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

[smartass_captain]

Not together, they say. Jim's heard that before. Coming out of his own lying sack of shit lips for nearly a year, even. But these sorts of things take time to admit if they even want to. If other people and circumstances hadn't forced Jim onto admitting what his own traitorous feelings were would he be in the situation he's in now? Decidedly not. He could have danced around it for years. Ages.

Until he was forced to look it in the eyes for what it was. Like his older counterpart had with his partner. Because at his core he's still only Jim Kirk. Tamminy Photovolt and Lawrence Weatherhill should be free to define their relationship on their terms even if the choice is not to.

It still makes the captain curl a smile across his lips watching them.

"It's not something most folks have to consider until they're a different distance away from their star, to be fair." That's an awfully fixated gaze though. It would be unsettling if he hadn't seen it before in Scotty's face right before his best ideas seem to spring to light. Stopped, however, by Lawrence. Probably for the best. He's felt those problem solving migraines before. The best kind of headache, if pain can ever be treated as best.

And her lament, well. Jim understands it all too well. It speaks to the ache in his own chest to be so close to his mission and yet still held back from it. To the time wasted every day while new unseen phenomena sit just outside the scope of his grasp. To the nebula they have a newly formatted map of and all the possibilities beyond it, waiting for Jim's ship to be finished.

Maybe that's what Tamminy needs. Not Starfleet, perhaps. But her own version of what it is to Jim. She needs something here in the Nexus or back in her own world--

She's the only one left alive.

Jim licks at his bottom lip and swallows the words so nearly slipped past them. She would already be doing that if she could. Her mind? Her drive? She's not aimless by choice like Jim was. She's lost. Without a place to put that mind to use. And Lawrence? Without anyone to make use of the skills he has and stuck in a rut of his own disability and lack of options. Working as serfs on Ixis Naugus' land when they could be...

"I might know a place that could use a mind like yours." And then he smiles at Lawrence too. "Both of yours."

[weathering_it]

Something changes in Jim. Both of them notice, and both of them process it in their own ways. Tamminy sits straight and folds her hands, her eyes now focused in an open, listening way. This might as well be a make-or-break interview for her.

Lawrence, after looking away, solemnly begins to nod. "I think I know what you're about to propose."

It breaks Tamminy's concentration and she turns to look at him.

Lawrence nods once more, eyes closed. "A place where minds like ours belong? Don't you get it?"

Tamminy begins to whisper, "Sta–"

"Garbage Depot, Tams."

With a cobra's speed she reaches out and swats his hand, and even as he giggles and snorts she scolds, "The Captain was being serious, Lawrence! Try it for once! Swine!"

[smartass_captain]

Snort.

Jim's as surprised as they are that he just laughed but even as a hand jolts up to cover his own mouth the captain is tipping forward and laughing and they're gonna get Shushed again by the library patrons but Jim doesn't even care this time. There's some wetness beading at his eyes from how hard he's holding back from guffawing loudly like the country bumpkin he grew up as.

"Gar...bage. Depot..!" Oh man, he's shaking from all the held in belly laughs. Wipes at his eyes with the heel of one hand. First one, then the other. Whew, okay. Good? Goo--chuckle. Okay no, for serious though. Good? Good.

Jim clears his throat.

"Starfleet, actually. You're both from Azeroth which is familiar with space travel and has had first contact with sentient life from beyond your planet. I could get you both an interview with the head of admissions if you were interested."

[weathering_it]

Lawrence tries at first to hide his pride at getting a laugh out of the captain, but he quickly decides: You know what? Nah. Go ahead and smile smugly. He doesn't comment, doesn't even watch as Jim laughs, but holds his half-arm with the opposite hand as if he'd like to cross his arms and smiles out across the library.

Tamminy groans. "Captain, don't feed the beast..."

But when Jim gets a hold of himself both parties turn with raised brows to look at him. Lawrence shifts his attention to Tamminy, but she can't seem to get her eyes off the dashing captain.

"You'd really extend that kind of offer to us? Knowing us as little as you do?" she asks.

"I'll think about it," Lawrence says coolly.

"Think about it?"

"Yeah, Tams. I'll think about it. It's an amazing offer, but I'm not my brother. I'm not just going to say yes to every deal that comes my way. I'll think about it... And determine how likely Harrowheart is to strangle me out of jealousy if he ever finds out."

Tamminy half-rolls her eyes, but not in mockery – in agreement. "It's bad enough you're down an arm. We'll have to get that fixed before you go for any interviews."

"Just because Starfleet doesn't take corpses doesn't mean they don't take cripples."

Tamminy pulls an uncomfortable face. Lawrence might have been joking, but realistically... Well, she'll turn to Jim to answer that one.

[smartass_captain]

"Well, yeah, I'd expect you both to."

Jim glances between Lawrence and Tamminy before he nods toward Harrowheart's older brother. He's got the long and short of it. Going to another world and adapting to their rules and customs isn't a small order. "There's a lot more to it than simply being interested but if you're not then why bother with any of the rest of it?"

He can't guarantee their acceptance like he did with Jaylah. Those kinds of favors have already been called in--but he knows the procedure in Starfleet post-Narada. The captain's willing to bet the Academy will rule in favor of these two if they complete the vetting process. It works in their favor that the fleet is still scrambling to get warm bodies into the Academy to fill the gulf of empty seats left in the wake of disaster that's plagued Starfleet in the form of attacks in the last few years.

"He's got nothing to worry about there. It won't hurt his chances of being accepted. Will mean you're probably going to be required to get and complete PT with a prosthesis but that's all."