Tie-hh'ellaer.

[mirror_brightly]

Waking clean was strange, but waking relaxed was stranger. It was slow, a tug and shift. There were tired limbs without soreness, light wounds that didn't exactly throb from grit, but itched. The ground was down and the bed didn't smell quite right, but the cold was gone

Comments

[original_fine]

Spock had risen early and Jim was grateful for that fact. If only because it meant having clothes for this meeting. He'd asked Spock to hang back, so he could have the requested conversation with Nero.

A conversation he had little hope for, but he'd been surprised before. He just hoped he was up to it--there was so much more swirling through his brain than just the safety of his crew, his ship, and himself, in that order.

But as he had before, he found that it was like flipping a switch. Seeing Nero, alone and armed--if, ostensibly, against a dead fish--banished all other concerns from his mind.

"Captain," he said from the doorway, loud enough to be clearly heard, and hopefully not so loud he'd startle, if Nero wasn't already aware of his presence. His hands clearly visible, he waited.

[mirror_brightly]

The knife went down and cut a second slab, a third. Before he turned, he set it aside. Stabbing it into the counter would have sufficied, put some fear into this spy but he had no knife to waste.

"Early," Nero replied and lifted a piece of the fish. What did he care if this fed saw him eat with his hands? Ayel wasn't here to sneer about it. "We still wont stop before dark." He jerked his head to the fish and moved, took a seat wordlessly as he ate. If Kirk couldn't figure what it meant, he deserved to starve.

[original_fine]

Jim understood what it meant. Though he was less certain of Romulan customs. Not even enough to gauge which were even still applicable to these men, after all these years. At least he'd put down the knife. Jim didn't want to refuse hospitality, however it was given, so he took a piece and sat. Everything ached--it would almost be good to start work again, loosen his muscles. He had no doubt he'd feel differently in a few hours.

"I always get up this early," he said. "It's hard to overrule that training. And I wished to speak to you."

[mirror_brightly]

Small amusements were valuable and rare, time had taught him that. The stiffness with which the human moved was more than a little bit satisfying. He watched him, kept careful eyes on him and the air around him, but he was not a threat. Not right now.

"Hm, do you?" Nero prompted shortly and said no more.