HELP HOW DOES I ANNIVERSARY

[boldygoing]

Brace yourselves, Nexus citizens. James Tiberius Kirk is back, after a somewhat lengthy absence. Not the one who went AWOL and scared the shit out of a lot of people, as he hasn't been gone nearly long enough to grow a beard to rival the Jim that is currently standing in the plaza looking concerned, confused, and very mildly alarmed. At the very least, he isn't behaving like it's an emergency, or like anyone's life is at stake. No, his problems are of a much more mercifully benign type today. Hooray for mundane difficulties!

"What the hell do people do for anniversaries?" he asks, once he's sure that Hunter isn't anywhere to be seen. It wouldn't do to make him seem unprepared, next week. Assuming he figures out what the hell he's going to do, that is.

Comments

[quiet_librarian]

"We spoke about it first. Tyr'adn and I are from different cultures, so he didn't want to accidentally offend me. We spoke about what would feel right to us. And it was from that, we decided on a small picnic, and reading by the first."

"Most importantly, the time together is what I cherished."

[boldygoing]

Different cultures, she says. Jim and Hunter are both from Earth, and the same continent at that, but he's had enough experience to say that a couple centuries makes a difference. "Kinda in a similar boat, myself. It's not too different, but three hundred years of cultural development's hard to ignore."

[quiet_librarian]

"Three hundred years of cultural development would be a lot to adjust around." Drusilla smiles. "Long before either Tyr'adn or I were born, before the birth of our parents, the people of his planet were at odds against the people of my grandfather's planet."

"There was still some of that mistrust that we had to reconcile."

[boldygoing]

Jim doesn't bat an eye at that, so used to living in a multispecies Federation that it's weird to him when people don't have relationships with other planets. "Not to Romeo and Juliet extremes, I hope," he says, giving her an inquisitive look.

Oh. He's run into enough people who appear human and aren't, that he probably shouldn't assume that she knows Earth's literary works, shouldn't he? But she doesn't look confused, so he carries on. "How'd your families take it?"

[quiet_librarian]

"Not to those extremes. Both of our families are trying to build a peace accord." Drusilla smiles softly. "Tyr'adn is considered a prince among his people. And he and my father, as the last son of Krypton, speak all the time on how they can build a foundation for the future."

"My father and mother are happy that I have found someone. My twin brother is a little protective of me. But the rest of my family is also welcoming on Tyr'adn."

[boldygoing]

Well, that's an interesting twist. Supportive parents on both sides? "So it's kinda got the benefit of being a political thing too?" It's definitely got a lot of precedent in Earth history, marrying two opposing heirs together to make peace or whatever.

[quiet_librarian]

"Tyr'adn came to Earth to seek a peace treaty. It would not have mattered if he and I were dating or not. He and my father would have still sat together."

"But he noticed me. And we found each other."

[boldygoing]

"That's sweet." Star-crossed lovers, as classic a tale as it's always been. Jim's boyfriend might be from the same planet, but there's a gap between them, too.

"What's he like?" He can't decide if it would be more or less weird if her lover is from a planet that Jim is familiar with, but it never hurts to find out.

[quiet_librarian]

"Tyr'adn is a Dheronian. Unlike Kryptonians, who have a very human-like appearance, Dheronian's are distinguished by their white skin, eyes, hair and have distinctive markings around their eyes and on their cheeks and nose."

"And both races gain extra abilities under a new sun's light and internal radiation. Since Earth is a Yellow Sun, my father and two of my older siblings all have a wide range of special abilities."

"Tyr'adn has not spent a lot of time on our planet, so we are not certain what abilities he might have yet."

"He is an explorer." Drusilla smiles. "He wanted to come to our planet to learn about the fate of the Last Son of Krypton. And to learn about Earth."

[boldygoing]

Doesn't sound like any species he's heard of, but there's plenty out there yet to explore. "And now you?" he asks with an amused grin. Seems there's a habit of explorers from all corners of history who end up falling for the locals.