Family Matters

[boldygoing]

There's a starship captain in the Plaza, sitting at an outdoor cafe style table which bears a half-consumed cup of coffee and a glowing, transparent datapad. Jim Kirk is not in uniform, clad in well-worn civilian clothes, though given that his shirt says PROPERTY OF STARFLEET ACADEMY in faded text, he's probably not trying to be covert. He's fairly focused on the datapad, and one might assume that he's catching up on reports or requisition forms during his off-hours if not for the quietly contemplative look on his face.

And, of course, the fact that he's chosen to take a break here rather than anywhere near Starfleet property.

His thoughts don't remain a mystery for long, as this does tend to be the place to go for advice, no matter how small the matter. "How's your relationship with your family? Have you ever tried to reconnect after spending years apart?"

There's an empty chair on the other side of the table. Feel free to have a seat, if you'd like.



[OOC: Tags don't seem to work, but dupes are okay!]

Comments

[boldygoing]

Naturally, there's no recognition on Jim's face as he looks up at the other man. The aloof attitude doesn't really bother him; some people are just like that. And he apparently is open enough to conversation to respond voluntarily, so that's enough for Jim. "Yeah, my mom. I haven't seen her in person since I was... fourteen, I think."

[sumarusfinest]

That's.

More than a little strange, though given what Kirk says next it should hardly be surprising. He must be numb and a little shocked about dealing with his mother after so long. He taps his fingers against his arm while contemplating what to say.

In truth he had been expecting a rather short greeting from the starship captain. He's a bit thrown off by getting a serious response. His posture relaxes minutely, arms falling to his sides and one hand grasping at the back of the chair.

"Not even after..." Well. Hardly a topic for conversation among begrudging acquaintances who happen to have mutual friends. "I had assumed otherwise."

[boldygoing]

It's a strange enough response that his attention sharpens, giving the other man another look. No, definitely not anyone he knows, even if he is looking at Jim like he's got an extra head. He frowns in puzzlement. "Excuse me?"

[sumarusfinest]

"The Incident. Before you ended up here."

Katsuya is trying to be sensitive though he's starting to get some very Other Side vibes all of a sudden. For as rare an occasion as this is in the multiverse, this detective actually does have experiences with alternate versions of the same person. Though judging by the lack of yellow eyes, murderous intent, or magical aura it would appear this is no Shadow.

The possibility is slim yet not unheard of even outside of the Nexus.

"You have no idea who I am, do you." It's a statement rather than a question.

[boldygoing]

Incident? The fuck. Now Jim's the one staring. "No, of course I don't. Why would..."

Oh. Oh. Jim has read in one of the brochures near his original entrance that sometimes alternate versions of oneself can be found running around, but he's never seen any duplicates, of himself or anyone else. And so he'd forgotten about it until now, when some strange man he's never met has begun alluding to mysterious Incidents and acting like he knows him. To be fair, he'd thought that with infinite universes and infinite space in this area between them, odds would be against colliding with another. Or someone who knows another.

Apparently not.

[sumarusfinest]

"Ah."

Sigh. He's really gone and put his Oxford into his mouth, hasn't he? Talk about severely ruining a first impression. The officer bows his head slightly before looking up again. It's certainly bizarre to see the confusion on a face he certainly knows.

This is not the Jim Kirk he is acquainted with. There's a vague urge to text or call Jim and let him know about this, but that would hardly be appropriate manners in front of this New Person.

"I apologize. I'm Katsuya Suou. At the risk of adding to the confusion....you are Captain James Kirk, are you not?"

[boldygoing]

At least that confusion is starting to give way to realization of what the hell is going on. Jim nods, taking note of the shift in Katsuya's body language to be a little less severe in manner. "That's my name, yeah. You know another one?" It could be a rhetorical question, but it's not. Not in a place like this. And he's genuinely curious now, suddenly reminded that he may not be the only Jim Kirk around.

[sumarusfinest]

"I do."

It's now that Katsuya finally pulls the chair across from the captain out and slowly takes a seat. He pulls out a Nexus-phone and carefully opens up his contacts. The writing is all in Japanese, but there's a familiar face next to the 'カーク船長' entry. The same face, same hair.

"He and I have both frequented the Nexus for quite some time. I would not say were are friends, but he's assisted in keeping this place safe as well. As such I have his contact information for his device he uses when he's here."

[boldygoing]

Jim considers that, eyebrows raised. "Yeah, that sounds like something I'd do... What do you mean, 'safe'?" He's learned that the anti-violence field doesn't encompass everywhere, at least enough to allow injuries while sparring. But consensual combat doesn't strike him as a threat that would require any kind of external safeguarding.

[sumarusfinest]

"....There has been a failure of the anti-violence field before. Once very recently. And it was an enemy of the Captain Kirk I know who caused said disruption. Many people died. It isn't something I would overly worry about now; things have been well dealt with. But the possibility is there."

He tucks the phone away in his suit pocket then. No sense in keeping it out and reminding Mr. Kirk of the fact there's another him running around the Nexus.

"Those of us who can fight have taken to keeping in touch with each other in case of an emergency."

[boldygoing]

The news comes as a bit of a shock to Jim. He hadn't thought that the anti-violence field was infallible, especially when no one's been able to explain to him how it works or where it came from, but it sounds like a disaster beyond the scope of anything he'd thought about. "That... definitely sounds like a reasonable precaution." An enemy of his... Jim can think of a few people who could fit that description, and none of them are anyone he'd want to run into again. Even the dead ones.

He'd be one hell of a hypocrite if he didn't admit the possibility of someone coming back from the dead, after all.

"Is it too confusing to add another Kirk to the list?" He figures there's no harm in asking. Like he said... it sounds like something he'd do.

[sumarusfinest]

Katsuya doesn't mean to sound cryptic here. He's unsure how many experiences these two men share, or what the consequences may be of revealing a potential future to this Kirk. It's always better to be vague when alternate realities or time travel are involved.

Doesn't make it any less of a headache though.

"Not at all, Captain." The officer's smile is small but genuine. "Do you have a communications device that has been made to work within the Nexus? I'd be happy to provide you with my contact information."

[boldygoing]

Jim certainly doesn't think anything nefarious is going on. He's in uncharted waters, but at least some of the currents are familiar. Spoilers from Ambassador Spock, a time-traveling Romulan who decided to screw everything up for generations to come... Things like this are nothing to treat lightly. If it comes down to having to compare notes with the other Jim, then so be it, but that's a matter for another time, probably.

"I do, actually." Jim may be dressed in civilian clothing, but his communicator is still on him as per regulations, and he pulls it out of his pocket. "I picked up a PINpoint attachment for my communicator a ways back."

[sumarusfinest]

Katsuya retrieves a pen from his suit pocket and carefully prints his contact information on a sheet of paper before passing it over to the captain.

"I specialize in firearms and arson investigation, though I've some magical talent in the realm of fire and am qualified in hand to hand combat as well." Underneath his name and number, there's an address and the name Crossroads Cafe.

"Usually one can find me here in the plaza at that address. Mind, it's the Nexus so sometimes the location shifts. But the number on the building is always the same. If I'm in the Nexus, statistically speaking it will be there."

[boldygoing]

Jim mentally files all that away where he'll hopefully remember it later, and inputs the actual contact info in his communicator. He doesn't have pen or paper on him, so he tears off a blank area from the same sheet Katsuya gave him. "Can I borrow your pen for a second?" he asks, so he can jot down his own contact information. The rest of the paper, he folds up and shoves in a pants pocket.

If Katsuya knows another Jim Kirk, he's probably got a decent idea of what kind of help this Jim can offer, but it doesn't hurt to make sure. "No magic on my end, but I do have access to a decent amount of twenty-third century tech, including phasers and tricorders. I've also got training in hand-to-hand, engineering, and some linguistics. I can't promise full support from my ship, but a few of my senior officers know about this place and have combat training if it's needed. Hopefully that doesn't happen anytime soon." It sounds to him like there's been enough trouble in this part of the Nexus recently.