nexus_sages | Single Guard Seeks Thief…

“Freezing mountains full of bandits, beasts… and the occasional monster. Skyrim’s beautiful, but she’s not kind. And it really is the back end of the Empire, unless you count the parts that have already exploded.”

He makes sure to give Nana a charming smile and his thanks with the order. On the other hand, he blinks at the idea of Jim trying to charm Stratos – and nnno, he’s choosing not to visualize that.

“Ah- paranoid and uptight. The best of both worlds.” He sips his coffee and reflects that it’s going to come up, so probably better mention it sooner: “Also, my elder brother. I’ve never seen him respond to charm… but then I’m sure you’ll have an advantage.” Okay, the concept is still mostly amusing.

That said, he moves on to answering Jim’s last question. “Perhaps he wouldn’t be so paranoid, but we have a civil war on our hands in Skyrim. Rebels running over half the province or more, civil unrest, some… unpleasant political consequences. It just makes travel a little more exciting. Especially if you don’t happen to be a born-and-bred native Nord.”

"Your older brother is your commanding officer? Oh man, that has to suck ten ways to Sunday." Jim shakes his head. "No way I could handle that. I'd go bananas. So you're related to officers and you still get stuck on a boring as hell 'desk job' equivalent. Nepotism never worked so poorly. Good thing I got you out of that."

"The world itself sounds like one big adventure. Also, pretty dangerous."

"Oh, I'm grateful. It's not the worst post he could have saddled me with - at least it's actually related to my abilities. But I think he was just waiting for an excuse to get me into the Legion." He sighs. Family, tch.

"It is. And both kept me happily employed up until recently. But your world doesn't seem so different. I mean, maybe you don't have dragons, but there must be thousands of adventurers out there, venturing across the stars in search of treasure and glory..."

"Your world has dragons. And you sit and guard a post. Dibs on whoever's job it is to tame those sons of bitches. Do you know how many chicks you could pick up if your ride was a dragon?" Jim sets his cup down before Felix can answer.

"All of them, Felix. What I just said is only real on the front of classical metal band album covers."

“I… don’t know what any of that means.” But Jim’s sheer earnestness is funny in itself. “Dragons can’t be tamed, anyway. They’re more likely to tame you.”

"Says you. Have you ever tried?" Jim he probably knows about this kind of thing better than you. You don't even have dragons. Also, it's probably safer to not try. Trust Jim Kirk to think of the most dangerous activity he could in Tamriel.

Dragon Riding, Skyrim's ultimate extreme sport.

"Seems like a cool place, is all I'm saying."

"I know a man who has," he insists, lifting his chin. Hah! Authority! Although Vanyel probably succeeded so... not the best example to call upon.

"Very well," he says, setting aside his mug and leaning forward. "You show me your world and I'll sneak you into mine. I can even show you where a dragon lairs, if you're determined to try getting roasted."

"You act like I wouldn't be sneaking you into mine. Starfleet doesn't know about the door on my ship, and I intend to keep it that way." He's seen what corrupt men do with power, and the possibilities the nexus provide are not a temptation he wants to allow them to have.

And they say Jim Kirk isn't responsible.

Felix will smell their food coming before it arrives. Jim has a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and an apple sliced into quarters. Felix will have two giant fluffy buttermilk biscuits covered in sausage gravy set down in front of him with a motherly smile from Nana before she refills their coffee and wanders off again. Felix is going to be so wired today.

"So where did you want to take me after we were done 'investigating' this place?" Oh apples, Jim loves you. Om nom.

“Hmm. Perhaps you really will get along with my brother.” He’s not disapproving, in spite of that. There’s something intriguing about the contrast between Jim’s recklessness and responsibility. He insists that he doesn’t care for politics, but apparently he’s not oblivious to them.

Felix tucks in to the food first with curiosity and then enthusiasm. He’s used to lingering over his meals and slows down after a couple minutes. There’s rarely any reason to rush on a cold winter’s day.

“I was thinking to show you some quiet spot where it’s hard to be disturbed. But I’m starting to think your taste in entertainment calls for something more exciting.” He peers at the coffee mug – full again? Well, the taste isn’t bad, especially combined with the food.

"Mmm, guess I shouldn't be surprised you're into exhibitionism. Potentially." Jim is reckless and irrational but he means well, and he takes his job seriously. Most of the time. When it warrants being taken seriously at least.

"What makes you think I'm not? Then again, I can't say no to excitement either. Unless quiet exhibitionism was going to be its own brand of exciting?" Really it's an excuse to tease Felix, and to maybe get the other to grin again. Jim likes his smile, okay.

Don't read into that.

“It’s not exhibitionism unless you get caught.” He rolls his eyes and keeps his voice down, but he’s obviously trying not to laugh. “And I didn’t plan on our being interrupted. I just need to know it doesn’t take leaping out of a spaceship to excite you.”

He knows perfectly well he’s leaving that wide open.

"True, true...I think we've established that i'm not exactly stealthy, however. How would you keep me quiet? I could very well jeopardize the whole 'mission' by accident." Eyebrow waggle, eeeh? Eehh? Aw, Felix isn't grinning yet.

Jim is trying. But there's only so many ways he can insinuate naughties before Nana comes over and slaps him on the back of the head, so he wisely eats his food without being improper.

All is not lost – Felix would really have to be trying to resist that eyebrow waggle. He waits until Nana’s out of range before he breaks down laughing. He's had far too much practice at evading detection. Only when he’s caught his breath does he leans closer and can lower his voice: “I’ll think of something. You’re obviously too good at getting caught.”

He settles back and adds, slightly louder: “This is delicious, you know. Reminds me of the food in Bruma. Do people normally drink so much coffee? Because that raises an interesting question.”

"I survive off of coffee." Comes Jim's immediate response. "Seriously, you ever need to be awake for three days straight, you'll be thanking whatever gods Tamriel has for caffeine." Felix has earned himself a triumphant smile from the proprietress as she disappears back behind the counter.

He can't stop smiling. Felix's laugh is infectious and Jim catches himself grinning despite his attempts to be coy.

"I had to learn meditation," Felix says, a touch plaintively. Not that Tamriel doesn't have alchemical mixtures for everything including unnatural alertness. But he wasn't allowed to depend on them because Stratos.

"You, I can understand. But is it only you or does everyone in your realm need to be kept awake? And then why? What's keeping them all up at night?" The caffeine might be kicking in, but Felix only knows he's taking Jim's smile as encouragement.

"Me, work. Clint? Work. Verity? Wwwwwwork? I don't know, admittedly, on her part." Jim shrugs and tucks into his eggs. It's worth noting that his meal is significantly less food than Felix's is. Bones doesn't complain about Jim's coffee problem because he's even worse. Even in the future there is a need for coffee.

"There's a certain social pressure on a lot of worlds that values overworking oneself. Fast paced lifestyles. Sleep too little, work too much, and caffeine is the glorious bitch that lets you do it without dying. Or wanting to die, at least." Jim shrugs and pointedly sips at his own cup. "Personally, I hate sleep. Keeps me from doing what I want to do. Work, hobbies, people."

"I'm impressed you still manage to enjoy it all. A life without rest is just cruel." Felix pulls a face, but then shrugs a little. "At least you have a reason to stay awake."

The combination of less sleep, more toil sounds horribly unappealing. It's more pleasing to imagine Jim is just too impatient to spare time from indulging his various pleasures. Work, in his case, may be one of those.

"I suppose you don't have time to eat, either?" he adds, not quite able to avoid running his mouth.

There are much better reasons, but they are left unsaid. If Felix accepts Jim's words at face value, than good. That's how Jim wants it to be. He's not lying, not exactly, Jim does hate to sleep. He hates what he sees when he does.

Jim does love what he does. Wouldn't do it otherwise he's much to selfish.

"Eh?" Jim looks down at his plate and there's a tic--really just a flicker of some other expression before he's grinning again. Easy to miss, easily covered up. "Nah, used to eating on ship schedules. Little and often. Believe me, no one wants to clean up space-sickness in zero gravity with it floating everywhere." That is more of a lie, but he's hoping the image puts Felix off from asking further.

Actively hating sleep is often a harbinger of Better Not To Pry - but in Jim's case, it's really too easy to assume he's busy indulging himself. Felix has no business questioning that line.

He does wonder about the look Jim gives his food, though. That's really odd, from a man so bent on enjoying life. Truly excellent food is one of the cardinal pleasures, isn't it?

Whether or not it distracts Felix, it gets another silly face out of him. Jim will learn how to cue all the expressions at this rate. "Ugh. If you need any more healing, I'm not doing it in space. No drinking contests, either."

He's handled more disgusting things, but he does his best to avoid them.

"I'm losing track of how many of those lines are serious, and how many are euphemisms for sex." Jim shakes his head and polishes off the rest of his fourth cup of coffee for the day before he turns back to his eggs to finish them off too.

"The rule of thumb when dealing with me, is assume I take as little time as possible to stop myself from actively doing what I want to be doing." Jim winks in Felix's direction before turning dutifully back to his plate.

“Oh. I’ve assumed everything’s a euphemism since our first conversation.” He might have a very skewed view of Earth now. Granted, Verity’s obliviousness to flirtation sort of counteracts that.

He lifts his mug. “A fine philosophy. I’ll do my best to keep up.” Starting with finishing off his food, which is an easy task even if his stomach’s filling rapidly. He might regret the rush later.

"Good, because I've been flirting with you since our first conversation." Not that subtle is in Jim's usual Modus Operandi, but it never hurts to state the facts, now and again.

"So, I showed you a nice little homey slice of Americana out in the Nexus....I think it's your turn to show me something. UNless you're tired and want to head back to work already?"

"And you'll carry on, I hope." See, Jim? See that hopeful look he's giving you?

Felix sets his plate aside with a shake of his head, on his feet without a thought. After a meal like that, he really should be sleepy, and yet he just can’t wait to drag Jim back out there. “I couldn’t sit at a desk if I tried. Come on, let’s settle up and thank our hostess.”

He hums thoughtfully, fingers drumming on the table. “Do you like forests, by the way?"

He does, God he does. Jim licks at his lower lip, blue eyes flitting from Felix to the door. And then Felix is on his feet and there's a shiver down Jim's spine.

This guy is fucking phenomenal, Jim thinks. He's clever, witty, adventurous, not too serious...and a great lay. He'll get sick of Jim--they all do--but that's okay. Just a bit longer. He'll ride this out a bit longer. Felix is fun. Felix is different. And Jim likes that.

"Speaking my language already. Let me go pay Nana and I'll be right back." Jim squeezes Felix's shoulder as he brushes by and pays for their meal without so much as thinking about how that could be taken or whatever. Jim's the one that brought Felix here, so as far as he's concerned, he should pay for whatever happens. Nana gives Felix a knowing sort of look while Jim's charming her, before letting them go complaint free (that doesn't happen often) and taking them back to the commercial district.

"Forests? As long as they're not trying to eat me or kill me in any way, sure." Jim's entirely cheerful about the prospect. "I love the outdoors. And before you ask, yeah. The last forest I was in tried to eat me and mind control a friend. Sometimes other planets are fucked up."

Felix can see that look in his eyes, and it makes his own smile that little bit wider, quickens his already fast pulse. He’s caught off-guard when Jim goes to pay, but the touch at his shoulder almost distracts him from the implications entirely. Felix struggles to wait patiently, and only realizes he’s fidgeting when Nana looks his way. Somehow he doesn’t think she’s fooled by his attempt to look casual.

There’s a spring in his step as they head back out. He’s too jittery on his feet to cozy up to Jim this time. But he doesn’t stray far and his body stays angled toward the other man, his eyes drawn back to Jim in lingering glances while he listens. Mention of a homicidal forest is actually unsettling, but he can’t help laughing the way Jim describes it.

“Just sometimes?” He shoots Jim a grin, but there’s an inquisitive look close on its heels. “You, er… don’t happen to know whose forest that was, do you?” To him, every planet is synonymous with its ruler – its creator. Naturally that makes it very important to know who's in charge.

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His cousin's out fighting dragons... (no, she is not)

Their icons match omg i just noticed this.

haha awesome!

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