inthebiblicalsense | TLV IC Inbox

"Sounds miserable." Six days to get back into the swing. Maybe he can do it in four and see how that goes.

It makes him relax a little when Jedao smiles, remembering that first conversation he'd had with Hakkai rather fondly. It was, among a few other choice meetings, what helped him feel a little hopeful about his new mission.

"I wish we'd talked sooner and-" He almost asks if he'd had to be carried here, but thinks better of it. He wants to let it go for the moment. "A-anyways, Hakkai told me about you when I first arrived. Kind of embarrassing I took so long to say hello." Not that he'd been avoiding him, just despite the lack of order their paths just didn't cross well enough to be formally introduced. "It was really comforting, hearing him talk about your ceremony. I wouldn't mind hearing your highlights about it either if it isn't too much to ask, it'd be lighter conversation at least."

"It sounds miserable because you don't have enough hobbies yet. I'll teach you how to cheat at poker or something," Jedao suggests amiably.

He waves away Abel's embarrassment.

"A lot has been happening, and the barge is a lot to adjust to. I'm glad he was able to help you find your balance here."

He runs a hand through his hair, trying to - find words for things.

"We cobbled it together from a lot of different traditions. I didn't...have much family where I came from, but we've both built families here. Just looking at the family tables - seeing people there who were happy for me, who...cared about this crazy made-up mishmash ritual because I said it was important, I said it was real -" he swallows, getting a little emotional in spite of the fact that it's months.

"One of our friends showed us enough Earth movies that I knew about the rings thing -" He flashes his wedding ring, dark grey tungsten instead of gold. "And I loved that part. We danced so much, and. I got a new name. A family name, like a real person."

"I don't even know how to play poker." Card games wasn't really his thing, but it would probably be fun to play. If he was actually taught how he'd definitely be good at counting cards.

He closes his eyes when Jedao talks, it helps the headache, and he smiles at the way he obviously is invested in it. He peaks one eye open when he talks about his ring, and it makes his smile stretch just a little farther, "I left my family name behind when I enlisted. I didn't want it any more. I'm glad you got one you wanted, you obviously deserved it."

"Thank you," Jedao says, because he's been working on being gracious instead of self-deprecating. "And I'll teach you to play, then. You'd make a great hustler, probably."

"You know, I feel like I should ask why you think I might be, but maybe I don't want to know." Was it his sweet face? The big black eyes?

"I have a terrible poker face though, so you'll have to work around that."

"I think you have guessed exactly why," Jedao says, grinning.

"As for being an open book, well, we'll work on it."

That is definitely something he's tried to work on. He's not the best at hiding his reactions or lying about most anything.

"That'd be a trial worse than boot camp. Or this. This is hard to beat, but it would be difficult."

"Look, if we fail, all it means is you now have a new way of hitting on people, which is to challenge them to strip poker and then lose," Jedao points out optimistically. Success or failure all depends on your objective, after all.

Abel hadn't necessarily been expecting him to say that, both eyes opening and staring at him. His mouth opens to say something, but nothing comes out for much longer than he intended.

"You know, I wasn't expecting that, but you obviously don't know me very well if you think I'd be up for asking anyone to play strip poker without embarrassing myself." While it would probably be very fun, that's a little too bold.

Jedao laughs a little, but not meanly; he's mostly laughing at himself.

"Well, I don't know you. Fair enough. But it never hurts to have another strategy in your back pocket. Not to mention, embarrassing yourself can actually be a very good tactic for putting other self-conscious people at ease."

Jedao has a special talent for being earnest and Machiavellian at the same time.

"I just had a conversation with Fitz about this the other night. And I wouldn't say I'm self-conscious, just..." Not all that confident that he's not going to fuck it up. Or be laughed at. "I'm untested. And perhaps with how everyone seems to be on board, instead of being inviting, it's like i've jumped a few difficulty levels with how comfortable everyone seems." And he's just not.

How did they get here anyways? He's laid up and sick and here Jedao is talking to him about pulling techniques.

"It's alright," Jedao says softly. "I didn't kiss anybody for most of a year, when I got here. I was absolutely dying because everyone here is so hot, but..."

He shakes his head.

"I wasn't ready. You don't need to rush yourself just because your new neighbors are, ah, enthusiastic."

Abel is thankful that he isn't quite at that level, but there is definitely some worry about getting into something ill advised. Admitting it to anyone is difficult, but he'd started talking about it at least. It was helping. "I wouldn't say I'm where you were at, just. I've got some baggage that feels a little uncomfortable bringing with me even into something casual. Not that I haven't already, but we talked about it. At least, started to." After the fact, when it became apparent to him that he probably should after Cain had given too much out, but still. He was trying.

The other in we is left unsaid, he's got enough of his own personal business flying around the network if his death is at all public like he's sure it will be. He had been in the library for god sake. "You think the Admiral does it on purpose? Like, that can't be a coincidence."

He doesn't ask about 'we'.

"What part of it? You mean the visitors?"

There is a little bit of a smile peaking through, shaking his head. It's not that serious Jedao.

"No. How hot everyone on board is. Do you think he's got good taste?"

"Oh." Jedao laughs at himself, blushes a little.

"I don't know. I felt the same way when I was with the Kel - the military, in my world. I think he - gravitates towards a lot of dramatic personalities. Movers and shakers and driven people. There's a magnetism to that."

"There are definitely some interesting personalities that pop up in the military. What did you do there?" Because he can definitely agree with that statement. Magnetism indeed.

"I was a navigator and an Engineer. When you were assigned a team the ship became your responsibility to maintain. I think that was my favorite part."

"I was a general," Jedao says quietly.

"Tell me about your ship?"

Well that was a much higher rank than he'd ever had the chance to speak with. It makes him wonder what kind of stories he might be able to tell, though he's definitely not going to ask. His own stories weren't usually all that appropriate for a retelling. Nothing really fun about war in space if he was being honest.

"The Reliant. She wasn't anything special aside from the Alien tech they snuck on board, but I did get her pretty finely tuned to my liking before she was lost. Two manned short-range Starfighter, same as every other team had. I don't think we even had the resources to try and produce something new with how many ships we'd been losing in the fleet."

Like a little needlemoth, he muses.

"Alien tech?" he asks.

"If we were in my cabin I could show you a draft of her. It's mostly done aside from little edits here and there." and honestly he'd probably always keep it open for edit, just so he could keep it close. He hadn't even had the time to give her a good look over in the chaos of the trip and subsequent crash. He owed their lives to the Reliant.

"A jump drive. I wasn't aware it was on board until recently. Top secret, instant teleportation across great distances, useful but rough for the pilot. I don't think humans were really meant to be able to use it."

Mothdrives aren't instantaneous, so that's something. Jedao resolves to pry further some other time when Abel isn't feeling like garbage.

"Would you rather go back there? Only I might have to call someone stronger to carry you in a way that feels dignified when you're conscious."

"I can make the trip tomorrow probably, take the lift. Don't really feel like doing a lot right now and I'd prefer to do it by myself." Though he is a little curious why he was brought here instead of his own room.

"Is there a reason why I'm in here anyways?"

"I...well, we didn't know each other. I didn't want to take you there if it wasn't comforting, and if it was comforting, then...I wasn't sure a stranger being there, without permission, would be...good."

That makes sense. He supposes it was nice that at least something was done for his own comfort. "My room is small, but it doesn't really hurt me like I've heard some people's cabin's do." A little cramped for space, but at least familiar if not nostalgic in that 'I left but this was at least the only place I could be myself' kind of way. It had been a shelter and a work space for so long even if the door that went nowhere was there as if his father could come knock any minute.

"But I can appreciate your approach, I was just curious."

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