onemorebounty | Going the Distance [for Verity, Jim]

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?"

"Yeah, I know," Jim answers Samus, missing the sight of Verity making faces behind him. "That's kinda what I was trying to get at. By the time I figure myself out, I'll already be on my way somewhere else."

Verity's question puts an ironically self-aware look on his face, though she likely can't see it. "I'm... in kind of a weird position of knowing exactly who I would've been if time-travelers from the future hadn't changed the past. I know I shouldn't compare me to the other me, and we're different enough that I probably couldn't be him if I tried, but... Call it the world's dumbest inferiority complex."

*Samus whirls again, and the look she gives Jim this time is distinctly annoyed.*

Don't even start that I-can't-get-there-because-the-goal-is-moving nonsense, you're captain of a starship. You know damn well how to catch up to a place in motion. Don't sabotage yourself as an excuse not to start.

*She gives him a stern eye, then turns again.*

As for your alternate? Speaking as someone who's changed a universe or two with time travel, that's just some stranger with whom you share a few details. If you don't want to stand in his shadow, then make your own light.

Wow, harsh, Samus. Verity stays quiet for a handful of heartbeats, tempering her own tone because she knows this is a subject a little too close to home for her.

"You don't know that's who you would have been," she explains. "Something else might have changed. And anyway, is it bad that you aren't him? There's usually more to heroes than the shiny veneer." Verity reaches forward to pat his shoulder. Pat pat. Comforting's not her strong suit. "You're you. You're doing fine."

Harsh, but shit, sometimes he deserves that kind of kick in the ass. Samus is many things, but an enabler she is not. Stopping the pity party before the train can truly leave the station is probably the best thing to do, not that Jim appreciates the verbal slap in the face at the moment.

But he's also learned that arguing with Samus can be an exercise in stupidity, especially when you haven't put any thought into it first. And part of the point of the post-mortem on his horribly blundered mission was to get him to stop reacting impulsively and emotionally to everything without stopping to consider all the angles first.

He fumes a little as he keeps up the pace, an uncomfortable tension in his back from all the stress he's putting himself through - both emotionally and in terms of exercise, and decides that he's not so much angry with her as he is with himself.

Yeah, okay, what else is new.

"There's that," he grudgingly admits. "It's not a fair comparison either. I saw him at the end of a long and successful career, and I'm just getting started." A thought does occur to him, and he mulls it over before tentatively saying, "I did make captain before he did."

*Harsh truth is one of Samus' strong suits. She's not too bad at derailing trains, either, if it comes to that. She is glad, though, that Verity is there to counter her abrasive remarks with their gentler counterpoints. Jim's admission, when he makes it, gets a laugh. With the trail winding a bit more, she speaks now over her shoulder rather than making full turns.*

See? You're ahead already. Think of it this way: you've seen someone else run the obstacle course you're on right now. In some parts of it, that advance knowledge might help you; in others, maybe not. Either way, it's you running now.

It's still a surprise when Ver realizes how much gentler she is these days. She's grown so used to holding everyone at arm's length with a smirk and a cutting remark that the fact that's not her default behavior anymore leaves her wondering. It makes her wonder what she would have been like without the curse.

It's not a good path for her to go down.

"If you end up happy in life, you've won. It doesn't matter who got what medal or commendation or fancy gold-plated desk set. Just find what makes you happy."

"Living well is the best revenge, huh?" It's not something he used to buy into, but when your world's been turned upside-down, it gives you a new angle on looking at things. Opens you up to new perspectives and ideas you shut out before. And Jim had a long, long time in the hospital where he often had nothing to do but think. Or read. But mostly think.

"'Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,'" he says, almost to himself, just enough to bring the rest of the poem to mind. "It's my path to walk and I've got to own that."

*The path enters a denser copse of trees, which prove to be clustered around a shaded clearing where some thoughtful soul has installed benches and a water fountain, and with a gesture Samus calls for a halt and a break. She opts for a pull from the bottle she's been carrying, before giving Jim a sidelong look.*

Who are you getting revenge on, Jim?

Edited 2017-08-10 01:23 (UTC)

Poetry. It makes her smile, for all anyone sees.

The break surprises Samus, but isn't unwelcome. Ver slows her pace gradually, eventually walking in a wide circle around the perimeter of the copse to keep her muscles from cramping. This seems like a good time to let Jim answer the question. She'll keep quiet but offers him a bottle of water.

He hadn't really meant that literally, but the momentary break gives him time to actually think that through. He accepts the water with a grateful nod, and drinks it while he thinks about that.

"Mostly myself, I guess. My own expectations. I used to think I didn't really even have a future, when I was a kid. Kinda just... kept thinking that as I grew up. Hearing about the other me didn't help, and the other Spock kept looking at me like he expected me to be the other Jim, so it felt like I didn't measure up or something. But like you said... I'm not him and I shouldn't compare myself."

Jim stretches his legs a bit, before sitting down on one of the benches to rub at his back. He shouldn't rest for too long, he knows that, but he's trained himself to take advantage of any opportunity to rest or refuel. Even just a momentary breather can make a difference.

*Samus' lips quirk in amusement; she'd intended this clearing as a little test of Jim's situational awareness, but Verity's protective instincts seem to be in fine form. That's alright, too.*

Revenge on yourself? How masochistic. Although I suppose living well is probably the least self-destructive way you can attack yourself, so... I'm not entirely sure how to weigh that.

*She's teasing, Jim. Probably. Then her attention turns to Verity, even as a slight shift in posture brings her into a ready stance--all the warning her pupil gets or needs for what's coming next.*

How're you feeling at this point, without the weights?

Verity's protective instincts are just about the only ones she has that work. If they're working well she must be getting better.

Was that teasing? She's pretty sure that was teasing. She's halfway through a smirk when Samus turns on to her. Taking in the change, Ver closes up her own water bottle and steps away from Jim before shifting her posture to a more steady stance ready for defense. "Fine. I'm not having an easy day today, am I?"

Jim shrugs, although he decides it might be a good idea not to get too comfortable, no matter how much his body is appreciating the break. He finishes off the water, and gets up to refill it at the fountain before doing a slow lap around the clearing, both to keep his muscles properly warmed up and as a perimeter check, more out of habit than any real expectation of a threat.

Although, this is Samus' route. So maybe that isn't the best assumption to make. So once that properly registers, he pays a little more attention.

"Guilty as charged," he answers, taking that in the spirit it was (probably) meant. It is kinda funny as a concept. "Might as well give it a shot, right?"

By now, he's pretty much figured out that they're going easy on him. Whether that means Verity is getting his share of the extra exercise, he has yet to decide. He could see it being either way, which might as well serve as his warning for future runs. Here's what you have to look forward to, Jim! Aren't you so glad you volunteered for this?

Well, you're not wearing weights.

*Samus' tone is wry before the assault begins. Her strikes are quick and sure, as ever. She shifts from style to style, pressing until Verity recognizes the current style well enough to anticipate the next strike and take advantage of it with a counter-strike or reversal. Enjoy the show, Jim, if you join this jog on the regular, you can look forward to a matching set of bruises, too.*

So where to go from here, Jim? You've got a good start on avenging yourself... on yourself. But what's the next goal?

*Jim, did you just...? You did. It's a good instinct, keeping watch, but minus a few points for Nexus situational awareness. The question now is, has Verity noticed your mistake?*

Training with Samus is the best kind of regrettable decision. Plenty of good to be found, and self-revenge too. Jim won't always get this kind of special treatment, but hey, at least he's getting a fair warning.

"Right. My mistake." Arms up in defense, she's not paying as much attention to her surroundings as she had been. This kind of relentless assault is distracting for some reason. The parts of her mind not consumed with the fight are registering faint reminders about her surroundings. Jim's prowling isn't helpful, but she doesn't dare complain. At least he's moving at a regular pace.

Wait. Did he just...?

"Poisoning himself, looks like," she huffs as she ducks under a blow and catches the knee that was aimed at her abdomen.

Keeping an eye out though he is, he doesn't miss the remark, right on the heels of Samus' question. "Excuse me?"

Poison? What the hell... He looks down at the water bottle with a frown. "People poison drinking fountains here?" He's heard about LOLs before, but has no experience whatsoever in seeing or avoiding them. And he's gotten the impression that it's more of a deliberate prank sort of thing than just... out and about in the world.

[ooc: Just a heads up, I will be traveling most of Sunday and Monday for solar eclipse purposes, so I will likely not be online a lot until Tuesday.]

Edited 2017-08-19 21:22 (UTC)

((Hope you have fun, good luck storming the Fire Nation. Remember not to buy any exotic plants.))

*Verity's perceptiveness in the face of significant adversity has won her a reprieve. Samus steps back, drops out of stance, and gives her a nod of approval (she earned that nod).*

Good situational awareness, Verity. Jim... not so much. We're still in the Nexus, didn't you wonder why neither of us drank from the fountain that's right there? It's usually not deadly, by the way, just makes you externalize your topmost inner monologue for a few hours.

[Personally, I blame Jim's player for Big Ben not chiming anymore. And the chaos. And the dinosaurs in Ipswich.]

Verity allows herself a brief smile and drops her obviously defensive stance to turn to Jim. "Not poison, exactly. Sometimes that'd be easier to live with."

She has no allusions about whether or not people want to make their every thought known at all times. Sure, there are some people who can't help it, or who don't care to try, but most people have a sense of decorum or self-preservation. At least this one has a slight benefit of exposing only the surface thoughts without delving deeper.

"Magic gets weird around here sometimes. Like the Drake Passage in a storm. Energy from different places sometimes collide here..." She hopes he studied Earth geography enough to get the reference.

[Cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria...]

Geography and history both. He understands the analogy without any further explanation. But despite now knowing that the water isn't, strictly speaking, "safe"... he doesn't immediately go to dump it out, the move warring against all his survival training. Some of it earned through actual life-or-death experience. Water that won't kill you is still water, even if it's contaminated, and is infinitely preferable to no water at all.

Granted, this isn't likely to be a situation where he's going to be cut off from other water sources, and he will probably get rid of it eventually, but it's still not something that sits well with him. Habits of a lifetime are hard to break.

"I did wonder," he admits, a little embarrassed by his slip, but he knows damn well why he did it. And if this was a survival situation, he'd make the same choice, even knowing what he knows now. "If it was natural, like a river, it would've made more sense. Stuff like that," he adds, waving vaguely towards the fountain, "has never been unsafe back home."

*Samus raises a dubious eyebrow.*

Really, Jim? There's nowhere on Earth in your Facet that water coming out of a pipe might be bad for you? And you're willing to trust that the same quality of infrastructure exists throughout the multiverse?

*She shakes her head.*

Situational awareness. When you're somewhere unfamiliar, watch the people who know their way around. They might be so accustomed to a hazard that they forget to mention it, or they might be actively planning to betray you. Keep aware of your surroundings and, malice or incompetence, you won't be caught out.

Sorry, Jim, Ver's not buying it either. "Maybe not in your lifetime. Magic and the multiverse aside, is this good standard operating procedure when you're exploring the galaxy?"

If she knew his reason, she'd be a little gentler. But she hasn't read all the files on him she could probably dig up somewhere, so instead, she pulls out another bottle of water and holds it out to him in trade. She intends to get the tainted stuff away from him one way or another.

"Never in my experience," he clarifies, crossing his arms across his chest, a sort of subconscious self-protective gesture. He's used to having to be cagey about all the stupid habits Tarsus has left him with, since he's not allowed to talk about it, and probably wouldn't want to anyway.

He does, however, allow Verity to trade the contaminated water for a fresh one, after a few moments' hesitation. "Look, I... I do get it. I've got habits and shit I've got to unlearn." He doesn't drink from the safe bottled water, toying with the cap in an almost nervous gesture, hardly even aware he's doing it.

He can't tell them explicitly why he does stupid stuff like this, and he's wary of giving Samus an inch, because she'll take it and run with it far beyond what he wants. But he doesn't want to just let them think he's a complete idiot. It's against his better judgment, but he elaborates a little. "I've just... I've been in survival situations before. Where I didn't get to pick how safe my water was, and I'd have been dead otherwise. Kinda leaves an impression."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

http://i.imgur.com/EMCIRvD.mp4

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject