Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Outlaw Star or anything affiliated with said show.
After staying up far too late the night before beating Aisha to a pulp in his new fighting game, Jim decided he'd earned sleeping in that morning. So pulling his blue comforter up to his ears he rolled onto his side and let himself drift back into a peaceful sleep.
That was the idea anyway.
Instead of returning to his dreams, the brown haired boy was roused from his slumber by the incessant chirping of his phone. Groping around on the nightstand next to his bed, he frowned when his hand came up empty. Figuring he must've knocked it off sometime during the night, he buried his head under the blankets knowing whoever it was would eventually go away.
Five minutes of constant ringing later he was forced to rethink his initial conclusion as it was apparent whoever was on the other line wasn't going to stop any time soon. With a groan he sat up, shoving his blankets down to his waist and blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he tried to find the annoying contraption that had interrupted his sleep.
Tossing his pillows on the floor he glared at the still screeching phone that would just not shut up. Snatching it from his bed, he hit the talk button with far more force than was necessary. "What?" he growled sleepily.
Fairly certain he was being glared at despite the fact that there was nothing but silence coming from the other end, Jim took a calming breath and immediately backpedaled. "Ehem, I mean, hi, may I help you?"
". . . may you help me?" a female voice replied sarcastically. "What do you mean may? You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago with that furball friend of yours. I thought I made it perfectly clear to you last night that you two were to be here no later than seven-thirty to serve your sentences."
Gulping, Jim asked tentatively, "Lisa?"
"No, it's the Easter bunny."
Usually when asked a rhetorical question Lisa wouldn't reply at all so the scathing comment had Jim practically quaking in fear. Glancing at the clock which said it was nearly eight in the morning, he tucked the phone between his shoulder and ear and frantically looked for some clothes. "I'm sooo sorry," he apologized while simultaneously pulling on a pair of tan cargo pants and a red t-shirt he'd snagged from the floor. "We'll be there in twenty minutes."
"You've got fifteen."
Hearing the phone click he dropped it to the floor so he could finish getting ready. As he shoved his swim suit and towel in a bag, there was practice at noon and who knew how long Lisa would make him work before that, he grabbed his wallet and phone before heading down the hall to wake Aisha.
Throwing open the door to the Ctarl-Ctarl's room, he opened his mouth to scream at her to wake up and blinked in surprise when he found she wasn't even there. "Great," he grumbled. "Now I'm going to be even later since I have to track her down." Tugging his hair in frustration he ran out of the room and down the stairs in search of someone who might know where the hyperactive cat-woman had gone.
Sliding into the kitchen he came to a halt when he spotted his dark skinned crewmate sitting at the table dressed in her green and white uniform with a plate of bacon and some orange juice in front of her. "What do you think you're doing?!" he demanded.
"Eating, what's it look like?"
Narrowing his eyes at the flippant remark, Jim grabbed Aisha by the arm and, ignoring her protests about the food, proceeded to drag her along behind him as he made his way to the door. "I can see that idiot," he snapped, pulling open the door and shoving her out onto the street. "But we were supposed to be at the Late Summer Moons Resort a half hour ago and Lisa's really pissed."
Shrugging, Aisha linked her hands behind her head nonchalantly. "It's not like it's that big of a deal. So we're a little late, what's she going to do, fire us?"
"Of course not," Jim said with a snort. "But she can drag our punishment out longer if she feels like it." Seeing the surprised look on her face he nodded his head. "Yep, that's right. Until she feels like we've worked off you- . . . I mean our debts, we're basically her slaves."
Aisha's eyes widened and she backed away shaking her head quickly from side to side. "Hey, I never agreed to that," she said, placing her hands on her hips for emphasis.
"Let me guess, you didn't actually read the contract she had us sign, did you?" Her wandering eyes told him everything he needed to know. "You really are an idiot," he muttered before speaking up. "That piece of paper that she handed us stated that we agreed to do whatever odd jobs and chores she needed done around the resort until she deemed the damage repaid. Get it, until she deems it repaid. If I were you I'd try to stay on her good side."
"Well that sucks," Aisha whined before turning on him with a fierce glare. "How come you didn't tell me that's what we were signing you little brat?!"
"Hey, don't take this out on me. It's your fault for not reading it before you signed." Jim regretted the comment the moment he said it knowing it was only going to make her even angrier with him. Sure enough, seconds later she began stalking angrily towards him. "Come on now, we don't have time for this," he pleaded as he gripped his bag tighter in preparation of running away.
The two stared each other down for a moment while Aisha flexed her claws. "I'm going to kill you!" she suddenly cried, and just like that they were racing down the street.
A little less than ten minutes later Jim went barreling through the main lobby doors of the resort, narrowly missing two business men and a woman with rolling luggage who were trying to leave, and turned left towards the pool area. Not bothering to check behind him, he was fairly certain Aisha was still hot on his heels, he practically tore open the doors leading to the hallway and ducked through them.
He'd managed to pass the second door down before he heard Aisha's thundering footsteps behind him so he picked up the pace. Feet flying, he spied to door leading to Lisa's office and nearly sighed in relief. As his fingers reached out to grab the handle he found himself forced to a stop. Harsh breathing and the tightening of his neckline gave him a pretty good idea as to what had caused his sudden and painful halt and he gulped as he was lifted into the air.
"Thought you could get away from me," Aisha growled, pulling him up and around so he was face to face with her. "Well guess what, it didn't work. And now that I've caught you I'm really going to make you pay for having me chase you halfway across town." Laughing maniacally, she failed to hear the nearby door opening or the room's occupant joining them in the hallway.
After listening to the commotion outside her door for a minute, Lisa got up from her seat determined to put an end to whatever was going on outside. She'd expected a couple of rowdy hotel guests, instead she found her new 'temporary employees. "You're late," she barked, crossing her arms over her chest when two pairs of eyes turned towards her. "Now put him down and get your butts in here or I'll add another two weeks to your sentences."
Eyeing the redheaded woman who was dressed in a pair of grey slacks and a burgundy blouse like she'd grown another head, Aisha fully intended to ignore her order and continue with her mission of destroying the little brat in her hand, but the glare she was receiving was seriously starting to freak her out. Deciding she could always deal with Jim later she went ahead and dropped him.
Looking up at Lisa from the ground, Jim rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry we're late Lisa, it won't happen again."
"It better not," she replied shortly, turning around and walking back into her office. When she wasn't immediately followed she called out. "Get in her, now!"
Nearly tripping over each other in their haste to get inside, Jim and Aisha rushed to stand in the center of the room.
Nodding as they both stood as if statues, Lisa slowly paced back and forth in front of her desk. "Seeing as my initial plan of having the two of you organizing the files in here won't work, you obviously can't be in the same room together; I suppose I'll just have to come up with something else for one of you to do." Tapping her chin, she thought for a moment before smiling. "Ah, I have the perfect thing." Glancing at Jim she pointed to her file cabinets and the piles of paperwork overflowing on her desk. "You will organize those papers and put them in their proper files. And you," she said, pointing her finger at Aisha. "You will be the temporary lifeguard out at the kiddie pool."
"Yeah, about that," Aisha began. "Sorry, no can do. I don't have a suit. I guess you'll just have to think of something else."
Turning around, Lisa rummaged through a bag behind her desk. When she found what she was looking for she held it out triumphantly and grinned. "No problem," she replied, her smile growing even wider. "You can borrow one of the team uniforms."
Aisha opened her mouth to protest and abruptly closed it when she caught sight of Jim shaking his head emphatically off to the side. Dropping her head in resignation she took the offered suit and held it up to get a better look at it. Wrinkling her nose, black was most definitely not her color and the thing was one solid piece, she caught the look on Lisa's face and forced a small upturn of her lips. "Thanks," she managed to get out through clenched teeth.
"You're very welcome," Lisa replied with a cheerful smile. "Why don't you go out and change, the bathroom is just down the hall on your left, and then come back here and I'll take you to the pool."
Not trusting herself to speak any more than she already had lest she get herself into even more trouble, Aisha nodded stiffly and stomped out of the room.
When Lisa's focus turned back to him, Jim tugged at the collar of his shirt nervously. "I really am sorry about being late," he said meekly. "I forgot to set my alarm and then I had a hard time getting Aisha to come along."
Holding up her hand Lisa waved his apology off. "Don't worry about it. I didn't actually need you guys here until nine so it's not a big deal." Seeing the questioning look on Jim's face she explained. "I kind of figured your friend would be problematic so I went ahead and scheduled you guys to come in earlier. That way I wouldn't have to worry about it if you were a little late."
Clearing her throat, she crossed her arms and her tone turned serious. "Just because I've forgiven your tardiness this time doesn't mean I'll be so nice in the future," she added sharply. "I'm being lenient this morning because it's your first day, but from here on out I expect you here on time and ready to work. I also don't want to hear any complaining or whining out of you, got it." When Jim jerked his head up and down quickly she smiled and walked over so she could ruffle his hair affectionately. "You know, I almost feel bad making you do this since the whole fiasco wasn't really your fault to begin with," she said, shaking her head sadly. "But I'm a woman of my word, and seeing as you've already signed the contract and all I may as well get some work out of you."
"So then you're not upset with me for the other day?" Jim asked hopefully.
Lisa blinked in surprise. "Of course not, why would I be mad at you?"
"Well, you were yelling at us pretty good at the meet."
"Okay, I admit I was pretty pissed off about all the damage, and the parent complaints were a pain to deal with, but those weren't your fault, they were that crazy friend of yours," Lisa replied. "In all honesty this resort has insurance to cover just about anything you can think of, including overzealous guests, so everything's already been taken care of. This whole thing," she said, waving her hand at the two contracts sitting on her desk. "Was my way of . . . getting revenge, if you will."
Before Jim had a chance to answer the door to the office opened and Aisha came strolling in. Catching sight of the Ctarl-Ctarl's bare midriff and barely restrained chest Lisa's eyes fell open in shock. "What the hell did you do to my swimsuit?!" she cried in outrage.
Picking off a loose thread that was located just above the white swirl design on her right hip, Aisha shrugged. "The whole one-piece thing isn't my style so I made a few adjustments. What do you think?"
"What do I think?!" Lisa snapped. "I think you ripped a brand new uniform to shreds! I have to have those things custom made and they're back ordered for a month now because everyone's trying to get their uniforms made before the new round of tournaments begin!"
Aisha waved dismissively. "I don't see the big deal, it's only one suit. Besides, if I'm going to be stuck sitting around a pool with kids all day I'm going to at least make sure I'm comfortable."
"Oh no, the children!" Lisa gasped. "What'll they think when they see their temporary guardian parading around like . . . like . . .THAT?! What will their parents think?!" Grabbing her head she shook it back and forth while nervously chewing on her lip. Pausing, she cocked her head to the side before clapping her hands together and diving back around her desk. Digging around for a moment she shot back up when she found what she was searching for. "Here, put this on over your suit," she ordered as she threw a wad of rolled up material in Aisha's direction.
Barely managing to avoid being hit in the face, Aisha held up the items she'd been handed and stared at them incredulously. "You're joking, right? I mean, you can't possibly want me to wear this garbage." A harsh glare was her only answer. "And if I refuse?"
Lisa was tempted to threaten her with more hours of punishment, but she was fairly certain the other woman would only end up driving her insane. Instead, she chose a different form of persuasion. "Tell you what," she said finally. "You wear that over your suit and I'll cut five, no, ten hours off your sentence. What do you say?"
Pulling the loose white shirt and ugly red shorts on in record time Aisha tipped her head in agreement. "Deal. . . now where is this pool I'm supposed to patrol?"
Releasing the breath she'd been holding Lisa pointed towards the door. "Why don't you wait outside for a moment while I explain things to Jim and then I'll take you."
After she'd left Lisa sank into her chair and rubbed her temples with a groan. "How do you put up with her? I'm exhausted and I've only been around her for ten minutes."
"She's really not that bad once you get to know her," Jim said with a chuckle. "Okay, maybe she is, but I guess you sort of get used to it after awhile." Making his way over to the desk he tapped the nearest pile with his finger. "So, what do you need me to do, boss?"
Sitting up, Lisa brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and explained. "It's fairly simple really. The file cabinets are all labeled, as well as each of the sections inside. All you need to do is match the papers to their counterparts, there's nothing to it. I'd do it myself but I've got a meeting with the heads of the resort shortly and then several errands to run before practice." Pushing herself out of the chair she backed away and motioned for him to take her place. "Go ahead, give it a try."
With a nod Jim picked up the top paper on one of the stacks and read the first few lines. From there he read through each of the tags on the file cabinets until he came to the one he was looking for. Once inside the drawer it took him a few seconds to find the correct place, but once he had he slid it into place and turned back to face Lisa.
"See, I knew you could do it," she said as she straightened her blouse. "Well since you seem to have this under control I'll just leave you to it. Remember, practice is at one so don't be late." And with that she stepped out into the hall.
Eyeing the hundreds of papers lying on the desk Jim pushed his arms out in front of his body with his fingers linked together in a sort of stretch before getting straight to work.
Closing the door softly Lisa took a deep breath in preparation of the headache that was waiting for her. Straightening up, she turned and gave Aisha the look she usually reserved for the twins when they were being problematic. "Alright you, let's get you to your post," she said as she headed down the hall towards the pool area. Not bothering to see if the other woman was following or not, she continued speaking as they neared their destination. "I doubt you've ever done this before so let me tell you some basic rules of lifeguarding. There's a list of unacceptable behavior on the wall that you'll need to familiarize yourself with; these are what you're here to uphold. If you spot any child disobeying these rules you politely ask them to stop. If the child continues to cause problems you may call over one of the staff members working over at the adult pool and they'll get the child's parents to remove them."
"That's it?" Aisha frowned. "Seems like a boring job to me."
"You've obviously never had the pleasure of watching kids," Lisa replied with a chuckle. "Don't worry, I promise they'll keep you on your toes. In fact, one day of watching them and you'll want to sleep for a month."
Snorting, Aisha shook her head at that. "Come on, they're just a bunch of kids. They can't possibly be that bad."
Laughing, Lisa pushed open the door to the pool and ushered her inside. "Whatever you say." With those final words she led the way past two small food stands, a towel cart, and several rows of lounge chairs to a small pool located back near the hot tubs and sauna rooms. "The large pool over there is for people twelve and older, and this is the one for the younger children," she said, motioning towards the much smaller pool that had two small slides and tons of floating toys strewn about the place. Moving her finger up to the large sign on the wall she waited for Aisha's gaze to follow it. "There are the rules I told you about. I'll give you a few minutes to read through them while I tell the kids about you."
When Aisha nodded Lisa moved her attention to the group of kids splashing around in the water. "Hey you guys, this lady here is named Aisha and she's going to be keeping an eye on you today. Now I know you all know what you should and shouldn't do while playing in the pool so I want you to show her the ropes and try not to give her such a hard time. Can you guys do that for me?"
"Yes Miss Lisa!" was the answering shout from the five kids in the pool.
Giving them a smile, she glanced over her shoulder to see Aisha staring over at one of the boys laying out towels and absently tugging on the shirt she'd been forced to wear. "If you're quite finished, maybe you'd like to get started on your actual job here," she said with a hint of sarcasm lacing her words.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, boss," Aisha said with a roll of her eyes. Stretching her arms above her head she twisted back and forth at the waist before finally turning to face the chaos in the small pool.
"Well since you're all set, I'll leave you to it," Lisa said walking away. "If you need anything just ask one of the staff members and they'll help you with whatever you need. I'll try to come back and check on you before lunch, but if not I'll definitely be back by one since that's when my swim team comes to practice. Have fun." With a wave, she disappeared out the door.
As soon as the door closed Aisha plopped herself down in the nearest lounge chair and, linking her hands together behind her head, closed her eyes and attempted to drown out the giggling brats in the pool near her feet. So long as there wasn't any screaming going on she could do as she pleased; and right now there was a nap with her name on it.