onemorebounty | Going the Distance [for Verity, Jim]

Entry tags:

jim kirk,
verity

Going the Distance [for Verity, Jim]

*The Nexus has some amazing beaches. Places where sea and shore alike meet wonder. Today, she meets her usual running companion in the shade of a cluster of irregular, iridescent, stones with an oil-on-water rainbow sheen. As the sun and wind dance off of them, they echo with faint, otherworldly tones. Finishing her stretches, the Hunter takes a moment to check the time.*

If he's coming, he'll be here soon. We're almost at the time I gave him.

((Edited with regard to Ver's art issues.))

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Verity's so relieved that Jim hasn't coming rushing back to try to help. But she's also looking forward to future days when they can team up against the crazy chick and maybe sometimes get ahead a little. Someday, someday.

The attacks are expected, if not always predicted. The evasions are expected and predicted both. The fact she's playing some odd sort of goalie position is unexpected. There would have been better places to do that... better for her, not for Jim. The questions are a little frustrating.

"Thanks." She's not great at talking and fighting at the same time. Low marks for witty banter every time, Spider-Man would be so disappointed in her if they ever teamed up.

"I like him." Each sentence is punctuated with a pause and usually a little sound of frustration or pain. She's getting tired. "He's smart. Determined. Not stupid about it. The future's in good hands."

It's kind of unnerving, being by himself in an unfamiliar area when he knows there's a threat somewhere behind him. Brings up memories he'd rather not think about, and he focuses on the slowly-growing ache in his back and legs to keep him distracted from them. He certainly doesn't plan to let his guard down once he reaches the surf shop - he knows damn well what can happen when you assume you're safe just because you achieved something - but even a stubborn guy like Jim can admit that he should call it a day before he pushes too far, even if the only person he admits that to is himself.

A couple centuries ago, I probably wouldn't even be walking now, or maybe ever, he reminds himself. There's no call for impatience here, not with the right perspective. And much as he does still want to give Verity a hand, he knows that he has to focus on getting into the right condition to do that first.

He does slow his pace a touch, slightly easing the strain and pacing himself for the final stretch to the finish line. He may take a little longer to get there, but what he's losing in time, he'll make up for with situational alertness, and hopefully not needing to get off his feet as soon as he gets to the end goal.

*Spidey is practically obligated to be in the second issue of Verity's solo series, just as soon as she gets one--plenty of time to brush up on her battle-banter. She'll never reach Wolverine-levels of mid-leap expository dialogue, but who would want to?*

I'm inclined to agree; he has potential, and good intentions. Think you could stand having a study partner on a regular basis?

*Samus is watching her student carefully, weighing the signs of fatigue the other woman shows. When she judges that Verity just about has one more run in her, she steps back from the fight, disengaging with a negating gesture.*

Alright, you've held me off long enough that Jim should be at the goal by now if he hasn't done something stupid. Shall we catch up and see?

Verity's never getting a solo series, and she's just fine with that.

The question doesn't get a quick answer, and not just because of everything else going on. Letting people into her life isn't easy and she's been reminded why she shouldn't do it quickly. The first question doesn't get an answer until the second has been asked. Disengagement is a blessed relief.

"Not every day." That's too much people-time for her. "But he's good company. Assuming he hasn't done anything stupid when we weren't looking." She sneaks a sip of her water before nodding toward the path Jim took. "Let's go."

And they're off!

Nothing stupid on Jim's end, no siree. Not this time, anyway. Once they catch up to him, they'll find him at the surf shop, the building just as easy for him to find as Verity had indicated. He's not sitting idle, however, instead walking in a wide circle around the building to cool down after the exercise. And rather than see if the shop sells beverages, he's broken into the water bottle that Verity gave him, far more willing now to drain that first, a little at a time.

His body isn't terribly happy with him on a couple of different levels, but at least some of it is the good kind of ache that comes with a quality workout. The rest... well, that's something he can endure without too much complaint 'til he's back to fighting fit.

*Samus takes Verity's answers in stride, even if her strides tend to be long ones.*

Not every day, then. Think about how often you'd be comfortable with joint sessions and let me know.

*As she can see Verity's near her limits, their pace won't quite be grueling; Verity's come a long way in their time together, and Samus isn't going to leave her at the finish line sucking wind in front of a semi-new acquaintance. When they reach the surf shop, she hails Jim with an upraised hand, joining him in the cooldown walk around the building.*

And here you are. I see you paced yourself, held a little back for when you got here, that's good. Was that instinct, or does Starfleet teach economy of effort?

Edited 2017-10-12 02:27 (UTC)

Samus is just too tall. Too tall and too fast. But not so fast as usual? A glimmer of mercy--and Ver knows better than to question that.

Verity nods her agreement and will think about it. Later, when she's not so preoccupied. The relief is real when the surf shop and Jim come into view. Because, yay, she's done; but also because Jim's there and is okay. And he's been smart, bonus. She gives him a quick thumbs-up when he's facing their direction.

"Hey. Sorry if you thought it was over, she never stops."

Jim nods a little in acknowledgment of Samus' greeting - and grins a little at Verity's thumbs up - as the group reunites. "Kinda both. Plus I figured it'd be embarrassing if you had to scrape me off the ground and haul me back home," he answers, a little more light-hearted in his reply than he feels, but hey, if you can't laugh at yourself once in a while you're doing something wrong, right? A bit more seriously, he adds, "In my experience, thinking you're done is usually when everything goes to hell. Pretty bad idea to have nothing left to give when you really need it."

Verity's comment prompts a slightly amused, yet utterly unsurprised look from him. "Yeah, I've been figuring that out."

*Verity's quip about Samus' relentlessness earns a wry smile.*

Life never stops, I just get you ready for it.

*Samus nods satisfaction at Jim's answer.*

Sensible. The moment someone relaxes in triumph is the perfect time to strike--better to be ready for that blow, when it's your turn. But don't worry about pride, when you've healed a little more we can find your breaking point properly.

*She's so cheerful when she says things like that, her sadistic streak must have its own gravitational pull.*

If you're interested in more like this, that is.

Verity listens to the back and forth while settling into her resting routine. Walking, breathing, hydrating. An involuntary sigh at how cheerful Samus is about the idea of breaking another volunteer. Watching, always watching.

"She'll make me cry too, if it makes you feel better?" Misery loves company.

Jim's had a few failures and missteps today, but he's not letting that drag him down into a bad mood. "What, and miss out on all this? This is way more interesting than any of the PT I got at Starfleet Medical. Just gotta get my shots first."

Whether that makes him a glutton for punishment, well, maybe that's one reason he spent a good few years getting into bar fights every weekend. Either way, the sneak preview he's gotten today of What to Expect When Samus is Chasing You Down hasn't scared him off the idea, even if it's not what he expected from today's outing when he'd first arrived. Though really, he should've, by now.

Misery loves company indeed. Jim glances over at Verity, taking her comment in the spirit in which it was meant. "You know, it does, a bit."

Nothing builds bonds like shared trauma and a common enemy. You'll be collaborating against me in no time.

*She's still so relentlessly cheerful about it. Jim's remark about his shots gets a nod.*

So you've come to a decision about that vaccine?

Ver meets Jim's look and flashes him a smile. It's small and brief, but it's genuine. She'll be grateful to have the company too. Sometimes.

"We would never." She's been saving up that sarcasm. She'd have to have been, nobody could possibly produce that much on demand. Because they will, of course, be doing just that. Jim will find her a good soldier, but a rather mouthy one. Another new challenge for him.

"Yeah." Much as he's not looking forward to not being able to drown his birthday blues in alcohol in the years to come, the trade-off is just too good to pass up. And for someone who's planning to make a career out of making first contact with all sorts of alien lifeforms and their many assorted microorganisms, it's a small price to pay to not end up dying of some unknown alien flu sometime down the line. "Bones was pretty wary about the whole thing when I told him about it, but he's given me the go-ahead to get it done. My immune system's built back up enough to handle it." In theory, anyway.

"Sooner's probably better than later. I've still got a window to pass off the whole... getting sick aftereffects thing... as some kinda temporary setback." And man oh man, he is not looking forward to spending more time in bed feeling miserable, but hey, better to just bite the bullet and get it over with.

((Urgh, I am so sorry. I had a crazy week at work, and it's taken me another week to get into the kind of headspace where I could come back to this thread. On the up side, my work situation should be more stable now.))

*Samus gives a low chuckle at Verity's sarcasm. She knows what's coming. She's looking forward to it. The two of them together will be a welcome challenge.*

Sooner is certainly better. Give me a moment to take a sample, and we can put your doctor's mind at ease.

*A few quick taps to her PINpoint open a portal, and she's gone. As soon as the portal closes, though, another opens--she tends to liberally abuse the little device's temporal coordinate, and has enough practice to do so with finesse. She returns with the things they left on the beach at the start of their run, as well as a small device that looks like an empty hypospray.*

Verity can give you a first-hand account of what you can look forward to while the vaccine and the gut flora settle in. Arm?

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Going the Distance [for Verity, Jim]

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