onemorebounty | Going the Distance [for Verity, Jim]

Spock would be so disappointed in Jim's observational skills. Ver's just relieved she doesn't have to explain this yet. Someday, but for now, let the lady have some mysteries.

She gives a nod when Samus looks to her, to signal both that her shoulder's better and that she's been listening. To prove the former, she rolls her shoulder back and extends her arm. No twinging, and she's not good enough at faking for Samus to be fooled. For the later, not that she's pointing fingers... "Use it as a test," she suggests. "People who aren't paying attention will fall for a facade."

Jim listens to them both, his frown becoming one of concentration rather than confusion, and he doesn't answer right away. It's all a more devious way of looking at things, and he's somewhat annoyed with himself for not considering that Marcus may have had allies in Command, beyond Section 31, and that they might be who he has to watch out for. Not just naysayers, but people who might have more serious intentions behind their criticisms. The sort of people that are probably already using similar tricks of psychology against him, not expecting him to know that such a game even exists, let alone that he's an unwitting player.

"Let them think they're setting me up to fail," he says, after several moments, his tone more contemplative now than the defensiveness of before. He thinks for another moment or two before he adds, "It's chess. I play with Spock a couple times a week, and he's better than I am, but I still kick his ass at least a third of the time because I don't play logically, like he expects. And when I do play it straight, he knows to watch for unconventional moves now, so sometimes the straightforward strategies get him. Depends on what he's expecting."

*Samus gives a slight nod, satisfied with the results of Verity's self-treatment. Verity's verbal jab in her direction even wins a small smirk. Yes, she sees what you did there, clever pupil. Savor the moment.*

It's chess without the training wheels.

*Her smirk grows with her rejoinder to Jim's conclusion.*

In chess, you know who your opponent is, you can see them the whole time, there is only one of them, the playing field and pieces are clearly defined, you know what all of them can do, both sides start out equal, and you can see all of the pieces all of the time.

*She glances again to Verity, leaving Jim to process that and come to his next set of conclusions.*

Breath caught? Let's go.

*The Captain may need to hurry to catch up.*

[So who would win at Stealth Chess: Samus or Vetinari?]

The jab had been meant for Jim, but she'll take praise where she can find it. Yes, she knows what that says about her.

"Chess is a good start," she assures Jim, "because the game isn't really about the game, it's about your opponent." Okay, so maybe there'll be help from this quarter sometimes. That and a cheeky smirk tossed his way when the run picks up again.

Jim bites back a curse as they get underway again, but he's not slow on the uptake this time, hustling to catch up, and then match the pace Samus is setting. The momentary pause wasn't enough to let any new aches set in, fortunately, just the same ones he's had.

"Okay, it's not a perfect metaphor," he says, trying not to sound too annoyed at Samus poking holes in his (admittedly basic) analogy. He throws a somewhat appreciative look in Verity's direction, because she at least got what he was going for. Not that Samus didn't, of course, she just expects more of him, and he rather doubts 'I'm still new at this' would go over well. Excuses and all that.

"But like you said, I need to change my tactics to match the situation," he continues, getting back into the rhythm of the run. "Which means I've got to get some kind of a read on it in the first place, which means I've gotta have something to go off of, whether it's a person or a message from Command, or a pattern of orders I'm given, or a dozen other clues I might have."

((Everyone else, while their attention is on each other.))

*Sometimes, there is no better way to learn than to teach. Samus gives Verity a slight nod distinct from her stride. Kirk, too, gets an approving smile--it's true, she perforated his analogy rather badly, but she hopes that in thinking over it later he'll come to recognize it was not a list of the analogy's faults, but a litany of the challenges he'll face.*

And now comes wisdom; we cannot See until we Look.

[True!]

Jim's appreciation is mutual. He's being such a good sport about all this; it's admirable. He'll be a good addition to their circle. Ver tends to respect anyone who can handle Samus prodding them so well. There were enough morning runs ended with her in tears, so she's inclined to judge kindly in these things.

"So, where do we look first?" The question is aimed at Jim, and he's welcome to take the 'we' how he likes.

It certainly helps that this isn't the first time Jim has been subject to Samus' unique brand of teaching. Hell, it's not even the second. And both previous occasions covered topics a little more painful and emotionally sensitive than this. And as grating and downright ruthless as her questions sometimes are, he's somewhat surprised to recognize that he prefers this over Starfleet's idea of counseling, by a lot.

Whether or not that's due to a lifelong compulsion to put himself through stupid stuff to punish himself might be up for debate, but... details. At least he's actually learning while he's at it, these days.

"Good question," he says, while he tries to think of a real answer. "The way I see it, there's two main schools of thought: 'you gotta run before you can walk,' or 'throw your kid in the deep end to teach them how to swim.'" He's pretty sure he knows which one Samus falls into, and he can also see why. "I've had people gunning for me for... well, a long time. They aren't gonna go easy on me now while I catch up."

*Verity may have ended some of those days in tears, but she came back the next, and the next, which counts for a great deal as well--and look where she is now, keeping pace with the living weapon she tackled out of the air not five minutes ago, dispensing sage advice to an up-and-coming hero. That "we" is getting a curious look; Jim may not have picked up on it, but the Hunter certainly has.*

I might've said "shove them from the nest," but eh, cultural idiom. You have enemies, and now you know it. How will you identify and find them?

*Comparing Starfleet's counseling with her own methods, Samus might propose the analogy of a dentist applying braces vs. field-setting a broken bone. There are pros and cons to both, and neither really works for the other kind of problem.*

Anyone who says therapy doesn't hurt is lying. Sometimes, the kind of pain Samus offers is easier to bear than the alternatives. Or maybe she and Jim are just a little stupid when it comes to these things. Jury's still out on that.

Now for a scary thing: contradicting Samus. "This is some kind of military organization, right? With security clearances and classified files and not many people knowing everything, and the ones who do not being allowed to talk about it? Maybe it'd be better to cultivate and strengthen ties with allies."

Jim has indeed noticed the use of 'we,' but hasn't figured out yet how to respond to it. Not that he wouldn't appreciate the help, of course, he's just wary of dragging civilians into the crossfire, whether on purpose or on accident, and not because he doesn't think they can't handle themselves.

He does, however, see the merit in Verity's suggestion. "No reason both can't happen. I've got some idea who else in my chain of command dislikes me enough to be unsubtle about it, and I recently... lost my biggest supporter among the admirals." It still hits him unexpectedly sometimes, to remember that Pike is gone, and he has to take a second before he continues. "He can't have been the only one though. And Earth does have an old saying about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer."

*Brave heart, Verity.*

It's a good saying. And Verity has a point, you're going to need allies as much as intel. Which brings us back to how.

Sometimes. When needs must.

Ver appreciates Jim not wanting to drag other people into his problems. But there's plenty of ways she can help without anyone else ever knowing. Training together, talking things over... y'know, like what they're doing now. That's pretty safe. It's a start.

"Somehow, I don't think Jim's going to have trouble making friends," she points out.

Safe indeed. What they've discussed so far has already been fairly helpful, as well, so Jim is on board with this talking-it-over-together strategy.

"I usually don't," he agrees, but lopes along a few more paces to think things through. "I'm a shitty actor; you know that," he adds with a glance in Samus' direction. She demonstrated that to him rather thoroughly when she took apart the cover story he'd tried to feed her about what happened with the USS Vengeance, though that might have more to do with her powers of observation than his ability to lie convincingly. "I don't know if I could get away with the same sort of games you see in spy holovids, not yet anyway. But face-to-face isn't the only option." Another few paces while he mulls it over.

"Would it be a bad idea if I sent my fellow captains a letter? I could ask for advice on how to be a more effective leader, in a kind of appealing-to-the-voice-of-experience kind of way, to get some kind of idea how they'd respond to me. Maybe get some decent advice out of it as well as getting a read on them."

*When needs must is the most important time to be brave. Jim's suggestion of a letter prompts some consideration from Samus before she nods.*

A good move. You gain on several fronts, and lose very little. Some of the officers who remember your mentor fondly might be persuaded that his belief in you wasn't ill-placed.

*A few paces roll out before she supplies an addendum.*

And you're not a bad actor, you're just used to one role. It's time for you to wear some new masks.

"I like it," Ver offers. "It'll give you a body of evidence to judge future interactions against, too. People who say one thing in writing but act otherwise in person are usually trying to hide something. Maybe from you, maybe from themselves, but it's worth knowing about."

She doesn't have much to offer regarding the acting, for a variety of reasons.

Since that suggestion passes muster, he makes a mental note of both of their comments, especially Verity's analysis of what else to watch out for. Samus' last remark prompts a side glance in her direction, hesitant and a little uncertain. "Probably a bad idea to field test 'em without any practice first though. I'm still not sure how to approach the admirals, and they're the ones I'm more worried about. They already booted me out of the chair once, and I don't know how the voting went."

*Verity's sense for gathering impressions remains keen, and Samus accords her a nod of agreement.*

No, you ought to get some practice in those other roles where nobody knows you, so you can fine-tune them with a minimum of consequence. As for the admirals, don't approach them yet. Reach out to your peers--classmates and fellow captains. Cultivate a few allies among them, and find out who are the other admirals' favorites and proteges. See what you can find out from them.

Verity listens, keeping pace rather automatically. Her eyes are mostly on Samus or the terrain ahead, but when she speaks up she focuses on Jim. "You're in a place full of people who don't know you," she points out, "and trying on some new behaviors might help with your identity crisis."

He didn't think she hadn't noticed, surely?

"Then you'll know if you can feel comfortable with that sort of tactic before you try and use it. If you don't, we'll figure something else out."

"Work from the bottom up, in other words." He's certainly more comfortable with that, if only because going straight for the top would look suspicious at best. And this way, he might have the support of his peers in any future altercations with the admiralty.

Jim frowns a little in Verity's direction at her suggestion. Not because he hadn't thought she'd noticed his inner turmoil, because he's fairly certain he's been wearing his emotions on his sleeve these last few weeks. "I guess that makes sense. I just hope I like whoever I end up being."

An organic growth--touch those closest to you, then reach through them to the people connected to them, and so on. Top and bottom are less important than close--if your admiral friend were still alive, he'd be one of your first contacts.

*Samus has let up on her attacks for now, but she is steering them into more demanding terrain; they've left the beach for a winding path on an upward slope, lightly forested. The path itself is interrupted by occasional rocks and roots; mostly obstacles that demand only a step or two of detour, but failing to notice one would still be uncomfortable.*

The nice thing about becoming someone you don't like is that you can always change again.

The shift in terrain doesn't surprise her, but it's greeted with a faint sigh. A shift in tactics is called for. The first being, she'll fall back until Jim's between her and Samus. It's a path she's found is best run single-file and he's new. Better to have Ver at his back until he's more familiar.

"Humans can change with remarkably little effort." Compared to some people she's known... "Do you have to change who you are, or do you want to figure out who you are?"

Her tone demands nothing of him; Jim doesn't have to answer, she won't bug him about it. But it's something to think about. Samus may be letting up, but that doesn't mean any of them are finished.

Jim isn't under any delusions that they're done. The harder ground gives him a more solid surface to push against than there was on the beach, though the uphill battle against gravity is enough to keep him working about as hard as before. And now there are obstacles, forcing him to pay attention to the terrain just as much as the conversation.

Well, if nothing else, at least they've... sort of eased into it. And as he's not eager to turn an ankle or stumble and jar his back, he devotes a little more attention to where they're going and what lies in the way, having to find a slightly different stride to adapt.

"I don't know," he answers, after mentally debating that. "It's kind of an ongoing process. I'm already different now than I was a year ago, and that was different than I was when I was fourteen, and so on. It's hard to figure out which me is the 'real' one. Or should be."

*Since Samus is in the lead, she takes in the path ahead at a glance and then twists on her next step, jogging backwards to give Jim a sober look.*

Do you think something can't be real if it changes? You're alive and growing, Jim; the day you stop changing, you're dead.

*Another twist, and she's back to running as usual.*

Is Jim tall enough to block Samus seeing Ver's eyes roll? Because talk about showing off! Yes, she knows this will lead to unwanted extra attention, just sometimes she can't help it.

"Why do you think there's somebody you 'should' be?" Again, the question is asked gently and without pressure. "If you're true to yourself and trying your best, isn't that enough?"

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Argh I accidentally erased the entire comment and had to start over

Aw, deep sympathies!

http://bit.ly/2w58hb5

<3

Truly, you have a gift for giffing.

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