auspex_caelo | And the Stars Turned Back [for smartass

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And the Stars Turned Back [for smartass_captain ]

Once they’ve picked up Felix, Stratos leads the way back through their door. It’s left to his little brother to unseal the wards and stay back to set them back in place before following. The tribune-turned teenager conjures a light – that he can do, still – and shows Jim up the sloping tunnel beyond. The stone walls look like a mix of natural erosion and worn masonry, lit by intermittent torches mounted along the way.

It looks like a straightforward path, bending this way and that but leading steadily upward. Stratos, however, is well aware of the illusions laid to give that impression and he keeps Jim close. He’s frowning deeply as they climb, trying to ready himself for what’s to come. Trying to convince himself that all will go well when he presents himself to his subordinates.

It feels like a much longer climb than usual, though his legs can’t be that much shorter.

“Are you hungry?” he asks Jim over his shoulder abruptly. That’s one thing he can be sure of remedying anyway.

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Felix just about spits his stew back into the bowl.

It's not that he doesn't know most of this. Between what Jim was willing to say directly and the details gleaned from disturbed nights and the inferences he could draw himself, Felix has a fair picture of Tarsus now. As much as he can without having been there, without knowing it the way Jim does.

It's that Jim just doesn't talk about this. Barely even to him, and never out in the open.

He's too busy wiping his mouth ungracefully and giving Jim a worried look to even think about how Enfys will react. But the squire sets his knife aside, giving Jim a wide-eyed, serious look that's... kind of more understanding now. "Oh. Sorry."

Felix's arm slips quietly around Jim before he focuses his mind on the question. "They do. It's just, unless you're well educated - or you happen to be allergic to something commonly eaten in your homeland - you probably won't know much about them. Or you might not work out what's causing it. Some people just put up with getting sick once in a while and blame the bad air."

"There was a woman in Solitude who got sick if she ate fish," Enfys chips in, glad to have something he can say. "She paid a lot of healers to try and cure it, but I don't think it worked."

It's the sort of thing Jim would be mortified with himself if he was his own age and size again, this is very true. Jim does not usually talk about Tarsus. It's not something even Bones is aware of, because Jim doesn't want people to know what happened to him. What he lived through. There's shame there at everything that was done to him. But right now the pain doesn't feel real. It's like a bad dream rather than a haunting memory. It's easier to bring up.

"You didn't know." He says to Enfys, before looking back at Felix. He's still for perhaps the first time since he's found himself at this size.

"You okay, Felix?" He pauses to listen to them talk about allergies, and nods along with what they're saying. "Yeah, it's like that for me, just with lots of stuff."

"I'm fine," Felix murmurs, peering at him very closely. "How are you feeling?"

Enfys doesn't hear such soft inquiries over the sounds of the fire and his knife on the wooden chopping board. Or at least he discreetly pretends not to. "That's awful! It must be really hard to find food. But I suppose if you're a captain then other people get it for you..."

"I don't feel sick." Jim reassures him, even though the smile he gives is faint rather than bright. He doesn't feel very cheerful, talking about Tarsus like that. Even if it doesn't feel like it happened to him, he has enough memories in his head that it does feel like a rather awful nightmare.

"...Just a little sad, I guess." Jim admitting to feelings? What strange hell is this.

"My best friend is a healing specialist, and he knows what I can and can't have. I'm good, most of the time." Jim hasn't forgotten about you Enfys. you gave him food, you are good people.

Admitting to feelings does have benefits. For example, it prompts Felix to set his bowl aside and immediately give Jim a reassuring hug, just gently enough so the boy doesn't spill whatever stew he has left. He squeezes his arms with careful affection, cheek against Jim's temple. He may be sad, but he's not alone.

Enfys stops to blink at all this public and unexpectedly honest affection, but on balance he's not too surprised by it. He's already aware Jim is Felix's mystery friend from before. He puts his head down and keeps working, allowing a polite silence before he ventures, "That's real- really lucky. There aren't a lot of proper healers around."

Jim's blue eyes go wide at the hug, and for a second he doesn't quite know what to make of it. It makes his eyes water and for a moment he thinks he's going to cry. Instead he tilts his head up and kisses Felix gently on the cheek.

Muah.

"I'm okay. Pinkie promise." He holds up a small hand until Felix mirrors him and hooks their smallest fingers together. "Now you know I'm not lyin'." He sets his own bowl aside.

"He's th'best one there is, back where I'm from, but stuff's different there. I've got a better shot getting fixed up normal here." Jim nods at Enfys, making no attempt to break away from the physical contact with Felix.

There's a particular sort of grin that Jim's good at surprising from Felix, unguarded and a little lopsided. That's what he's getting right now as their fingers curl together.

"Well, that's a great relief," he murmurs honestly. And he always thought he was good at being the adorable one. He gives it a minute, and Jim another squeeze, before pulling away so he can get the dumplings to offer Jim. Dessert time!

"Is that why you, um, came here?" Enfys asks. He shoots a look up at Felix. "I know I'm not supposed to ask where you're from. Because it's to do with..." he waves in the rough direction of the cave mouth, "secrets."

The pinkie promise is not a charm to be taken lightly, Felix. It is the strongest of all childhood incantations, save for perhaps 'I dare ya'. Heaven forbid anyone ever incur the double-dog dare. History is forever changed when those words are spoken.

"I'm from a place really far away." Jim agrees seriously. "But I'm close with Felix and friends with Stratos and the other guys in there seem okay except the scary man-lady who always glares at Felix." Huff! Such a wrong opined woman he has never met before.

"I like it here. It's real different and things are always happening."

"Man-lady?" Enfys looks befuddled; Felix laughs.

"Sir Yolande, I assume."

Which figures, of course. The squire shrugs, offers, "She's real nice if you don't do stuff to make her mad." ...Felix. "Anyway, Skyrim's mostly boring unless you're in an army or an adventurer or something. Although I guess it's sort of exciting now with the dragons and the vampires and the war."

"Well, yes," Felix says dryly, "but that's all."

"She'd be nicer if she wasn't the Queen of Wrong Opinions." Huff. Felix is awesome okay and everyone should know how awesome he is. He saves lives and does magic and summons ghost puppies and Jim like-likes him so much you don't even know. Loves him even, wow it's easy to get swept up in his childlike mentality the longer this goes on.

"There's bandits to beat up an' dragons and all kinds of neat things." Jim nods before peering at whatever Felix is digging around for. Something smells sweet. Dessert? There is always room for dessert.

Edited 2016-08-17 17:31 (UTC)

Enfys frowns at him, but he's smart enough to get that he's... probably not going to convince Felix's new 'best friend' any differently. Felix definitely isn't going to buck up and improve Yolande's opinion of him by now. So he bites his lip and gets on with preparing those fish before the sun gets to them. Even in northern Skyrim, it's not chilly enough to dally.

Felix breaks part of a pastry to double-check it solely contains apple filling, nodding at Jim's words. "We should see if we can find some... after a nap, of course." Except he winks on the word 'after', handing Jim his dumpling. As soon as the younger boy's done eating, it'll be time to make a pointed yawn and take their leave of Enfys.

Edited 2016-08-20 17:02 (UTC)

Little Jim almost sulks at the mention of a nap. He's not a baby Felix! ...Even if he is more tired than he can ever remember himself being ever in his life. Pride insists he stay awake as long as the adults do because he is Also an Adult and Important, huff huff. But he catches sight of the wink and his eyes light up.

"Obfioushly." Jim don't talk with food in your mouth. He kicks his feet while he shovels the pastry into his face, trying not to vibrate right out of his seat with excitement that has temporarily staved off sleep for yet another little while.

Jim stays quiet while Felix does his acting, not speaking up until the moment Enfys is out of sight. Then he's immediately tugging at Felix's hand.

"Where're we really going huh?"

Felix has to stifle a grin himself. It's so gratifying to see Jim all aglow just because he knows Felix has a scheme up his sleeve. People don't often get excited over his ideas - at least, not as excited as he feels.

He finally lets the grin out when Jim tugs at his hand, a trace of wicked delight in it as he looks down at the boy. "We're going to go raid Stratos's notes for a spell he doesn't know I know he has yet. And then, we're going to try it out and see if it dispels this curse of yours.

"And when it does," he adds, leading the way to another tent (this one smaller, the leather exterior traced with very faint lines of magic), "he'll have to admit that I should be rather more than his apprentice."

Jim is always excited over Felix's ideas. Especially when he gets that glint of mischief to his eyes that makes them shine. He gives a huge toothy grin back up to Felix, though it has none of the wickedness Felix's does.

"Yes! This is the best idea! Why didn't Stratos just use it on us already you have the best ideas!" Jim breathe. Also, don't bother whispering if you're going to whisper so loud the you might as well be talking.

Jim is like an excited puppy, peering around at everything in the camp and constantly making Felix have to stretch his arm out as Jim hurries this way and that while thye head across the camp.

"He'll have to see how awesome you are at stuff and life."

"Shh, Jim, keep your voice down." Felix tugs him back onto the proper course. "Stratos doesn't have the strength or- probably anything he needs to pull it off now. And Stratos always thinks he's the only one of us who can handle truly powerful magic. I'll just have to change his mind by doing what he can't, right?"

It's unspeakably endearing, how interested and excited Jim is by what seems a thoroughly mundane place to Felix. He can't help remembering how he used to feel, when he was allowed to come along and visit his family's friends in the castle barracks or (on one special occasion) a Legion fort. Maybe that's why he winds up slowing down to point out the more interesting features to Jim, like the little practice ground where he goes for sword drills, or the banners around depicting a spear twined with lightning.

"That's the banner of Sir Celann's order, so whenever you see people bearing that you know they're friends of ours."

When Felix admonishes him Jim shuts up entirely, though those bright blue eyes are still shining with excitement. He nods several times at Felix's claims. Truth be told even if Jim were the proper age he'd be all over this plan. Bending the rules a bit because people don't think you can do something so you have a chance to prove them wrong is practically how Jim got to where he is today.

Captain of a starship, not nine years old and running around a Tamrielic camp.

Though he does slow down a bit and look properly at the various things Felix is pointing out. The banners look neat and the training ground makes him nearly jump with excitement.

"Can you teach me how to use a sword too?"He remembers why they're snooping around but he's excited okay.

Edited 2016-08-25 13:06 (UTC)

"Of course! You'll need it if... when... you're visiting here." The thought that Jim's going to be returning indefinitely, all the time - it's hard to quite take in, but it makes him smile. Jim's not ~~likely~~ going to discard him, not going to fall prey to typical Tamrielic hazards. Every other kind of danger, of course...

He mulls this over while he steers Jim to a smaller tent. "Do people... not fight with blades in your world? I'm a little surprised you don't..."

"Not really. Mostly we use phasers. There's security experts trained on weapons but mostly we don't hurt people."

Which really explains a lot about how Jim deals with anything. The most violent he gets is a good brawl, unless he's pushed into a real bad corner. Or PTSDing because he was captured and starved for days. He knows how to use more powerful weapons like plasma rifles and the like, but he isn't exactly a weapons specialist.

"There's some really formal blade training people can get for fun or tradition though. It's more of a sport than a survival tactic. Sulu, my pilot, is real good with blades because of that. I should ask him to train with me more in the gym huh."

"You should, yes. At least if you ever want to beat me," he teases. There's a seriousness underneath it, though. He wants to keep Jim safe - as safe as the captain is capable of being - and though he loves the man's noble intentions, admires his self-sacrificing kindness... Felix does worry they'll get him killed. Particularly here, where the dangers are ones he knows and can quantify in his mind.

He pushes open the tent flap for Jim, a little self-conscious as he says, "Well, this is, ah. Where I sleep. In theory, of course."

There's not much to it - dirt floor, fur-lined sleeping roll with straw under it. A stool, a small chest - and a small table bearing books and bits of candle wax. It smells a bit like Felix does, too - smoke, leather, the bitter fragrance of alchemy.

"Sit wherever you like," he says, crouching by the chest to root through it. "I just need to find the notes. I had an idea for hiding them, you see, because if you use a phone to take pictures it turns out you can pay someone to put them on actual paper..." And thus Jim has inadvertently enabled the theft of state secrets (possibly).

"Well I gotta learn first, duh." Jim rolls his eyes at the taunt, but there's a petulant frown that gives away that he's taken the bait. Jim can beat anyone at anything if he puts his mind to it. He's James freaking Kirk for crying out loud. He's gonna march right back to that ship and ask Sulu to teach him how to fence.

Felix will have to be impressed with him then! Yes, this plan is perfect and cannot possibly fail (unless he forgets it).

Jim's attention is entirely on the tent once Felix admits that it's his, blue eyes wide and flickering with the candlelight. This is Felix's room? Well tent, but. Jim takes a moment to look at everything, small hands tracing the walls of the tent gently.

"Felix..." Jim's voice is quiet. "How come you've never brought me here before?" He looks up at the Imperial with a soft expression. A smile creeps across his face. "Were you worried what I'd think? It...fits you. I like it."

"I..." Felix looks up from the chest, swallowing suddenly at that soft smile and bright eyes. It's a very direct question, one he doesn't have a quip or a ready answer for. He hefts out the tome he was looking for, sets it on the table while he considers what to say.

"I suppose I just... didn't think you'd want to see it. It's not important, after all. It's not important, after all, it's just... a place I spend time in." He leafs through the pages, sneaking a glance at Jim as if to check his expression. Adds more casually, "I'm glad you like it, though. It's rather... rudimentary compared to what you're used to."

"And my quarters is?"

Jim snorts, and for a moment it's a very familiar expression on his face. Despite his childish features, it's the exact reaction the Jim Felix knows so well would give to such a question.

"It's fine, Felix. I spent like forever tied up in a cave here, this is pretty much amazing by comparison." It's about then that Jim takes a seat at the edge of the bed roll, smiling up at Felix with his bright excited grin.

"So what's this kickass spell you stole?"

"Your quarters don't have damp straw under the bed," Felix points out, but he's teasing. Face it, Jim, you have the fanciest bedroom around, the lack of velvet and heirloom swords notwithstanding.

But he should get to business. Felix pulls out the printed photographs hidden within the other tome. He sits on the stool facing Jim, grinning back conspiratorially.

"It's a spell for dispelling powerful magic safely. We have weaker spells that do the same, but they're only for cleaning up laboratories after experiments. This is the kind of spell you can use against combat magic, any time, anywhere.. We used to have plenty of other spells like this, lost after, well, all the disasters of the last two hundred years. Stratos obviously thinks he's rediscovered this one, and I trust him."

"No, but you've got a bed and your own space. I'd be happy here."

Don't think too hard about what he's saying Felix, he's too little right now to mean anything innuendo-ish about it. He just means it's your space and you'd be there, ergo it would be awesome. The other benefits will have to wait until he's properly aged again.

"Neat! What do we need to make it work? Eye of newt? Raven feathers? Sugar, spice, and everything nice?" He doesn't know how magic works, despite all the time he's spent with Felix. If he wasn't so goddamn excited Felix might be forgiven for thinking Jim is teasing him.

He just wants to do things and better yet possibly help Felix do things!

"How can I help?"

Every time Jim speaks it's to make him grin a little more. Felix has to wonder whether he'd feel the same way if he wasn't in love with the captain already: at best he normally has a cordial truce with children. Either way, it's clear that Jim has a talent for making him melt at any age.

Felix laughs at his first suggestions, though. Sorry Jim. At least he doesn't seem to think you were being serious. "No alchemy for this, it's much easier."

He spreads a couple of pages out on his lap and traces the diagram covering one with his fingertips. A few slow, rhythmic breaths, then he lifts his eyes to Jim's. "I've studied it already: I just need you to hold as still as you can - and trust me. I don't know how this is going to feel to you, you understand? But I won't let it hurt you."

And the Stars Turned Back [for smartass_captain ]

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RL is being exhausting, sorry about the slowness!

Same here, though. Training is intense.

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