Big Reveals [for losthunter]

[boldygoing]

Jim has been in Starfleet Medical for eight weeks before he's finally released. Which is not to say he's been cleared for duty, mind you. But he's recovered enough not to need that kind of constant medical supervision, able to take the rest of his treatment as outpatient. He has physical therapy three times a week, exercises to do at home, and of course Doctor McCoy is still keeping an eagle eye on his diet, something that annoys Jim to no end.

Of course, that's nothing compared to finding out that his Starfleet-assigned apartment is buried under the crashed bulk of the USS Vengeance.

Jim doesn't really give a shit about the apartment itself. Yeah, it was kind of nice to have his own place, but it's never been home. It was just a place to stay whenever the Enterprise was in port. And though it was more decorated than his quarters onboard the ship, it was all meaningless knickknacks, nothing with any real sentimental value.

No, he's more pissed about the fact that nobody told him until a month after he woke up from the coma.

He understands why, of course. McCoy gave him the whole spiel about stress being bad for his recovery, about not needing to worry himself about things he couldn't do anything about, that by the time this happened Jim was already dead, but it's a heavy blow to realize that the loss of life was far, far greater than he'd realized. Tens of thousands died or lost their homes. Yet Jim Kirk lives, when he has no right to be breathing, let alone leaving the hospital.

And it's hard not to be in a foul mood when he realizes that the only place he has to stay on Earth is in Iowa, at the old neglected Kirk homestead. At least it's not likely to be bugged by Section 31, and Jim spends two entire days sweeping the place for surveillance devices, and another three to get the house in order, before he's reassured enough to have visitors.


[OOC: Image links to replace broken ones below:
23rd century Iowa
Mind meld position]

Comments

[boldygoing]

"Oh hell, kid, I'm not an artsy jewelry kind'a guy," McCoy protests, shifting uncomfortably, his Georgian accent a little thicker than it usually is. "You don't have to make me anything. Just keep Jim from doing any damn fool daredevil stunts; that's good enough for me."

"Hey," Jim protests, but there's no real fire in it. It's just a fact of life that Bones worries about him, now more than ever.

[losthunter]

"And I just don't do jewelry..." Hunter laughs. "I made a bookcase for Jim. I also work in sculpture. Marble. Metal art."

"I could even take some medical tools that are used in my dimension, and make them into something for you."

[boldygoing]

"Ah, forget it," Jim says, but there's a glimmer of humor in his eyes as he casts a look at Hunter. "He's more into collecting antiques. You're such an old man, Bones."

"I'm only six years older'n you, Jim."

[losthunter]

"So if I find an antique in my dimension, it should be especially of interest to you." Plan made. He knows of a lot great little antique stores.

"Spock?" He turns to the Vulcan next. "How about you?"

[boldygoing]

Spock concludes his analysis of the twenty dollar bill and hands it back to Hunter. "While artwork and beauty are admirable contributions to culture, it is not my preference to collect items with no additional function," he replies. Though it doesn't show on his face, Hunter has seen the depth of emotion lurking behind those very human eyes of his, and the great ocean of sorrow for the loss of his home planet and so many of his people. Were Hunter able to get artworks from Vulcan, Spock would be honored to take possession of such rare and priceless pieces of his people, most of their culture now lost to the black hole that consumed their world.

Conversely, of course, Hunter could always find something to make for him that would serve more purpose than just to be admired, but Spock would never outright ask for something like that.

[losthunter]

"I can understand that." Hunter slips the $20 back into his wallet. "My friend Verity, the one who can sense lies, has a difficult time truly appreciating artwork when it doesn't have an additional function."

So he will approach Spock's art piece in the same manner that he would for Verity. Something that would serve a purpose.

And he will also be talking to Schön -- the one man who would know if there are any Nexus doors that would lead to a culture that is now lost to the world.

[boldygoing]

Hunter hadn't mentioned her name before, but now Jim sits up and takes notice, the name familiar enough to catch his attention. "Verity Willis? Pink hair, glasses, lots of tattoos?"

[losthunter]

"That's my girl." Hunter grins. He finds it a little amusing that Jim would consider Verity to have a lot of tattoos.

"You met her, I am assuming?"

[boldygoing]

Hey, it's a useful identifying feature, especially for someone who has none. "Yeah, first day out. We went grocery shopping."

"So that's where the apples came from," McCoy says out loud, eyeing Jim with a grumpy yet fond expression.

[losthunter]

"I have met so many new Nexus visitors whose during their first visit had met Verity. She is our resident Nexus expert."

[boldygoing]

Spock looks lightly puzzled. "The Nexus must be a relatively small space, then?" That doesn't sound logical. A convergence of multiple universes should be an incredibly crowded hub, particularly when such universes are so numerous as to be practically infinite.

[losthunter]

"No. Quite the opposite in fact. It has endless locations and potential places to meet up."

"There is a common area where people first arrive, and ask their questions."

"And as for Verity... her world is gone. It doesn't exist anymore. So she actually resides in the Nexus."

[boldygoing]

"I see." Even Spock's hard-earned Vulcan calm isn't enough to conceal his sympathy at the loss of a world, something he knows deeply, personally.

"The funny thing is, I wasn't in that common area at the time," Jim tells Hunter. "But like you said, there could be something controlling the place, making sure certain people meet."


[ooc: Are you getting email notifs? I'm not.]

[losthunter]

"My first time there was at the park... and I definitely met the right people at the right time." Hunter agrees with that sentiment.

[[huh. strange...]]

[boldygoing]

"I dunno if I like the idea of some unseen force pushing people around," McCoy says uneasily. "Especially you, Jim."

Jim is very, very tempted to say something like 'You'd think by now I'd be tired of others deciding what's best for me, right?' But he can't make himself be that petty right now. So instead he says, "I'm going into it with both eyes open, don't worry."

[losthunter]

"And it is not like we are being pushed around... or being forced to do something that we wouldn't normally do."

"It is more of benevolent unseen force... that when a new arrival shows up to the Nexus, that the door opens in a place where there are others around to provide assistance and guidance."

"If Jim didn't want to talk to Verity, or me, or anyone else he had bumped into... he would have walked away and no one would force him to stay put. He had the choice to just turn around and go back through his door the whole time."

[boldygoing]

Jim nods in agreement, definitely glad that he and Hunter decided to do this conversation together. It's a lot easier to not sound nuts when someone else backs you up. "Besides, you want to talk about weird unseen forces pushing people together, don't forget that Ambassador Spock's Enterprise had the same bridge crew we do, and they got together under completely different circumstances."

[losthunter]

"It is a great place to make friends and new acquaintances. I even know of people who met in the Nexus, fell in love, and got married and had a family."

"One of my friends, his parents are from different dimensions. He wouldn't exist if they had not met in the Nexus."

[boldygoing]

"That's a hell of a long distance relationship," Uhura says, impressed. Her gaze also flicks briefly between Hunter and Jim, though she doesn't say anything else.

[losthunter]

Hunter noticed that brief gaze. He smiled softly.

"It is not like they jumped into anything right away. They dated for a couple years. During that time, April, my friend's mother, had lived in the Nexus. Then once they were married, April moved into her husband's dimension. That is where the family live now."

He looks around the house, smiling a little. "In a farm house in Smallville, Kansas."

[boldygoing]

"You know, for a city guy, you know a hell of a lot of country folks," Jim says, a little amused.

[losthunter]

"Much easier to wine and dine a country folk, who might be impressed by the many swanky restaurants in the big city," Hunter teases lightly.

[boldygoing]

Speaking of dining, everyone seems to be done with lunch, so Jim gathers up the few dishes and puts them in the sterilizer, a process that also only takes a minute or so. Spock inclines his head a little. "Thank you, captain. This meeting has been most enlightening."

"Duty calls?" Jim guesses, noticing that both Spock and Uhura look like they're getting ready to leave.

"Unfortunately," Uhura confirms. "Nothing urgent, but there's still a lot of paperwork that's been piling up."

[losthunter]

"Thank you for being so open-minded." Hunter stands to say his good-bye.

[boldygoing]

Spock tilts his head again, and Hunter will be able to tell he is somewhat reluctant to leave, fascinated by the implications that the Nexus's existence opens up. "One must always be open to new possibilities. To assume that we know all that exists is arrogance in its totality."

"'There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy,'" McCoy drawls. He, too, is getting ready to leave, as they all came together, and the doctor is less than eager for Jim to have to give him a lift to the shuttleport on his bike, so he can't miss his ride.