nexus_crossings | Impromptu Family Meetups

It's that time of year. Holidays around every corner, family and friends dropping in unannounced, needing to be entertained and fed and plied with stories of how you've been, how is work, and all sorts of things. The thing is, for most of Jim Kirk's life he's never known any of that. It's hard to have sudden family visits when you don't have much in the way of family and aren't speaking to damn near all of them.

Which makes this day exceptionally stressful.

No Starfleet uniform today--even if Jim wanted to he's not allowed to wear any of his own clothes for where he's about to be headed. Instead he's dressed in a soft wool tunic in his preferred golden color and simple linen pants beneath the fur lined cloak he's got pulled over his clothes. Gloved hands fidget with the ties on all of this, a nervous habit he can't quite stop himself from making.

He stops his pacing when he nearly stumbles over a passer-by with how lost in thought he is and it's only then that the captain looks up at whomever he's nearly trodden upon.

"What's the best way to impress your in-laws? What's the etiquette for meeting someone's family for the first time?"

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He knows how to get Jim to stop and hold still, at the very least. Jim heaves a breath that dances in the air between them as it's own little cloud before escaping while Felix fusses with his fiance's attire. Works to soothe Jim's nerves with his own humor.

"Noted." That's a bit of a relief really. It took so long to win Stratos Caelus over after all. How long will it take for Jim to make nice with Felix's father of all people. The captain clears his throat softly before trying not to faceplant his way through Felix's native tongue. "I've been practicing all week but it doesn't feel like...enough. I don't want to cause you trouble, is all."

It can take a little focus, to make sure one's speaking in the intended language around here. Felix listens a little more closely when he catches the familiar ring of the words, and then smiles at Jim. "You only cause me the best kinds of trouble. You can hold conversation and discuss alchemy in Cyrodillic - I think that will carry us almost all the way."

Stratos has been doing his part to help, talking in their own language to Jim whenever he comes to visit, drawing him into small conversations with the knights. Jim's sensitive to all his linguistic deficiencies, but in Felix's opinion he knows more than he thinks.

He pauses, hands lingering at the cloak draping Jim's shoulders. "But we should be prepared for questions. He will most likely ask about your family. I can tell him you have no living relatives, but I expect he will want to know about your background."

It's definitely cheating, a bit. Talking in Cyrodillic here. No matter what words Felix uses Jim can understand them easily. Can parse out the minutia of context and idioms as though it's his own native tongue. But right now? He needs that kind of easy confidence to soothe his burnt out nerves.

They're both so, so, so tired of studying. It's been a long few months. Not even their own brand of positive reinforcement can hold out against this much cramming. Jim's exhausted and he expects Felix must feel much the same as he does.

The captain tips his head forward ever so slightly and crowds into Felix's personal space a moment. Breathes in long and deep. They're as ready for this as they're going to get. Right?

"I can't be from anywhere he'd know of, which means I can't be from anywhere I know of from our talks."

Felix inclines his head to rest his forehead gently against Jim's. He's trying to be a reassuring influence, though it's not a role he'd claim to perform well. Perhaps only when it comes to Jim. For Jim, he's tried to learn.

"I was thinking... you're from an island off the coast of High Rock, too small for most mapmakers to bother with. You chafed for years to get away and explore Tamriel, and that's what you've been doing for some time, though you're still unfamiliar with many things about the wider world." His grin is teasing, although it is a useful claim to make. "Fortunately you have an aptitude for scholarship as well as adventure. Eventually your wandering brought you to Solitude, which is where we met. How does that sound?"

"High Rock...that's Breton country, yes? Like Celann and his knights?"

Nevermind the story about how he's an out of touch country bumpkin with no real culture in his head. So far as Felix's world is concerned that may as well be right. Besides, it's not too far off the background Jim's crafted for Felix where his world is concerned, either. Replace island with outer rim colony and it matches up rather well after that.

Nodding would upset the moment they're sharing though so Jim murmurs his agreement instead. A quiet 'mhmm' Felix will feel as well as hear with them touching like this.

"It sounds like you've adapted your own crafted history in my plane for Tamriel and given it back to me. I like it. It'll be simple for us both to remember that way."

"Exactly. Their province is divided into many different kingdoms and duchies and what-have-you. Nobody keeps track of them all, and it won't be so odd if they catch you speaking a strange dialect from time to time."

Jim's obvious intelligence and his determination to learn about everything around him will swiftly dispel any negative conceptions about his obscure past, Felix is sure. And it's very important to have that layer of plausible ignorance, ready to excuse any dangerous slips when it comes to local politics and religion. Not so necessary in dealing with his father - Felix hopes - but necessary.

"I can't apologize. It's a sound template. Besides, you'll have more freedom to invent details than I will - people in my world can't ask clever machines to tell them about every place in the world." That's the best name he can give a computer, without adopting the word wholesale.

Edited 2018-12-08 20:59 (UTC)

Jim frowns at the unfamiliar word, but the Nexus is quick to tell him what 'duchies' are. It does break the spell he's had himself under for a moment, nearly convinced himself that he really does know the language well enough. Regardless, it'll have to be well enough, because Felix's father is waiting for them.

He steps back half a pace and smiles up at Felix with confidence Jim doesn't feel.

"Alright. You ready to go?"

Impromptu Family Meetups

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