captain_jtkirk | .013 - lol he still didn't miss you Barge

It is. [She reached over and put her hand on his again before standing up.]

I'm going to get another drink. [She really just didn't want to think about what would happen when Ana graduated.]

[Jim gave her a slight smile again and finished off the rest of his drink in one go.] "Get me another if you don't mind."

[She came back with what he had been drinking before, as well as another drink for herself. She didn't sit down, though.]

Come on. Let's go somewhere else.

[Jim frowned at her slightly, not entirely sure where she was going with this. But he stood up and took the drink from her.]

"Alright lead the way then."

[She rolled her eyes.] I don't have a place in mind. Let's go up on deck. I just...don't like being in here.

"The pub is great for brooding. Which I am also really great at." [Kirk retorted, sipping at his drink.] "Let's go to the CES instead."

[She looked down to her clothes and snorted.] If it's someplace ridiculously cold, I'm going to blame you for letting me freeze. [She didn't mind the change, though. She just wanted the change in scenery.]

"We'll just have to huddle together for warmth then." [Kirk sort of leered at her, though it lacked a lot of the conviction he usually had.]

[Using her free hand, she wrapped an arm through his.] Sure, Jim. That's what we can do. [When they reached the CES, she used her item to unlock it and stepped back.]

You first.

[Jim wasn't entirely sure if she was up to something. But he did it anyway, looking around at his surrounding curiously. It looked like a forest a night if he was guessing right.]

"Huh. That's weird."

Was it not what you were expecting? [She stepped inside, though she kept her arm through his.]

"I was hoping for a beach. Or an outdoor bar."

You don't always get what you want. [She took a small drink and stepped inside, the leaves crunching under her feet.]

"That is a bitter lesson I'm learning." [Jim was quiet for a moment, just content to walk before he finally blurted out what had been on his mind all day.]

"I think I get why you don't want to go back now."

[She looked up to him.] Tell me why you think that.

"Because it was weird as fuck interacting with them."

[She rolled her eyes a bit at the language, but Paddy had cured her of that already anyway.]

Weird how?

"They don't remember." [Kirk paused to take a drink.] "Or they do and they're really good about not giving any indication about it. And I don't think McCoy is that good of a liar. It was awkward. And I was scared I was going to forget all over again."

[Uhura waved a hand about vaguely.] Once you've been through all of this, Jim, it's different. It's all different. Things change and you can't really...come back from that. They don't understand and they won't. Ever.

"I don't want to forget about this place again. And I think that's just what happens when you go back home."

[At that, she finished her drink in a hurry.] Maybe that's the big secret. [She moved away from him a bit, leaning against a tree.]

Maybe the Admiral is just cruel about that.

"Then what's the point of bringing us here? To help people we won't end up remembering and traumatizing us in the process? No wonder he has to bribe people with deals because only the insane would do this for free."

Maybe it doesn't happen to everyone? Maybe just certain people for certain reasons? [She really didn't have the answer to that.]

[If Kirk was being logical, he could see why the crew of the Enterprise might be better off not remembering. Since they had so much on their plates, worrying about things they couldn't help would just distract them. And their mission had their own PTSD to deal with.]

"It's not fair."

How do you know it's not fair? [It wasn't clear to her when she started to take the other side of the argument, but there she was. And she couldn't really stand down now.]

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