[Fitz opens the door, stepping back so Alexei can enter easily.]
Did we make sure that none of those shapeshifter aliens came on ship?
[Alexei is already inside, but it's not as if Fitz believes in... moderate security. He looks a touch more tired than usual around the edges, but that's the only tell of recent events.]
Had at least one person on the door watching for them, but I think you're mixing up the steps.
[Brow raise.]
Pretty sure I'm not a shapeshifter. [And then, once he's inside—] Anyway-... here. Saw this and thought of you.
[He fishes a compact, rectangular-shaped arc lighter out of his pocket. The material it's made of is smooth, lightly embossed with swirling geometric patterns, and a near-white, silvery colour. It seems to be some kind of metal. The electric arc, when it's turned on, is a vibrant purple fading to blue where the current begins.]
Found one for myself too. Y'know, 'cause we deserve them.
I didn't say it'd necessarily be a bad thing. Nothing wrong with aliens.
[In his opinion.
He's caught off guard by the lighter, his expression open when he's so rarely without at least a little protection. His smile doesn't have any of the usual sardonic edge, even if his tone is close to his usual when he speaks.]
We do deserve them. And they definitely show that off.
The openness of the expression catches Alexei by surprise too - enough to make him flash a genuinely warm smile of his own. That's nice. Maybe he should be that thoughtful more often.]
Try it out. Looks like they gave up on open flames over there, even if they didn't give up on smoking.
He looks away from it a moment to grin at Alexei.] I traveled through space and time, right. So my first landing, I didn't know we'd landed somewhere smoking wasn't a thing. So I go to light up at the bar - as you would your first time on a space station six centuries into the future - and every one started giving me looks. And, since no one smoked, they didn't have out any ash trays.
I ended up putting it out on my hand. [Look, he'd been going through a lot.]
[He does enjoy a good Fitz Tale, his posture altering slightly as the other man begins telling a story. No idea how many of them might be true, but if even half of them are...]
Of all the things you could've put it out on, you picked your hand?
[Not like... the floor? The sole of his boot? Anything like that?]
Just how close to a bar brawl did you think you were?
[He shrugs, turning the lighter over in his hands.]
Well I say rich, but it's two different things, right. We always had money cos we could travel through space and time so that basically got everything sorted. And we could do that cos of class things. You know you're dealing with pretentious bastards when they call themselves the Lords of Time. It works well for the bits that are important to me.
[He shakes his head with a grin. It's so, well, lordly that it loops back into amusement instead of annoyance at the highhandedness. Well, as long as he doesn't have to deal with them.
[He mutters to himself as if he's taking the thought entirely seriously as they leave the room and head down the corridor. The lighter gets turned over in his hands a few times.]
Should be quick, at least. I can think of worse ways to go.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2025-07-30 01:46 am (UTC)[Knock-knock, Fitz.]
no subject
Date: 2025-07-30 01:51 am (UTC)Did we make sure that none of those shapeshifter aliens came on ship?
[Alexei is already inside, but it's not as if Fitz believes in... moderate security. He looks a touch more tired than usual around the edges, but that's the only tell of recent events.]
no subject
Date: 2025-07-30 01:58 am (UTC)[Brow raise.]
Pretty sure I'm not a shapeshifter. [And then, once he's inside—] Anyway-... here. Saw this and thought of you.
[He fishes a compact, rectangular-shaped arc lighter out of his pocket. The material it's made of is smooth, lightly embossed with swirling geometric patterns, and a near-white, silvery colour. It seems to be some kind of metal. The electric arc, when it's turned on, is a vibrant purple fading to blue where the current begins.]
Found one for myself too. Y'know, 'cause we deserve them.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-30 02:07 am (UTC)[In his opinion.
He's caught off guard by the lighter, his expression open when he's so rarely without at least a little protection. His smile doesn't have any of the usual sardonic edge, even if his tone is close to his usual when he speaks.]
We do deserve them. And they definitely show that off.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-02 11:48 pm (UTC)Probably not an argument worth having.
The openness of the expression catches Alexei by surprise too - enough to make him flash a genuinely warm smile of his own. That's nice. Maybe he should be that thoughtful more often.]
Try it out. Looks like they gave up on open flames over there, even if they didn't give up on smoking.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-02 11:57 pm (UTC)He looks away from it a moment to grin at Alexei.] I traveled through space and time, right. So my first landing, I didn't know we'd landed somewhere smoking wasn't a thing. So I go to light up at the bar - as you would your first time on a space station six centuries into the future - and every one started giving me looks. And, since no one smoked, they didn't have out any ash trays.
I ended up putting it out on my hand. [Look, he'd been going through a lot.]
no subject
Date: 2025-08-08 11:47 am (UTC)Of all the things you could've put it out on, you picked your hand?
[Not like... the floor? The sole of his boot? Anything like that?]
Just how close to a bar brawl did you think you were?
no subject
Date: 2025-08-11 06:18 pm (UTC)I hadn't gotten a good judge of what might start a bar brawl yet, and I didn't want to start there!
[He doesn't try to make his mock indignation sound real. He shared the story because he's well aware it had been dumb.]
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Date: 2025-08-16 12:44 am (UTC)Never actually been in a fancy casino though. Aliens or otherwise.
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Date: 2025-08-16 05:26 am (UTC)He smirks.] That was my first time, and it taught me an important lesson: it’s good to have rich friends.
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Date: 2025-08-18 09:31 pm (UTC)[A grin. If nothing else, Fitz's stories always have the consistency of him constantly managing to get himself into ridiculous amounts of trouble.]
Can't say I know how it feels, though. The 'rich friends' thing. How'd that work out for you?
no subject
Date: 2025-08-18 09:37 pm (UTC)[He shrugs, turning the lighter over in his hands.]
Well I say rich, but it's two different things, right. We always had money cos we could travel through space and time so that basically got everything sorted. And we could do that cos of class things. You know you're dealing with pretentious bastards when they call themselves the Lords of Time. It works well for the bits that are important to me.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-22 06:37 pm (UTC)'Lords of Time', huh.
[One corner of his mouth pulls into a smile.]
Wanna go test these out?
no subject
Date: 2025-08-22 06:39 pm (UTC)[He shakes his head with a grin. It's so, well, lordly that it loops back into amusement instead of annoyance at the highhandedness. Well, as long as he doesn't have to deal with them.
He tosses up the lighter, catching it.]
Gotta make sure it works out right.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-24 05:32 pm (UTC)[He moves back, just one or two steps.]
Don't smoke inside these days, usually, but if you do I'm good for it. Otherwise, we got our usual spot.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-24 06:05 pm (UTC)I got out of the habit myself. Besides, the deck has the better view.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-27 10:38 pm (UTC)[He takes another idle step back.]
So, shall we?
no subject
Date: 2025-08-27 10:41 pm (UTC)[He grins as he opens the door.]
Plus, if it turns out they implanted secret explosives that go off at a specific number of clicks, I vote the deck over my room.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-31 06:07 pm (UTC)[He mutters to himself as if he's taking the thought entirely seriously as they leave the room and head down the corridor. The lighter gets turned over in his hands a few times.]
Should be quick, at least. I can think of worse ways to go.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-31 11:27 pm (UTC)[He tosses his own lighter up, catching it again.]
But you do have the list of worse ways to die, so you're doing alright.