Catching Up [For Carol Marcus]

[smartass_captain]

The good thing about being in a weird multiverse meeting point is that there's no shortages of doors to other worlds and places. There's a particular cafe Jim has frequented more than a few times since he's ended up in this place.

Good of place to go as any. At the very least, it's off the beaten path and there's coffee and real tea. The ship might have been a more appropriate place to take her, but replicated is not decent, as far as Jim is concerned.

Once they've got some drinks (black coffee for Jim) they can pick a quiet spot in a corner somewhere to catch up.

"Hopefully the tea here is decent. I haven't had it myself, but. Better than what we've got on the Enterprise, that's for sure."

Comments

[smartass_captain]

It had changed everything for all of them. Whether they wanted to admit it or not. It was good to consider the crew a second family. Especially since in some cases many of them lacked a blood family to relate to.

Of all things, Jim's actually getting help out here for his mental health. Sometimes, it's easier to admit flaws to strangers. He hasn't been sleeping well, but a quick check with Bones would prove he's been that way since before the Academy. Jim Kirk is a man too busy for sleep and food.

"I've got a dump phone from one of the commercial districts round where I spend most of my time in, but it only works in this place, not on the ship." Which, considering they're going to the farthest corners of their galaxy, makes a fair bit of sense. The weird thing is how a door to another dimension is on their ship in the first place. multiple doors even, since Carol's is in her quarters.

[drcmarcus]

"Maybe I should invest. As a precautionary measure, of course." She finally seems to remember her tea and takes a sip to find it significantly cooled. It's not the first time something like that has happened.

"Aside from this place, what else is there on offer? Can you go into other realities through other doors? More importantly, how do you find your way back to your own door?" Carol was full of questions and burning with curiosity.

"Have you been to another reality?" If it was possible then what might they run into? What qualified someone to travel the multiverse as it were? Or was it an entirely random selection? So many questions only barely kept in check.

[smartass_captain]

[nexus_sages is where Jim is talking about, fyi. I dunno how to invite but you should check it out :D]

"Yeah, they're easy enough to come by over where I frequent and they seem to accept pretty much everyone's currency. And bartering." Which is useful because actual paper money hasn't been a thing for a long time.

"I've been to a version of 2013 Brooklyn, New York." Jim smiles fondly. "My friends live in that universe, so I spend most of my time there if I'm not in the multiverse forum proper." Jim really likes it there, but explaining Marvel 616 universe would probably just make Carol worry more.

"The doors can be fickle. Like I said, I was stranded for well over a month before I was able to get back to the ship. That was when I crashed with a friend in his world. And as much as it hurts to say this, the best answer I can give you for how the doors are stabilized is 'magic'." Jim honestly shrugs. "There's a guy that specializes in fixing portals to people's homes, but damn if I know what he does."

[drcmarcus]

[Ooh, definitely! :D Though I'm totally giggling at the Marvel 616 thing. There's a Loki in my head smirking outright.]

"A plus to be sure." If people from different worlds, different times, different universes were able to meet in one place, there would need to be some sort of system in place to keep things from devolving into chaos.

"2013? Fascinating. From our universe or an alternate?" Because now it was really hitting her that there were worlds with entirely different histories. She'd known after the Narada incident-- most of the higher level officers in Starfleet did, it was just different to have it, and the ability to traverse those realities, right there.

And that's the first thing to really dampen her enthusiasm. The potential to get stuck. As much as she'd love to discover what these other universes have to offer she's pretty attached to her own.

"With some of the things we've seen it doesn't really seem that far fetched."

[smartass_captain]

[There's a halloween ball going on starting tomorrow. No form to fill to join the comm. You'd be more than welcome :3]

"Definitely alternate." Jim chuckles. "Trust me on that one. I met my like...super great great grandpa though. A version of him at least." Yeah that was ten kinds of weird, but DNA doesn't lie.

"Do you....want to see it? The place I hang out in?" Jim raises and eyebrow. "So long as you're willing to keep this off the record...I'm okay taking you."

[drcmarcus]

[Ooh! I have a few muses that could do with some air. I might just have to join up.]

That's enough to make her pause. She wonders if... maybe in another reality her father hadn't strayed so far from the path he'd started on. But would she be able to forgive him? Even if it wasn't him, even if she ran into a man that hadn't committed the same atrocities the father she'd watched die had, would she be able to look him in the eyes and forgive what he'd done?

"How did that turn out?" She tries to smile for Jim and mean it. For him that experience must have been wonderful. Or so she hopes.

"I'm the same woman who lied to your face and forged records to covertly study missiles I wasn't meant to know existed. I can keep this off the record." In fact, she was looking forward to exploring.

[smartass_captain]

[Post a question I'll reply even from work! You can even say Jim brought you back there :D :D :D]

"We look like we could be brothers." Jim snorts. "It's...weird." And the smile fades. Carol isn't the only one with problems when it comes to the idea of family. In truth, finding out they were related made Jim certain...he'd be thrown away again. He's just waiting for it to happen.

Oh no, that's too serious. Think. Think like the wind before she asks questions, Jim.

"At least I found out before I invited him to bed." God dammit Jim. Too late. Abort! Abort!

[drcmarcus]

[I'm actually excited. Is that ridiculous??]

Carol snorts out a laugh and then covers it with a hand but there's still an almost gleeful smirk on her face.

"That would have been a level of awkward few have seldom seen. Possibly narcissistic as well." She doesn't bother hiding the smile when she ribs him.

"How did you eventually figure it out? Was it the resemblance or something else?"

you saw nothing

[smartass_captain]

[ You should be excited! Also, realtalk: the ball got posted early. You should totes join and post a welcome to the nexus question, and then Jim can take carol as his plus one to the ball. How's that sound?]

"Got him patched up on the ship, after a nasty fight. Bones had to draw blood. And, well..." Shrug. "DNA doesn't lie."

Of course not ;)

[drcmarcus]

[I have stage fright. It has been years since I've been in a game. OMG. Why am I being such a wuss?]

"It certainly doesn't. Although sometimes it would be lovely if it did." Because there were times when it would be fabulous to deny certain genetic relations.

"Have you met any other relatives? Or versions of yourself? I admit I'm most curious about that. To pick my own brain would be fascinating." It takes her a minute to think about what she's just said. "I mean that in the least self centered way possible, I swear."