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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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"Here's hoping that'll be soon, then," Jim says, saluting Shade-Seeker with his coffee. "The sooner the war's over, the sooner you can get back to your studies, right?"

He nods in agreement. "Just so. Although I will concede, war has driven my studies to results I would not have considered in peace."

"Necessity breeds invention. Anything particularly interesting? Or is it something you'd need a background in magic to fully appreciate?" Jim's always interested to learn more about other cultures, regardless of who they might be.

"I devised a variation on a spell of rage which needs no background in magic to appreciate," Shade-Seeker offers. "The spell clouds the mind with unreasoning anger, and the subject is driven to attack those nearest, be they friend or foe. My variant adds a splash, covering a wide area and affecting all within. Cast while infiltrating a stronghold of the enemy, it proves very effective so long as I go discreetly."

That sounds kind of horrifying, if tactically useful. Not a great spell to have in the wrong hands, but if the people you're fighting won't back down... well, anyway. "So it's like a kind of... anger grenade. Make them distract themselves."

In the wrong hands, it would indeed be horrifying. Even as part of himself is proud and pleased to have wrought this spell, another part of Shade-Seeker shivers at the thought of it. "This word, grenade, is unfamiliar, but the context seems correct."

"It's a sort of portable bomb," Jim explains, since they're doing the cultural knowledge exchange thing. Seems only fair that he should elaborate on something Shade-Seeker is unfamiliar with. "Early types were pretty much confined to concussive force and shrapnel, but these days they make grenades with different effects, like incendiary or stun. They pretty much all work the same for deployment; you activate it and throw or roll it into a group of enemies, and it goes off a few seconds later."

Shade-Seeker considers that for a moment, then gives a quick nod. He grasps the premise, although another unfamiliar word has come up. "Shrapnel?"

Oh, hmm. Maybe it's another terminology difference, or perhaps magic hasn't come up with a use for such a thing yet. "Little sharp bits, usually metal, that an explosion can fling at high speed. The more bits there are, the more dangerous it is to be around."

Yeah, that isn't something the magic of Tamriel has come up with, yet. Why put a metal case around a fireball when you could just throw the fireball? Shade-Seeker's active imagination turns over the new idea, his expression growing thoughtful as he considers it. "I can see how that would be perilous," he muses. "The weapons of your world must be dangerous indeed, that this shrapnel is taken in stride."

"Not so much in stride, just that it isn't really used on purpose anymore," he explains further, scratching at his cheek. How to even begin to explain phasers? "These days, shrapnel injuries usually only happen if your ship is under attack, and enemy fire hits something near where you're standing. Most combat's done with energy weapons now."

"Ah? Some of my colleagues might call that a purer contest," he observes. "What say you?"

"Depends on what you mean by that," Jim replies, with a questioning look. It's hard to answer a question when you're not entirely sure what you're being asked, and it's nice to get an idea of what implications that might carry, if any, before he gives his thoughts. "You mean as far as fairness?"

"Not fairness, no," the scholar explains. "Some mages disdain all matters material, and favor spells and contests of pure ephemera."

Ah, that makes more sense. Jim leans back in his seat, contemplating that for a moment as he sips at his coffee. "The way I see it, locking yourself into one kind of strategy makes you predictable, and your more clever enemies are gonna notice and plan appropriately. There's nothing wrong with specializing, but adaptability and creativity's just as important."

Shade-Seeker's pointy teeth peek out again in another grin, this one a little proud and a little fierce. "I am inclined to agree."

Jim smiles too, not at all put off by the fanged grin. "It's kind of true for all sorts of skills, too, not just combat. War drives innovation, but so does having lots of free time during peace. And new isn't always better, either. It's good to learn old stuff along with the new, because you never know what you're gonna need."

The hooded head bobs in agreement. "You have wisdom, Jim Kirk, may it serve you well."

"Thank you. I sure hope so." Jim doesn't think of himself as particularly wise, but he's learning, just like all living things do. Or should do, anyway. Some of his wisdom's come at a high cost, but he'll be damned if he lets those lessons go to waste.

"How are things going on your end?" he asks, since it's been a little while. "Your critics still kicking up a fuss?"

Shade-Seeker chuckles. "They are in less of a position to do so. I am not the greatest master of any art but one, and that one is not held high, but I have proven to be multidisciplinarian enough to stand farther forward in the current crisis than any of my critics dare. As one philosopher put it, 'I do not fear the knife in my back, for those who would place it must approach me first.'"

"That's an interesting saying," Jim muses, turning that thought over in his mind a couple times. "Earth's got an old saying that's sort of the opposite. 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.' Most people interpret that to mean you should keep an eye on them, so their movements don't surprise you, but it does seem like that's a good way to get backstabbed. Or frontstabbed."

"Our worlds have that saying in common," Shade-Seeker muses. "It is a balanced risk, to be sure, and I cannot say it has no merit. Where would you prefer to keep your enemies? Close? Or distant?"

Jim's actual first thought is 'I'd rather my enemies just be dead,' but that isn't really in the spirit of the conversation, so he pushes that answer aside and reaches for a different one. "I guess that depends on whether or not you even know who your enemy is. A traitor can do a lot of damage from the inside if you don't see it coming." Unfortunately, he speaks from personal experience there.

Shade-Seeker nods soberly. "This, I know too well. But the perfect defense against traitors... that is a lonely way, indeed, and the cost is crucially high."

Absolutely no argument from Jim. "Next best thing is safety in numbers... surround yourself with enough allies, and you've got all the more people to come to your defense. It's not perfect, but it's better than trying to go it alone."