video un:spock

[intermingled]

[ Spock is wearing a hat that he's likely been seen wearing around on either ship. It's a tricorn with shells affixed to it that seems very much in opposition to the way he otherwise carries himself. He's found that wearing the gifted hat is preferable to the commentary he's gotten about his ears when he goes without it. ]

Is anyone here aware of races or humanoid beings from this world with pointed ears? I seem to cause one particular crew member to have a very negative reaction to my appearance.

[ He pauses, as if he's just remembered he's wearing a completely ridiculous hat, and ducks his head to remove it. ]

I am confident that I can handle the man should he decide to attack me, but he did make what I believe to be an inebriated threat to my person, so I would recommend that anyone else take care if they have similar features to my own.

Comments

[winscenario]

[ That gets an open laugh out of him, as he moves closer until he's standing right in front of Spock. ]

Between the two of you, I've got my work cut out for me.

[ Said as he removes Spock's silly hat, then carefully places the scarf around his head, the hem following right along the perfectly trimmed edge of his bangs, moving back to cover the pointed tips of his ears. He has to lean closer in order to tie it behind his head, but since Spock allowed him to do this, he's just going for it. ]

[intermingled]

[ Spock hums gently in agreement, his low voice vibrating in his chest. ]

Yes, I believe you do, but you do not strike me as a man who shies away from a challenge.

[winscenario]

Ah, so you are declaring it a challenge.

[ Jim is practically beaming as he pulls away, tugging on the scarf here and there, making sure it's neat and tied securely around Spock's head. ]

You look very handsome, by the way. It suits you much better than the hat.

[intermingled]

[ The smile Spock gives him is small. It would barely be noticeable on anyone else, but for him it is a rare gesture. ]

I believe I will default to your sartorial knowledge.

[ Though he already finds the new headwear to be more comfortable and secure, so if it also looks nicer, then it's all the better. ]

[winscenario]

As well you should.

[ That little smile will earn Spock a playful wink, a wide smile of his own. ]

Ear concerns aside, how have you been doing?

[intermingled]

[ Were this Captain Pike, Spock might evade the question before relenting a personal answer. With Number One, he would be more clinical, not because he doesn't trust her but because he knows they operate themselves very similarly and she does not use his compartmentalization as a means to doubt his mental integrity. Jim Kirk is still such an unknown to him. He regards Spock warmly, but for humans that can say so many different things. ]

This is not how I intended to spend my time away from the Enterprise, but I cannot change the circumstances that brought us here. All things considered, I believe I am well.

[winscenario]

[ He's well aware that it's unfairly disproportionate how much each of them knows about the other, but Jim can't do much to change that. He can be careful about physical contact, hold back from getting too friendly too fast, knowing that wouldn't go over well with this Spock, and in the meantime show himself to be as open and honest as possible about anything that Spock might want to know about him. ]

Were you planning to be away from the Enterprise before ending up here, then? [ Jim hops onto one of the barrels next to Spock's, taking a seat too. ] What were you intending to do?

[intermingled]

The ship is undergoing maintenance. My intent was to spend that time on Vulcan.

[ With several people he has faith would actually like to see him, therefore his father is absent from that list. ]

[winscenario]

[ There's brief surprise at the mention of Vulcan, but Jim manages to breeze past it smoothly, offering Spock a small smile instead. ]

I'm sorry you didn't get to go. Your mother must be looking forward to seeing you.

[intermingled]

Yes, I believe she would be.

[ More so now with their most recent loss of Michael and Spock cannot quite control a hint of something bittersweet from creeping into his voice. ]

Though I do have associates on my homeworld who are not my mother.

[winscenario]

[ Jim lets out a soft chuckle at Spock's last remark, lips curled into a smile. ]

Yes, I imagined as much. I just mentioned your mom because I know the two of you are so close.

[ To this Spock, at least, they are. It doesn't matter that he'd have to use a past tense for the Spock in his own reality. ]

And personally I would have used the word family, friends, at the very least acquaintances. Associates sounds very... professional.

[intermingled]

Vulcans can be... very formal in ways that humans are often not.

[ Though Spock finds humans to often be too informal. A comfortable medium is something he can at least find in Starfleet. ]

Friendship is perhaps a more human concept. I do not believe that there is anyone on Vulcan I might call a friend and certainly no one who would call me one.

[winscenario]

Yes, I am aware of that.

[ Even if his contact with Vulcans outside of Spock is limited, but he's met enough to know. ]

That's unfortunate. Everyone needs friends— or whatever equivalent each species would call it. People to rely on. [ He pauses. ] But you do have friends on the Enterprise.

[intermingled]

There are indeed people I can rely on on the Enterprise. Good people. You have met Number One. I would trust her with my life and have on many occasions. She has never given me reason to doubt the strength of her character.

[ He feels similarly about Captain Pike, of course. Friendship feels like an odd label to assign to either of them and Spock does not have the same emotional needs as a human might, but he has no doubt that if he required something of either of them for him own well-being that they would want to help him. He also has no doubt that his Captain considers him a friend.]

[winscenario]

[ Jim smiles a little, waiting a second or two before saying anything. ]

That's exactly how I feel about you, as well as a number of people on my crew. Friendship goes... a little beyond that.

[ He pauses again, shrugging. ] Though I suppose I can't assume all species require that same kind of connection. But you have referred to me as your friend, before. Both the other you, and Ambassador Spock.

[ He used a very specific word to describe his Jim, as a matter of fact. Perhaps it's not the wisest of him to say it right now, so he keeps it to himself. ]

[intermingled]

I understand. There are certainly people I would feel a lack of were they to leave the Enterprise.

[ Perhaps that isn't exactly friendship, but though Spock might not entirely feel it the way humans do, he does not believe that the Enterprise would be quite the same home without some of those people. ]

Perhaps something between a colleague and a friend.

[winscenario]

[ Not quite there yet, but that's a step closer and Jim seems pretty pleased with himself at Spock's answer. ]

That's good. I am glad to hear. It's important to have people close to you.

[ Close in figurative terms, not just literal, of course. ]

So what other associates were you going to visit on your trip to Vulcan?

[intermingled]

[ Spock is very tempted to be cagey in his answer or to simply say that it is a private matter, but that is perhaps more salacious than simply giving a name. ]

I had intended to spend time with a woman I know named T'Pring. She is an agent of El-Keshtanktil. They assist criminals in rehabilitation through logic.

[winscenario]

[ Luckily (?) for Spock, Jim really doesn't think much of it. If he thinks that T'Pring might be someone close to Spock or someone he's got a particular interest in, he doesn't say it. He is curious, but in the way he's curious about anything else Spock might've decided to share with him about Vulcan. ]

Interesting. I've never heard of that agency before. Or T'Pring— it's possible that the Spock I know has never met her.

[ So many things are different in his world, after all. And with Vulcan gone...

Best not to even entertain the thought. ]

[intermingled]

Fascinating. I suppose even minor variances in timelines could have ripple effects. I do not know all of the differences between my own and yours, but I have known T'Pring since I was quite young.

[ And what other things might change? There's a question he wants to ask, but given the classified nature of it he wants to be careful with what he gives away. ]

Does the Spock you know have any siblings?

[winscenario]

[ Jim nods. He's learned of plenty of differences between both universes in general, so it stands to reason there are many differences in each of their lives too. This isn't especially surprising. ]

Not... that I know of, no. I can't imagine he'd keep something like that from me.

[ He pauses, watching Spock. ]

You have siblings?

[intermingled]

I have a half-brother in exile.

[ He considers his next words carefully. That he is even willing to say this much feels like a risk and a leap of faith that is uncharacteristic for him, but perhaps not for this other version of him that Kirk knows. ]

To say anything else of another hypothetical sibling would be to divulge classified information for which you are not cleared.

[winscenario]

[ The first bit definitely surprise him, and he doesn't bother hiding it from his expression, lips parting slightly and eyes a little wider too. But rather than focus on that, he turns his attention to the second piece of information, eyes narrowing slightly as a knowing smile forms on his lips again. ]

That absolutely means you have another sibling. You can simply not tell me anything about them, but now I know that much.

[intermingled]

I can neither confirm nor deny your guess.

[ But there's a humor in Spock's eyes. If he were a human, he might even wink. Certainly, he suspects that Jim must be used to this sort of technicality through language if he knows another--no two other Spocks. ]

However, hypothetically it is possibly that events in another timeline may not line up in a way that would bring said person into my life.

[winscenario]

[ Yes, he is certainly used to Spock's love for technicalities, and his own hum is as vague as it is all-too knowing. ]

Doesn't matter. We're talking about you and your siblings, not my Spock's. [ A pause. ] The Spock from my reality, is what I mean.

[ Shut up Jim, he knows what you mean. ]