video; un: majortom

[winscenario]

[ Unlike certain pointy-eared aliens out there, Jim appears on the broadcast looking perfectly normal and wearing no funny hats or accessories. His shirt and hair are maybe slightly rumpled, but that's to be expected. Given the nature of the announcement, he looks serious too. ]

For those of you who I haven't met yet, I'm Captain James T. Kirk. [ Yes, the T. is important. ] Recently I was part of a group who visited the Concord, and I personally got to talk to her Captain, Maximilian Hawk.

He shared a few things, though I don't know how much of it really will be news by now. Long story short, the Company wants to get their hands on some rare item, something that's either been lost for a long time or is only mentioned in myth. They discovered Samuel Vane, or Quicksilver Sam, was already looking for said item, so they hired him to find it for them. They gave him the ship, the crew, a set of coordinates and a fragment inside a small box that supposedly reacts when close to aforementioned item.

The so-called 'gifts' we were sent to deliver were half of that coordinate, and the empty box. Which leads me to believe that the gesture was meant as anything but a peace offering.

Considering Vane's mental state at the moment, it also makes me wonder if he was the one sending those gifts, or if Kreil is the one behind the gesture.

[ He takes a slow breath. ]

Now, regarding the rest of our conversation. I managed to avoid a conflict in the moment by explaining we were refugees here, and not part of either crew. He believed me. He also offered a deal for us: we take the fragment and the coordinates and we find the item ourselves, effectively taking up the job what was given to Vane, and we'd be rewarded with supplies and funds to carry on with our trip or find somewhere to settle, as Hawk put it. Part of his conditions is that we hand over Vane as well— and the remainder of the crew, I imagine.

I am not in favor of this, just to be clear. I have no interest in handing over Vane, but I'm not on my ship, and you aren't my crew, and I can't make that kind of choice for the group at large. As much as it goes against what I believe in, I thought that it was necessary that I share this with you all, so that everyone can weigh in on what they think we should do.

That said, I'll take no part in a plot to capture and deliver Vane, not when we have so little idea of what's the story behind all this. Hawk has shared what is convenient to him, what makes him look like the one in the right, the one who was tricked and lied to, but there's a lot we don't know too.

Anyway, I figured I'd open this up to a vote. At the very least we'll get some idea on where most of us stand regarding this.

That's all. Kirk out.

((ooc: for the sake of organization, I ask that everyone go to this comment and vote on what your character would want to do (plus with any wild plots/ideas they might have suggested). Please hop over there and vote, even if you don't want to or don't have the time to reply to this post!))

Comments

[winscenario]

I'm sure a few of us would know how to navigate, but I'm pretty sure the majority isn't used to this kind of travel. It would make things incredibly complicated, going out there on our own.

[ Like it or not, they do kind of depend on the pirates here to survive. ]

Just leaving the women's quarters. I can meet you somewhere, though. Up on the deck?

[biomed]

( his own navigational skills aren't anything to scoff at, for sure. )

Forecastle, ( he confirms, watching the cloudy sky. )

[winscenario]

[ Jim would honestly be more concerned with other things. Ship maintenance, what to do during a storm, or if they were to be under attack. He's just not sure how well people here would adapt. ]

On my way.

[ And in a minute or so, Jim's climbing up the stairs to the forecastle, stopping as he walks up beside the doctor. ]

Bones.

[biomed]

( yeah they'd totally die.

those pleasant thoughts aside, he turns to meet him, relief in his eyes and his first- if faint! -smile in days on his scruffy face. )

Jim.

( he reaches out to take his shoulder, like he intends to steady Jim against the roll of the ship, looking him over with a critical eye. )

I'm glad to see you made it back in one piece.

[winscenario]

Of course. When haven't I?

[ Absolutely no need or reason to ever tell Bones about the whole mess with Khan. He's not there yet, and he wouldn't want Bones carrying the weight of something he's yet to live through with him. ]

You're looking scruffier by the day. [ Not that Jim can talk much, but. ] Am I gonna have to go look for a razor around the ship?

[biomed]

( Bones fixes him with a short Look, which means Jim has made a point. )

I'm not sure I like the idea of chancing tetanus. I'm shocked that we aren't passing around norovirus or dysentery.

[winscenario]

Aw, c'mon Bones. Have a little more faith in my skills. I could absolutely shave you without a single nick.

[ Just gonna tug on the end of a strand just behind Bones's ear. ]

Give your hair a trim, at the very least. Or else you might be able to tie it back one of these days, just like a real pirate.

[biomed]

( his hand lifts to his ear, accidentally brushing Jim's fingers on the way there, and a little of that gruffness fades. if anything, he looks a little self-conscious. )

A trim? Without shearing me like a sheep?

[winscenario]

[ He doesn't know if it's the comment or seeing Bones get all self-conscious that draws a bright laugh from him. His hand drops from Bones's hair, though it doesn't go far, resting on the doctor's shoulder instead. ]

Of course. Trust me, I'd make you look good.

[biomed]

( To that, Jim gets a sigh, and Bones gives his own fringe a tug. He'd meant to get it trimmed that week, before everything went to Hell and he was dumped into the sea here, so... )

...there's some scissors in the medical kit.

[winscenario]

Really?

[ He didn't expect Bones to take him up on it, even though the offer was genuine. Before he can take it back, he immediately follows that after with an enthusiastic, ] Great! Come on, then. We should find a place where we can make a bit of a mess.

[biomed]

( Resigned to his fate, he allows himself to be dragged along, despite both his reluctance and a fresh wave of aggravated complaints: )

What mess? A trim implies no mess!

( He's not unhappy to put that unnaturally cloudy sky behind them, as Bones turns to steer Jim belowdecks toward the galley, where the medical chest is stowed alongside various kitchen implements and herbs, the latter meant for medicine, but are probably better served as cooking ingredients. The galley itself is otherwise empty this time of day. )

Here. Scissors.

[winscenario]

[ Bones complaining is nothing new to him, if anything he seems to get renewed energy and an added spring to his step with his grousing. ]

I'm trimming hair. There's bound to be a little bit of a mess.

[ Jim looks around while Bones digs up those scissors, pulling up a bench for Bones and gesturing towards it as he takes the scissors from him. ]

Thank you. Now, sit.

[biomed]

( Eyeballing him, though not about to back out now that he's committed, Bones lowers himself to a seat for Jim, and tugs closed the tie-front collar of his loose shirt. Hair down the shirt is itchy, ick. )

When did you get practiced at giving haircuts?

( He keeps his head straight, but gives Jim a sidelong glance. There's a fair amount he doesn't know about Jim, but he generally doesn't broach it-- that he's here at all is a blessing on its own, and McCoy's not apt to look a gift horse in the mouth. Still, to say he isn't curious would be a lie. )

[winscenario]

[ Well, Jim was going to suggest that Bones took the whole shirt off, but he imagines that wouldn't go over too well, huh. So sure, that works. ]

I wouldn't say practiced, but I've done it a couple times. During away missions gone haywire, ending up stranded for longer than planned. Dealt with my hair as well as yours before, actually. Spock wouldn't let me anywhere near his perfectly trimmed bangs.

[ Said with a soft, fond chuckle as he runs his fingers through the longer hair on Bones's nape first, then starts trimming at the tips carefully. He's not going to take much out, just enough to make Bones feel more comfortable, and look less like a mess. ]

[biomed]

( The shirt'll go later, of course, once Jim finishes with him. He offers up a quiet snort at that image, and keeps himself from shrugging. )

I don't expect he would. Seems pretty set in his ways.

( There's something forever soothing about having his hair brushed, or fingers combed through it, even for something as perfunctory as this. It's not like it's a surprise to him-- aside from the simple fact that humans needed physical contact to thrive, he always held a personal belief in the healing power of touch. From someone he's known and trusted for years, even more so.

It's a thought that comes unbidden, and he glances away like Jim could hear it, biting the inside of his lower lip. )

...how long were we stranded? The last time you had to do this, I mean.

[winscenario]

Not always. We've often managed to change his mind about plenty of things, you'd be surprised.

[ Jim moves slow and carefully, each snip of the scissors meticulous, not wanting to mess up a single strand of hair. Once he's trimmed around the nape, he goes back over the same section, so he's working on the length in stages to make sure it looks good when it's done.

Every so often he runs his fingers through the short hair too, both to get off any trimmed hair clinging on, as well as just offering a soothing touch to hopefully help Bones relax. ]

Couple of weeks, I think? It was nothing major, we weren't in any serious danger or anything. The Enterprise was just having difficulties beaming us back up. And your hair would have been fine, but you'd been putting off cutting it already, and you started getting really cranky about it.

[biomed]

That's reassuring, at least.

( Jim's efforts aren't in vain, as some of the tension in his shoulders leaches out, bit by bit, with every touch. It's silly to feel lighter when it's just a careful trim, but he does anyway. )

Well, the more things change... ( and he looks a little embarrassed, good-natured enough to be amused at himself. Bones flicks his fringe. ) I thought about cutting most of it off, before... before I got here, maybe kind of a fade before graduation.

[winscenario]

You do cut it a little, yeah. You changed it a bit more some years later, cut it shorter and started it combing upwards. Looked good on you.

[ It made him look a little less traditional, more handsome— but that's just Jim's personal opinion, of course, and he decides to keep it to himself. ]

That's looking a little better. [ He hums in approval, stepping around to face Bones, just to see if it looks alright from the front. ] Do you want me to trim anything at the front or the sideburns?

[biomed]

Hm. Like your old duck's behind?

( Leonard asks jokingly, referring to Jim's much shorter, younger and spikier hairstyle from the Academy. The traditional look now certainly suits Jim, adding to the maturity that still surprises Leonard from time to time.

Bones runs his fingers back over his nape, not able to see Jim's work, but he can certainly feel it, less like a shaggy dog, or that scruffy, angry man who threw himself into a seat beside Jim only three years ago. )

Yeah. Sure. Thanks, Jim.

[winscenario]

[ It's a good joke, or at least it's good enough to get a laugh out of him. ]

A little like it, yeah. But it looks better on you than me. I've liked wearing my hair a little longer, like this.

[ More versatile too, he can style it in a few different ways now. Plus, it does make him feel less like a kid. ]

Okay. I won't take much off, I promise.

[ As much as he likes Bones wearing it shorter, he knows he wouldn't do a very good job at that, so instead he focuses on trimming just the tips of his sideburns and the bangs over his eyes. He manages to shape it into something more neat and manageable, still the same hairstyle only more neat and less likely to get in the way. ]

[biomed]

It's a good look on you. Very... captainly.

( It isn't difficult to admit that either, the way Jim wears the style as he does. Smiling faintly, he closes his eyes and leaves Jim to finish up the careful work of trimming his hair.

Once he's finished, Bones runs a hand back through his hair before he easily pulls his shirt up and off, shaking loose any errant strands and wiping any strays off his face. He reaches over to snag one of the cook's scoured copper pans, turning it to catch his reflection in the surface, before shooting Jim a small grin. )

Not bad!

[winscenario]

Flatterer, [ He murmurs with a fond smile. ] Glad to hear you think so.

[ Realistically Jim knows it looks good on him, but it's still nice to get a compliment, all the more so coming from someone like Bones, who isn't always the type to hand those out, and also happens to be close enough to Jim for his opinion to really matter.

It doesn't take much longer for him to finally be done, and he sets the scissors aside. While Bones admires his work, he runs his fingers through his hair more thoroughly to shake off any small cut hairs still clinging on, wiping the sleeve of his shirt over Bones's shoulders and nape afterwards. ]

Told you I could do it.

[biomed]

( He shivers lightly under Jim's touch, and places the pan back on its hook.

Less scruffy now and feeling better for it, he gets an arm back in the sleeve of his shirt, but stops to splay a hand over his bare chest, pronouncing with playfully mock-exaggeration: )

I've seen the error of my ways.

( With a smirk, he pulls his shirt back on, tucking it loosely into the front of his trousers. )

What about you?

[winscenario]

[ Jim rolls his eyes and chuckles, shoving a hand at Bones's side playfully. Scissors are set down on the table after cleaning, and Jim turns to look at Bones at the question. ]

I could probably use a trim, myself.

[ Shaving will have to wait, he's not taking that risk. But running his fingers through the hair at his nape, it's definitely gotten a little long.

He shoots Bones a shameless little smirk. ]

You wanna do me?