01 | action

[electus]

Who: Hartley and YOU
Broadcast: nope. once you put something on the internet it's there forever, you know.
Action: SS Paisley and the Iskaulit
When: upon his arrival and throughout the day

a. [closed] action for Paisley Captain and First Mate

[ hartley's stay aboard the marsiva is short lived, so he's managed to glean very little information. it's unsurprising; it would hardly be entertaining for an audience to watch him appear only to instantly disappear. if entertainment value is the main criteria behind every production decision, then he imagines he's not going to find his assignment to his liking; peaceful coexistence is a terrible bore to watch. steeling himself for the worst, he decides to tread carefully for now. he has a lot of learning yet to do, and it would be preferable if he isn't constantly interrupted to attend to petty squabbles. besides, getting into fights will increase his ratings which will increase the focus given to him by this show if he's to accept the premise and that - would limit his mobility. that means that, for now, he has to respect the hierarchy of the ship. from the little he's managed to learn so far, the fleet has two ranks worth noting - captain and first mate. so after locating his room and making himself as presentable as he's able (honestly, couldn't he have been taken with a better wardrobe than the casual wear cisco put him in? this is humiliating. he at least leaves the baseball cap and brushes his hair.), he goes to seek out those members of his crew he's meant to follow - and find out their qualifications because hierarchy or no hierarchy, he's not following an idiot. once he finds the correct hatches, he knocks, seeking admittance. ]

This is your new communications officer, permission to enter?

b. [OTA] action for Paisley crew and guests

[ the rest of the crew can find him wandering the ship, acquainting himself with every nook and cranny. before he settles in his bunk to start figuring out a game plan, he wants to know everything he has to work with. he pays special attention to the communications station, engine room, and laboratory, taking mental stock of the available equipment and supplies. he knocks before entering, but if there's no answer and no lock, he lets himself in all the same. ]

c. [OTA] action for the Iskaulit

[ once he satisfies his curiosity for his own ship, the next logical step is to take a visit to the communal vessel. his preliminary skim of the network informed him of the existence of a library on board, so of course that's his first stop. he expects any book of actual value to be out on loan but people tend to focus on the obvious, making them miss the immense, sometimes superior value in out-of-the-box thinking. he picks up a few books that would, at worst, help him pass a little time. he continues to systematically make his way through the ship, acquainting himself with every business before settling down in a strategic corner of the málum that allows him the best most hidden view of the patrons, with a virgin cocktail (it's not the time to dull his mind, after all) and one of the books he picked up ]

d. [closed] video for cisco ramon

[ upon studying the fleet manifest, he finds one familiar name. searching through the network proves that it is, in fact, the person the name suggests it to be. multiverse theory does suggest that it's possible this cisco isn't the cisco he knows, but from a purely dramatic standpoint - it would make no sense not to take them from the same verse, they would be far too entertaining. besides, it's a mystery easily solved - different verses would vibrate in a different frequency to avoid collapsing into each other. a simple test can let them know if they do in fact share a universe. of course, cisco is likely to be a annoying about allowing hartley to scan him after the way he put barry's scans into use, but that's really more of a mild annoyance at the moment than an actual problem. after mulling it over every which way, he decides it's better for him to reveal himself quickly and under his own terms than to allow cisco to happen upon his presence on the crew manifest or by running into each other unexpectedly.

dialing the man's private number, he clicks the video option, knowing the other is likely to think it some sort of time wasting trick. suspicion is so tiresome. ]

Boo.

Comments

[universal_charm]

Well, I meant comparatively. Our little ships have a lot less leg room.

_{[ He's not confused on the matter either. It is a prison, yes, cages without bars. But thinking of it that way all the time was tiring, and frankly a drain on the mind. So he chose not to do that, even though it was an undeniable truth always at the back of his mind. ]}

_Merci.

_{[ A large bite, savoring the taste of what may or may not be chicken but is close enough, the grains and the veggies and the egg. It was a nice mix, good spice. He glanced at Hartley, swallowing and licking his lips. ]}

Do you want something? We don't really get a lot of spending cash when we're let off the Marsiva. It'll be my "Welcome to Fleet, Sorry You're Stuck Here" treat.

[electus]

That they do. Fortunately, I do bend well.

[ taking a sip of his virgin cocktail with an innocent enough expression. let kirk take that however he wishes.

ah, he does enjoy social convention at times. stefan has promised him dinner, and it would seem his lunch is about to be taken care of by good manners as well. perfect. ]

Thank you, that's very kind.

[ hailing the waitress. he's not the kind to be coy about accepting the favor. he's not bound to return it in any way - though if things remain as pleasant as they do he probably will once he has the funds, he's interested in cultivating a good relationship with the captains - so it seems perfectly safe, and he is rather hungry.

he orders his own portion of rice with vegetables, and a water. one sweet drink is more than enough. ]

[universal_charm]

_{[ There's a sultry little quirk at the corner of his mouth at that, a little spark to his eye. Yes, he had taken that in a rather guttural way, but he thought he was meant to. After all, they had been flirting, had they not? ]}

I figure everyone who gets dragged into this mess deserves a pleasant enough welcome.

_{[ Now it was Hartley's turn to take something however he wished as Kirk took another bite of his meal, his tongue doing another pass across his lips. ]}

[electus]

[ he does so enjoy a good clever, subtle flirtation. too few people seem capable of it. of course, their mind is never why he chooses them - he has no interest in relationships at this point in his life, he's been too wrapped up in his career, then his vengeance, and now - his escape. but complete morons are a turn off. ]

And you take it upon yourself to provide it? How altruistic.

[ considering the smile kirk responded with to his own statement and the fact he chooses to follow it up with a lick of his lips hartley feels confident in choosing to take it the same way his lunch parter had. he returns a smile. ]

[universal_charm]

_{[ Well, escape was on a lot of people's minds most days. Kirk thought about it often enough, but he usually took into account everyone else in the Fleet and that was a much taller order wasn't it? ]}

Heh. I was a captain back in my world too, on a different space ship - the Enterprise. I might be on a different ship now, but doesn't mean I can stop acting like a captain. Not entirely.

_{[ Another subtle flirtation, that he didn't have to be quite so rigid here. Not that it would matter - the other was on another ship, so fraternization wouldn't be an issue. You know, if that were something to be concerned over. ]}

I like seeing that people are taken care of.

_{[ A long sip of water, his eyes doing the smiling for him. ]}

[electus]

[ hartley takes the rest of the fleet into account - they're just a part of his second step. what the atroma do is completely immoral and he's done taking this crap from people in power. escape first, bring them down second - and in doing so, release their prisoners.

captain kirk of the enterprise. could it be? yes, in the multiverse theory there are many possibilities. it could also be a very unoriginal but well played false identity. either way, it makes him interesting. ]

Your crew must be very satisfied.

[ he lets his choice of words do the flirting for him. he didn't expect to enjoy himself quite this much, but he's not about to complain about that, either.

he couldn't possibly care less about fraternization with a higher officer - he doesn't accept anyone as his superior in this fleet, not yet - but getting involved with someone he shares a ship with could be an unnecessary complication. but as pointed out, that's not a problem here. and he doubts someone who would pick him up in a bar is going to get too emotionally invested anyway. ]

[universal_charm]

I haven't had any complaints.

_{[ no, no worries of attachment here. Kirk didn't do that. Couldn't do that. For a number of reasons, none of which he liked thinking on overly much. Only that he didn't react well to words like "love". Just ask his last "girlfriend".}

_{He took a few more bites of his meal, a tiny span of comfortable silence settling in. ]}

Have you had much chance to explore, Hartley?

[electus]

[ he smirks into the water the waitress hands him before taking a small, elegant sip.

hartley doesn't do too well with those words either, he has a very hard time believing them. when people get close it means they get close enough to hurt you. he would much rather leave them at arm's length - enjoy them from a safe distance. ]

I've seen the Paisley and I estimate I got through about half of this ship. [ so probably more - definitely a more thorough exploration - than most do on their first day, but not nearly enough. he still has to acquaint himself with the other ships and, of course, the system they've docked to. ]

[universal_charm]

<sub>[ Was believing Kirk's issue? Perhaps. The people who were supposed to love him in his life had, in the end, abandoned him. Oh, he talked to his mother now and then, but it felt more like an obligation than actually wanting to most days. And as for his brother? He hadn't spoken to him in years and never planned too.

The people who had come to love him, despite his faults, he had lost. Or, well, one of them, but it had hurt enough to last a lifetime. ]</sub>

Get stuck in the library a bit to long?

_{[ The tone and the curl of his lip at the corner is enough to suggest his teasing, plate half finished now and another glass of water appearing at his side. ]}

Well, if you like, I can help you finish up the last half of your tour. Wouldn't want you to miss out on anything.

_{[ A subtle tilt of his eyebrow, another glint in those blue eyes around a new spoonful. ]}

[electus]

[ for hartley, it's that he feels no one ever has and no one ever will come to truly love him. they may say the words but sooner or later - when push comes to shove they'll abandon him. if his own parents couldn't love him unconditionally, how can he expect it from anyone else? ]

There was some hope to find buried treasure somewhere in there.

[ a hope that, by his tone of voice, did not come to fruition. oh, he found books to borrow - but they aren't to his level of intellect.

he thanks the waitress when his own dish appears, taking a satisfied whiff of it before reaching for his silverware. ]

I certainly wouldn't want that. [ although if this guy tries to take him to a bathroom, deal's off. his standards may have diminished significantly in recent years, but he still demands hygiene. and safety. ]

What's your highlight on this ship? [ he takes a bite of his dish. it's not the quality he grew up used to, but it's not worse than the kind of things he's been forced to eat since the accident at star labs left him unable to work. ]

[universal_charm]

Kind of depends on your version of treasure, though I have to admit that the planets are usually more gem-ridden.

_{[ He liked the tales of other lands and cultures well enough, sure, but it didn't have everything and it was rather finite all things considered. The planets offered new opportunities in that department and he made a note to pick up quite a few new tomes from this new set. ]}

Highlight, huh? Well, for me, I suppose it's a tie between the obstacle course and the gardens. I like the challenge of the course, but the garden brings an earthiness that can get so easily lost among the stars. And there's a lovely mural there. It's always worth a look anytime you walk by.

_{[ He gave a smile, his answer less flirtatious now as it was honest though that didn't mean he was done flirting. He finished his meal and set the plate aside, but made no motions to get up and leave, settling comfortably in his chair once again. ]}

[electus]

I'll have to go for a look.

[ he was always going to go for a look. he may be kept here against his will but how often is he going to get the opportunity to step on the soil of other inhabited planets outside his solar system? come on. this is, as cisco would put it, cool.

kirk paints a lovely picture, and hartley responds with a smile. not because he's moved by it - he's far too rational to be taken in by such displays of sentimentality, please - but because it's the appropriate response. and it's easy to smile to. kirk is clearly comfortable and familiar with his own charm and knows how to bring it out. ]

Sounds charming. I trust you to make certain I don't miss it.

[universal_charm]

_{[ It was well worth it to go look, on these planets at least. Some, well, he didn't precisely regret it, but they left a sour taste in his mouth. ]}

I wouldn't be a very good tour guide if I didn't take you by it. Though maybe I leave one or two places for you to discover on your own. Makes this place a little less boring a little less quickly.

[electus]

A prudent plan. I do have a dinner engagement with my captain, and I would rather prioritize my exercise.

[ exercise being of course, whatever he and jim end up doing. he eats his lunch calmly but quirks a brow in a way that clearly suggests his intentions. this serves the double purpose of agreeing with jim that the tour should be reserved to the highlights and - letting him know not to expect hartley to stay the night. ]

I'm in no hurry to be bored.

[universal_charm]

Hmm, a good idea - works up the appetite. You don't want to leave a captain's table with food still on the plate, after all.

_{[ He smirked, because he was sure of what the other had in mind given the game they had been playing, but in said spirit he wasn't about to come out and just say it. ]}

As soon as you've finished your lunch, I can show you around.

[electus]

Certainly not. That might be construed as rude.

[ he couldn't care less about giving offense, but he has decided that for the time being it's in his best interest if his captain values him, and it's definitely better if his crew doesn't harbor any desire to murder him in his sleep. he's had to swallow a lot of insults today, he could do with a little unwinding.

he takes another bite of his lunch, half done now. he was hungrier than he thought, but he'd rather pace himself. he definitely doesn't want any of his lunch to repeat, especially considering he has a busy day ahead of him. ]

While we're sitting here, how does Captaining a ship here differ from your experience back home? The Paisley at least seems very casual.