[ Where she usually has a lighter step, this morning her concern for Finn has left Vanessa feeling unlike herself. It may be hard to tell, given the perfection she insists upon her clothes and pinned-back hair, but her smile is thin and her eyes feel strained. That doesn't make her gaze any less keen; perhaps the concerning state Finn brought himself home in has only sharpened her observations, if anything. His 'friend' seemed to have everything under control despite the chaos of their entrance last night, although Vanessa still hasn't slept well.
The droid is already moving past her to begin its work in the kitchen. Seeing Jim looking through the cabinets, the droid waves it's arms a bit and rushes over to begin brewing coffee. Ignoring it for the moment, Vanessa keeps her gaze on the houseguest and nods. ]
Yes. Vanessa Ives.
[ 'Miss Ives' would be proper were they still in London, but he isn't the first to use her Christian name so casually, and she is hardly the type to be offended by it. Over-familiarity seems common in their group of outsiders, so she takes it in stride. ]
And you would be...Mr. Kirk?
[ She knows next to nothing about him, so she can only hope she's using the correct title. Having already heard the name 'Jim', she can make the connection to the James Kirk that the Merchant mentioned when naming everyone during her arrival.
She wants to ask about Finn, how he's doing, does he need anything, what exactly happened...but. She must remember her manners, first. She can gauge by Jim's behavior that Finn isn't in a state of emergency at the moment. ]
[ ooc; i thought i had responded to this before now, i'm so sorry! my brain is in the twilight zone. ]
[ He did know Finn was sharing a place with Vanessa, so it's not like it's a surprise to find her here. Not as much as the other way around, he's sure. He does feel a little bad for the noise they've probably made the night before, even though he's not sure if she was in the house or not. She must have been though, he's sure he'd have heard her come in halfway through the night, light sleeper that he is.
He steps aside as soon as the droid takes up the breakfast duties, shooting an eyebrow up at it before turning his attention back to Vanessa. Taking a few steps closer to her, he offers a hand for a shake. ]
James Kirk, that's me. Jim will do just fine, though. [ He smiles apologetically. ] I hope we didn't make too much noise last night?
[ Vanessa knows she isn't about to call him Jim just yet. She feels strange enough calling Finn by his given name. But really, those are flippant concerns in the light of...well...the ever-horrific state of things.
Used to the workings of the droid by now, Vanessa continues to ignore it, her unblinking gaze never leaving Jim. She doesn't need her sixth sense to assess the way he uses his charm to ease tension. Likely, he doesn't want her to worry any more than Finn would.
Gently, she lifts her hand to hold it over his, expecting him to take it in a different sort of fashion. She hasn't yet experienced a handshake, as made clear by her pause. ]
You were quiet enough. [ They were so quiet that she had needed to approach the door to hear anything, but upon such discovery she had been quick to move along. What happened behind closed doors is not her business. ] I am only relieved that he was not alone. I worry so for his state, even still. Is our friend in better sorts, this morning?
[ It's fine, she'll get there. Even if she doesn't, he doesn't mind either way. He just wants her to know that she can if she wants to.
The way she offers her hand leaves him stumped for a while, which is saying a lot considering he has encountered a wide variety of greetings, on all the planets he's visited. It's just not the kind of gesture that he's at all familiar with, and even when he takes her hand, he still moves with some stutter as he leans down, keeping eye contact as if to make sure he's, you know, doing the right thing. ]
Yes, he, uh... [ He clears his throat once he's upright again, letting her hand go. ] He's doing alright. He just lost some blood and needed to recover from that, so I made him eat and get some rest. I was hoping to get him some breakfast before he woke up.
[ The awkwardness of his reaction only charms her further, but her smile is still cautious when she lets go of his hand, given the circumstances of their shared friend. It doesn't feel right to take true pleasure in anything while Finn lies in his room suffering.
She'll nod to the android while folding her hands together before her skirt. ]
It will fashion a breakfast from last night's dessert, but if that is too sweet for your liking, you are welcome to request something different. Of course, I will not stop you from carrying on as you like.
[ The android is still making coffee, but it won't be long before it starts to assemble a tray of desserts. She will pull a chair out for herself, her gaze ever on Jim as she sits. Any hint of a smile she may have had is quick to vanish in light of her next inquiry. ]
Do you know who it was that assaulted him in so brutal a fashion?
[ He does feel a little awkward, admittedly, but her smile at least is met with one of his own. And really, Finn's doing just fine, judging by what they got up to last night. He's sleeping like a baby right now as it is, and Jim doesn't look too worried about his condition. ]
No, that's fine. As long as I get some coffee, I'll be happy. Thank you.
[ He doesn't even mind it that it's made by the droid, even if he doesn't trust the things in the slightest. He sits down too when she does, letting out a breath. ]
He didn't tell me. The way he talked about it, I think... it was sort of an accident. He's probably trying to keep them out of trouble.
[ Troubling. A friend who lost control, then? Vanessa may not normally be one to judge so harshly, given the pain she's unintentionally caused others, but... ]
But are they capable of keeping themselves from trouble? Do you suspect anyone else to be in danger from...whomever it is that he's protecting?
[ It's a question that gives Jim pause, eyebrows furrowing in thought. He would like to say he completely trusts Finn's judgement on this, but... ]
I don't know. I have no idea who it was, so I don't know if they could be a potential danger to others. I don't know if Finn's really considering that at the moment, he's just trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.
[ Besides, he does agree that ratting them out could lead to some level of discrimination, and Jim is definitely against that. ]
[ There's no pleasure in being kept away from mysteries, but Vanessa can appreciate the secrecy out of respect. The scent of strong, slightly burnt coffee fills the room. ]
We all have reasons for secrets kept. I should have no reason to doubt his judgment.
[ When the droid begins assembling the cold desserts onto a tray as commanded, Vanessa stands to steal a couple pastries for a small plate taken from the counter. No matter what he likes for himself, she'll rest the small plate on the table for him to take to Finn. ]
I still worry. It speaks of ill omen, for violence to so soon be committed against one of our own.
Edited (i don't even know sometimes) 2022-10-30 21:27 (UTC)
[ Since Vanessa's already getting a plate ready for Finn, Jim stays out of her way, and instead fetches mugs for their coffee, as well as a tray to carry it all back to the bedroom in a bit. ]
I agree with you completely. It happened with Finn, so it could very well happen again with someone else. But sometimes people are judgemental, irrational. Could lead to more violence, if it became known who did this.
[ Jim is still going to try to find out who did it, mostly because he wants to look out for Finn, but he's not going to be telling anyone. ]
Guess the best advice we can follow is to be careful around people we don't know well enough yet.
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no subject
The droid is already moving past her to begin its work in the kitchen. Seeing Jim looking through the cabinets, the droid waves it's arms a bit and rushes over to begin brewing coffee. Ignoring it for the moment, Vanessa keeps her gaze on the houseguest and nods. ]
Yes. Vanessa Ives.
[ 'Miss Ives' would be proper were they still in London, but he isn't the first to use her Christian name so casually, and she is hardly the type to be offended by it. Over-familiarity seems common in their group of outsiders, so she takes it in stride. ]
And you would be...Mr. Kirk?
[ She knows next to nothing about him, so she can only hope she's using the correct title. Having already heard the name 'Jim', she can make the connection to the James Kirk that the Merchant mentioned when naming everyone during her arrival.
She wants to ask about Finn, how he's doing, does he need anything, what exactly happened...but. She must remember her manners, first. She can gauge by Jim's behavior that Finn isn't in a state of emergency at the moment. ]
[ ooc; i thought i had responded to this before now, i'm so sorry! my brain is in the twilight zone. ]
no subject
He steps aside as soon as the droid takes up the breakfast duties, shooting an eyebrow up at it before turning his attention back to Vanessa. Taking a few steps closer to her, he offers a hand for a shake. ]
James Kirk, that's me. Jim will do just fine, though. [ He smiles apologetically. ] I hope we didn't make too much noise last night?
(( ooc: don't worry, it's okay! ))
no subject
[ Vanessa knows she isn't about to call him Jim just yet. She feels strange enough calling Finn by his given name. But really, those are flippant concerns in the light of...well...the ever-horrific state of things.
Used to the workings of the droid by now, Vanessa continues to ignore it, her unblinking gaze never leaving Jim. She doesn't need her sixth sense to assess the way he uses his charm to ease tension. Likely, he doesn't want her to worry any more than Finn would.
Gently, she lifts her hand to hold it over his, expecting him to take it in a different sort of fashion. She hasn't yet experienced a handshake, as made clear by her pause. ]
You were quiet enough. [ They were so quiet that she had needed to approach the door to hear anything, but upon such discovery she had been quick to move along. What happened behind closed doors is not her business. ] I am only relieved that he was not alone. I worry so for his state, even still. Is our friend in better sorts, this morning?
no subject
The way she offers her hand leaves him stumped for a while, which is saying a lot considering he has encountered a wide variety of greetings, on all the planets he's visited. It's just not the kind of gesture that he's at all familiar with, and even when he takes her hand, he still moves with some stutter as he leans down, keeping eye contact as if to make sure he's, you know, doing the right thing. ]
Yes, he, uh... [ He clears his throat once he's upright again, letting her hand go. ] He's doing alright. He just lost some blood and needed to recover from that, so I made him eat and get some rest. I was hoping to get him some breakfast before he woke up.
no subject
She'll nod to the android while folding her hands together before her skirt. ]
It will fashion a breakfast from last night's dessert, but if that is too sweet for your liking, you are welcome to request something different. Of course, I will not stop you from carrying on as you like.
[ The android is still making coffee, but it won't be long before it starts to assemble a tray of desserts. She will pull a chair out for herself, her gaze ever on Jim as she sits. Any hint of a smile she may have had is quick to vanish in light of her next inquiry. ]
Do you know who it was that assaulted him in so brutal a fashion?
no subject
No, that's fine. As long as I get some coffee, I'll be happy. Thank you.
[ He doesn't even mind it that it's made by the droid, even if he doesn't trust the things in the slightest. He sits down too when she does, letting out a breath. ]
He didn't tell me. The way he talked about it, I think... it was sort of an accident. He's probably trying to keep them out of trouble.
no subject
But are they capable of keeping themselves from trouble? Do you suspect anyone else to be in danger from...whomever it is that he's protecting?
no subject
I don't know. I have no idea who it was, so I don't know if they could be a potential danger to others. I don't know if Finn's really considering that at the moment, he's just trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.
[ Besides, he does agree that ratting them out could lead to some level of discrimination, and Jim is definitely against that. ]
no subject
We all have reasons for secrets kept. I should have no reason to doubt his judgment.
[ When the droid begins assembling the cold desserts onto a tray as commanded, Vanessa stands to steal a couple pastries for a small plate taken from the counter. No matter what he likes for himself, she'll rest the small plate on the table for him to take to Finn. ]
I still worry. It speaks of ill omen, for violence to so soon be committed against one of our own.
no subject
I agree with you completely. It happened with Finn, so it could very well happen again with someone else. But sometimes people are judgemental, irrational. Could lead to more violence, if it became known who did this.
[ Jim is still going to try to find out who did it, mostly because he wants to look out for Finn, but he's not going to be telling anyone. ]
Guess the best advice we can follow is to be careful around people we don't know well enough yet.