InsaneJournal

Mary had been trying to find things to do that didn’t involve drinking. After getting drunk at Deck Five, she had decided to avoid alcohol for a while. Lucifer had sworn to her that he’d gotten her out of there before she had made a fool of herself, but she still felt awkward about it. Being drunk in public wasn’t something ladies did, and it hadn’t been something that she’d wanted to try.

She stood on one of the wide observation decks, watching the colorful nebulae float by. At least it was a pretty show to watch. She happened to glance up and see Captain Kirk walking along the corridor in her direction. Her stomach did a little flip. Mary couldn’t remember what all she had said to Lucifer, but apparently she had made her opinion known that she thought the Captain was handsome. Really, it was ridiculous. She hardly knew him beyond two conversations, even if the second one had been flirty. What Jadzia said echoed in the back of her mind as well. How could she know how she felt unless they spoke with one another?

“Captain Kirk,” she called, smiling at him. Mary hoped that he wasn’t in a hurry and would have some time to stop and talk with her. Hopefully Lucifer had been the only one who had heard her silly schoolgirl gushing at the lounge.

Jim was on his way down to the engineering decks to talk with Scotty about some minor efficiency upgrades his chief had been rambling on about during an earlier senior staff meeting. He often took the "scenic route" on his way, which both gave him a chance to enjoy a view out of the ship that wasn't from the captain's chair and also be a presence around the rest of the crew and, now, the travelers.

He smiled when Lady Mary Crawley called out to him and made his way over toward her. "Lady Mary," he greeted. "Agent Carter told me that you've volunteered to help out with the traveler liaison program. Does that mean you feel more settled now than you did a few weeks ago?"

Mary grinned back at him, laughing slightly. “I do feel a bit more settled, yes.” It would probably be bad to tell him that a big part of the reason she volunteered was so that it would give her something to do aboard the ship and would hopefully keep her out of the lounge. It was also, unfortunately, the only job that she felt qualified for. “It will be nice to return to some stability and have a proper schedule again.” While her schedule at home wasn’t particularly strenuous, at least she had a regular routine.

Jim nodded. "Routine can make the days go by faster, even if sometimes you need a break. I always seem to know when the time is right to mix things up for my crew." He leaned casually against the railing and considered her for a long moment. "Anything I can do, or my crew, to make your transition even easier? I hope the get togethers in the lounge help with that."

“They do…” she said cautiously. “I simply do not wish to drink all of the time.” One instance of drunkenness in public was enough for her. She really hoped that hadn't gotten around. “I believe that both you and your crew are doing an excellent job of making us feel welcome, Captain. Much of this is out of your hands.”

Jim tipped his head to the side for a moment. "No, and some of those drinks are pretty potent," he said. "There are a few we stock for just certain species. A human should never touch them." He leaned on toward her conspiratorily. "Keep that between us. I don't want Mr. Stark to get any bright ideas and then Bones would have to pump his stomach."

Mary returned his sly smile. “Lucifer might want to try a few of those out, as he apparently cannot get intoxicated on human alcohol.” As if they needed a drunk Lucifer running around the ship. “Do you know the potency from personal experience?”

He arched an eyebrow and reminded himself that he ought to go have a chat with Lucifer himself. He wondered if it was possible to get the devil drunk. That could be an interesting challenge. Him laughed and shook his head. "In in uniform, he said. "I don't know if I ought to be telling you any stories of past drinking regrets where just anyone might overhear."

“Very by the book now. What happened to your rebellious streak?” Mary asked playfully. There was that slightly dangerous quality about Jim that was definitely part of Mary’s attraction. He seemed to be a good man, but also somewhat of a bad boy. She liked it more than she probably should.

He shrugged a shoulder. "There's a time and a place for everything," Jim said. "I try to be on my best behavior about … eighty percent of the time. Maybe." He considered that thoughtfully for a moment. "All right, fifty percent."

She gave him a coy little smile. “That number keeps dropping. What do you do when you're not on your best behavior?”

It was a license to flirt - not that she really needed one. Mary was always open to flirting with a handsome man.

"Oh," Jim said with a time-wasting sigh, "I'm sure you'll find out soon enough." He turned to lean out towards the windows and motioned to the stars. "Most of the time, I find ways to make these endless days more exciting." That had been a recent realization for him, well, in the last year or so. He had thought he was ready for this mission, being so far away from civilization for so long, and he wasn't. It helped having these travelers on board though, times like these where he could flirt without recourse with a beautiful woman who was not a member of his crew.

“Will I?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. Mary glanced out at the stars, but her gaze was drawn back to him and the sharp line of his jaw. “Do you enjoy literature, Captain?”

Jadzia had said that, but Mary wasn't quite sure about it. Kirk seemed smart, but did he have the patience for books?

"Books?" he asked, sounding surprised. "I'm afraid I don't have all that much time to read these days." Jim leaned an elbow on the railing to regard her. "But I read a lot growing up. Mostly Terran literature, the classics, though I dabbled a bit into Vulcan books for a while after I met Spock." He shuddered a little, over the top.

“Classics were probably contemporary in my day,” she said with a slight laugh and a cringe. Way to make herself seem ancient. “I was better at maths, though I do still like to read. There is no library with paper books on board, is there?”

"There's a digital library," he assured her. "So no, it's not paper books, but there aren't many of those going around lately. You might be able to find a small bookshop or antique stores on Yorktown when we dock, but everything's digital. You can use it here at any time. It's on deck seven by the rec room, and you can sync any books you want to read to your PADD."

Mary nodded. That was unfortunate, but pretty much what she was expecting. Maybe she could make some paper books in the replicator. “Thank you,” she replied. “I shall do that. It will help pass the time.” Mary glanced back out at the expanse of space unfolding out the window next to them. “Being here,” she said quietly, “it feels as if there isn't much for people like me to do. I am… so out of my time.”

Jim rubbed his jaw. "I'm sure you'll be able to find something to read. We've a collection that spans the galaxy, and most of it can be easily translated to whatever language you're most comfortable with, too."

"What is it you did in your time?" he asked curiously. His 20th century Earth history wasn't great, except for the major conflicts and he thought she was from a time between two of them, if he remembered her file correctly.

“Well, I lived in England, on an estate. My father is the Earl of Grantham.” She wondered if titles still existed in this time and if Jim would know what it meant. “I did work for the estate regarding land contracts. We would lease to farmers and get a share of the profit. Part of my job was financial, and the other was making sure that the farmers had necessary supplies.”

It was a big job for a woman in her time, though Mary loved doing it. It meant securing Downton’s future for her son. “I suppose other than that, I enjoyed horseback riding and the occasional tea party or charity social gathering.” The life of an upper class lady wasn't terribly exciting.

While Earth itself and the majority of planets that made up the Federation had come a long way with respect to females and careers, there were still countless worlds out there where that wasn't the case. "Horseback riding? I haven't done that since I was a kid," he said with a grin.

“You used to ride?” Mary asked, returning his smile. “That’s right, you told me that Iowa was quite rural. I find it relaxing.” Being outdoors in general was relaxing for her, thus part of why she was struggling here. “I’m sure you’d look quite dashing on a horse.”

"I much prefer a motorcycle between my legs," he said, winking. "Got more control that way." He pushed back from the railing and glanced past her. "Well, as sad as I am to cut this conversation short, I promised Scotty I'd be down to check on his progress in engineering. Will I see you in the lounge soon, I hope?"

“I’ve never ridden one,” Mary said, though now she was thinking about ‘between his legs’ and there might have been a slight blush on her face. “Oh!” She was sad to end their conversation, though she knew that he was a busy man. She couldn’t monopolize his time. “Of course. I shan’t keep you. I’m sure that I’ll see you in the lounge quite soon.” The possibility of seeing Jim might have been the one reason that she couldn’t avoid that place.

“Also, perhaps when we dock at Yorktown?” she asked boldly.

Jim didn't particularly want to cut their conversation short either, but he did have things he needed to take care of. "At Yorktown? Of course. It's shore leave for the entire crew, so once we get our maintenance schedule up and going, I'll even be able to take some leave myself. Why don't you read up on it and see if there's anything in particular you want to see and I'll make sure you see it."

Mary smiled back at him. “I shall. I look forward to it.” She looked forward to the idea that she might get to spend some time alone with him. Sure they had flirted, but it was difficult to tell if there was any real interest there. And to be fair, Mary wasn't even sure if she was looking for anything herself. “Good day, Captain.”