poly_chromatic | action // video

[Chekov is, to put it mildly, alarmed to find the bridge of the Enterprise replaced by the City--the fountain, specifically. As startling as the abrupt change of scenery is, there are, as far as the young navigator is concerned, worse places to find oneself than in a fountain. The shallow water feels good after hours--he can't even begin to guess at how many hours--spent running around in the bowels of a beleaguered ship, issuing orders and trying to nurse failing systems along.

There's no time to enjoy the surprise reprieve. It takes several moments for his City memories to hit and several more for them to fall back into place but, once they do, Chekov has the presence of mind to remove the gold tunic that marks him as a Starfleet officer. Harrison is here. The captain had warned them against making themselves targets.

The captain. Captain Kirk, who's alive here...

Chekov, wet curls plastered to his forehead and stripped down to his black undershirt, clambers out of the fountain and disposes of his gold shirt. He fingers his hair into some semblance of order and fumbles for his waterlogged communicator.]

[video]

He--? [Audio and video distort and give way to static. After some minor adjustments, they return. Chekov doesn't look all that different than he did prior to his disappearance (thanks to the City's temporal isolation from other universes, he's actually a few months younger than he was over a week ago, if sturdier), but recent events have given him a somewhat haggard countenance.] Hello? This is En--Pavel Chekov. I realize that very little time has passed--relatively speaking, I mean--but I must ask: Who is here still?

[Starfleet people, that's directed primarily at you.

And, hesitantly:] Has anyone fed my dog?

[ooc: Action or video! Chekov is back in the City and updated to the not-quite-end of Into Darkness (immediately after San Francisco getting smashed up and Spock beaming down). I tried to steer clear of major spoilers here, but I make no promises for the comments.]

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See you soon, Chekov.

[ An hour and a bit later, Jim's knocking at his door wondering whether he'll have to reassure his navigator he really isn't a ghost. ]

[An hour later, Chekov is at home, dry, and in possession of a decidedly alive dog. Said dog--medium-sized, shaggy--hurls himself at Jim as soon as the cottage's door is open, tongue lolling and tail wagging.]

Captain Kirk. [Chekov is considerably more sedate than the dog. Blank, almost, or maybe just half-asleep.] Please, come in.

[ A startled whoa greets the dog which Jim ruffles the fur of, scratching his shaggy sides as he shuffles in and shuts the door on his heels. He straightens to fix Pavel with a look that tries to prise the honesty out of him with nothing but his eyes, searching. ]

You okay?

Yes, sir. [That look makes him rethink his answer.] ...No, sir. I will be.

[He sits on the sofa, the dog trailing after him.]

This is very strange, having two concurrent sets of memories.

[ He sits in a seat nearby, hands loosely clasped over his knees. He doesn't let his attention stray from Pavel for long, as much as it remains casual. ]

If anyone can handle the strain, it's you. You know if it gets to be too much, you can come and stay with me and the other guys, right? Sulu's been on one of the sofas, you're welcome to take Spock's.

[For his part, Pavel focuses on the dog. It's not that he isn't pleased to see Kirk alive and well--far from it!--but he needs some time to sort everything out. The engineering debacle was bad enough without throwing in an additional reality and his recently returned girlfriend breaking up with him.

(The last hour was eventful.)]

Does the commander know that you are offering me his sofa?

No, but he wouldn't mind. You didn't hear it from me, but Spock likes having company milling around. [ Pausing, he looks Pavel over and turns his gaze onto the dog so it's less invasive. ] I think we all do. Comes and goes, like missing the ship.

[The unlikely combination of the words Spock, likes, and company earn Jim an incredulous eyebrow raise. It's a nice sentiment, but in what universe, seriously.]

Thank you; I will keep that in mind. [And, delicately:] There are moments when you don't miss the Enterprise?

[ His grin softens when asked that. ]

The moments where I don't miss her are the ones where I'm with Bones, Spock. You. Everybody. I'll get our ship back, but it's only my home for as long as I've got all of you on it, otherwise I'd count myself already there.

[That is, without a doubt, one of the sappiest and most touching things that Pavel has ever heard. He looks down to hide a smile that's almost--but not quite--as embarrassed as it is pleased. Honestly, Captain, how can you be such a sentimental doofus without losing cool points?]

I know that I'm not the only member of the crew here who thinks that way, also. But you... I thought that it was different--that the ship herself means something more to you.

[ Jim's smile is wide and ducks after a moment, hands clasping where he leans over his knees. Instead of answering beyond a nod (getting into that sort of talk now, when he's here to help out Pavel, will lead right down the rabbit-hole) he looks around the room.

The segue isn't subtle at all. Or existent, but whatever. The captain doesn't want to discuss his ship, the one he's still failed to get everyone back on board after too long languishing in the City; it's a sore subject. ]

I have the urge to get all of us settled in the apartments so we're close to each other, but I think it's smarter for you to keep this place. It's kind of like a retreat.

[If the captain wants to change the topic, no one here is going to fight him.]

I can move into an apartment and keep this as well, if that would be preferable. [He can afford that. Being a tech whiz from the socialist space-future who has been around long enough to inherit from friends who left has its perks, not the least of which is the small fortune that has accumulated in the bank.] Or there is room here. There were six of us living here, once.

[That was before two of the upstairs bedrooms started housing side projects, but cleaning is a thing that can happen!]

You do whatever you want, I'm good either way. As long as you're confident you're safe, wherever it is you're staying, that's good enough for me. Short of the Enterprise turning up docked outside the City's grounds, I'm not going to corral anyone anywhere.

[ But if she did, you bet your ass everyone would be ordered on it asap. He cocks his head, looking around the room. ]

What's up with this place? I heard it was ... magical.

[ Obligatory pause is obligatory. ]

Then I will stay here. It's very safe.

[Is that skepticism in that pause? No, probably not; Jim has likely seen enough oddness in the City to make anything sound possible. Still, Pavel shrugs.]

It has... unique properties. It fixes itself when it's damaged, and the doors and windows refuse to let intruders in. A new room appeared once, too, but I never asked Howl if he did that or if it was the house.

Howl is the guy who lived here before?

[ Cue the curiosity switch being flipped. ]

Yes, but first he lived with me in an apartment. He slept on my floor when he was exceptionally drunk, and then he neglected to leave. That was fine. I liked him, even though he was difficult to understand.

[Howl was the best Welsh wizard bro of all time.]

He sounds like a real character. [ Not exactly a bad guy if Pavel turned out to like him, just odd. ] And you said this house keeps you safe, it has defensive capabilities.

It does, yes, but I don't know what the extent of these capabilities is or if they can be disabled.

action // video

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