Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Outlaw Star or anything affiliated with said show.
Sunlight peaking through the blinds was what finally woke Jim from his deep slumber. Rolling onto his back, he ran a hand over his eyes and yawned. It was the first time in many months that he'd been able to sleep in and he wasn't quite ready to meet the day just yet. Stifling another yawn, he slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times as the bright light assaulted them.
He lay there like that for several minutes, enjoying the peace and quiet of the flat, and contemplated burrowing back into the blankets and staying there for a couple more hours. It's not like there was anything pressing he needed to get done, the XGP was already fixed up and ready for departure and the business was closed for the next few weeks.
Smiling as he remembered the previous day's conversation with Melfina, Jim couldn't believe his luck. Apparently Mel had entered some getaway contest at a local store and, surprisingly enough, she'd won the grand prize, a trip for two on a new luxury space liner that was set to depart…right about now actually.
She'd been so excited when she came back with the tickets and had all but demanded Gene go with her. The red-headed captain had been reluctant at first, why, Jim had no idea, but in the end Mel had gotten her way and the two left later that evening for two whole weeks in paradise. He'd never seen Mel so excited about anything before, and truly hoped they both had a wonderful time.
Since Suzuka and Aisha were gone as well, Aisha had some mandatory meeting with her clan and Suzuka mentioned something about a new contract, Jim had the whole place to himself for the foreseeable future. An interesting turn of events to be sure, but not an unwelcome one.
Unfortunately, Gene had demanded he not take any jobs while he was away and declared the business closed until he returned, which left Jim with a lot of free time on his hands. Not that Jim had anything against having time off, but several weeks with nothing to do…well, perhaps he could sneak in one or two small jobs to pass the time.
Glancing over at the clock, Jim realized he must have dozed off at some point since it was now well after noon. Sitting up, he ran a hand through his messy brown hair and pushed the plain blue comforter to his feet. He stood up and made his way to the bathroom, stepping around the pile of clothes he'd dropped on the floor last night before going to bed.
Fifteen minutes later he walked out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of tan cargo pants and a dark red shirt. Tossing the towel he'd been using to dry his hair in the hamper, he grabbed the dirty clothes off the floor and threw them in as well. He thought about making his bed, but decided against it as he grabbed the small computer off the desk and pulled on the blue jacket that was sitting on the back of his chair.
After making sure he had his wallet, Jim headed out of his room and into the living room. It was a little strange not having anyone around, the place looked so empty, and suddenly the thought of being there wasn't so appealing anymore. So without bothering to see what tasty meals Mel had left for him in the fridge, Jim headed out the front door.
The streets were lively, people bustling about running errands and whatnot, and Jim was grateful they'd chosen a relatively populated area of Heifong to set up shop. Back on Sentinel III their business was located on a street filled mostly with warehouses, not too far from the major streets, but far enough away that there wasn't much traffic. The quiet was nice and all, but right now he wanted to be surrounded by people.
Turning to the left, he began walking down the street towards a small little coffee shop he'd found a few days ago. It was located right outside one of Heifong's premier shopping malls, Melfina loved to shop there when she had the chance, and had some of the best coffee he'd ever tasted. Also, their blueberry scones were amazing.
Jim waved at an elderly woman selling scarves at one of the vendor stands on the side of the street. She had on a light green dress that was several sized too big, but oddly enough seemed to look rather good on her, and was wearing a straw hat that hid most of her face. "Hey Elaina, how are you today?" He asked politely.
"Oh I'm doing wonderful Jim, thank you for asking." Elaina replied with a smile. "And what about you? Out for a stroll are we?"
Nodding, Jim smiled. "Something like that."
"Very good dear. Well if you're ever in the market for a scarf you know where to come." She said, waving one of her pieces in the air.
"Absolutely, I'd never dream of shopping anywhere else." Placing a few coins on her stand, a habit he'd gotten into the first time they met, Jim tipped his head before continuing on his way. "I'll see you later Elaina."
"Bye-bye dear!"
Waving his hand, Jim crossed the street with the small crowd that had gathered on the corner when the light changed. From there it was only another couple of blocks to his destination, but it took him nearly fifteen minutes to make the short trek since he stopped to help a man with his groceries, and then again to play with a small wandering kitten.
Eying the one-story shop nestled between an antique dealer and a jewelry store, Jim stepped between two of the three bistro tables set up outside and headed in. Pushing open the door, the scent of freshly brewed coffee and hot muffins assaulted his nose and he breathed in deeply, a smile forming on his face at the delicious smells. That was another thing he liked about this little shop, they baked all of their goods fresh every morning instead of having them delivered from outside companies like a lot of the places in Heifong did.
"Hey Jack, I'll have a small coffee and a blueberry scone please." Jim said to the young black haired man behind the counter. He had a dark green shirt and black pants on, covered by a brown apron that had Fei Sei Coffee printed in bold letters across the front.
"Yo, Jim. Good to see you buddy." Jack replied with a smile as he grabbed a cup off the counter and filled it from a nearby pot. Putting on the lid, he set it down in front of Jim before walking over to the pastry racks and grabbing a scone from the second shelf. "Anything else I can get for you?" He asked as he put the scone into a bag and set it next to the coffee.
Jim shook his head as he grabbed his wallet from his pocket and pulled out some money. "Nope, that's it for today." He said, handing over some bills without waiting for the total. He'd ordered the same thing several times before and already knew the cost.
Grabbing his stuff off the counter, Jim took a sip of his drink, sighing happily when the rich flavor hit his tongue. They really did have good coffee, much better than the crap Gene had Mel buy. "And keep the change."
"Thanks." Jack said, tossing the coins into the tip jar on the counter. "Come back soon."
Jim raised his coffee and grinned. "Oh you know I will." Turning around, he headed to the door. It was such a nice day outside he decided to sit at one of the tables and enjoy the fresh air while he ate his scone. Pushing the door open with his shoulder since his hands were currently occupied, he stepped out into the sun…and ran right into someone.
Stumbling backwards, Jim looked up and winced at the large coffee stain on the light blue shirt in front of him. "Oh man, I'm so sorry." He apologized, finally bringing his eyes up to look into the face of the person, woman actually, he'd run into. She appeared to be around nineteen or twenty, had short red hair and green eyes, and was still smiling, despite the fact that his coffee had just collided with her shirt. Scratching the back of his head nervously, Jim dropped his eyes towards the ground and found himself staring at jean covered legs surrounded by several large shopping bags.
"Don't worry about it." The woman said as she set her bags down. "I'll wash it when I get home. No harm done." Grabbing the bottom of the shirt, she lifted it up over her head, rolled it into a ball, and stuffed it inside one of the bags.
When she started removing her shirt, Jim's eyes widened and he quickly yanked his jacket from his body, fully intending to throw it over her unclothed form. Instead he found himself staring at the top part of what appeared to be a black swimsuit that had a swim team logo and white writing across the top. Breathing a sigh of relief, Jim laid the jacket over his arm and released the death grip he had on his scone. Though he doubted there was much left of it at this point, not with the way he'd been squeezing it moments before.
Seeing the red adorning the young boy's face, the woman's smile widened. "You are just too cute." She said, rubbing the top of Jim's head and messing up his unruly locks even more. The blush darkened and she giggled. "And quite easy to embarrass as well it seems." Holding out her hand, she crouched down a little so she was eye level with the boy and grinned. "I'm Lisa by the way."
"Jim." Jim replied, slowly taking Lisa's offered hand. "It's nice to meet you."
Lisa nodded. "Nice to meet you too Jim." Reaching for her bags, she paused. "You know, I was just thinking that maybe it was time for a break. How would you like to sit down and have some coffee with me?" She asked, tipping her head towards the nearest table. Jim appeared to be hesitating so she added. "It'll be my treat."
"But I'm the one who spilled my drink on you; I should have to buy you one." Jim blurted without thinking.
Smirking as she got her way, Lisa nodded her head. "Deal. I'll take an espresso if you don't mind." Setting the bags down next to the middle table, she sat down in one of the chairs and crossed her legs. When Jim simply stood there, she made a 'shooing' motion with her hand. "Well, go on then."
Jim opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it when nothing came out. Shaking his head, he headed back inside Fei Sei's in a sort of daze. Normally he wouldn't have coffee with random strangers off the street, but seeing as he had unwittingly agreed to it, there wasn't much he could do about the situation now. Besides, he did kind of owe her for ruining her shirt.
Grabbing another small coffee and an espresso for Lisa, Jim walked back outside and joined the woman at the table. "Here you go." He said, placing the cup down on the table and taking a sip of his drink.
"Thanks." Lisa said, raising the cup to her lips.
The two sat there in silence for several minutes and Jim began glancing around and nervously picking at his pant leg. He wasn't really used to just sitting around without conversation, not with the crew he hung out with. Gene and Aisha never seem to shut up, Mel loves to ask questions, and Suzuka, surprisingly enough, can also be quite talkative when she's in the mood.
Unfortunately, he had no idea what to talk about. Usually everyone else talked while he listened and nodded his head, responding when necessary. Setting his now empty cup down on the table, he glanced over at Lisa and for the first time really focused on the writing on her swimsuit. "So, you're a swim instructor then?" He asked, pointing at the top of her suit.
"Yes I am." Lisa said as she put her cup down as well. "I help coach a local team over at the Late Summer Moons Resort and Recreation Center. You know, the huge complex two streets over."
"Oh, you mean that new place they just put up a few months back?" Jim asked curiously. "I've heard they have really nice facilities there, but I've never been."
Lisa nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. Personally I think the name's a little long, writing it out is a real pain, but it has top of the line equipment and an Olympic sized pool so I can't really complain." Tipping her cup from side to side with her finger, she continued. "So, do you swim?"
"I don't much anymore, but I used to back on Sentinel III." Jim replied. "Nothing serious, but a few of us would get together a couple of times a week and practice. I was actually pretty good at it if I do say so myself."
"I see. Well, how would you like to pick it back up again?"
Jim raised an eyebrow at the question. "What do you mean?"
Raising the cup to her lips, Lisa finished her drink before looking Jim square in the eyes. "I've got a proposition for you. How would you like to join my team? It would be a temporary thing, only for about a week…unless you decide you want to stay that is." Jim opened his mouth and she continued without letting him speak. "Just hear me out first. We've got a small meet coming up, nothing major, it's just between us and the pretentious team from Heifong's 3rd District, and our freestyle swimmer is stuck on bed rest for the next month. Normally we'd use a backup, but since the twins went on vacation we're short on those as well. So what do you say, will you come swim with us? We could really use the help."
"…um, I don't know. This is a little sudden." Jim said slowly.
Since Jim looked ready to bolt, Lisa decided to try using a different approach to get him to agree. "That's too bad; I was going to give you a free year long membership to the resort if you'd accepted. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to find someone else who'll be willing to help me out of this desperate situation."
"A free year long membership?" Jim echoed. "But those things cost a fortune."
"True, but as an instructor to the swim team I'm given several memberships each year. I guess you could call it a perk of the position." Lisa said with a smile. "But seeing as you're not interested, I should probably be on my way. It's been lovely talking to you Jim. Maybe I'll see you around sometime."
As Lisa stood up and began gathering her bags, Jim stared at the cup in front of him as he flitted back and forth between accepting her proposal, or leaving things the way they were. Normally he wouldn't hesitate, but a free membership to the nicest resort on all of Heifong was very appealing. While it was true that he'd never been there before, he had done some research and found that once a month they had a 'free day' where anyone could come use the facilities, but the rest of the time it was strictly for either the guests staying in the attached rooms, or people willing to shell out some serious cash for a membership.
By the time he'd come out of his thoughts, Lisa was already gone. "Well, I guess that finalizes things." He mumbled under his breath. Shaking his head, he stood up and grabbed his empty cup from the table when a business card caught his eye. Picking it up he saw the logo for the Late Summer Moons Resort printed across the front with Lisa's name and number beneath it. When he flipped it over there was more writing scrawled across the back in blue ink.
Hey Jim, just in case you change your mind here's my card. Call me anytime. Lisa
Smiling, Jim tucked the card into his pocket. He still wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to join, but at least now he had a way to contact her when he made up his mind. Tossing the cup in the trash, he pulled his jacket on and headed towards the mall that was located about a block away. He didn't particularly feel like shopping, but figured he may as well check out the latest hardware at some of the electronic shops.