nexus_sages | (no subject)

James T. Kirk absolutely loves marketplaces.

It's not necessarily because he's looking for anything, per se, although he does often keep an eye out for interesting books to add to his collection, or maybe a bottle of some kind of exotic alcohol, or some kind of pointless alien gizmo with which to annoy Spock with its purposeless existence. No, he just loves the sheer diversity each bazaar brings to the table.

No two markets have ever been alike, in his experience. Sure, it's not quite as exciting and mysterious as exploring deep space, but it's something of a microcosm of the same, all sorts of goods and cultures thrown into close quarters, and one never knows what one might find just down the street.

His shipboard gold uniform may stand out a bit in the crowd as he meanders along, a faint smile on his face as he leans in to examine someone's wares on display, just enjoying being out and about in the fresh air.

[OOC: Retconning Jim eating bacon in this thread. Hadn't fully considered some of the elements in his backstory at the time.]

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"Entirely," he confirms.

Jim makes a sympathetic face. "Hope you have better luck with your news service than I have. It's not even all bad, but there's no shortage of people who want to whine about my age and inexperience, never mind when they found out I skipped some formalized schooling."

"What is your critics' goal?" Shade-Seeker asks. "What do they champion that you oppose, or vice versa?"

"There are some people who feel I didn't earn my post. I'm Starfleet's youngest captain ever, fresh out of the Academy, and I've already got a reputation for not exactly doing things by the book. They'd rather see a more experienced officer in the center seat just because they'd be older and supposedly wiser."

Shade-Seeker nods thoughtfully, mulling the situation over for a long moment. "Then your needs are twofold," he concludes. "First, to demonstrate that the gaps in your education and experience do not parallel an inability to apply correct procedures, and second to demonstrate that your youth and, hm, bold manner are assets rather than obstacles. Yes?"

"Exactly," he agrees pretty much immediately. "I didn't completely skip out on education after I left school; I taught myself and traveled a lot. Starfleet Academy wouldn't have taken me if I couldn't pass the entrance exams, and I wouldn't have passed three years of classes either, but some people just see the years of nothing on my transcript and assume it means I'm a washout."

"I've only had a year to start proving my promotion was not a fluke or a mistake, and I really don't know how long it's gonna take." He certainly doesn't sound defeated, though. Giving up is not in his vocabulary. And if the news want to badmouth him behind his back, fuck 'em.

"Then I wish you good fortune. I suspect the opportunities you need will come with time."

"Thanks. Here's hoping you don't have to deal with anything like it either."

"Thank you, the hope is most kind."

[ooc:seems like a good point to wrap up :) ]

[Agreed. Thanks for the thread, it was fun.]

[Thank you too! :) We will have to have our boys meet up again sometime. At the very least, Jim owes Shade-Seeker some books. ;) ]

[Looking forward to it.]