ximilialog | ( open ) time is tickin' I cannot waste it love

Entry tags:

( open ) time is tickin' I cannot waste it love

CHARACTERS: Erik Stevens + Everyone / Mingle! I’m not the boss of you.
LOCATION: Open Field near ish the Palace
DATE: Sometime in July
CONTENT: Party, drinks, dancing.
WARNINGS: N/A

( i. party hats )

[ this had been the stupidest condition of his goal, but it’s a doable one so erik handles it the way he would handle any kind of mission; single-mindedly. he gets to work and makes a couple of dozen party hats of various colours and size. some might seem too small, others too big, a few that are just right, no he doesn’t accept constructive criticism. ]

Just put the damn thing on, it won’t kill you.

( ii. food and stuff )

[ unfortunately there are constraints. if they were back in usa, setting up the supplies of food and drink would be a cinch. however, he’s working with fantasy asian cuisine, out of which he knows half of. still, his position as a nobleman’s attendant gave him a hefty salary and he put it to good use. there are plenty of caskets of booze, all the kinds he could find and various eateries and snacks. some from the palace, others he cobbled together with the use of their kitchen like basic butter cookies and wafers.

eat, drink, he’s not here to card you kids ]

( iii. dancing )

[ and of course, there’s music. lively music, slow tunes. erik managed to hire a band (like three people on instruments but details). the sun was setting, the breeze was cool and maybe for a brief moment, you want to enjoy yourself. give up your worries for a day. the light hits the flowers, giving the scenery a warm orange glow.

grab a partner and have a little fun. ]

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[ Oh. Well, all that combined has Finn going a little bashful. He laughs lightly, ducking his head a bit. ]

Then, we'll have to do it again sometime.

I'll hold you to it. That 'sometime' better not be too far from now.

[ And because making Finn fluster is apparently his new favorite thing, he adds. ]

You're cute when you do that head ducking thing. I mean, you're cute in general, but when you do that— yeah.

[ Finn's about to make plans about dancing, promise something hopefully in the near future, but his face is practically set on fire before coherent sounds can come out.

But he does manage a laugh because cute? Him? That's a new one to hear. And, yeah, he does the head ducking thing again. ]

I- I don't know about that. But... it's nice that you think so. You should probably look in a mirror more often, though, if you're looking for cute.

[ Well, to be fair, as cute as James is, Finn would claim he leans a little further into the handsome category. But he doesn't plan on saying that, really. ]

Why, thank you. I am pretty cute, aren't I?

[ And modest! Clearly. Anyway, right now he says that mostly to try and make Finn feel a little more at ease, but his compliment's still just as genuine. Finn's really cute. ]

Also I do know about that. I can't believe other people haven't told you, but hey— pretty glad to be your first.

[ Heh heh. You know what he means. (You do, right.) ]

[ Well, success, because Finn's laugh is a good bit easier after that display of modesty.

And, yeah, he knows what he means. Can hardly believe that they're actually flirting right now but, yeah. ]

You know, I'm pretty glad, too. I can see why they say that you always remember your first now.

[ First, only, one of those. About calling him cute, that is. ]

Mm, does that mean you're always going to remember me?

[ Well, isn't that nice? It certainly makes Jim's smile grow wider, and he moves Finn's hands to his waist next, his own arms winding loosely around Finn's shoulders. ]

There. That's nicer.

[ And he can lightly brush his fingertips against Finn's hair at the nape. Not a lot, just once or twice to tease him and make him fluster again. ]

Don't think I'm going to forget you, that's for sure.

[ After all, he doesn't know about the possibility of the whole memory wipe thing upon returning home, so this gets to continue to be adorable.

And he does fluster again with that move but, surprisingly, only a little. He does smile bashfully and duck his head, getting little shivers whenever he feels Jim's fingertips. Apparently, this turned into a bit of a crush somewhere between points A and B.

But Finn's also quick to look back up to James, a softer smile on his face and a little bit of confidence in his eyes. ]

You're teasing me.

[ He doesn't appear to be offended about it. ]

[ Well, it's a nice sentiment. Jim also doesn't know about the possibility that they'll forget all this when they're back, so instead he just smiles happily, knowing he won't forget Finn either. He's a memorably guy like that. ]

Mm, yes I am. I like your reactions a lot, what can I say?

[ He shrugs, entirely unapologetic. That confidence is definitely new, but he likes that too. But mostly it's the smiling an head ducking that gets him. ]

[ Finn relaxes visibly but only a little, not that he was particularly tense before. Knowing (or assuming) that it's just messing around and not actually meant puts him back on the status quo.

Doesn't mean he wants it to stop. ]

Well... I like hearing it a lot. [ And even that's said with a mix of confidence and some of that head ducking again, not actually leaving eye contact this time. ] But you realize this means I have to find a way to pay you back, right?

You mean I'll have to spend more time with you? Oh no, the horror. I don't know if I can put up with that.

[ Not so much having to spend time with Finn, as it is getting to spend time with him. Sounds absolutely delightful, in Jim's honest opinion. ]

You've got yourself a deal. Just name the time and place, and I'll be there?

[ He'd call it a date but Finn's head might explode. ]

[ As far as Finn's aware, this is planning out to be "Flirtatiously Hanging Out" rather than a date. But clarification would probably make his head explode, yeah.

He laughs lightly from the joking around. ]

Oh, I will. Very soon. [ Because making plans right now, with all this going on, may not work out well. ] I'll be sure to make it as excruciating as possible. I've been told that I'm terrible at flirting.

[ Which, if Jim saw or heard about what happened by the wall, he'd know it, too. ]

[ That actually gets a laugh from Finn. ]

Yes, so I've heard! We might have to work on that. Just a little.

[ To be fair, Jim is 100% fine with Finn's brand of flirting so far. Which mostly it's Finn just flustering and smiling cutely while Jim shamelessly hits on him. ]

But for what it's worth, you don't need to work on it a whole lot for my sake. I'm easy to please.

[ Ah, that's a nice laugh. Finn shrugs. ] You deserve the best. And I've also been told that I'm eager to please, so it works out.

[ But, yeah, Finn's flirting style is somehow super effective. Who knew? Certainly not all the people that took pity on him and offered him lessons. (They still might be right, though. (Wait, was that flirting, too?)) ]

Oh, eager, are you? Well, that certainly works to my advantage.

[ Boy, is he looking forward to this now. All of it. Also yes, Finn, it was most likely flirting too. Try and catch up, will you. ]

You wanna keep dancing? We can just grab some drinks a find a corner to sit and chat.

[ This does appear to be working to Jim's advantage, if his interest is anything to go by. Finn's still not totally sure if it's still just messing with him for the sake of it or an actual interest, but, again, he doesn't much care. He likes having James' attention, turns out. ]

As much as I do enjoy dancing with you, a break doesn't sound half bad. Maybe we can pick this up again later? I've already learned a lot out here.

[ Like a lot. ]

Sounds good to me. We'll find other opportunities to dance.

[ For now he likes the prospect of just chatting with Finn, so he slows them down and instead hooks a hand around Finn's arm. ]

Come on. Let's get something to drink.

[ Finn hadn't had a chance before to check out what food and drink Erik managed to scrounge up for the party. He's only sorta interested at this point, to be honest, a lot of his attention clearly being taken up.

What's fortunate is that, thanks in large part to Black Squadron back home, he's able to hold his liquor to some degree. The caskets of said booze may look a little intimidating, but he's never been one to worry about that sort of thing.

He gets a glass of it for himself, holding up another in offer to Jim. ]

[ Jim's given the drinks a try already, so he knows they're pretty good. Still, he lets Finn get him a glass, taking it with a smile. ]

Thanks.

[ Before taking a sip, he instead looks around, spotting an empty spot for them to take up. It's comfortable enough for them to sit together, and he guides Finn there, plopping on the seat first and waiting for Finn to join him. ]

Do you do a lot of these parties, back home? I'm not very used to them anymore.

[ Finn takes the seat beside him happily and tries the drink. And it is good. Potentially too good but that depends on how the night goes. ]

Not really. [ Said with a little laugh into his drink. ] We only throw parties after a big win, and those are kind of few and far between. But the parties are crazier than this, so I guess it works.

I got the impression you do this almost regularly, though. [ He did mention how dancing is important to do with other cultures, and Finn has it in his head that Jim is some form of diplomat. ]

[ The drinks here are pretty great, Jim will give them that. And he would rather be at a party like this with other orbers than another banquet thrown for them or in their honor. ]

Well... we hold some formal events at Starfleet. Certain banquets and celebrations on planets we visit. But it's a lot more proper than this, this is a more relaxed setting. I don't go to a lot of parties like this anymore.

[ There was his birthday party, so there is that. But that's the only one he can remember in the three years or so. ]

Well, if we're talking about parties in relaxed settings, then I can't say I've seen a lot of them.

[ This is probably the first one he's been a part of, now that he's thinking about it. Since it's somewhere between just hanging out and a 'banquet in their honor,' he's just flowing with it. ]

Why don't you go to these things anymore?

This is going to sound a little cliche, but I just grew out of it. [ He shrugs. ] I used to go to all sorts of wild parties before and during the Academy, maybe even once or twice after that. I just don't feel like I enjoy myself the same way getting completely plastered and making terrible mistakes.

[ Now his terrible mistakes essentially boil down to how many ways he can risk his own life for the sake of others, rather than on whose bed he ends up crawling into at the end of the night. Not that he'd call those mistakes, but some may argue. ]

It's fun when you're younger. Give into that wild side, enjoy a proper rave every so often. Pretty sure most people get tired of those as they grow up, though.

[ Finn hums, agreeing. Well, to an extent. ] I know what you mean. I've been to the parties that my friends put on, but I don't do much in the way of participating. Not like that, at least. [ He usually just talks, relaxes, maybe get swung around on a dance floor by whichever of his friends decided they were going to be drunk and clingy for the night.

But he definitely doesn't have the same experiences as James does. It's hard to say if Finn would have even tried those things out if he had the choice. ]

What did go to this Academy for? You seem like a type of diplomat or something.

Well, luckily there are many types of parties, we don't all need to like the wild kind. [ Jim could make all kinds of suggestions about parties for two but he'd rather not make Finn's head explode today.

Anyway, interesting question, so he'll stick to that instead. ]

It's the Starfleet Academy, I'm Captain of a starship where I'm from. So yes, among other things, I had to fulfill diplomatic duties every so often. Though I did have skilled advisors on my crew to help me with that.

[ Finn has calmed down considerably since all that blustering on the dance floor, but it could totally come back in a heart beat, so- Anyway, that's beside the point.

His eyes practically sparkle with this revelation. ]

I didn't get the impression that you were in a military. [ He still doesn't, in all honesty, and his voice sounds a little skeptical on that front. This seems different. ] What's the complement of your crew? What do you guys do?

[ Sorry, he... has a million questions. ]

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I can't believe I wrote 'Finn' instead of 'Jim' AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME

WHOOPS

Sorry about the silly mistake (I know u don't mind but anywayyy)

i never mind ♥ but now you gotta tell me about all my typos, it's a full-time job

only if i even notice them, whoops

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