nexus_crossings | (no subject)

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Now getting lost is one thing.

The base this blue humanoid gentleman hails from currently is dense and very easy to get turned around in. Every third street curves over another or the building you wanted was on the underside of some other arch and it can just be a mess trying to get around Yorktown. Norn would be just fine if he was simply a little bit lost. That's a sad way of life for the Andorian.

But to get so lost that he can no longer see the other arching streets of the base? So lost he feels like he's stepped into a Vulcan shop for how high the temperatures have risen? How there's actual humidity leaving the air heavy? It almost feels like he's no longer on the base.

Oh. Oh no.

Luckily there's a very helpful if not garishly dressed human on a screen in the Plaza. It doesn't help the man in a simple red and black uniform to get back home, but knowing there is a system in place quells the panic for the time being. He takes a seat on an unoccupied couch and props his chin in one equally blue hand while watching the denizens of the Nexus wander around. His antennae perk up ever so slightly once he's made up his mind. The next person he sees he'll ask.

"Have you ever broken a rule by...by accident? How did you handle it or the aftermath?" Norn is pretty sure this counts as some kind of leaving his post. Even though he's speaking directly at someone his voice is a quiet hush. Like he might fear being overheard or maybe his internal volume button doesn't go past five.

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"There's a sort of transporter device we can use." And isn't Felix pleased with himself for substituting the right words without having to think about it? "This place contains some extremely advanced technologies - but I'll let the captain discuss all that." For security reasons, of course.

He seems to be onto a winner with his choice of sights, too. Felix leads them closer to the bushes, idly pulling off a few berries and offering them to one of the bigger creatures. Its stubby tentacles wrap around his fingers as it takes the tasty bits of fruit. "They can't be, and yet they get around. Not with any sort of speed or grace, it's true. There's likely to be magic involved-" he catches himself as smoothly as he can, "but I haven't studied them seriously. Does your homeland have something similar? A- a 'dizthal', did you say?"

"Oh...That makes sense." Almost. Kind of. But Felix sounds like he knows what he's talking about and if the captain's informed of how it works then that's good enough for Norn. Knowing there's a system in place and rules makes him feel so much better. Even if he doesn't know about them they exist and that's all that matters.

It lets the Andorian relax as he peers around Felix's shoulder to watch the little critters awkwardly bumble around while they grab for fruits. But wait.

Magic?

Magic? Felix is so clever and funny! Norn grins and holds in a chuckle, too shy to laugh out loud even if his shoulders tremble ever so slightly. He nods at the question and carefully clears his throat.

"Dihzthaal, from Andorian, literally translates to ah 'hidden fish' in Galactic Standard. They are very rare."

Felix shoots a look back when he passes Norn a handful of the berries. Far from looking suspicious, Norn's grinning as if Felix said something very clever. He can absolutely roll with that.

"Hidden fish- well, that makes sense. Perhaps these are relatives of theirs: I've certainly never heard of anything else like them." They look like squid in snail-shells to him. "About here is the start of a belt of parklands and gardens. They usually stretch about halfway around the settled areas, but they're largely just a transitional area between here and the proper Wilds. Be very careful if you want to go beyond them - there's barely any protection against violence or natural threats by the time you get into the true Wilds. Fascinating place to explore, though. I go out there looking for plants and such all the time."

"I did not think they lived outside of the water. ....Just look at them move."

Where others would whoop or exclaim Norn shows his excitement in an air of quiet awe and wonder. He's careful when he holds one of the berries aloft between his fingers and watches one of the creatures reach out with no fear toward the Andorian's blue digits to snake its gripping tentacles around the fruit.

They're beautiful and strange and Norn absolutely adores them. He's only barely listening to Felix's explanation of this place until the word violence pops up and then he's looking up quickly.

"It seems unwise to venture out alone...I will keep that in mind."

Whatever faults Felix can find with Jim's people, this is one thing he thinks he'll love about them: like the captain, they don't seem to let their fears blind them to the wondrous. The quiet delight with which Norn watches the bumbling little creatures marks an unqualified victory to him, and he doesn't even try to hide his pleased expression.

Jim may worry about timelines and classified information. Felix sees the first friend and ally he has an opportunity to make all for himself in Starfleet.

He'll let Norn be enchanted by the creatures a while longer before he asks, "Are you hungry, by the way? I often find I lose track of the relative time here."

Jim has every reason to worry about what this means for everything he's trying to build for himself and Felix. Or at least he would, if the man who fell into the Nexus was anyone else. Norn though? He looks up at Felix with glee on his face and a tiny tentative smile.

"Oh, yes I suppose it is getting to be close to dinner isn't it? The meeting will be over by now..." Or at least Beta shift's. He has no doubt Gamma's is going on now and there's a tiny bit of a sulk at having missed his very first gathering for his crew but it's not as though they won't fill him in. Like all of Jim's bridge crews his will look after him pretty well.

"...What sort of cuisine do you prefer? I can eat most anything."

"In that case, there's a place I've been meaning to try out just around the corner." He thinks it's a safe bet, but he might as well try it on his new friend before he takes Jim there. Waving for Norn to follow him, he strolls back a little way into the open streets. The shift between wilds and townland is very much a gradient here, and the streets have plenty of flower beds, trees and creepers twining around the buildings. Actually, there's a lot more greenery than Felix remembers. Apparently letting things grow wild is in fashion lately?

"If I remember right, the menu is mostly stews, dumplings and some lighter vegetables. I hope that suits you. I'm not sure there's a name for the style of cuisine since I'm certain about half the dishes come from completely different worlds. ...Not that that's so different from back home, of course." Norn's sure to be more used to odd combinations of fusion cuisine than the Imperial. But he's learned that in the Nexus, few establishments stick to one world's style of food. You get Earth-style sir-fries with noodles made from an alien grain, or cornbread just like it is in Cyrodiil served with a soup full of luminescent beans.

"I rather liked the look of it, though," Felix adds. He turns into a quiet square and points ahead, and Norn might see what he means. There's an elaborate fountain at the center of the little square, encircled by a lotus-filled pond. Aside from a couple of small cafes, the restaurant at one side seems to be the main source of activity, its tables sprawling outside beneath overflowing hanging baskets and trellises. It's an utterly relaxed-looking place, less than half full at this hour of the evening. Felix will have no trouble finding them a table outside.

"Oh....this is lovely."

The overgrown garden won't strike Norn as improper as he doesn't have a baseline for the Nexus to be aware of. He's still looking at every third thing with that same quiet wonder even if it's much more tempered than the little floating ammonites received.

"Worry not, I'm used to there being a lack of Andorian cuisine outside of the core Federation planets. As I've said, my people are not the most widely social explorers." And this...would this be considered Terran Eastern Hemispherian? Or perhaps Teldrassian? Or some other culture he's never before seen or heard of? Regardless, Norn stays at Felix's side as they head to ask for a table.

"...If nothing else, I've yet to meet a species who would say no to a proper dumpling."

The lettering on the signs and menus is all from Earth and the waiters are human, but Felix has no idea Hungary is a place and so to him the food here smells and sounds more like the Dunmeri-influenced cuisine around Cheydinhal. Maybe some of Ushug's recipes. Which is the problem, really- he doesn't know the right comparisons to be making, given the deception he's perpetrating. Nevertheless, he's on a roll when it comes to showing Norn a good time in the Nexus and that's all that matters.

"I'll have to keep that in mind. I expect you'd need an iron stomach as an explorer, in any case." He flashes Norn a grin. "If only to survive the replicators."

He's sure to ask for a table with room for three - they have a companion arriving later, says he. They're swiftly shown to one of the outdoor tables with a view of the square, the waiter talking them through the day's specials before they're left to contemplate the menu.

"What is Andorian food like, by the by? I've never had the opportunity to try it."

Norn's smile is sympathetic at that. Yes, if you come on the ship you'll have to deal with the replicators and their fare. It's really not so bad with Scotty constantly tweaking the menus to offer the crew a variety of meals but it really doesn't hold a candle to the real thing no matter what anyone says. It's months on end of 'okay' food that gets the job done and that's about it.

"...You do get used to it."

His antennae shift at the table for three but Norn doesn't question anything aloud. He's a little nervous of more people joining them but then again he's also used to that much more than he once was.

"It's not so dissimilar to Earth's. We have a knack for what your people call 'street food' and have adopted many Earth cuisines to suite our own foodstuffs. My personal favorite is skewered redbat but you don't often see it outside Andoria. Even on the colony where I was born it was a special occasion meal."

If there's a light ale he's going to be ordering that. Norn gets enough tea, water, and coffee while on duty.

"If I must." Felix's smile is enigmatic, but all it means is 'I have a PINpoint and I intend to use it'. Hey, abusing the ability to summon things from other dimensions at every opportunity is his entire career path.

He's expecting Jim to catch up with them sooner or later, and when that happens Felix will take the opportunity to insist he eats too. Since Norn doesn't question him Felix doesn't explain. It'll be a nice surprise later.

"It sounds like something I'd like to try. My- my family often cooked small game back home."

He'll second the call for ale, and swiftly decides on a spicy fish stew and a savory meat pancake to follow. As he says with a smile for Norn, "We have time." Letting Felix take you to a real dinner means making time to linger over it. There are no clocks in Tamrielic restaurants.

"...I can probably recommend some of the better meals, depending on your tastes."

Not every part of Starfleet can be glamorous, Felix. Wait until you see the paperwork and the monotony. Up until now Jim's been severely skewing what your idea of the fleet is like.

"Mammals or avians?" Norn's taking a moment to look over the menu and 'oh'ing softly when he spies cabbage soup and a variety of their dumplings to sample and share with Felix. Worry not Felix, most people know how to enjoy a meal.

"Oh, I'll take you up on that." Little does Norn know, he'll end up explaining more of the meal options than he probably expects. Eating with Jim has gone a long way to educating Felix about common Earth dishes but he's bound to get caught out by some things.

Speaking of which...

"Both. Usually rabbit, though. It's cheap-" wait, wait does that make sense to say? "Well, plentiful locally. Pheasant and grouse were more for spring and summer meals." Of course, any meat was expensive in spring, in the lean period between the end of the winter supplies and the replenishment of the herds. Unlike other Cyrodillic cities, Bruma up on its icebound peak can't expect deliveries from abroad either, and the number of hunters and trappers in the city is the main reason there's any meat to be had at all, year-round.

But a world with replicators must have no such concerns, Felix realizes. He genuinely can't be sure how anything gets from field to table in Jim's world, except that they do still have fields. Jim showed him those.

He has to speak carefully, even about the most mundane things.

The waiter returns for their order and shortly thereafter the ale is delivered. Felix fills his glass and lifts it. "To our good luck."

How odd, this world's cabbage is red. Norn hasn't seen this before! It smells faintly different than what he's used to as well but a cursory sip makes him perk up quite a bit. He likes this!

"Rabbits are small prey animals who burrow, yes? I've never seen one outside of pictures." Xenozoology isn't one of Norn's strong suits but he thinks he has a rough idea of the small mammal creature Felix is talking about. The other two he's sure are avians of some kind. He's heard 'pheasant' before certainly.

Let him raise his own glass toward Felix.

"Eev-deel. Or cheers, as I suppose you'd call it." Norn smiles to himself before sipping at the Ale with a hum that is very much pleased with what he's drinking. "On Hanolan it was mostly domesticated avians--chickens-- that were butchered for meat. Convenient since they provided eggs as well for cooking."

With the toasts made and their food awaiting, Felix tries out his fish stew while Norn talks. "Oh, yes. We have those too. Noisy little monsters, as a rule."

Another sip of his ale, and he sighs contentedly. This day is proving far more satisfying than he expected when he wriggled his way into these jeans. "So, what is it like to work up on the bridge? I like a well-outfitted laboratory as much as the next man, but it always sounds as if you have all the excitement up there."

Norn can try to disabuse him of that notion, but Felix is determined to quiz a good story or two out of him. Aside from his love of Jim's tales, work seems like a comfortable topic for Norn and it seems like a good way to find out what motivates this Andorian, his likes and dislikes.

"You are not fond of them, I take it. I didn't live in the farmland of the colony, but it affected what we had available to us for fresh food."

Norn's quick to nudge his bowl and plate of dumplings over toward Felix too. Try it, go on. That's half the fun of going to a new place and taking part in local cuisine. Though in a place like this, Norn's not sure anything counts as local. Details, details.

"It's hours of nothing happening interspersed with emergencies and fires." Norn gives Felix a rueful smile before he turns back to his own meal for a moment. "I work on the beta shift, so usually our job consists of studying and documenting anything that Alpha shift logged during their hours. It's research heavy, but every now and then something strange happens on our watch."

Edited 2018-09-08 15:55 (UTC)

"On the contrary, I'm very fond of them on a plate. Wandering around the streets, not so much."

The offer to share draws another smile and murmured thanks, before Felix winks and pushes his bowl closer to Norn in reciprocation. This philosophy he can absolutely get behind.

"You seem like a man who can appreciate a quiet life- but even so, I'd hope it isn't too monotonous." Or. You know. He might feel it incumbent upon him to fix that. "Ever been on watch when something truly strange came your way?" He nods at the food with a chuckle. "I can trade you a story."

Food trade! Norn is quick to take a small spoonful of the stew with an intrigued hum. He never gets tired of tasting new cuisines and local specialties. One of the best things being in Starfleet has offered him, if you asked him.

"Not monotonous enough, especially on the Enterprise." Norn says that but he's never once even considered putting in for a transfer. Not even after being held captive and having the ship destroyed. Losing all his things and being left with nothing but his life and his rank in Yorktown with the rest of the survivors on Jim's crew. Not even then. He belongs on the Enterprise and that's the end of it.

Though Felix's question makes his smile falter.

"Yes. We lost a third of my bridge crew shift during one incident. Including our pilot and navigator, eventually. The thing about exploring the unknown is that when things happen there's no precedent to follow. No procedure to look to. Sometimes things don't turn out well despite every effort."

Felix can show him whole new worlds on that score. Once he talks Jim into letting him drop the masquerade with this one. It's really quite unfeasible to maintain in any case (because Felix really doesn't want to).

"Ah." Felix lowers a forkful of dumpling, his cheer fading abruptly. "I know that story." He may not have been there, but he was there for the aftermath. For Jim. He knows more than will ever be comfortable of exactly what happened there.

"I hadn't realized that was your shift," he says more softly. "I'm sorry." There's a flicker of a smile, but this time it's slight and meant to be reassuring. "For what it's worth, with everything I've heard about the crew... if I had to be stuck in the depths of space facing some unknown danger, I can't think of any people I'd rather have at my back."

"You have?"

Norn seems rather startled by this. Enough to jar him out of his less than pleasant memories. It was very soon after he was brought on so he didn't know the shift all that well yet, but to lose so many of them so soon under such mysterious circumstances--dangerous enough ones that the fallen couldn't be sent back home for a proper burial at that--was incredibly frightening for the newly recruited Lieutenant.

But that was years ago, now. It seems Felix has been a friend and ally of the captain for quite some time.

"I didn't expect the captain to talk about it so openly. He's always approachable and take charge even outside of shift but he's never seemed like a man to let people get to know him all that well."

"I wouldn't say he spoke of it openly." Felix considers his words through another slow spoonful of stew. Norn's description is apt - and more perceptive than he might expect. Jim's good at seeming like an open book, and it's been long enough since Felix managed to slip beneath his defenses that the conjurer sometimes forgets how tough they are from the outside.

"He and I are... very close," he supplies with a shrug. "And I try to be a good confidant."

If there's one thing the Andorian is good at it's paying attention. He's well aware that the captain is a different man around Doctor McCoy for example than he is around the rest of the crew. If Felix's assessment is anything to go by, he must be at least as close to the captain in some regard or another.

Captain Kirk never seems like anything gets to him that isn't purely professional but he's only human. That simply can't be the case.

Though speaking of the good captain....Felix will be getting a text shortly.

Where are you???

Good thing he's just finished the stew. Felix pushes the bowl aside and retrieves his phone, then flashes Norn a grin as if they're both in on the plan he has going here. "Just a second."

He sends their co-ordinates, then gets a waiter's attention to ask for another ale, and a menu to go with it. The ambush is set.

Most people don't notice the tiny little bip! of a noise indicating a PINpoint into the general area and Norn doesn't know what it means right away either but the noise itself makes his antennae straighten up, though the minute he turns his head to look he nearly startles out of his seat.

"C-captain!"

Jim looks somewhere between relieved and ready to murder at being in the Nexus instead of somewhere on Yorktown right now but the Look he's giving them is directed specifically at Felix. One that softens and turns a bit confused when he finally sees just where they are.

"What is...what is this? Lieutenant Norn, glad to see you're alright." That sigh is also equal parts relieved and exasperated as he gives Felix a look.

Just what are you doing?

Troublemaker that he is, Felix has to work very hard to hide his grin at both their reactions. Jim's, mainly. Felix lifts his eyebrows and gives the captain a look of very nearly innocent surprise.

"It's called dinner," he says patiently, leaning over to pull out the chair that's been awaiting the captain. "Don't tell me you've forgotten what that is. Are you going to sit down?"

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Have some speech points for passing that bluff check, Felix

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Felix just sort of assumes Starfleet officers don't feed themselves

No, that's a Jim-specific problem, Feli--Okay Maybe Bones too.

He's just going to insist on feeding the lot of them. It's the only way to be sure.

Food makes him friends so....

One of the few languages that translates between dimensions: bribing people's stomachs

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