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smartass_captain
It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. Masterpost for Dragon Age Veilguard AU overflow + psls
smartass_captainIt's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. Masterpost for Dragon Age Veilguard AU overflow + psls
smartass_captainIt's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. Masterpost for Dragon Age Veilguard AU overflow + psls
Profile
Jim Kirk
Page Summary
Active Entries
- 1: Bohemian Rhapsody circa 1403 - KCD psls/overflow
- 2: Balder's Gate 3 PSLs/Overflow
- 3: Veilguarding - an open post for DAV AU shenanigans
- 4: The Academy AU for sensors
- 5: Permissions
- 6: Shedding Light Part 3 - Demons in the Dark [Ongoing Post with conjuredskies]
- 7: 3. Burying the Hatchet - A First Step
- 8: A Very Nexus Reception
- 9: Rematches and Requests (for boldygoing)
- 10: Of Warnings and Tactical Retreats ( For mr_enterprise, primelogic )
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- Base style: Five AM by winterfish
- Theme: Acidity by timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2025-06-14 10:15 pm (UTC)[Jim mumbles. As though the Venatori were ticks or mosquitos with leanings toward his blood. At Neve's warning, Jim can feel her tense. He sets his jaw.]
How convincing? If I need to get handsy is up top or the back better? Tongue or no?
[This is a job and Jim's being real clear that whatever happens, IF it has to happen, will be consensual and agreed upon beforehand.]
As far as I go, just don't touch the scar on my neck. Anything else is fair game, including degradation. I know the part I'm here to play and I like to think I know what you do and don't mean right now.
[He sucks in a breath and squares his shoulders. His smile is charmed and charming once more.]
I'm ready to slink away with my...gracious patron. Perhaps be reminded who I belong to.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-27 07:37 am (UTC)[ between bellara, emmrich, and neve, any curse he might have picked up will at least be easily found and hopefully dispelled.
she appreciates his immediate business-like tone and questions. they don't waste time on theatrics between them. both knew what this might take and it's good to have confirmation that they are still thinking along the same lines as to what is necessary to get this dangerous relic out of venatori hands. ]
Back and no tongue to start, but if we have to really sell it, then hands at my sides and tongue.
[ they haven't known each other for long, in the grand scheme of things, but jim has earned her respect. and varric trusted him, which means she trusts him at least enough for this. besides, if he ever pushes her too far, she knows her magic can handle him. ]
Noted, [ she says in response. she doesn't want to have to really sell the venatori mage side of this relationship unless she absolutely has to, but he's placed his trust in her hand and so she has to place some of her trust in his.
feeling him shift back into his part, she leans into her own, the grimy sort of i own you smile crawling its way back across her lips as they near the door. like she wants to remind both him and anyone who might be watching that this toy belongs to her alone.
they still have some small distance to cover before they reach the door and once they do, she waits for an opportune moment to slip it open and get both of them through as quickly as possible and as quietly as they can. the slave she'd seen is down the hallway by now, making a motion through another open door leading to... a staircase? might be the servants' stairway down, which means they won't have to worry about being caught by the host or another guest if they're quiet enough. no proper man or woman of station would be caught dead in the servants' hallways. ]
Eyes open, [ she says, nodding in the direction of their quarry. they'll both need to be on alert in case someone else decides to make their way down this hallway. she keeps one hand slightly lifted, testing the air around them for anything magical that might be a trap or an artifact, anything that could hinder them or blow up in their faces.
she trusts nothing. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 07:36 pm (UTC)That said, Jim relaxes tremendously when he sees where they're being lead to. Even IF it's a trap, it'll be one he doesn't have to pretend to be a Venatori's soporati whore for. He doesn't have his bow on him, and in quarters this cramped he wouldn't even have use of it if he did. But he has a fancy hidden blade Bellara had given him strapped to his calf beneath his trouser leg. If they have to fight, he won't be unarmed.]
Sad that I'm almost hoping this is a trap so I have something to stab. [Jim mutters quietly.] We deserve something nice when this is over.
[He darts forward to follow the servant, his fine shoes quiet on the floors as he creeps along. His hand holds the door open when he gestures to Neve.]
Heading down by the looks of it. It's not lit though--best be careful.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-31 06:29 pm (UTC)[ neve shares that sentiment. it's why she has an uneasy feeling deep in her as they cross the corridor and follow the servant down the stairs. they're now in an area that no guest should be seen in, and most wouldn't be seen dead in, but there's always a chance the owners might turn up. they're hardly unarmed. he has a blade and she, being a mage, has magic at her fingertips and a half staff at her hip.
helps to be the upper class in this instance. few bat an eye at mage's accessories.
she does her best to keep her footsteps quiet, but the thing about her prosthetic is it's never truly silent. quiet is a luxury she doesn't always have. she nods to rook's caution. she could pull up some magic to help light the path forward, but in a place like this she may as well just shout out their position. no one where they are going should be using magic at all and it would be very obvious that anyone who is shouldn't be there. ]
You're after the relic, [ the servant whispers once they've reached the bottom of the stairs.
taking a chance, neve nods. ] Do you know where it is?
Down the corridor. Other set of stairs. It's directly below his study.
[ neve glances over towards jim. ] Bet that's how they plan to bring it in later.
If you take it now—
[ neve inhales sharply, her gaze going back to their helper. ] If we take it now, they'll know we had help. I don't want to do that unless we can guarantee your safety. Take you all with us. You don't deserve to suffer their wrath.
[ her eyes once again flit to jim, asking him without words what his opinion is. above them, soft footsteps cross the hall they just left, moving from close by to the other side, likely where the relic is supposed to appear later. they're running out of time to decide. ]
Been on a bit of a Gustave kick but we back. I can't abandon The Boy for long
Date: 2025-08-18 01:08 pm (UTC)[Jim's voice is calm, despite the pressing urgency. The servant shakes his head.]
None living. Mages have other security measures at their disposal.
[Jim lifts a brow toward Neve. A considering tip of his head to one side.]
How confident are you in breaking those warding runes and curses? I could go with him back to the servant's quarters and get everyone we can out. I've got a few favors I can cash in, see to getting them somewhere safe to stay if you think you can handle the relic. Not too keen on splitting up, mind. If this goes south for either one of us...
[There won't be backup to call soon enough.]
both boys deserve attention!!
Date: 2025-08-20 03:50 am (UTC)[ the concern isn't in the wards themselves so much as the time it might take. they haven't much of that, but at this point... it's split up and maybe one of them has a rough time or stay together and risk the servants who told them where to find this. ]
Get them out. I'll do what needs to be done.
[ and if that means waiting until the host has fetched the relic and is partway to delivery, then that's what she'll do. hopefully, it won't come to that. she has plenty of experience with wards. this should be little different.
she won't hope for him to come back for her if he gets everyone to safety in time, nor will she ask him to; she's not in the habit of hoping. instead, she'll plan for a timeline where things go well and where things go horribly wrong for her. ]
Ready when you are.
no subject
Date: 2025-09-07 06:23 pm (UTC)Hey. I'll be as quick as I can then make my way back here. Try to leave me some sign of the way you took so I don't accidentally trip over any runes you didn't Have to disarm, alright?
[He twitches a faint smile her way. Jim trusts her enough not to say 'be careful' but it's there in the gaze he gives her anyway before he pats her shoulder once in a sort of farewell then pulls back with a nod.]
If I don't see you, I'll circle back and meet up at the usual spot.
[By the Eluvian, he means.]
where did this month even go
Date: 2025-09-28 06:38 pm (UTC)she nods once, firmly, in answer. leaving signs won't be hard. she has plenty of ice at her disposal, after all. ]
See you soon, [ is all she says in response, though the slight upturn to her lips at his words says that she appreciates the familiar touch to her shoulder, much more personal than anything they did upstairs.
squaring her shoulders, she turns down the corridor that will lead her to the other set of stairs, pulling her staff out of its spot at her hip and moving cautiously forward. as jim starts searching for the remaining servants and slaves, neve quietly sends the ones she runs into down towards him. they won't catch all of them. she knows the chances are high that one will be missed, but she does her best anyway. neither she nor jim wants to lose anyone if they can help it.
turning the corner at the end of the corridor, she spies the other set of stairs. pausing to listen carefully, she hears some noise above. footsteps, voices she can't quite make out, and then both retreat away. she takes a slow, deep breath to steady herself and steel her nerves before she climbs the stairs. luckily, the steps are padded with carpet. not the best carpet, not the soft kind they would use for the upper levels, but enough to muffle most of her prosthetic, if she's careful.
she takes another moment to listen at the top, judging that the voices she needs to avoid are away for now. a glance around the corner shows her an open corridor, polished and clean. definitely one of the main areas, which means she should be close. letting out her magic as far as she dares, she finds herself drawn to a door on the right. directly below his study. her mental map tells her this door should lead to a room that would be around that area in a normal mansion. and the runes and wards she can sense on the door suggest the same.
she doesn't have much time and she knows it. jim could be gone the whole time she's here; she might not have back-up. if something goes wrong, and she knows it will, she's on her own. no one's here to watch her back.
she darts forward as quietly as she can, reaching her magic towards the first ward. it's tricky, wants to explode, and takes all of her mental concentration to shift into place and then unlock. she manages it, without setting anything off, but the length of time it takes makes her start to really feel the time limit. still, she sets to work on the next one, her teeth gritting and arms shaking as she dismantles it. there are 5 in total and 3 runes inside that she has to dodge. and is that a secondary door? clearly marked with more runes and wards. charming. but her magic tells her the relic is behind the second set, so she gets to work again.
unfortunately, it takes long enough for her to get those down that someone is on their way to get the relic for the show by the time she's even ready to look for the damned thing... ]
Time is attacking us personally
Date: 2025-10-14 01:22 pm (UTC)Now the time is really ticking down. No one may notice The Help when they're flitting about underfoot serving their betters, but they'll sure as hell notice when their cups run dry and there's scarcely an elf or a branded human to be seen to remedy that.
Maybe though....the server said something about the 'show' being about to start. Maybe they'll be distracted. Good news for him and the elves. Bad news for Neve Gallus. Jim darts off and grabs up the first charcoal he can and charts out a rough map of where the elves need to go (rough pictures only, he knows they can't read) and hands it off to the leader.]
I'll take you off the grounds safely, but then I have to go get my partner. You're going to stick to the alleys and follow along the shore road until you find a little incense shop next to a news stand. You'll take that up. Just keep going straight until the shop I told you about. Ask for Fletch. Tell them Kirk sent you. Alright? If you get lost, I made a rough guide there for you.
[His hand is squeezed by several of the servants as they pass by. Jim wishes he could appreciate it. Wishes he had time to see them off all the way, then come back. Wishes he wasn't counting the seconds he's not moving. The elves vanish from sight of the gate. Jim darts back inside. Pads through the marble halls using the servants corridors as swift as he can manage quietly.
Down. Down.
Down. Until voices can be heard. Jim leans against the servant's hidden door and listens while catching his breath.]
--Rather droll that you've kept this a surprise all this time, Germund.
[A smug chortle of a man who Jim knows has committed unspeakable sins in the pursuit of power.]
Our Lord has been so gracious to entrust Me with such gifts and it wouldn't do to let the rabbit out of the sack too soon, would it?
[Neve will be further in yet, but they'll soon find evidence someone's been breaking in. Jim readies his bow and takes a deep breath. He'll only have the element of surprise once. His foot nudges the door open. Jim leans out, bow drawing taut. A clean shot at the back of the neck. But it's the trailing magister Jim had been able to hit. Which means when Magister Germund turns Jim knows he's about to face whatever full force of the house the man can muster. But he turns to an empty corridor. Jim has retreated back along the servent's hall to cut around back to the main hall.
The confusion ought to buy him a Little extra time. What can he set on fire? What Neve Gallus needs is a Distraction.
But Neve's well aware of a lot of shouting now, for one thing.]
TRULY i'm ready for it to stop
Date: 2025-11-02 01:42 am (UTC)in her experience, no one ever goes back for her and not for a split second does she think jim will. not so much as a passing thought. she's on her own, which is why she'd frozen the door. hoping that it would stall them enough to give her time to get the relic. after that... well, it's time to pray that she can get out with it or else she'll become the first sacrifice of the night.
the ward finally clicks and goes dim, opening the second set of doors. the owner was careless. he'd placed all of his protection on the outside and none of it on the item itself, giving her a direct line to it. neve isn't stupid, though, and checks it over with her magic. appears clean and so she gently picks up the case it's in and tucks it into the small bag under her coat.
turning, she scans the room, either for somewhere to hide or another escape route. a quick look around doesn't find any other exits, which she expected. so it's either hide or try to make a break for it. stealing herself, she moves back to the first door and listens closely, hoping whoever has come for the relic is distracted by whatever caused the yelling and that she will have precious moments soon to drop the ice barrier and get out of there. ]
I'm never happier than when I can writ Jim Kirk making a Scene
Date: 2025-11-10 08:02 pm (UTC)It's only a temporary fix. Sooner or later Germund may decide to deactivate the wards himself to use his gift on the miscreants who dare to strike his event, but for just a few moments more he must think it's safest right where he's left it.
Sooner or later someone will think to check the servants' corridors Jim has been darting between. Though few but the master of the house will even know where to look for them. They are designed to be out of sight. Out of mind.
He watches at a crack in one of the doors as the Venatori and other well to do churn and shriek demanding answers. He takes a deep breath and in his best attempt at the high born Tevene calls out,]
What?! Spies???? Here?!?!
[Just to let that worm brew contempt among the guests where it may. He has to stop to cover his face with a cloth the more the smoke begins to build and sting at his eyes and lungs. Come on, Neve... nothing for it. He has to double back down and hope he can find her along the way and take her toward the side door the servants had shown him.]
i live to serve etc LOL we'll find more reasons for this
Date: 2025-12-02 01:34 am (UTC)or somebody came back for her and she knows exactly who would be that reckless. if they make it out of this alive, she'll thank him later.
she knows where the stairwell is, how to get from this floor down to the servants' floor. she hears more shouting and the sounds of footsteps. it's really now or never. they'll come to get the relic sooner or later. if she moves now, she might get caught; if she stays, she'll definitely get caught.
taking a breath to steady herself, she touches the pouch at her side. it still bulges with the box holding the relic, but something tickles the back of her mind and she gives the room another glance, taking precious seconds to think over what's been going on. it was too easy to grab the container; even with this disruption and getting the servants out, this job has been too easy. something's not right.
and that's when she sees it. a ward on a small table off to the side. ]
Dammit.
[ more precious seconds pass as she disarms this trap, her fingers and arms straining. the voices are getting louder. neve grits her teeth and gives her wrists a twist and the ward fades. something fizzles at the edges of her awareness and she knows her already limited time just got more limited. but her magic tells her this item is the relic. for sure this time.
carefully, she tucks it into her pouch alongside the box. it looks like a glass shard, shaped like a piece of a dagger or a broken vase, which immediately makes her wonder if there are more pieces to the set. she's sure there isn't another one here; she hadn't sensed it all night and she would've. but someone else might have the companion. perhaps the one who was supposed to receive this one...
she hears the last three words shouted into the distance then and a small smile curls her lips as she recognizes the lilt of the accent. so he did come back for her. but that also tells her she doesn't have much time at all. releasing her ice barrier, she leans out of the room and when she doesn't see anyone immediately between herself and the stairwell, she makes a run for it, leaving a gentle trail of ice along the far wall, by the relic room's door.
all so rook will know she got out if he sees it.
for now, she heads down the stairs as quickly and quietly as she can, but at this point speed is her best friend and there's only so quiet she can be with her leg. so off she goes, magic at the ready, prepared to find any number of enemies ahead. ]
There's a reason 'Distraction' is an off-limits word on the Enterprise lmao
Date: 2025-12-11 02:29 pm (UTC)Jim skids to a halt outside the relic room not a minute later. Neve's not here. Fuck. He almost doubles back again but for that soft trail of ice that catches his eye. He halts in place. Glances from one hallway to the stairwell.
Makes for the stairs too. Which means Neve will hear footsteps behind her all too soon though the first shout of a Venatori gets silenced mid-yelp by an arrow in the throat. Rook dashes past her, swapping bow for blade.]
Fancy meeting you here. [A cheeky murmur, but his scratchy throat tells a story too.] We gotta move.
hahahaha XD trouble always follows!
Date: 2025-12-23 09:17 pm (UTC)Could say the same about you. Any idea how to get out of here? [ something other than the front door. chances are, they won't have the opportunity to leave in any of the normal exits. too many guards, too many patrons. too easy to get caught and made an example of with the very relic she's smuggling out of here. ]
I got it, by the way. Took too damned long to find the real thing, but I've got it.
It's so true...
Date: 2025-12-29 02:52 am (UTC)[Rook brings up the collar of his jacket to cough into the fabric of. Ugh. His eyes are watering something fierce.]
They're gonna know the relic's gone any second now if they don't already. I really don't want to find out what it does for real. I heard the guests speculating while I was upstairs and I like my insides where they are.