smartass_captain | This is going to take some getting used to...[For Verity, open to Ixis]

There's an awful lot of commotion going on in the tower. Sounds like Ixis has his tail in a knot over something or another. It almost sounds like he's arguing with someone. Guess he's going to head up to his quarters and sulk for a good while.

Typical, right?

Except 'Ixis' isn't upstairs at all. He's looking around the entryway on the ground floor, scowling at everything he sees with equal contempt.

"Well, this is just great." Honestly? Jim doesn't know what to do. He's got his phone in one of the magi's pockets. He supposes the first thing he should do is text Verity and see where she's at. Being all but herded to the ground floor before Ixis went storming upstairs hasn't left him with any more answers than when this whole fiasco started.

Wow, trying to grab his phone with his claw hand isn't going very well. He's just standing there like a doof.

Current Mood: frustrated

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From:

brave_heart_verity

No names needed, she knows who that is and the thought makes her shudder. "Yeah, I know him. He's a creep. But last time, whatever he did to Samus wore off, so that's good at least?"

She won't be letting him drink too fast. He has to take good care of the loaner body. "I'll go and explain. Dr. McCoy and Mr. Spock know me, they'll at least listen before they try to shoot me. We'll figure something out. We'll make it work somehow."

From:

smartass_captain

Jim's not looking to get sick in his loaner body either so this won't be hard for Verity to do. His mannerisms are all the same, from the way he stares into his shotglass while thinking to licking at his bottom lip when he's nervous. It's Jim Kirk, alright. Jim's having a harder time accepting this than Verity will though.

"I keep hoping this is just some stupid nightmare." Her suggestion makes him perk up though. "Yeah..Spock and Bones...they like you. They'd hear you out. Hopefully they won't need me though." Verity's got a point. He needs to stop thinking about what ifs, and focus on what he can do, with this body.

"I think I'll let Ixis calm down a while, then head up and see what there is to be done about this. There's gotta be something I can do to help out.In the meantime..." Jim shrugs. "Whiskey and lunch, maybe?"

From:

brave_heart_verity

Verity's accepted this already. One of the perks of the curse: she knows the truth for certain, so she can slip the 'maybe's and the 'what if's and head straight to acceptance and dealing with reality.

"And we have ways for you to communicate with them from here," she points out. "So between us all, we'll manage something." She once helped with a prison break-in in Asgard via cell phone and Skype. There's no doubt she can rig up something for him to keep in contact with the ship.

"Lunch sounds like a good idea," she agrees. "As does giving everyone some time to calm down. Any requests, or shall I work my usual magic?"

From:

smartass_captain

"I asked Ixis what he ate, and he seems to live entirely off of fruit." Jim pulls a face. He likes fruit but seriously. "So, I mean, I'm all for it if that's all he can eat. But whatever you guys normally eat together is fine."

"Anything I can help with or...?" He gestures vaguely to the whiskey and his glass. "Should I get responsibly acquainted with my new glass friend, here?"

From:

brave_heart_verity

"We don't eat together. He's not that social." Which... has become a disappointment for her. She'd like to actually share these meals she works so hard on with him.

"You can come keep me company if you want, or I can get a fire started and you can relax. Either way is fine." Yes, they have a fireplace; yes, there's two chairs at the hearth; yes, he's in one of them. It's like she arranged the furniture specifically for the people who live there or something. Crazy!

"He doesn't only eat fruit, by the way."

Kitchen magic time! Has Jim ever watched her cook? He might learn something--like to respect her mad skills, because she's super efficient and organized.

From:

smartass_captain

Jim hasn't seen anyone cook, really. He and Clint did some stuff when Jim was crashing with him way back when, but that was pretty much eggs and reheating takeout. Otherwise, replicator.

"Grab my glass for me please?" Jim points to the shotglass. The whiskey he has in his hand as he hops back down to follow Verity into the kitchen area. "That's good to know. Though how rough would it really be if I survived on apples for a day or two?" Snrk.

He can keep her company while she works, or even hold something maybe! Otherwise he's content to sit somewhere and just watch.

From:

brave_heart_verity

Yeah, Mama Kirk doesn't come across as the nurturing type.

She'll grab their glasses, setting his down on the breakfast bar. Naugus usually prefers to sit there when he makes an appearance for food; probably again due to the tail making stools easier than chairs. "An apple a day doesn't seem to keep your friend away. Maybe you're not throwing it hard enough."

And then the magic starts. Good thing she's got apples. (Mental note: get more apples.) (Also, make sure Naugus knows he can't have any strawberries.) Apples, pork chops, sweet potatoes, fennel. That's a good start. Apple cider and mustard for the sauce... and he can help. There's things to stir! That's a one hand, one claw kind of job. He may claim he knows where food comes from, but this will be a thorough education on what it takes to get food from the field to the table.

Ver's not a show-off while she's working, but she can keep up a conversation or a running commentary on what she's doing.

From:

smartass_captain

You have to be around for that.

What an odd sight the kitchen in Verity's tower makes. Naugus, lord of the crystal domain, sitting on a stool cracking jokes while he stirs a something or other for Verity.

"This is done." Jim unclaws the bowl and gently pushes it back toward Verity's side of the counter before pouring himself his second shot of whiskey. He's taking it slow. "I don't know what I was expecting out of this? Suddenly gaining the ability to magic myself a beef cooler or what. Really I just feel awkward and useless. It's kind of a letdown."

From:

brave_heart_verity

There have been weirder scenes. Everyone's wearing their shirts, for one.

"Thank you." She takes the sauce and pours some over the vegetables before giving them a quick toss. "You're not useless. Not suddenly having magic powers doesn't make you less valuable than you were yesterday," she points out. Her almost ceaseless activity slows now so she can give him the bulk of her attention. "You are James Kirk, captain of the Enterprise. You've stopped wars and saved worlds. This is a minor inconvenience. Everything important is intact. Everything else will be dealt with."

He knows how he gets when he gets down on himself like that. He should have been expecting this.

From:

smartass_captain

For now, Verity. For now.

"I'm sure I'll get the hang of it." Being the old gargoyle can't be that difficult. "I did think it'd be kinda cool to know how to do magic though." Sip.

He shakes his head at the pep talk.

"I'm not depressed as much as I am annoyed about this Ver. As long as the crew is fine, I'll figure this out. Plus I got you, so that's a plus. I just don't like the idea of someone else being in my body. It's...weird. Invasive."

From:

brave_heart_verity

...she's done nothing to deserve that kind of threat.

"It is fun," she admits, "but exhausting." He's seen how quickly she's worn out by showing off.

Never shake your head at a pep talk! That's just rude. But she'll concede the point. "That. Yeah. But at least you're both men. As much as you would have loved being a girl for a few days, I'm sure."

She pours some sauce over the pork chops and puts everything on a tray, then into the oven. Then, another round of hand-washing. How does she even still have skin?

"You want a salad with lunch?"

From:

smartass_captain

"It looks rough, yeah." He's seen Spock use his touch telepathy stuff before too. Takes a lot out of you. "I'm sure as hell some kind of man." Jim shrugs. She's got him pegged there, so he keeps any comments on that matter to himself.

Germs are serious business. Or so Bones screamed at him all through the academy. Jim's been trained somewhat on that front.

"Sure. ...I kind of want to try a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich while I'm in this body just to see what it's like."

From:

brave_heart_verity

Reality does not like to be fucked with. That's why it's so hard. That's what she thinks, anyway.

"We can do that, if you're sure? Lunch won't be ready for a little while yet." Half a sandwich won't spoil their appetites. "Crunchy or creamy?"

From:

smartass_captain

"Wh..right now?" Jim's eyes light up and his ears are standing straight up, giving his excitement away even as he tries to regain composure. "Sure. Creamy, please." His tail is curling slightly, thrilled with this turn of events.

"Might as well make the most of the opportunity, right?"

From:

brave_heart_verity

"Right." And she'll be doing her best to help him make the most of it.

She doesn't make her own peanut butter, but it's organic and preservative-free, of course. The preserves are obviously homemade, and so is the bread. A nice loaf of crusty French bread gives up a few slices, crunchy crust and soft as clouds middle. The preserves are practically whole berries in their own thickened juice. They squish nicely as she spreads them around the bread. She prefers crunchy, herself, so she chops up a few peanuts and sprinkles them on her side of the sandwich.

"Here we go. Enjoy."

From:

smartass_captain

Jim watches her construct the sandwich in interest. He's never been able to have peanuts ever. So this is pretty exciting for him. Strawberries were one of many allergies he picked up after the Tarsis incident. He vaguely remembers them, but still. This is a big moment.

Not huge, but there hasn't been much else for him to look forward to today.

"Thanks Ver." Om nom...NUM. "This doesn't sound like an appetizing combination, but damn. Ish good." Jim don't talk with your mouth full. Or maybe that's just a peanut butter thing and he doesn't know any better.

From:

brave_heart_verity

Little moments are worth the effort right now. It's not like she can do anything else to be useful.

She leans back against a counter, holding her half of the sandwich but not eating because she's busy watching him. Seeing him enjoy something for the first time is much more fun. Besides, he's got the peanut-butter-mouth thing going and needs a glass of milk to really complete the experience. Never let it be said she forgets these details.

"I'm going to have to find a good peanut butter substitute for you, aren't I?"

From:

smartass_captain

"I dunno. Maybe?" The milk will be greatly appreciated, but Jim isn't going to talk much more until he's got that half of a sandwich crammed into his gullet.

"I'm not sure what else I'd put it on, if I'm bein' honest." He licks the peanut butter off of a clawed finger and smirks. "But hey, now I know what people are always on about."

From:

brave_heart_verity

"Oh yeah? Let me show you the real magic of peanut butter."

Because she's got another apple. She's got peanut butter. And she's got mini chocolate chips.

Also, fuck appetites, she can live with leftovers if he fills up on this.

"Try that." She takes one wedge for herself, but the rest is for him.

From:

ixis

There's a loud thump from upstairs, which is impressive that the noise carries, given that the whole floor, walls, everything are made from stone. There are footsteps on the stairs, rapidly coming downwards to the first floor...

...but before he even clears the second, there's a yelp and Jim's body comes tumbling down the steps and lands in a limp heap at the bottom.

"These legs are TOO DAMN LONG," is the eventual angered cry from that tangle of limbs. He picks himself up soon enough, holding his left hand awkwardly away from the rest of him. The fingers are-...Yikes. Are they BURNED? They look burned. Badly. All red and raw.

"I! Have injured myself," he declares. Yeah, no kidding, Naugus.

From:

smartass_captain

"...I'm gonna kill him." Delicious apple treat will have to wait. Jim's already scowling and hopping down off the stool to stalk over to where Ixis has landed Jim's body in a heap at the bottom of the stairs.

"...You realize, if our roles were reversed right now, you'd either be bitching me out or laughing your ass off, right?" Wait. What's he doing with his hand. Did he. Jim's ears go flat against his head and he sighs. This time he's at least careful to pinch the bridge of his nose with his hand instead of his giant claw.

"Verity come help this dumbass."

From:

brave_heart_verity

"Knock it off, Jim." The injured party gets first dibs on her sympathy. That's just how she rolls. And that is clearly Naugus, and she'll deal with the fact she has to teach him how to walk later. "Both of you are going to have accidents and that's not on purpose so we're going to be nice about it."

That look of 'don't fuck with me I am out of fucks' includes you, Grandpa. But it relents when she gets a closer look at the burn. "Ooh, that looks painful. I think I can heal it, but... I know you're not comfortable with my restoration magic. I've got some aloe and things that will help it feel better if you'd rather?"

From:

ixis

He's quick to stick his tongue out at Jim since HE'S getting a pass AND attention. Haha, chump. Although he gets a follow-up look from Verity which makes him do his best to look pitiful. Him fingers has owie. :(

"Turns out this body isn't suitable for controlling fire. Also, you can't touch hot things when your hand is not your claw." He learned all kinds of things today. And at the mention of that resto magic, he hisses in concerned thought. "Hhhhh...Might as well find out if it burns me when I'm in someone else's skin." It's going to be so uncomfortable to sit through, but now he wants to know. Let's just burn Jim's bod to a crisp!

From:

smartass_captain

Wow. Is that what he looks like when he makes that face? No wonder he gets hit so much when he mouths off. Jim wants to hit him right now. Hard. A lot.

Learning things about himself already.

"...."Nothing Jim can say isn't going to come out seven shades of sarcastic and hateful, so he keeps his mouth shut at Naugus' utter failure to be careful with his body. But the healing magic is something he has an opinion on.

"My body can handle healing magic. I've had it done before." Like the demon outbreak. Or the chandelier incident at Halloween. But since those were both form similar sources, he's quick to amend. "Both times it was Tamrielian healing magic though. A potion one time, and Felix, the other."

From:

brave_heart_verity

"Now you know why I keep those mitts by the oven," she points out with a little smirk. C'mon, she can't help it. What did he think those were for?

"Felix is the one teaching me this magic," she points out to Jim, "so that shouldn't be the problem." A problem she understands might still exist, so to Naugus she promises, "I'll just do a tiny bit and see how it goes, okay?"

Guess what's shiny and cool looking now? Healing hands, that's what! There's a lot of shiny lights involved, even when she keeps the spell going for as short a time as she can while being sure it worked at all.