He might be the asshole who dropped his book, but you're the asshole that woke me up squeaking."

"I didn't squeak! I don't squeak!"

"Right, excuse me. You ejaculated a high-pitched utterance."

"Lawrence," she groans, "Don't say ejacula–"

"Wait, hold up. I think I actually know that asshole."

Lawrence adjusts his glasses and squints across the short distance at... Yeah! Yeah, that's the guy!

"Fuck," he mumbles, turning to Tamminy. "Don't let him know we're here. He accidentally saw me having an emotion once."

"A bad emotion?"

"Are there any other kinds?"

She scoffs, and he clarifies, "It was about my brother, so." Ah. That she gets.

Tamminy's large eyes slide away from Lawrence back to the man who dropped his book. She stares and stares, then eventually tries to comfort Lawrence with a little nod. She looks back to her book, then quietly asks, "What was his name?"

"Huh? I... Shit, uh... Jjjjjjim?"

Tamminy frowns thoughtfully as she nods. She returns to her reading, but just when Lawrence closes his eyes she whisper-hisses, "Harrowheart's buddy Jim?"

Lawrence's brows twitch.

That's all she needed to know.(edited)
She takes in a deep breath, and before Lawrence can clap his hand over her mouth she shouts across the library.

"HEY! JIM!"


Jim
It's pretty difficult to mistake James T. Kirk for many other people in the Nexus given his uniform and overall Jimitude unless it was in fact with another James T. Kirk who also calls this place a frequent haunt. May Lawrence never find out there's more than one of this fucker walking around the Nexus. Generations past would write epics out of his complaints. He's got the doofy looking gold shirt on with the weird flower petal-esque insignia on the chest and the same stupid hair as the last time Lawrence saw him.

It's definitely the guy.

The Guy who--at Tamminy's shout--lets out a yelp in a tongue the Nexus helpfully sees fit to translate into 'son of a netch shitter' for anyone close enough to hear before he also nearly falls out of his chair. By now there's a chorus of angry shusshings and glares honing in on both of their tables from all over the library floor. Jim's pretty sure he hasn't had this many people looking at him with hate in their eyes ever and that's a pretty tall order for him. He's getting to his feet. Straightening his uniform, gatheirng up his armload of books. Putting on his best 'in command' face to stare down most of the people glaring his way but he also looks for the source of that shout. He won't find the small package it came from right away, but inevitably he will recognize Lawrence and narrow both eyes in a confused squint as he approaches.

The small woman is new. She'll get a polite nod. Was she the one shouting?

"....Well, I think we've successfully made enemies of the entire library." His voice is as quiet as he can make it, gaze flitting from Harrowheart's brother to this new person. "To what do I owe the honor?"(edited)


Tams and Lawrence
"Made enemies?" Lawrence asks with a huff. "People are enemies by default. We're only reinforcing the truth."

"Lawrence," Tamminy groans, "Is stupid shit like that actually what you say to other people? Like, with a straight face and everything? I'm so embarrassed for you right now..."

Lawrence looks smugly at Jim while Tamminy looks away, hand on her forehead. It's a few seconds before she can muster up the courage to introduce herself properly to Jim. She extends a hand for a shake and says, "Dr. Tamminy Photovolt. And the honor, if you can call it that, is that I heard you know Lawrence. Or, um, more accurately, you know his brother, and Lawrence by extension. You're the guy Harrowheart used to get beers with now and then, correct?"


Jim
These two must get along really well.

There's something of the way he and Bones interact to be felt in the exchange between Lawrence and Dr. Photovolt that has Jim offering a friendly--if not slightly uncertain--smile their ways before he looks round for a chair so he can join them at their table. Nor does he hesitate to take the doctor's petite hand in his own to give it a shake.

"Captain James T. Kirk, of Starfleet. I've heard of you, actually. It's good to meet you in person." This is the doctor Harrowheart had help wire up his house, even if the undead never did make any use of it yet. "And Lawrence, once again. Always good to see you." Even if he makes a fuss about it being a pain. Jim doesn't mind. Once he's got a seat to join them he offers Tamminy a nod.

"I'm one of Harrowheart's Nexus friends, yeah. Known him for about as long as he's been in this place, actually. Though Lawrence I've only met once before." He didn't pull any punches at the time and Jim doesn't expect now will be much different. He has some small idea of the fact that Harrow's kept his distance since and the captain's none too eager to get in the middle of a family quarrel now. Still, he liked Lawrence enough and Tamminy is of interest so he'll see what they want. Can't hurt anything.


Tams and Lawrence
"You've heard of me?" Tamminy peeps, at first surprised by the fact and then worried for the implication. She laughs anxiously and frets with her books, shutting them all in a hurry and pushing them aside.

"What have you heard? And who told you?"

She's staring at you with them big ol' eyes, Jim. The woman wants the tea. Spill it!

Jim
"Harrowheart told me you were an electrical engineer and one of the finest minds he knows and that you helped him wire up his house while it was being built."

Though he's giving Lawrence a bit of a side eye right now because Jim's pretty sure Harrow called her his brother's girlfriend and while Jim's aware Harrowheart has several brothers this one is the one here with the good doctor. Interesting.

"Sorry, I realized he didn't mention you by name and I could be mistaking you for someone else. He said his brother's girlfriend helped with that, actually."

[weathering_it]

Jim's encouragement brightens Tamminy's face. She smiles for him and laughs delicately. "I know what you mean about not fitting in. I was always the weird one who wanted to go leave the city for the surfaceworld. I got a lot of looks when I proposed solar power to a subterranean society. But look who's laughing now: Me, because I'm the only one left alive."

Lawrence coughs a laugh, then lightly slaps Tamminy's arm with the back of his hand. "Don't make me laugh about stuff like that, you'll make me look bad."

"Oh, I'll make you look bad?"

Lawrence looks away to hide his smile and rolls his eyes for good measure. Tamminy shakes her head at Jim. Can you believe this guy?

"So," she says, "I've got a question for you, Mister Starship Captain. What's your ship fueled by? Are solar sails viable for space travel, or would it never produce enough energy to fuel an entire ship?"