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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[ Earth. He's heard of that planet a few times since coming to the station. Enough to know that there are multiple planets with the same name, because Jim probably would have mention things like giant monsters from the oceans by now.

To the questions, Finn gives a little smile and shakes his head. ]

I grew up in space, on ships. Sometimes we touched down- [ going from base to base ] -but none of those places were home. I'm human, far as I know, though. And there aren't a lot of people that live entire generations on stations, so I'm sure mine were from a planet or moon somewhere, too.

Oh. You're a space baby, huh. [ Jim smiles, absolutely endeared and none the wiser about the real story of Finn's life, the real tragedy of it all. It's probably going to break his heart when he finds out about it, but anyway. ]

I was born on an emergency shuttle, but I did grow up on my planet. It was only in my twenties that I took off on a ship. I've been pretty much living in one for the past seven or so years.

[ Sounds like an exciting birth but probably a tragic one, too. Finn's curious but he doesn't mention it.

He does laugh a little, though. ]

We're opposites, then. I started keeping my feet on the ground more often just a year ago.

[ Well, sort of. Feels like he spends the same amount of time in space, really, but it also isn't the same by a long shot. ]

Sounds you like you've been busy those last seven or so years.

[ Yes, very tragic. Jim isn't touching that right now. ]

I wouldn't say opposites. I'm guessing you still do space travel, even if less permanently?

[ Jim chuckles, head tilting in a slight nod. ]

Yeah, you could say that. No rest for the wicked or Starfleet Captains, as they say.

[ Finn shrugs. ] Definitely less permanently. Kind of hard to avoid space travel completely where I'm from, though.

[ And his smile doesn't falter when he blinks in surprise. ] How long have you been a Captain, anyway?

[ Jim has to be in his early-30s (Finn would have guessed late-20s if he didn't have the earlier context), and it sounds like he may have been Captain for a majority of those seven years. A promotion like that so young during peacetime is... pretty spectacular, actually. Not that Finn has much experience with peacetime. ]

Not as hard in my reality, it's just something I'm more personally involved in.

[ Obviously, and also it's obvious that he loves it. He often feels like his life never really started until he took his feet off the ground. ]

About five years. I made Captain as soon as I graduated from Starfleet.

[ One might say he also graduated precisely so he could become Captain, but details. ]

[ Well, it's hard for him, but there are so few people that actually stay planet bound, who never leave where they were born. He's kind of jealous.

Anyway, his eyebrows pop up. ] Really? I won't say it's unheard of but that's damn impressive. [ Not that Finn has a lot of experience with Academies, but he does know of several troopers who jumped straight to Lieutenant right out of training. And he knows first hand how a person can jump ranks in the Resistance.

But, again, they're supposedly talking peacetime. Jim must be a genius prodigy or something. ]

You must love it. You can't tell me promotion offers haven't come and gone in that time.

[ It's different for each person, Jim imagines, but one has to try all options before deciding what's right for them. For him, being planet-bound for too long just isn't what he wants. At least not at this point in his life. ]

Thank you, [ He tips his head with a smile, genuine yet very proud. He knows it is damn impressive, it's one hell of an accomplishment and he's not going to play modest about it, even though he knows it was in good part Starfleet rewarding him for what he did. He often believes he'd have benefited from the gradual rise, from the experience of being a Cadet, a Lieutenant, a First Officer, before anything else. But life works in strange, mysterious ways. ]

A few. But I didn't go for them. [ He doesn't go into great detail, particularly his most recent situation. It was still something he's working through personally. ] I want to fly, and I'm not ready to let that go.

[ Finn admires that pride. Reminds him of General Organa in the way that James knows exactly what he fought for and earned. His smile grows a little soft. ]

Yeah, I can get that. It's hard when you're watching everyone else go out there while you try to pull strings behind the scenes. And I haven't even been chained to a desk yet. [ Yet. Hopefully soon, considering recent events. ]

It's hard to imagine being grounded like that.

[ He groans a little at that, though still smiling. ]

God, I can't even imagine. The bureaucratic work is definitely my least part of being a Captain, I can't imagine my job being all about that.

[ Clearly Jim needs excitement in his life. Starfleet would just be too damn boring otherwise. ]

So what do you do out there? Are you an explorer, a fighter...?

[ Finn can't honestly deny that he enjoys being out there in the action. A part of him feels like he was made for that life. On the other hand, he doesn't mind bureaucratic work and he's good at it. So long as that desk comes with a view, he can imagine himself being plenty happy.

He takes a sip of the drink and smiles a little while James asks his question. Finn shrugs. ]

A soldier, yeah. My galaxy's been at war for a while. After our last battle, though, I think things are finally over.

But it's hard to be sure. I arrived at the station before we could handle the clean up.

[ Because as much as the war is over, the next war isn't. He can't let another First Order creep out of this Empire. Never another kid. ]

[ Well, it's not the answer he was hoping for Finn, but it's not a surprising one either. He seems to come from a slightly different reality than Jim's, one where necessity has called for a different approach when it comes to space travel. Still, soldier or no, Jim trusts his gut feelings; he knows Finn's the kind of person who does good. ]

That... would be nice. I hope your galaxy's at peace, then. Or at least your corner of it, that would be a good start.

[ He knows peace isn't easy to achieve, though. Especially on such a large scale. It'll take time and work, and people like Finn. ]

[ Peace is something his galaxy knows very little of. But Finn can dream of something better. Can try to strive for it. ]

Me, too. I think it's one the way there. If not, it will be one day.

[ The fight between the light and the dark will always be there. But maybe they can keep it amongst themselves or something. ]

[ That sentiment in itself is everything already. Just that there are people striving to do better, and to be better, makes all the difference. ]

A bit like my own world. Took us a while, but we got there.

[ And even then it's not perfect, but it's as close to a utopia as anyone could imagine. ]

[ Finn smiles and almost stares into the space between them. ]

Honestly? It's hard to imagine. I grew up in this war. Always dreamed of something else, but now that it's so close, I still can't picture it.

[ But he still loves the idea. ]

We'll get there, too. One way or the other.

Guess it's the kind of thing you need to experience for yourself. You'll get there, I'm sure. You'll like it.

[ It's just a gut feeling, he doesn't know Finn well enough yet; but he seems like the kind of person who's more interested in helping others than anything. There's plenty of that even in times of peace, as Finn will undoubtedly learn for himself. Maybe a little less action, a little more paper-pushing. ]

But for now it looks like your skills will come in handy for these missions. [ Not exactly the most thrilling thing, he knows. But still. ]

[ He's sure he'll like it, too. He can see Rey or Poe getting bored eventually, but Finn's looking forward to slowing down.

Even so, he nods. ]

My experience is valuable. I don't regret it. It helps me save lives. [ And he knows it's valuable, even if their enemy isn't so familiar anymore. ] Your skills are needed here, too. You're an experienced leader. With so many different types of people, we need more of that sort of thing.

[ Finn is, too, just not nearly as experienced. Or maybe just a different kind of experienced. ]

[ Jim really likes that answer. Not only that Finn seems to appreciate his own worth, but also that his immediate thought is how he can use those assets to help others. ]

We've got a pretty varied group. A lot of different skill sets and strengths, I'm sure everyone will have something they can contribute with. We just need to learn to work and live together, for the foreseeable future anyway.

If they don't, then chances are very slim that they'll ever find a way back.

I think we can manage.

[ Even though a large part of Finn believes that, he's also a little worried. Some people would do horrible things to undo the past. People they wouldn't even suspect could betray them for something or someone they love. It's going to be a difficult road. ]

So long as morale stays up, we can do it. Just one thing at a time, right?

[ Some people would do horrible things even if it didn't undo the past; even if it just got them something they want. And yes, Jim's definitely very worried about that, especially knowing they all come from different realities and backgrounds. Some people here aren't even necessarily lacking in scruples, but they're just used to doing things a certain way just to survive.

It's going to be complicated, for sure. ]

Yeah. [ He smiles at Finn, nodding. ] No point in worrying just yet. We might need to assess this whole situation once we're back on the station, I don't think we'll have the time or opportunity to get a feel for everyone while we're here.

No, we won't. Not sure how long we'll have between missions either. Seems like this whole thing is new to everyone.

[ He's yet to meet someone that's been around for more than a month before he arrived. Which, that's fine. Means he's caught up on everything.

He offers a little smile. ] I can't really complain about being away from home, though. I like the people so far.

[ Well, Jim could complain a little, but he gets Finn's remark for the compliment that it is, and instead he ducks his head with a small smile, nudging his knee lightly against Finn's. ]

You're not so bad yourself.

[ Oh... Okay, yeah, he gets what's so endearing about the head ducking thing now. It makes his smile a little brighter. ]

Thanks. [ Though, don't get him wrong, he could definitely complain a bit, too. Just... not about right now. ]

[ Jim has this stupid urge to just kiss Finn's cheek, he's so cute. He rests a hand over Finn's arm, giving it a little squeeze, then downs the rest of his drink. ]

So how about one more dance? Maybe something slower. Up for that?

I think I can manage it. [ A tease before he knocks back the rest of his own drink and stands.

He offers his hand to Jim. ] May I?

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winscenario - 2021-08-16 00:53 (UTC) - Expand

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