nexus_sages | (no subject)

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Jim Kirk enters the Nexus in a mild daze, still a little stunned at the news he's just received from Command. He doesn't look like he's shaved for a few weeks, but his black Starfleet Academy instructor's uniform is clean and his hair is neatly combed, so it's not like he's been letting himself go or anything.

He gets a cup of coffee on autopilot, before finding a seat to really think over what the hell just happened, a look of hopeful disbelief on his face, like he's been told something that's too good to be true.

"Have you ever had a dream job you never expected to get?" he asks after several minutes, looking up. "For those that haven't, if you knew you wouldn't be home for a couple years, what would you not leave without?"

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"I appreciate that." Jim nudges him gently with his shoulder.

The waitress comes with their drink and food order, at the perfect time when there is a lull in the conversation.

Then Hunter smiled. And asked, "So, did you make any new connections when you asked your question? New friends that might know the other Jim, that I should know about?"

Jim takes a sip of his champagne to gauge its sweetness, before turning his attention to the tart. "Three of them, although I'm not sure they're friends. Adia is, I'm pretty sure. Adia Costas. There was a man named Katsuya... Suou, I think; they seemed more like formal allies than friends. And Amelia Ronsam apparently really doesn't get along with the other me, so she had some apologizing to do once she figured out I wasn't the Jim she thought I was. Hence Operation Grow A Beard," he adds with a wry grin, rubbing his chin.

None of the names are familiar to Hunter. But he keeps them in mind for later.

"Is there a time difference between the two of you?" Hunter is protective of Jim's secrets (the whole bonus of being his confidant), but it sounds to him that there might be other people that know of those same secrets because of the other Jim.

"If the beard is the only way to tell you two apart..."

Jim shrugs, and spreads his hands slightly. "I haven't met him yet, but we must be close enough in age to fool people who know him. I don't know how else to make it obvious, especially if we're in uniform."

"Do you want to meet him?" Hunter tilts his head.

That... is certainly a question. "I probably should, shouldn't I? Ignorance helps no one, and even if it turns out we can't stand each other, we should still know about each other. Right?"

"I don't know how I would react meeting a duplicate. Though I have met other people who had a similar appearance as my former self..." Hunter pauses to reflect.

He takes a strawberry, and steals some chocolate off his own cake before eating it.

"You know that I support your decisions, no matter what."

Jim sneaks one of the strawberries out of the bowl too, popping it into his mouth. "It's probably going to happen sooner or later, whether I want it to or not. Might as well be on my terms."

"Besides," he adds, picking up his champagne flute, "I've already met a couple Spocks. Might as well say hello to myself."

Hunter has to chuckle at that strawberry stealing. (They are for the table anyway).

"Now I know this will be extremely difficult, because you are so charming and handsome," Hunter picks up his champagne flute. "But do try not to fall in love with yourself. Your ego is already the perfect size."

"Aw, and here I thought loving yourself is the first step towards happiness," Jim jokes, grinning, and holds out his glass in a pseudo-toast. "To making less stupid decisions."

"And to a successful mission for the Enterprise and her crew," Hunter adds to the pseudo-toast, before letting the tops slightly chime together.

"I'll drink to that," Jim agrees, and does so.

"Five years..." he muses out loud, taking a bite out of the apple tart. "I still can't believe it. I'm gonna have to bring a lot of books and coffee."

"You should consider keeping a journal. Something that is more than just your standard reports to Starfleet."

Hunter takes a sip of his champagne. And then takes a bite of his chocolate cake.

"That's actually not far off from tradition," Jim agrees, nodding. "Most starship captains keep a personal log as well as the Captain's Log. It's usually audio though."

"And hopefully, you can stay in contact through your PINpoint." It is a worry of Hunter's that for some reason, the PINpoint won't work once Jim leaves on his mission. And that more time would pass before he saw Jim again. (Of course he would always hope to see Jim again. He still has those hopes for other friends, whom he has not seen in quite some time).

"I should send you some poems."

"I've been thinking about that," he admits. "I don't think it's going to be an issue; I've been able to use it away from Earth before, and since it's a device that can coordinate travel and communication between universes, it wouldn't make a hell of a lot of sense if it couldn't compensate for where I am in the galaxy. Chances are pretty good that it'll be fine." Jim is very much not worried about it right now, but he doesn't want to just dismiss Hunter's fear either. They both have good reasons to believe how they do, and maybe by sharing some of his own reasoning, Jim can put his mind at ease.

His smile brightens a little at Hunter's thought. "I'd love that."

Jim's reasoning does help ease those worries from Hunter's mind. And he can see some of that tension disappear from Hunter's shoulders.

"Good. Because while you are pretty special enough to wait for five years... I would get pretty lonely during that time without being able to contact you."

"I'd miss you too," Jim says, and isn't that a weird thing too? Not that he'd miss Hunter, but that now he's got someone to miss. For most of his life, he's had no one waiting for his return. And no one he particularly wanted to go back to.

"I'll try to keep in touch on a regular basis. Not just special occasions. I won't have to hog the subspace transmitter for personal messages if it's by PINpoint."

"That sounds good." And it is something that Hunter can handle, without feeling the distance between them. He takes another bite of his chocolate cake.

"I have a few goals of my own, that I would like to accomplish in the next five years. It is good... to have something to work towards."

"Oh yeah?" Jim asks, interested. His apple tart is mostly gone, and he uses the last bits of pastry to mop up the crumbs. "Art stuff or personal goals?"

"Well, I have found a location for that art gallery, that I want to build as an extension to the Foundation. And as my new residence in New York."

Hunter takes another strawberry, eating it with some cake.

"We also have some interest for the Foundation to have more locations, so it is a State-wide organization, instead of just serving New York."

He toys with his fork for a moment. He doesn't want to bring down the mood, but Jim would want to know. "And that private detective I hired has traced Austin. At least enough that I could look into dealing with him."

Jim nods along as Hunter describes the fruits of his labors, interested to hear what progress has been made on that front. He stills when Hunter mentions Austin, his brow furrowing a little. "That guy who cursed you?"

"Yes him." Hunter takes another bite from his chocolate cake.

"And no, I am not going to try to talk to him alone." He figures that might as well be addressed.

"I didn't think you were," Jim answers, but it's good to know regardless. He knows that Hunter isn't stupid or impulsive, unlike certain starship captains.

Pastry gone, Jim leans back slightly in his chair, sipping at his champagne. "Do you know what your next move is?"