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. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You can only imagine. [ Granted, if she'd just been able to loosen up a little bit Pino and Vincent could've helped her to be content with where they were for the moment. The small autoreiv had taken a liking to mimicking everything she did, though, in that time, and really... she'd thought about ways to dismantle her more than once. Still, she's learned, though painfully, a little bit about patience.

And how to yank out errant chin hairs. ] I'm strong, but not that strong, Jim. Your vote of confidence is appreciated, though.

[ She wishes she'd be able to yank the thing around but.. not something she'd fine totally possible, honestly. Even on a really good day. ]

I've heard murmurs and rumors but.. hadn't thought to ask you about it if I'm honest. I was a little more concerned with this whole cold fiasco. I supposed I couldn't just texted, but.. [ He can maybe feel her shrug before she continues - ]

When do you think you'll have your maiden flight?

You're welcome, [ He laughs. Evidently he hadn't expected her to be able to haul something so big and heavy, but it's a funny mental image to see her try, particularly during one of her bouts of stubbornness and unwillingness to give in. He can appreciate the spirit, if nothing else. A lot like him— like he used to be, at least. He likes to think he's a little better these days. ]

No clue. She can fly, there are just a lot of systems down so it's not safe yet. [ He's bound to get restless eventually, he knows, but he's trying hard not to give into the urge until he knows the shuttle is at least minimally prepared for it. ] You should come by sometime. Can't promise I'll take you for a spin, but if she's good enough to fly, you can count on it.

If it ever arrives you'll be the first to try to tug it down the alleyways of Riverview. [ It's a very large gift to be given, after all - that being Re-L's trust to take care of something that's hers. Or, well, at least try to steer it. With a little bit of wind to help it might not be so bad, if she's honest, but she's not sure about the length of the air ship in the corners. It's one of those strange measurements that would need to be seen to when the time came. ]

.. Have you tried it, then, to know it can fly but it's not safe? [ She can only imagine the size of Bones' aneurism at this point, if he has. Maybe he'll be in a better mood to see her than she expected - ]

I wouldn't mind that. I may even be a little bit of help, depending on what systems you have down at the moment.. No promises, though.

I'll hold you to that. [ Jim's an imaginative type. If there were no wind to ride the Rabbit, he'd just find some other way to carry it to wherever Re-L wanted it. The shuttle is one thought, for instance. A tractor beam can't be that hard to manage either, if only he can find the right people to work on it.

But he digresses. That'll become important if and when the Rabbit pops up through the portal. Which, admittedly, Jim hopes will happen now. ]

Well, we did fly her back to the Guard, after finding her. But yes, I have tried to take her up a couple times. Test flights, if you will. [ Not that Bones knows anything about that, and what he doesn't know won't hurt him. ]

I know you will, and it's fine. I have a feeling wrangling it out of the city is going to be the worst part. That and prying you off of it once you realize how fast it can go with the right wind. [ She remembers putting her face to the wind on a particularly gusty day, Vincent at the helm as he usually was, sipping her allowance of ginger ale. It had been peaceful, something she wishes she could replicate here, but knows won't be quite the same. For one, she'd have to fly it, and for two - well, it's still too damn hot in the Quarantine to replicate that bitter cold wind that was so fast to wake her up in the mornings.

Being able to get around within the Outer walls in a faster fashion won't hurt either - it might even provide more opportunity for longer range missions or just.. getting out of town for a little while. Both sounded rather appealing if she's honest. ]

Who is 'we'? [ She has a rising suspicion who that doesn't involve - ]

Sure, test flights. Whatever you want to call it, really. If you get it running, I would like to see it. I've never seen space before other than, you know, photos that probably do it no justice.

You make it sound very promising. You sure won't need to sell me on it, if it ever shows up here. [ Jim's already eager to get his hands on it and there's not even a guarantee it'll show up here. Really not very fair of her, though, to feed those hopes of his like that.

But well, until then he always has the shuttle. That counts for something.

He drives the bike down a steep paved road, taking a sharp turn towards an empty field in the outskirts of the city. There's not much there, but he pulls up and draws to a halt, turning off the engine and kicking the stand down to give the bike a rest. ]

Me, Poe, Bones, Beverly and Loki. We went out there and tracked down a mystery signal; that's how we found the shuttle.

[ So yes, despite what she might think, Bones was there. Praying to survive and cursing the damn shuttle that threatened to bring them down crashing more than once during the short trip. ]

I'll keep that in mind. You'll be one of the first I'll get in touch when she's ready.

I never planned to. You're too inquisitive for your own good on a level I don't think I could match. [ Sure, she'd gone and hurtled herself out in to a nuclear abyss to go and retrieve a single fascinating person, once, but she wouldn't be caught dead in a shuttle when she didn't know if it was going to be able to get her from one place to another safely. No way in hell, even. She'd be just as thrilled to find the air ship suddenly in the Quarantine, even if she'd only minimally participated in Vincent's maintenance to the thing..

Even if she could use it to just flit off and get away every once in a while, it'd be nice. She's maybe grown a little too used to the silence of the outside in their time exploring. Sometimes, the city and the constant festivals can creep under her skin a little bit more than she's willing to admit it dos.

Not that she'd ever admit as much. ]

Taking a rest, here? [ She swings a leg off to stretch a little bit, restless after her few weeks of chosen seclusion. She's not healthy enough to exercise yet, but once she is.. well, a few early morning classes might be in order to get back in to the swing of things. ]

The rest of those names other than Bones are new to me... [ Another shocker : Re-L the unsocial butterfly. ]

I appreciate it. Getting to see stars from here is one thing, but I'm almost positive it's a completely different view once you pass atmosphere.

[ That almost sounds like a compliment, right there. Jim sure seems pleased with himself, hearing her say that. Granted, he knows she's right, he is very inquisitive, and far too curious and restless to not try and dip his fingers into as many pies as he can manage. He doesn't like not knowing things, and he likes getting involved with things that interest him, and that he sees as relevant.

Probably a bit of his captain habits kicking in, he's far too used to it. ]

Kind of hard to keep talking with all that wind in my face, you know? [ And to hear her, too. The bike's old and the engine's not exactly a quiet one. ]

They're alright. Friendly and helpful. Beverly's from the same universe Bones and I come from, or at least a parallel one. A few things are different between them, but we're both familiar with Starfleet and the Federation, and she was familiar with both me and Bones from her world. Poe's a pilot, and Loki's... well, Loki. He's an Asgardian god.

[ If she wasn't so like him then it wouldn't have been a compliment. Surely she wouldn't go around insulting herself even if it was in an effort to mess with Jim - that's a bit too far even for Re-L. While she liked to be deprecating, she wasn't particularly harsh toward herself ever. ]

Fair enough. [ The explanation makes sense and the view isn't bad either, her hands crossing over her chest out of habit as she stands there, looking out over the field and enjoying the fresh air. It's been too long since she'd been able to be out and about in public, really. ]

Oh? Well that's an interesting crux on her, then. I would guess she's from a time past you two, then? [ She's never heard of people from the same time lines if not similar, yet, but now that Jim says it, it seems pretty interesting to investigate. After all, how many chances might they have to investigate this kind of thing? ]

Asgardian? [ That pings her interest. ] I know Thor who's called himself Asgardian as well...

Edited 2017-09-22 17:31 (UTC)

Yeah, about a hundred years after us. She serves on board a later generation of the Enterprise— the Enterprise-D. [ It's probably silly of him, but he likes knowing the legacy lives on. He also does take some pride in knowing that his name will go down in history, as well as Bones's and plenty other people on his crew. ]

He's Loki's brother. Well— sort of? I'm not sure they come from the same universe, but they more or less share the same background. It's hard telling things apart with Asgardians, everything's very confusing. Predictably so.

[ Everything he knows of Norse myths and legends does point to a messy... well, everything. Timelines, family ties, plots, who knows what else. ]

Wow, that's incredible. [ More that they're here in the same time frame now than anything else, but she's still rather impressed. Re-L's not the type to be impressed by much, but this is a little extraordinary. ]

Has much changed in her time, or have you not really asked her?

Most families tend to have their own convoluted issues. [ She's not familiar with the mythology in that sense - possibly something lost in the destruction of the world or considered non-essential in a godless society. Still, she's heard and experienced enough to know that family wasn't always all flowers and rainbows. ]

Thankfully I don't think that grandfather ever wished to be anywhere else, so I'm safe from that kind of thing.

Haven't asked her much. I am obviously aware there are technological advancements, but I've tried not to pry too much. Feels like cheating, you know? Besides, I've always enjoyed a good surprise.

[ He lets out a soft chuckle at her remark about families. ] Oh, trust me, Asgardians are special in that aspect. In a lot of aspects, actually. Everything about them is convoluted— even the myths and legends seem to vary wildly, depending on who writes or tells them.

[ Even in his world, for instance. Not that Norse mythology is anything but very ancient history, but even then, getting to know Asgardians, he realizes they're different from the many legends, if not in one thing then in another. ]

You don't miss your family? [ It crosses his mind then that this is the first time she's mentioned any sort of family to him. That he remembers, anyway. ]

Are you even still alive, then? How is it cheating if you're not trying to, you know, live til then to see it? [ She's assuming he's discussing the far future instead of his own future - in which case.. yes, probably best to avoid. Changing the flow of space and time with knowldge ahead of time generally serves to mess things up royally from all the works of fiction she's ever read. Not that they were the best gauges of what would happen, really, but it was better than absolutely nothing so far as she was concerned.

Her own 'family' - it's a little bit of a thing, really. Sure, she'd had Donov Mayer, but they weren't genetically related, and though he'd been her only family that shared her name, she only really saw him when she'd behaved in a way he didn't approve of and wanted to lecture her about it. Daedalus could probably, technically, be counted as well if she wanted to be technical, but even then it's a deeper story than probably even Asgardians. Of course Jim asks - she can't blame him for wanting to know, considering how little she mentions her family at all, and she gives a quiet, almost weary sigh. It would probably be good to get this off of her chest, really, even if telling it in the first place is kind of ...

Pulling at an already salty wound. ]

It's hard to miss Grandfather, really. He was the only 'blood' - [ Note the finger quotes, here, Jim. ] - relative I had, and he was often more concerned with his status as Regent and how I behaved as his granddaughter than anything to do with how I.. felt on the matter.

[ Emotions were unnecessary, after all. ]

He also sent knight autoreivs to murder me after I had been outside and challenged him about lying to me, so..

[ She shrugs, as if that's the most casual thing to admit, really. ] No, I don't really miss him.

I don't know if I'm alive or not. I didn't ask her, she didn't tell me. Besides, knowing anything at all might pose as a problem, if I end up remembering what she tells me when I go back. Even a minor shift in my personal timeline might change the whole of history. I'd rather not risk it.

[ Beverly's future, her Federation and her Starfleet, sound just as great, if not better, than the ones Jim's used to. Granted, it's not the same universe, strictly speaking, but there are enough similarities that he could greatly mess up his own reality. Even when Ambassador Spock did that, he was careful with what he shared and gave away, knowing full well how he could affect the alternate timeline and all their futures. Once upon a time Jim wouldn't care as much, but he's more cautious and considerate now. Particularly when it's only his curiosity that's at stake, not some terrible catastrophe that has to be stopped.

He listens to her story, told briefly and with little detail, but Jim wouldn't ask for more. Re-L's never struck him as very prone to sharing as it is, so that she's willing to tell him anything at all is something he can already appreciate. He can understand immediately why she doesn't ever seem to want to talk about her family, though. His eyebrows raise minutely as she finishes, and he looks away for a moment, hands resting on the seat of the bike. ]

And here I thought I'd had a shitty time growing up. [ He huffs, dipping his head down a little, then glancing up at her. ] I'm sorry about that. But, for what it's worth, glad you made it.

Fair point. That's partially why I was asking. [ Leave it to Jim to think of these things, really. She's not all that surprised, if she's honest, but it was worth the question. She's thought about, more often lately than before, what she would do if she could go back to her life before Ergo Proxy had crashed through her ceiling knowing what she knew now. More often than not the answer was that she wouldn't change a damn thing, now that she knew what she did about her grandfather and Daedalus. In times of nostalgia that spitefulness sometimes wanes and she missed the views in her old home city, or something equally foolish to save an entire failing civilization for, but in the end the answer was that she wouldn't be able to stop anything, anyway.

For how little she's willing to share she seems amused by his reaction, at least. Probably not what he expects considering what she's sharing, but really.. she'd survived Quinn, Raul Creed, Donov Mayer and Daedalus Yumeno in the course of a month. There's not much that can phase her, really. Not anymore. ]

It's all fairly relative. [ She shrugs, arms crossing over her chest. In the moment it's maybe slightly defensive, folding back in since she'd at least released a little bit of her background to him, but it's equally a habit. ]

The way I think of it if he really wanted me well and truly dead he wouldn't have tried to kill me right in front of my doctor. Still. I wish he would've just told me to get out instead of going through the dramatics of it all. It's a little much, waking up in a hospital after nearly dying twice in the course of two weeks. [ The first time, at least, she'd only been sick, not hemorrhaging blood. Slight differences, in the end of things, but big enough in the long scheme. ]

I'm glad I did too, but if only because I can say I survived in spite of everyone else. Probably bad of me, admittedly.

[ Thing is, she might not even be aware that she'd change something, but sometimes the subconscious works in its own ways, affects them without them even realizing it. The mere fact that she would know would be enough for her to look at things differently, and even were she to try to do the same things, she eventually would change a thing or two.

In the process, she might've just ended up changing enough to alter her story completely, and the story of those around her. ]

Pun intended? [ She seems oddly amused, and he hopes his little quip won't bother her much. He doubts it will, really.

He doesn't want to say it, but he thinks— her grandfather, or whatever monster passed for that, probably wanted to silence her too, in a way. Stop her from talking to other people, changing too much. Ruining whatever plans he had. ]

I don't think so. [ He shrugs. ] Just as good a reason as any to be glad that you're alive, to spite the bad people in your life.

Partially, yes. [ Really, if she spent much longer being angry about it she'd drive herself insane, so it was easier to make a pun or just.. fake it until she makes it, basically. There's nothing productive in being angry at a dad man, even if he had tried to kill her. Donov Mayer was a man stuck in his ways who had no idea just who or what he'd created in cloning Monad proxy so closely..

No idea that he'd basically unleashed lightning before thunder, in a sense, in making her to draw Vincent back to the dome. He'd often called her too hard headed, too strongly emotional, basically "too much" on the whole. Once he knew that she had seen the world outside, that there were people living out there and it wasn't some horrid, putrified wasteland as he'd made it out to be.. there was no stopping her other than to silence her in death. For all the things that he hadn't been smart enough to step out ahead of, her grandfather had at least recognized that. ]

In the end that was... all of them, actually. [ She pushes her hair behind her ear, and then amends - ] Well. All of the ones from Romdeau.

[ Vincent wasn't bad. She was getting used to him, at least. ]

[ Jim doesn't entirely mean it, to be fair. Spite carried him for a good portion of his life, led his path, and that path led him nowhere. He only really ever made something of himself when he let go of certain grudges, when he overcame spite and and anger and stopped hating people for what his life was. And he didn't even have as bad a childhood as Re-L apparently had.

Granted, she keeps that whole look like she's unfazed and uncaring, but Jim doesn't really believe it's much more than a façade, at least at times. No doubt she's tougher, used to putting up with more crap, not affected as easily, both mentally and emotionally, but that doesn't make her entirely impervious either. He has no doubt there's plenty buried beneath the surface, too. ]

What about the ones not from Romdeau? [ An open question, like he's asking her to tell him more (or anything) about those people. Re-L never speaks much about her past, the people in her life back home, so he takes the opportunity when he can get it. ]

[ Her childhood was... strange, really. Privileged beyond reason, in some ways, in the way she was treated by many people in her life as if she were some living embodiment of something fantastic and rare. And on the other.. Well, probably jealousy from those below her in social strata and reviled by most she was level with, but none of them able to do anything about it for the most part. Generally, she was too much of something for pretty much everyone, it was just a matter of what annoyed an individual the most for what made Re-L someone they couldn't stand.

Granted, finding things that couldn't stand about each other was always practically a past-time within Romdeau Dome.

Still, she's not totally dumb to what Jim is trying to do, and shrugs her shoulders. ]

That basically leaves Vincent, and when someone is your only human interaction you tend to find ways to get along with them.

[ She seems to be in a sharing mood, Jim notes. He says nothing, not wanting to push too much nor disengage, curious and glad to get a little more detail about her life before the Quarantine. Some people are more prone to sharing, but Re-L not so much. He can understand why, really, from what little she has told him in the past. She's had some complicated experiences, and in her position, he wouldn't want to share much either. ]

Well... that's one of the two ways it can go. [ Jim spent some summer weeks with Frank as his own only human interaction, and he sure as hell never managed to find a way to get along. Not that he tried particularly hard— but then again, neither did Frank. ] But I take it that by that you mean he's a friend of yours.

True. But Vincent's personality isn't very.. mmn.. assertive, most of the time. [ Meaning she can and will walk all over him and not feel bad about it, at least when he'll let her and isn't having one of those days where the Proxy side is a little more prevalent. Still, their relationship has become more and more of a partnership, lately, and Re-L doesn't hate it a bit. Still, she seems reluctant to call him a friend -

Jim can take that one however he wants to. ]

If it weren't for him I'd probably still be in Romdeau. [ Kind of the truth, kind of not. Without Vincent catching her interest, and finding out about proxies, who knew if she would've found herself outside anyway, or possibly even dead in the rubble with the rest - ]

I haven't decided yet whether I appreciate that or not.

So you can just boss him around all you like, right? [ He knows you, Re-L, he knows what you can be like. Not that he's criticizing by any means, of course. If anything he sounds almost entertained by the mere thought, his lips quirking upwards in amusement. ]

Romdeau was destroyed, wasn't it? Came crashing down. [ He raises an eyebrow, canting his head. Just saying, that's a question that ought to answer itself. If she hadn't left the dome, then she would be dead. Not like she'd have that many options to choose from, even if she could. ]

When he wants to allow it. [ She shrugs, of course leaving out the fact that Vince allows it.. quite a lot more than most people might. Re-L tends to be a hard headed person to deal with in the first place, and for the most part.. Vince is an agreeable guy. It's that pesky Ergo Proxy one has to have a bit of a .. though process over. ]

Yes. But there's much more outside, microscopic, even, to kill you even if you survived the fall. [ She pauses, then - ]

I ventured to the outside, once before Romdeau fell. If I hadn't done that I would have died regardless from contact with the outside air and, obviously, no access to the vaccine I'd need to recover from those illnesses.... If I'd never followed Vincent out to the Commune things could be completely different.

[ But she's a bad child who doesn't listen to directions, so.. here they are. If she'd simply followed directions and her grandfather's directives she could not be here at all, or here in a different facet, as a different person... there's an entire plethora of things that could shift or go in one direction or another. ]

That's what I mean when I say Bones will find it ridiculous, what I'm immunized to and what I'm not.

[ Jim can imagine it easily enough, anyway. Not that Re-L's ever been mean or forceful, but she is pushy, even Jim can tell. Well, not that he can talk much. He can be obnoxiously persistent, and charmingly persuasive too. He knows all too well how to get what he wants from the people closest to him— Bones being a prime example.

Jim nods at her explanation. ] Then I guess it is a very good thing you followed him out of there that first time. And from what I can tell, nothing's killed you so far, microscopic or otherwise.

[ It's good, in that sense. Those vaccines prepared her for any aggressive elements outside the dome, and when time came that she had to leave, she was ready to handle that environment. That had to be a good thing, now hadn't it?

He purses his lips at her last remark, shrugging a little. ] Maybe, maybe not. We're used to visiting new worlds, with different medical and scientific advancements, different things that people need to defend themselves against. It might intrigue him, but it probably won't be entirely nonsensical to him.

Few people who knew me before would agree with you, but I do, so that's the opinion that matters, I think. [ Re-L shrugs, not about to linger too long in what her grandfather or Daedalus thought of her decisions. Daedalus had been the first one to give her the tools to go outside, had given in to her curiosities and had been cocky enough to think that he would be enough to keep her there once she knew what was beyond. A foolish assumption, to be sure, but she can't totally blame him, either. She had lead him to believe that she would most definitely be back, that there couldn't be anything worth staying out in the wastes for -

That had turned in to famous last words, hadn't it? ]

Well, I also had to con my doctor a little for my own curiosity, but.. Daedalus thought I'd be back, to be fair. And I did come back, for a little while. But only because I would've drowned in my own fluids if I hadn't. [ A worse death than bleeding to death, she thinks. Drowning takes longer - at least so she's heard. ]

I meant more in terms of, say... I can survive whatever mutant viruses and germs have sprung up in the thousands of years since humans have last touched Earth's surface, in my world, but here in the Quarantine I can catch every damn common cold and feel like I'm dying from every single one. I find it at least.. slightly ridiculous.

[ Frustrating, too, that she can't even come somewhere and not have some sort of sickness befall her. Granted, she's not dead or dying, so there's no much past the inconvenience that she can complain about. ]

Oh well. I'm still, stubbornly, here, so I can't complain too much.

( open ) the day is bright and fair

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