riverviewlogs | ( open ) the day is bright and fair

Entry tags:

( open ) the day is bright and fair

who: James T. Kirk & YOU!
what: general out and about for the month.
when: August (please specify when during the month you're tagging him!)
where: all over
warnings: none for the moment; will edit if need be

I ▹ PERIMETER GUARD ▹ SHUTTLE WORK

[ After the mission, getting the shuttle up and running, not to mention cleaning her up all nice and proper so she's ready for use again, is Jim's priority, and it's a project he throws himself into with vested interest and dedication. While the shuttle still works, there's a lot that needs repairing or even outright replacing, not to mention the overall old and worn aspect of both the interior and the exterior.

Despite this, Jim looks excited rather than bothered or tired, as he fumbles around the makeshift shuttle bay set up at the perimeter guard. Sounds of clinking and clattering around come from the area, and he can be found throughout the month working on several different aspects of the shuttle, from control panels to the shuttle exterior— repainting the outside completely, installing a more complete and advanced navigation system and flight controls, or he may just be found disappearing halfway into one of the panels beneath the dashboard, fumbling around with wiring and circuitry. If he hears someone approaching, he'll stick an arm out, gesturing vaguely towards a pen-shaped handheld device. ]

Hand me that laser cutter over there?

II ▹ CITY STREETS & OUTSKIRTS ▹ BIKE RIDE

[ In the midst of what starts to feel like a very good month, Jim gets a really nice surprise one of the days he gets to the perimeter guard: there, waiting for him, is an all too familiar bike— not just any bike either, but a peculiar engraving on the side of the leather seat lets him know that this exact bike used to belong to his father.

It's only natural that he takes especially good care of it, tuning it up and cleaning it until it's spotless and shiny, then promptly takes it out for a few spins during the next few weeks. From the city center to the outskirts where he won't find nearly as much traffic, he can be found just about anywhere, both riding the bike or taking a break somewhere, leaning comfortably against the seat as he sips on some juice or enjoys a tasty ice cream. Feel free to approach or even ask him to take you for a ride, if you happen to know him (or even if you don't, really). ]

III ▹ COMMUNAL APARTMENTS ▹ MOVING

[ Another change in Jim's life happens to be something he and Bones had been talking about, and finally now they've managed to find a place they both like and can afford (not that money's a problem for them, with both earning well and saving up the majority of what they earn). During the first two weeks of the month especially, Jim will be spending some time boxing up things and getting them ready for the move. They don't have a whole lot in their apartment here, and some of the lighter boxes he chooses to carry to their new home on his own. He'll smile at anyone he crosses paths with, daring to offer playfully to people he happens to know. ]

I'll accept a helping hand, if you've got the time.

IV ▹ ANYWHERE ▹ WILDCARD

[ Jim is nothing if not both active and sociable, so throughout the month it's not difficult to find him in several spots, be them bars and coffeeshops, parks, grocery stores, and even the hospital when he's coming over to meet up with Bones.

He also feels the shift of the city when the strange outbreak sweeps the Quarantine and causes some random cases of memory loss. It is, sadly, something he's not unfamiliar with, but more than his insight on their mission beyond the walls and sharing some details he happens to remember, he finds himself overall useless in finding a resolution or a cure. He will, however, try to help anyone who happens to be affected by the outbreak. ]

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I'll see if I cross paths with him sometime, then. [ Not that it matters much either way. There's a level of familiarity, at least, between him and anyone who comes from a world where space travel is such a commonplace thing.

Ranks are definitely important, though. Well, to a degree— and to people like him, anyway. They're not everything, though. He thinks back to Admiral Marcus and he knows, ranks can mean nothing at all. ]

Yeah... guess it's not too wrong to say that, either.

[ The notion of possessing and owning things is vastly different when and where he comes from, too. But he does like the thought of claiming the shuttle as his own. ]

So your Captain's called Andor. What about you? What do I call you?

Jyn. [ no last name, she is like space kesha. she's not withholding her name for any reason, she just didn't think to tack a last name on to the end even though her last name has been a point of contention for her entire life. go figure. just like she doesn't think to shake hands or anything. she gave him the cutter, that was her handshake. ]

Have you been here long then?

[ An eyebrow quirks up. ] That so? Well, I'm Jim. Nice to meet you. [ Funny coincidence, that. He's amused more so than anything, though. ]

About... oh, almost five months. Been a while. [ He nods at her. ] What about you? New arrival?

[ ha, their names rhyme. what a funny thing. belatedly, her head jerks in a short nod. ] Yeah, just this last week.

[ It is a pretty funny coincidence. Not that Jim often believes in those, but he's inclined to this time around. ]

Fresh off the boat, then. Welcome to the Quarantine, for what it's worth. [ Some people like it more than others, he's aware of that. ] How are you settling in so far?

I'm... settling. [ that's an answer, right? that's about as much an answer as jyn can manage right now considering she doesn't actually know how she is settling in. she's just winging it for now, being indecisive with her own moods.

going from impending death to no death was kind of jarring. ]

It's a lot to take in.

More for some than others, it really depends on where you come from. But... yes, it is a lot.

[ Jim has felt that himself, and there's plenty here that's not so different from what he's used to. He imagines there are a lot of people who have a much harder time than he did adapting and settling in. ]

You get used to it eventually. For what it's worth.

You can get used to anything eventually. People get used to prison and torture all the time. [ she’s not bitter so much as pragmatic and annoyingly realistic. people do get used to horrible conditions when the only other option is to die. tamsye prime got used to a planetwide debt system of slavery because if they didn’t, the empire would just murder their children to make an example.

at least jyn’s tone doesn’t get that bleak, simply noting the idea as naive with a lift of her eyebrows. ] That shouldn’t really be a selling feature, should it?

Well— true, but I wouldn't compare this to torture. [ Bit harsh of a comparison. Not that he's entirely sure she's comparing, but it seems like an odd way to put things. Then again he knows a lot of people are much less comfortable than he is with being here. ]

I like it here. A lot, surprisingly. I know that's not the same with everyone. [ He glances up at her, before turning his attention back to the shuttle. ] I'm sorry if that's the case with you.

It’s not torture, [ jyn agrees, the faintest trace of mirth brightening her eyes. maybe she needs to tone down the pessimism a little. it’s just been slightly more difficult to latch on to hope, all things considered.

SHE’S GONNA TRY OK ]

Is everywhere this green?

[ Jim's smile widens just a hint, almost imperceptibly so. She's quiet and reserved, but not entirely unfriendly. It certainly reminds him of someone, which at the moment comes as a bittersweet realization. As much as he'd likely complain about Spock's excessive use of logic and his long roundabout rants, he misses him terribly too. ]

In the Quarantine? Yes, I think it's fair to say it's a very green place. Even the abandoned city is covered by moss, plants and trees. I'm hoping to explore more of the moon once the shuttle's up and running, but I'd guess it's all about the same everywhere.

[ jyn's seen green, of course, lah'mu and yavin 4 were verdant in their own ways and takodana was so lush with green jyn didn't think she'd ever see anything more green -- this place could give it a run for it's money. it's a change from the bright blues and whites of scarif, that's for damn sure. ]

And when will the shuttle be up and running-- What's it called, anyway? Doesn't it need a name?

Not sure yet. A month or so, if I'm lucky? I'm dedicating most of my time to repairing her, but I don't want to rush it either.

[ Best to take his time and make sure it's a job well done, rather than half-ass it because he's eager and then crash or end up lost or stranded somewhere out there. ]

Oh, she'll have a name. But only once she's finished and christened. I'll have the time to think of something good until then.

Why's a ship always a she?

[ one of those questions she's always wondered by never had the excess of free time to actually waste on asking. ]

[ He chuckles at her question, shrugging. ]

It's a bit of a mystery, even in my world. A few theories prevail even now. Some say it's because the first sea vessels were named after goddesses in their honor. Other believe it's because in Old English, inanimate objects were assigned a gender too, like in many Romance languages, and 'ship' was, as many other words, female. Eventually ships would be named in honor of actual women, like an important person in the captain's life, or a prominent public figure. The tradition just... stuck around, I guess.

Can't say if it's the same in your world, though. Maybe there's a different reason for it, there.

[ there's a lot to unpack in that (english, romance languages, goddesses, gendered language) but jyn focuses on what is relevant to the conversation. ]

They're not named after women, but they're still always shes.

[ maybe the profundity was named after a woman, she doesn't know what admiral raddus gets up to in his personal life, but rogue one was not. the ponta was named after the family that owned it, all of the alliance ships were named after colors and numbers, the death star... well. maybe that can have been named after a man. ]

Our ship was called Rogue One.

[ There should be more than enough information on all of those things at the library, actually, although if she wants to ask him about it sometime, he'll be all too glad to answer any questions she has. ]

I can't say, then. Maybe it's just a... multi-universal thing. [ His lips twitch, as he struggles not to chuckle at his own stupid pun. ]

Mine was the Enterprise. Well, is. I still fully intend to see her again. [ He looks around. ] She's considerably larger than this shuttle, though. What about Rogue One? Very different from this?

[ jyn doesn't smile because who knows if she is even capable of such a thing, but her eyes sparkle with mirth. what a rubbish pun. ]

Bit bigger than this. Was a cargo shuttle we, uh, liberated. [ twice. technically they stole the shuttle twice. what heathens. ] Cargo ended up being the lot of us, but. It wasn't a proper ship or anything.

[ it looks like a turtle, they'd stolen it from the empire, bodhi made it theirs. it was a good ol' ship. ]

[ It's a shitty pun, but he spots a trace of amusement in her eye and he feels oddly accomplished about it. Go figure. ]

Liberated. [ Yeah he stole cars from his stepdad as a kid, he knows what "liberated" means. ] Hey, don't say that. All ships are proper ships. Did she serve her purpose, take you where you needed to go? Then she's a good ship.

[ Why aren't you showing your baby some love Jyn, damn. ]

She's a dead ship now, destroyed. [ along with the entire empire strong hold of scarif and jyn herself, everyone on the beaches. the light that was there so briefly fades to a hollow shell of green that doesn't begin to resemble the stardust she was nicknamed. the only change in her expression otherwise is a slight tightening of her jaw, but her eyes have always been the most expressive part of her. ]

No going back to Rogue One, whether she was good or bad.

[ Jim looks a little more solemn at that, nodding. There's a sort of understanding, too. He speaks of the Enterprise himself, but truth is, the next bridge he'll step into won't be the same as his first ship's. It'll still be the Enterprise, he'll still be attached, but his first lady —his first love, possibly— is dead and buried in Altamid, inside a nebula that Starfleet won't dare to cross again anytime soon. ]

No harm in keeping the good memories, at least. [ He pauses. ] Assuming there are any, of course.

[ there's a soft laugh, a breath of it really. ]

Didn't have it long enough. Even when we stole the ship it was... bad.

[ jyn's life wasn't exactly full of happy memories, neither was the ship. they'd found her as her father died, they'd used her to carry a group of rebels to their deaths... ]

Sorry to hear that, then.

[ He won't presume to know the whole story, obviously, and Jyn ought to know better than him. He's sympathetic, though, as much as he can be. He has some terrible memories aboard his own ship, but he has plenty of wonderful ones too. It's a whole story from the day Bones smuggled him on board to the moment she crashed onto Altamid, and he wouldn't change a single harrowing experience. ]

Anyway, feel free to poke around. I've got some work to get done, but don't worry about interrupting if you've got any questions. [ About the shuttle or whatever else. Not that Jyn seems like the chatty type, but still. ]

[ he seems like a swell guy, jyn appreciates the sympathy over any pity he could have offered instead. she makes a note, again, to tell cassian about him. cassian needs friends.

(in the pot vs kettle debate, jyn prefers to be the kettle.)

she nods her thanks, her acknowledgement. ]

Sure.

[ she won't have questions and eventually, after a few more minutes, she slips away without another word. ]

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( open ) the day is bright and fair

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