spohkh | Appointments

Nope. They're meant to dry ourselves after we're done.

[He's French, and has spent many, many weeks and months in Japan. He has no qualms about being nude, even after he takes his scattered bullet scars into account.

Some women liked scars.]

[Thankfully, due to his Vulcan heritage and the ability to heal himself, he had no physical scars. But he never made a habit of walking around naked either.

Spock sighed a bit and removed the towel, folded it, and set it aside. He did all of this without looking at Lupin and walked into the water.

Oh Ap-Lau Natara this was most pleasing! The heat! It was soaking into his very being.

[Lupin idly glanced at Spock when he uttered the untranslated phrase as he took off his glasses and set them aside.]

Quick question. [Lupin turned and leaned back against wa wall, eyebrows lifted in inquiry.] This. [He tapped at the little device that Spock had given him. Is it waterproof? I've been assuming that it's not.

[Spock was already neck deep in the water with his eyes closed... he did open them to answer Lupin..]

It is indeed waterproof. I allowed for the synthetic casing to secure the inner mechanisms... with the adhesive backing it makes for a rather resilient device. However, I would not go more than forty feet underwater with it.

[Spock closes his eyes again and the half-smile adorns his face...]

...Huh.

[perhaps he had been too careful...

His towel was unfastened and set aside with his glasses, and he took a moment to orient himself before slipping in adjacent to Spock. The last time he had visited the springs was when his brother in arms, Jigen, was still in the village. They had a mini splash fight that day, and the memory brought a fond smile to his face.

He settled back and closed his eyes, simply enjoying a moment of being lost in the heat. After a long, mellow moment he voiced another question.]

You said something else that was untranslated. What did that mean?

hmmm?

[Spock was very comfortable, and it was making him a little distracted... He has not felt this relaxed since coming to Luceti...

On second thought, he has not felt like this since...ever.]

The water is most pleasing.. I was merely 'swearing and oath' to the Pre-Surakian goddess of water, Natara.

[Spock opened his eyes briefly and observed Lupin...]

Are you comfortable as well?

Interesting~

[It truly was. So little attention was given in the 1970s series to Vulcan mythology. He wondered if there was an anthology available in the library, now that there were two (confirmed for him) people from that universe now residing in the village.

He glanced over at Spock's question and replied with a lazy smile.]

I am now. The weather messes me up...and this is my first time coming to the Springs since June. The...air pressure. [he waved his hand listlessly.] It affects things.

I see.

[Spock kept all concern out of his voice...which was not hard. But it was getting exceedingly difficult to keep anything from Arsene... though the opposite was also in effect: Arsene could not keep anything from him either.]

May I ask a personal question?

[It was the consequence of being inside the other's head, Lupin knew. He was himself an intensely private man, but his skills lie in high grade deception. Outwardly he could portray anything...but he couldn't lie to himself.

He wondered if he was too aware of Spock's motives at times in recent days. They were still relative strangers, but he could read the other man so well.

Lupin shifted in the water, sat up straighter and rested his arms on the bank. He frowned in curiosity, quickly tried to stifle the jolt of discomfort, and slowly nodded in affirmation.

Information would come out regardless. It was better to have it be quick.]

What kind of personal question do you want to ask?

It is regarding the hostilities that you show towards any form of assistance. I am curious as to why you react this way. You have hinted that the overbearing 'protection' is one of the reasons you moved to your new location.

[Spock was very curious as to what results this inquiry will bring forward.]

[Of course.

Lupin sighed and ran his wet hands through his hair, disheveling his current suave style into a shaggy mess. If Spock was going for that information, there was no reason to maintain his front.

Spock would likely know he was lying if he tried.

He idly made small waves in the water, needing to do something with his hands, before he replied.]

It's a consequence of my career and my world. I'm a criminal, and any show of weakness is a possible danger to life and freedom.

[It was a superficial answer, like always.]

Edited 2012-10-17 01:17 (UTC)

[Spock tilted his head and made a quick analysis.

Arsene was a Thief, this was a fact. However, many of his actions thus far have been contradictory to that of what was considered 'norm' for thief behaviour. Lupin....cared for people. And yet, he did not seem to want anyone to know that.

Lupin was avoiding.

Spock could understand that. He himself tried to avoid anything of a personal nature unless it was absolutely impertinent. His very childhood consisted of staying silent about any injury, physical or otherwise, to avoid an indication of weakness. Because weakness meant he was not a proper Vulcan. Weakness meant he was far too human...
Regret filled his senses for a moment before he stifled it. This was about Lupin now, and this was different. Lupin had a scar that went far deeper than any of the physical.

He must choose his words carefully.]

Who made you believe this?

[He arched his eyebrow, not fully understanding the point of Spock's question. This words were true; there was no rhyme or reason for it. It just was.

To borrow Spock's term...ka'adith.]

It's not a question of 'who', Spock. It's a lifestyle. A healthy dose of paranoia has kept my friends and myself well out of prison for years. That same paranoia doesn't stop any one of us from being captured and manipulated for another person's purpose. [By using drugs, various forms of brain washing, or just using one of theirs as a hostage.]

There's more at stake than just the job. There's our reputation, and there's the show. We work on timelines. Something happens...and the show must go on.

[Spock gives Lupin a rather sadistic half-smile in response...]

Lifestyle?

Do you not see Arsene? Of course there was someone who convinced you.

It was you.

Do you not see the destructive path that you are on? I am the very example of what happens when you do not let anyone care for you...
To keep everything in is unhealthy, I see that now.

You refuse to let your guard down, even around those who are obviously not a threat. Even to those who are considered friends.
This avoidance may be like a 'second-nature' to you due to your type of work and atmosphere. To borrow an idiom, 'you need an off switch'. Even Vulcan's meditate to cultivate and secure their bonds... to sort their feelings....
[Spock leaned forward with a glint in his eye, the small smile still on his face....]

...what do you do?

[He met Spock's gaze without flinching, feeling his shoulders tense and his temper flare under such knowing eyes. A thief and a liar by nature, the very idea of being read so easily made him uncomfortable. There were clues of his being serious to others--a drop of a nickname, use of full military rank or entire given name. There was none of that established yet with Spock...yet that bond.

It was inevitable, he knew. Spock had been in his head...and would know the answer to his own question as clearly as Lupin didn't want to say it.

He had no off switch.]

I work.

[Said flatly. 'Work' could mean anything. His current plan to slip into the newly discovered tunnels with a small team and try to bring a hard drive up to the Dome for GLaDOS to study counted among the possibilities. His haphazard training in self defense during scattered evenings also counted. They served to channel his energy, his thoughts.

They were a tool to keep himself sane.]

[In his own mind, Spock could hardly believe he was going to argue this point. However, Spock had no problem with trust.]

[Spock meets his challenging glare with one of his own...]

You work?

[Spock felt as if he could be talking to himself. On the Enterprise all he would do is work. Work until there was nothing left and then find something else in order to keep himself busy. But then... there was always his Captain... They still did not get along all that well, but at the end of the day he was a warm smile with the offering of chess.]

[Spock tilts his head a bit to drive home a point...]

...Then who do you 'come home' to at the end of the day? Your trajectory is, as they say, one that will 'crash and burn'.

[He looked away at these pointed words, knowing the answer and being unwilling to say it. At the end of the day, when the job was done, he would return to the current safehouse with his partners and kick back with a few beers--or whatever alcohol they had. They would flip on the news, sleep, and inevitably go their separate ways. He was a social animal, he knew, but every thief was a loner to a point.

It was a lonely job.

Even in Luceti, he hadn't entirely found someone to 'come home' to. He thought he had someone in the few close friends that he had made, but they were unable to accept his nature in the end. That was fine, he could deal with it. Arguments were nothing...

He would move on, like always.

But there was no quick, witty way to answer this question. There was only Fujiko to return to the apartment to, and odds were high that she would end up on whatever plan he had in store. There was no cat, no one to make dinner.

Just his bed and his mess of a work desk, and his equally messy workshop that stood hidden in the woods behind Community House 5.

He couldn't answer. He wanted a cigarette.]

[The resounding loneliness was palpable in the air... and Spock felt bad for causing Lupin's current distress. However, he was doing it out of concern, and it was up to Lupin if he wanted to head his advice.]

[Spock leans back in an attempt to give Lupin space for the time being... but he decided to fill the silence.]

You know as well as I that it does not have to be this way. To have no one you can trust or rely on is a burden in itself. Every creature in the universe is drawn into community with that of its species. Attempt to allow yourself to be unguarded and accept the friendship others are offering you. Doing this... is very brave, and a mark of courage.
[Spock looks down... everything he was is being put to the test, being questioned and turned inside out. The words that were coming out of his mouth...well...they were scaring him to a certain degree.]

[Spock decides to let the barriers down a bit... he was relaxed and under control.
He sends reassurance through the link.]

[He felt the reassurance along with the words...and understood them. Acceptance of that kind of support was much harder.

Lupin took a deep breath and tried to relax in the water, to let a part of him savor the water and drift for a little while, but Spock's words clung to the silence.

He had too much time to think.]

...I tried that. It didn't work.

[Because they tried to protect him, and he reached a point where he couldn't accept their brand of protection anymore. There was a distinct difference between shielding and supporting in his mind. To shield someone was to prevent their action. To support them was to allow them to continue acting, but it also meant staying by their side as they did.

His friends and himself all supported each other, even as they worked different sides and exchanged bullets. That was work. They always came together before the job was over because their goals were the same.]

[Spock looked up to study Lupin's face.... curious.]

Who has wounded you Sa-kai?

[Luke Skywalker. Adele LeBlanc. Obi-Wan Kenobi...to an extent.

He voiced none of this.]

That doesn't matter at this point. The ball's on their side of the field now.

I see...

[Spock is hesitant to bring this up because it could encourage hostilities...]

Does this mean you have given up?

[Such a simple inquiry that implies a weakness on a whole other level. Spock was testing the waters and hopefully the reaction is not too severe.]

Nope.

[No hostilities. He just really wanted a cigarette.]

It just means that the ball's in their court. I've made my peace--they need to make theirs. I hate to think that our friendship is solely based on Shifts...but there's no fighting it if they can't work their end out.

[Fascinating....

Spock could feel the addictive need through the link.. he should distract Lupin. He still doubts that he has made total peace with this, but it can wait for the time being. They were on vacation after all.
Lupin was no 'pet-project', that was for certain.]

[Spock nods in response then leans backwards to rest his head on the ledge... a smile appears on his face and there is humour that travels through the link...]

[The argument hadn't fully been processed because he wanted to think of the two major factors in question as being almost like his partners. It wasn't for the criminal aspect, but the support. They formulated a harrowing battle plan together back in June, along side Luceti's top doctor, strategist, and commander. It was that same plan where he came up with the decoy plan after a careful assessment of the situation, and he was ready at that point to take the full duty himself.

Even knowing from the start that it was liable to be a suicide mission.

He could drown his mind with project and other thoughts and he could put the argument behind him, but there were still moments when it creeped back into his mind.

It had been a month. Were friendships really so fragile.

Lupin decided that he would get a smoke later, when they were done soaking and Spock had settled in. No need to subject him to second hand smoke...

But there was an odd, light note that he couldn't fully define. He noted Spock's smile, but that only inspired questions.]

What's up?

[It was the only question that he could think of asking.]

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