[ Open ] No, I Don't Want to Build a Snowman

[universal_charm]

Who: Jim Kirk & You!
Broadcast: No
Action: Yes, Planetside
When: All Month Long

a: hot springs
What's the best thing about cold planets? Hot springs. The fact that they glowed was an intriguing bonus.

But when didn't have some sort of self-proclaimed mission or errand, or wasn't trying one of the restaurants, he could be found in the hot springs. He was certainly becoming a familiar face with those who ran the places, and the climb to the springs and back down was helping him work off his indulgences. If the springs have another features, like, say, massages, he might just partake of that too.

Essentially, he might as well be living at these places if he has to be planet side. Look, he can't just avoid the planet - that's boring. So he might as well make the most of it.

"Hey, decided to come and try it for yourself, huh? Well, I can assure you - the water feels just fine."

b: culinary adventures
If there is one thing Kirk truly does delight in when they come to a new planet, it's the chance to try the culinary delicacies of said planet. He does have to be a little careful considering his allergies and one never knew exactly what would trigger a new one. Or kill you. But hey! That's the fun risk of trying to new things, right?

So he can easily be found across different cafe's and restaurants on the planet, a variety of dishes and drinks to be tasted. If he sees anyone he knows, he'll likely call them over to join him, or insist they join him for a meal. He especially seems drawn to anything selling sweets. What can he say? He has a bit of a sweet tooth.

And thank god for hot drinks on a cold planet. All the hot drinks please. Even better if they're just a bit spiked. You know, for fun.

c: gift shopping
'Tis the season, as they say, and while he knows some of his friends on the ships might not partake of the "Christmas", he certainly does, and that means gifts. Which are always much, much harder to shop for than one might imagine. It's not a math equation, or even a dissertation on the destruction of a certain space ship and the "lightning storm" in space that caused the event.

Nope, those were definitely easier than shopping for gifts. Especially for a wedding gift, which felt equally impossible given whom he was shopping for.

But he was giving it a good go by the amount of bags he had in hand, brightly colored paper popping out of the tops or in brightly colored plastic bags themselves. He could honestly give someone a seizure for the amount of colors, and he made a bit of a sight trying to fit through doors to new shops.

Help a guy out?

d: wild card
Surprise me! Want to go play a sport? Go visit the tree together? Take a tour of the castle? Visit a bar? Anything else not listed? Let's do it!

Comments

B

[sandywolf]

[Lyall readily comes over when he hears the call, but he will decline the offer of sweets, which he can't eat. However...]

I guess I could use a cup of tea.

[He is carrying a few shopping bags himself.]

[universal_charm]

It's cold enough to freeze even your balls off. Of course you could use some tea.

_{[ He nods as if he has just said something quite sagely and marches them towards the nearest little cafe, as pretty as the rest of the town, if a bit quieter, but Kirk felt that gave it a point in its favor. ]}

I hear this one has some unique combinations.

[sandywolf]

[Thank god Lyall is a military man and used to coarse language, or he'd have half a mind to correct it.

A quiet cafe sounds very nice, to be honest.]

Have you already been out and about so much to know the town this well?

[He says as if he didn't have the place mapped out from their first two days here.]

[universal_charm]

_{[ It's not often Kirk uses very course language, but sometimes it is a necessary thing. Nothing else quite gets the point across. ]}

You can see a lot from above, and this town does have maps.

_{[ Don't work harder, work smarter, especially in the cold. Which thankfully they escaped from in the sanctuary of said cafe, the heat a solid wall against the press of the natural air. ]}

Why don't you get us a table and I'll get us the first round? My treat.

[sandywolf]

[Lyall likes the cold. It's reminiscent of home. His actual home, from before he was turned.

But he does accept the offer of a drink.]

Thank you.

[He'll choose a table not far from the fireplace, but with a view to the outside.]

C

[jolting]

This will be the first Christmas Victor's celebrated since he was cursed into Storybrooke, and the first he's celebrating with James. He hasn't bought anything yet when he sees the familiar figure. Victor shakes his head in amusement, going over to help Jim with the various bags. Luckily his color-blindness leaves him immune to the bags.

"Want some company?" He liked to think he knew James on sight, but he still checked the man's left hand to verify this one was Jim.

[universal_charm]

There's a start when someone reaches for the bags, and while he doesn't quite jerk, it's clear that he could pull off a round house if he wanted to. Thankfully he notices it's Victor quickly enough and he relaxes, his breath puffing in little clouds from his lips.

"Surely no one's ever turned you down when you've asked that question," he chuckled, letting him have a few of the bags and hurrying inside to the protective warmth of the shop.

[jolting]

Was he seriously about to kick Victor? That would've been awkward. Of course, Jim managed to smooth it over with a charming comment.

"You'd be surprised," he retorted dryly, following Jim into the next store. "How were you planning on taking all this back to the ship on your own?"

[universal_charm]

Perhaps not seriously, but it's certainly a thought. Carrying so many bags and on a strange planet, one never knows. It was a civilized sort of place, to be sure, but even the most civilized places had their cracks and their bits of dust.

"Ingenuity," he replied, glad for the heated sanctuary of the shop. "And maybe the help of a handsome doctor."

A gentle flirtation for the sake of flirting, and not anything more. But asking Jim not to flirt was like asking a fish not to swim.

[jolting]

"Lucky you ran into me then," Victor retorted. "Or else you'd have to rely on your own pretty face." The teasing tone came easy to him, and he flirted back without really thinking about it. This wasn't his James, but it was still James T. Kirk. He was still hopelessly drawn to the man.

"Actually, I'm doing some Christmas shopping, too," Victor mentioned in a more serious tone. "It's the first year I'm celebrating in a long time."

Giving him the D

[cajunspice]

[All bundled up against the cold and geared up for the trip, Remy had plans with Jim to head out towards the rumours of this supposed wishing tree. Not quite his normal routine since being on the planet, with relaxing inside or shopping, but it was fun getting a chance to get away with him. And not just to an exclusive cabin.

It was a hard trek to get there, but come on! How often did you get to see an ice stone tree? Sure, he’s seen some weird stuff since arriving on the Fleet, but Remy still love discovering new things that were pure alien to him, and he knew Jim had that same want to explore. Plus, well, if the rumours were true, then Remy couldn’t think of a better person to do this whole thing with. The last wishing tree he had gone to with Rogue, this time it was Jim. It felt right to have two of his favourite people be the ones he saw these trees with. It did however make it a little bitter sweet, a moment of thought towards his lost friend.

Hell, even if the stories weren’t true and all it was was a pretty sight, the fun of just getting there and getting in some decent exercise with climbing through the caves was fun. Shame it was so cold though.]

[universal_charm]

<sub>[ It was only for Remy that he could be convinced to do exploring on a winter planet like this. He disliked cold and snow even on his best days, and the idea of an ice tree just managed to pique his interest enough to get him to try and make the journey to find it. He certainly hoped Remy planned to help warm him up after this. Maybe at the hot springs. Or a bed. Possibly both.

At least the caves were pretty. And he was with Remy. So it wasn't all terrible, thank goodness. He grunted as they worked around a particularly difficult part of the climb, looking over to Remy, his cheeks flushed from effort and the cold - about the same color as the tips of his ears. ]</sub>

How far to this tree, again?

[cajunspice]

Shouldn't be too far, but this goin' by local stories... 'nd they all seem a bit different. [Which was concerning.] How 'bout we give it like half 'nd hour if we don't find it we can head back. [A shame, but Remy was not going to spend all of the day tramping around the snow and caves to find the place just because there was no clear map.

And that idea of the hot springs was very tempting. As was the bed. And a drink.

Getting to a spot where he was steady on his feet, not threatening to slip, Remy glanced back to check Jim was ok. Remy hated snow, and ice, it was so slippery and took away so much of his balance, but he was well trained in dealing with climbing and heights.] Ya ok?

[universal_charm]

I’m fine, just being careful.

_{[ A rarity for him, but he really didn’t relish the idea of falling on his ass or twisting an ankle and having to be rescued. Embarrassing for starters, and it would put a real dampener on the evening besides. He made his way up beside Remy, glancing around them, able to appreciate the quiet beauty of the caves despite their inherent danger. ]}

They really are quite lovely aren’t they? If the caves are this pretty, the tree must be stunning.

[cajunspice]

For havin' to be stuck in the middle of a snow planet, yeah, it be. [A smile to Jim before continuing to move on, reaching out a hand to steady himself against the wall. The winter gear helped, decent shoes that cut into the snow and ice, and several layers to keep out the cold.] Shame it all ain't easier to get to. Could do a good trade makin' it a tourist place, put out a track, little hot chocolate stand.

[There was then a chuckle.] Though, suppose it takes 'way a bit of it all, hein? Loses some of the appeal with it bein' so remote 'nd 'way from foot traffic.

[theladyofwinterfell]

Hot springs aren't anything new to Sansa, having grown up at Winterfell, but it's not the springs themselves that interest her at the moment. It's Kirk himself, truly, but she doesn't quite know how to broach the awkwardness of the introduction. She's never been someone to leave and come back without any warning and she doesn't know how to make amends (if necessary, even) so she clears her throat a bit and falls back on courtesy.

"It's...well, I thought I would say hello and sorry for having left. I didn't plan it but it was very rude of me to do it anyway."

[universal_charm]

Hearing the voice of ghosts is not something Kirk has done often. In his dreams, perhaps, but never in the waking world. He turned sharply when he hard this voice, eyes wide for a moment before his face broke into a bright, brilliant smile - like sun breaking the horizon.

Sansa would find herself engulfed in a hug, tight and brotherly in a bear like way. “Oh my god, it’s so good to see you again!”

[theladyofwinterfell]

Any worry that Sansa might have had about Jim being angry is gone the moment he hugs her. She hugs him back, glad for the contact, and when she pulls away her face has a bright smile on it.

"I was afraid you might be angry with me for leaving without saying anything. I didn't choose to, though. I wanted to stay. I'm just glad I'm back."

[universal_charm]

"Why would I be angry? It's not your fault Sansa. If I'm mad at anyone, I'm mad at Atroma," he shook his head, looking her over to see if she had changed, and if so, how much. Looking for something in her eyes, or perhaps a deeper slope to her shoulders.

"Have you seen Tyrion?" he asked. "When did you get back?" A sudden though and he laughed. "This all feels a bit like when we first met, doesn't it? A snowy planet."

[theladyofwinterfell]

"I've been back for a few weeks now," Sansa says, giving him a beaming smile. "And yes, I've seen Tyrion. He was very, very happy to see me return, I assure you of that."

When Jim mentions the snow, she nods. "Oh yes, we met in the snow, didn't we? I've always loved the snow. My home is cold and has snow on the ground more often than not so planets like this remind me of Winterfell."

A

[the_tailor]

[Jim isn't the only one who finds himself constantly attracted to hot springs. Any time they're on a planet that have them, the red paladin (one day he'll get used to calling himself that) makes a beeline as soon as he figures out how that particular planet works. Even better if it has a connected spa with massages and facials and all that fun stuff.

Lance gives Jim a grin as he slides right into the hot water, giving a content sigh.]

Awwww, yeah. This is definitely what I needed right now.

[universal_charm]

<sub>[ Honestly, he would have been more concerned if Lance had not shown up at the spas. There would have been demands for Lance to see Ulaz for a physical, and a psychiatrist somewhere on the planet since they lacked a proper one in the Fleet.

But, here he was, so none of those things were necessary. Hopefully.

He smiled when his little brother slipped in beside him, his own face already pinked from the heat. ]</sub>

I think this is what we all needed. Though I think you've been asking for this sort of thing the longest, yeah? Merry Christmas.

[the_tailor]

[Lance would be offended if that line of thought wasn't incredibly true.

He stretches out a little bit, sinking in further to enjoy more of the hot water.]

Thaaaank you. I'd never gone to a hot spring back on Earth, so discovering these have been the best. I wish we had one on the Iskaulit.

[universal_charm]

You know, neither had I. On Earth, that is. There just aren't that many of them laying around Riverside, Iowa.

_{[ He dipped down so much that the water touched his chin. This was perfection. The only thing that would make it better would be Remy or Kurt, but hey, he'll take his pleasurable moments as they come. ]}

This is the first time we've hung out since you've come back.

[the_tailor]

Iowa, huh? Never been... Then again, I haven't really been to many places in America.

[Lance gives a little hum. Jim has a point.]

It is. Sorry, things've been... A little wibbly wobbly.