open—

[itio]

Who: James T. Kirk & anyone!
What: A few open prompts, feat. the fog, Kirk's journal, his growing beard, etc.
When: Month of April
Where: Milton, mostly outside and the Community Hall

Content Warnings: None for the moment, but will edit if need be.

— the fog
— downtime at the community hall

Comments

[itio]

Kostya— short for Konstantin?

[ Sorry about that; it's not like Jim hasn't met Russians before, because he has. He's just not on a first name basis with many of them, let alone close enough for diminutives.

He scoots closer, peering into his own journal, see what Konstantin's looking at and what piques his interest the most. When he lingers on a drawing of the Enterprise, Jim can't help a fond smile. Ah, a man after his own heart, clearly. ]

A starship, yes. My starship. Well— [ He draws his shoulders in a small shrug. ] Technically I don't own it, but I am her captain, so. That's what counts.

[sputnik]

[ He gives a delighted smile at that, all too happy for an opportunity to shave off some formality. It's not particularly common to ask someone to call you by a diminutive, especially so early on, but he's not in Russia anymore, and Konstantin's not shy about reaching out. ]

That's me! And please, do call me Kostya. I know the rest can be a mouthful.

[ If he was already enjoying meeting a new face, that simply grows when Jim explains — his starship. A fellow spaceman! The other's brows are lifting, eyes brightening. He's bumped into another man here who'd lived in space, and heard talks of a few others, but it's certainly incredible to encounter directly. ]

Then we need another introduction — an official one between spacemen. Captain Kirk: Commander Veshnyakov, an honour to meet you. I suppose this isn't the strangest question to ask around here, but it still feels surreal. What year are you from?

[ He's already willing to bet that the other man is from what would be considered "the future", judging by the design of this ship, and the other sketches in the book. ]

[itio]

[ Well, he did introduce himself as Jim, already a diminutive of his own name. It's fair to assume Jim is more than happy to shed formalities. Besides, under their circumstances, does that even matter anymore? ]

I'm sure I'd have managed, [ He comments with a teasing little smile. ] But Kostya it is. Jim's fine by me, by the way.

[ Preferred, even. Not a lot of people call him James, he likes to keep it that way. ]

No more surreal than learning about alternate realities. [ Just pointing that out. ] It was 2259, for me. And you?

[sputnik]

[ Konstantin smiles again in return, delighted by the easygoing conversation, and the equally easy drop in formality. His extroverted nature is nothing fabricated, but it's certainly been exacerbated and to some extent shaped by what he is — the role of the cosmonaut, the Hero of the Soviet Union, is one that comes with a certain public image. Friendly, approachable, charming. He's meant to be liked by others.

But it was very rare that he met someone on his own terms. He can't remember the last time he made friendships all on his own, before he came to this place. People were always kept at some.. distance, and that was simply part of how it all worked, and he was fine with that. Fine, but lonely, and all of this is to say that it's.... been really nice to get to just meet strangers here and talk to them. It's especially nice to meet somebody so easy to talk to, somebody with so much in common — even if the years that separate them are vast, and he's visibly startled by that, eyebrows shooting up. ]

2259.... [ He repeats, awed and curious in equal parts. He'd met another spaceman from his future, Dr. Hilbert, so the shock isn't in full blast, but it's still something. ]

1983. Practically archaic for you, I'm sure.

[ He grins again and looks back down to Jim's drawings for a moment. A million questions are bubbling up, and he can't contain his enthusiasm about them. Remembering what Hilbert said about living off of Earth, seemingly permanently— ]

This ship... did you live on it, full-time? Or was it used for temporary missions?

[itio]

[ Can't say the same for Jim, as his job and rank both should come with a more serious attitude more often than not. That just never has been him, though. Sure, he knows when to get serious, when a situation calls for a shift in attitude, but he likes a personal approach, he likes getting along with his crew, and instill in them a sense that they can always find a friend in him, or a reliable ally at the very least.

And, well, his charm has definitely made him both famous and very much liked among the general population. Doesn't hurt that he's good looking either. ]

Well, we prefer the word classic.

[ He shoots back with a smile, peering down at the journal. ]

The former. I was actually born on a ship, and I've lived aboard ships for the vast majority of my life.