riverviewlogs | (no subject)

[ So Jim is a daredevil. Clark's mom sense tingles. ]

I have ice breath.

[ He's not worried about telling Jim this because Jim isn't going to freak out over it. He would also say it's pretty cool.

Pun intended. ]

Ice breath.

[ He parrots the words, and then (yep, you know it's coming)— ]

That's kinda cool. [ His lips stretch into a wide grin. Predictable? Yes. But he doesn't care. ] Pun intended.

[ Clark ducks his head to laugh. ]

Snow more puns, please.

[ They're both acting their age. ]

[ This time Jim's the one laughing out loud, tipping his head back a little. ]

My God, chill on the puns, will you? [ Mature adults right here. ] That was bad. I'll let it cool off now, I promise.

If nothing, it's an ice-breaker. [ He holds out his hand. ] I'm Kal.

Nice how that works out, huh?

[ Still grinning, he takes his hand. ] Jim. Really nice to meet you.

[ Not "ice to meet you"? ]

What are you doing out here, Jim?

[ Clark knows him to be human. He doesn't look armed and the forest has monsters. ]

[ Damnit. What a waste of a perfect and wonderful opportunity. ]

My job, actually. I'm a surveyor. Perimeter guard.

[ He does have a gun on him, as well as the dagger Loki lent him, but since he's fairly close to the city limits, he's keeping them in his backpack for now. ]

What about you? Just doing some ice sculpting?

Yes. I thought I might explore this area while I'm at it. Would you mind if I came with you?

Sure. I always welcome having some good company around.

[ But before he resumes his path, he grabs his comm device and takes a few pictures of Kal's ice scale model of the city and the bridge. ]

Alright. Good to go.

Lead the way.

[ Clark walks on the side closer to the deep forest so he can keep an ear out for anything that might decide they're food.

He already knows Jim and doesn't have to ask him anything about himself. Clark also stays quiet on hikes, so Jim will have to initiate any conversation. ]

[ Jim's not averse to silence either, and he's well-versed in it, what with his first officer being Spock. Still, he's always curious to learn more about new acquaintances— especially when they're as unusual as Kal seems to be.

So, after a few minutes he speaks up, glancing over as he breaks the silence. ] So where are you from? Not Earth, I'm guessing?

[ Jim's from space but Clark knows better than to believe there'll be no prejudice; however, he doesn't expect Jim to treat him like a freak or a curiosity. He doesn't seem to be that kind of person. ]

I'm from Krypton. Have you heard of it?

[ Of all the people to worry about when it comes to prejudice, Jim's definitely not one of them. Even as he's curious to learn more about new people from new and unknown worlds and cultures, he'd never treat them like some freak show. ]

Can't say I have, sorry. What's it like?

[ Clark smiles apologetically. ]

I'm sorry, I don't know much. I left when I was very young.

[ IT'S DEAD JIM ]

[ DAMNIT CLARK ]

Oh. That's a shame. So where did you grow up?

A strange planet called Earth. Have you heard of it?

[ Jim chuckles. ]

Oh, yeah. I grew up there too. And I'll give you that, it can be pretty strange at times.

[ Clark smiles back at him.

As they keep walking, Clark notices this area is at the edge of monster territory. ]

Are we looking for something?

Nothing specific. Just mapping out the area and seeing if I find anything interesting to bring back with me.

[ He does notice that too, though, and he slows down so he can take off his backpack and pull out both the dagger and the stun phaser, strapping them both to his hips. ]

You can go back, if you want to. This area isn't exactly fun.

[ Clark glances at both curiously. ]

I'll be all right. I come here often.

[ He's completely unarmed. ]

[ Jim eyes the guy just as curiously as he does Jim's weapons. They're not much, he knows, but they've served him pretty well. Loki's dagger, especially. He'll have to find one for himself soon so he can return it. ]

Alright, well. If you say so.

[ He figures Kal must have some trick up his sleeve or something. ]

And what do you usually do out here? You're not part of the guard, are you?

[ A few tricks. Jim's in for a treat. ]

No. I do a lot of exploring.

[ The city can get overwhelming for his senses so Clark comes out here often to relax and enjoy not having people around. ]

There's always something to salvage.

[ When he's not practicing ice breath, that is. ]

[ He hopes those tricks are at least half as cool as that ice breath of his. (Ha ha.) ]

Yeah, like me.

[ He just happens to do it for work, too. ]

Have you found anything of particular interest so far?

[ You might say one of them is pretty hot. (Ha ha.) ]

Several. What are you interested in?