A/N: The first thing I want to say is thank you to everyone who read and responded and had such nice things to say. I really appreciate it and will therefore continue with this story for a while.
Second of all, it seems I've managed to "out" myself as an older CB fan. That's ok. It is true that I am well out of high school. But I won't make excuses for liking CB. It's a fun show with an interesting concept and great characters that I can't help playing with like I did my Barbies so long ago.
Thirdly, this part of the story has Lisbeth, in perhaps the greatest amount of fiction in this story so far, able to call her committee and straighten out Internal Review Board red tape in a matter of minutes. I know this is utterly impossible. It is just my hope, in the future some of the ridiculousness associated with the IRB is dealt with so that research subjects are appropriately protected, but that cutting edge research can still take place. (Descends from soapbox.)
Finally, for me, writing realistic dialogue is the hardest part of fiction. And this chapter is mostly dialogue. All I can say is that I did my best, so if you read and respond, please be kind. – S.
================================================================
Participant Observation
By Starzki
Informed Consent
Lisbeth arrived on the Bebop exactly five minutes before she said she would. Jet met her outside and led her through the maze of walkways to the common room where Faye and Spike were waiting. Ed had wandered off and was fast asleep under a heading duct in one of the ship's storage rooms.
Again, Lisbeth was dressed in "college formal": black dress slacks, fitted red t-shirt under a black blazer that complimented her figure very well. Her dark hair was pulled back from her faced and rippled down to her mid-back. Jet saw that she looked as pretty as she did the previous day, but she was twice as nervous, as evidenced by the way her eyes would dart around and try and take everything in at once. Lisbeth never felt very confident when met new people. To mask her anxiety, she put on her brave, professional face and strode into the room behind Jet, shoulders set, back straight, and chin high.
Spike's eyes nearly boggled when he saw her. He had been draped over the arm of the couch, bored. He suddenly snapped to attention and his lips turned up into a pleased smile. "Hey," he said.
Lisbeth smiled back trying to make appropriate eye contact while taking in the whole rest of the room at the same time. She was slightly overwhelmed and the differences between each of the bounty hunters in front of her. None of the ships she had been on were so large nor had such a diverse crew. She could tell that it would be a huge challenge to collect data.
Jet pointed to Faye and Spike, introducing them. Lisbeth extended her hand, shook with each of them as they stood to greet her, and introduced herself, "Beth, pleased to meet you."
Spike scratched the back of his head and confessed sheepishly, "Jet said you were a researcher. I was expecting some geek with glasses and a notebook or something."
Lisbeth blinked confusedly, cocked her head, and knitted her brows together, innocent and uncomprehending of any inherent compliment. "I am. I am. I do." She held up her notebook that she had been clutching to her chest. "I'm a researcher. I am kind of a geek. But I wear contacts." She pointed at her eyes, opening them wider.
"I meant, I didn't expect you to look…" Spike was unsure how to finish his sentence. Lisbeth was looking at him intently, listening hard. She had her "researcher" hat on at that moment and wasn't expecting any non-academic comments.
Faye was quickly becoming bored and annoyed at the exchange. "He's trying to say, 'Me Spike, you pretty.' Hey Beth, don't waste your time with Spike, here. He wouldn't know what to do with a woman if you gave him diagrams and written instructions."
Spike chuckled and pinned her with a sharp stare before he said "Faye's trying to say, 'You pretty, me jealous.'"
Lisbeth's mouth dropped open at the exchange. She had just noticed how daring Faye's outfit was and was trying to process the compliments at the same time. "Um? Thanks? I make an effort when I have to ask for favors. Um. I hardly ever look like this… Uh…" Lisbeth turned to Jet, thrown off of her game and unsure how to proceed. A blush reddened her cheeks.
"You're here to study us…" Jet prodded.
She took in a breath. "Well, maybe," Lisbeth collected her thoughts, decided to ignore the banter for the time being, and settled into one of the yellow chairs as Spike, Faye, and Jet all resumed their seats around the coffee table. "I'm here to tell you what you're in for if you agree to let me on. Then, if everyone is ok with that, I'll have you sign some papers and I can get started."
Faye spoke up, curious, "Who were the other ships that recommended us?"
"Ok, the first thing I need to tell you is that all of the participants of this research will be kept completely confidential. So, Faye, I can't tell you whom else I've studied. But that also means that no one will know that I've studied anyone here on the Bebop, either. The ships that recommended you all recommended other ships, too. So, no one knows that I've picked you all to visit. But yours was the common thread, the one that all three told me would be a great ship to study."
"You won't use our names?" asked Jet.
"No. I also will change any non-important identifying information like age, names of friends and family, names of bounties that you bring in, or anything else that someone might read and know you by."
Spike leaned in, "You're going to change the facts. Isn't that unethical?"
Lisbeth straightened and smiled. "No. Actually, we will, as in each of you and I, will go over the specific information and change it together. I'm looking for the main themes, the patterns. The things that who each of you are, individually, can't really change. I want the big picture. Participant observation is about seeing the details to apply to or contrast with others' experiences in order to expand them into an overall, workable hypothesis." Lisbeth's eyes began flashing in delight and her gestures became more open as she spoke about the theory of research. All three bounty hunters could definitely see the geek in her trying to come out, but it still seemed like a nice geek.
"What if we don't want you to change anything?" asked Faye.
"Then I'll just change names, I guess. I have to. We can go over that later."
All three bounty hunters nodded, accepting these terms.
Lisbeth continued, "I also need to tell you that you can, any of you, stop participating at any time during the study, and I'll leave. You are under no obligation to participate to begin with or to continue participation once I've started. On the other hand, you won't receive any benefits from participating, either. I can't pay you or give you anything for your cooperation."
"But you'll pay rent," reminded Jet, not willing to let the previous day's promise slide.
"Yes," Lisbeth confirmed. "And for my own food and other necessities. I'll also chip in to help with chores around the ship. I'll do everything you do, just not chase bounties on my own, by myself."
"How will that work? You collecting whatever on us? Video?" asked Faye, her attention beginning to wane.
"I plan to leave voice-activated recorders in the main rooms of the ship. You can hear the recordings that I will eventually use and we can collaborate on how to mask your identity. Also, I'll schedule an in-depth interview with each of you some time during my stay. Furthermore, I will go on a bust, shadowing each of you at least once. I have my own mono racer. I can keep up. I won't actively help, I won't get in the way, I plan to just observe. Once I've collected all of the data that I need, I'll be out of your hair." Lisbeth took a breath after the mouthful she had just spoken.
"Jet said 4-12 weeks. Which is it?" asked Faye, who had pulled out a nail file and was shaping her nails.
"I'm not sure. The more cooperative you all are, the quicker I'm done. If everything goes smoothly, maybe two months or less," said Lisbeth. They all looked at one another for a few seconds, trying to think of more questions they wanted answered. "If you like, I can leave the room while you all decide," Lisbeth offered.
Ein chose that moment to enter the common room. Lisbeth held out her hand for Ein to sniff. She pet and scratched him as he came near. "Oh! What a precious dog! A Corgi! I LOVE dogs. Oh, what a sweetie. What's his name?"
Spike winced.
"Ein," said Jet. "He's usually with Ed."
"Ed?" asked Lisbeth. "Another crew member?"
Spike shot Faye a glance filled with murderous malice. "We took her on a few months ago as a favor. She's been hanging out ever since."
Lisbeth nodded despite her lack of understanding. She had pulled Ein into her lap and kissed his nose. Even though Ein was unused to effusive affection, he clearly did not mind it at all. His eyes rolled in happiness and he tried to lick Lisbeth's face. "A woman named Ed? Ok. I'll need to talk to her, too."
Jet had coughed at Lisbeth's mention of Ed being a woman. He set her straight. "Ed's a child. She just adopted us. We kind of look out for her. She's a great hacker."
Lisbeth's eyes widened into a panicked shock and she forgot about the dog. "Oh no no no no no no. A child!?" She sat stunned for a moment. "I don't have approval to study minors…Shit! I need to make a quick call."
Lisbeth set all of the informed consent papers on the table and took her comm into the hallway to call her committee about the IRB ramifications and what she needed to do in order to continue her work.
Spike and Jet looked over the forms (which said everything that Lisbeth had already explained) and proceeded to scrawl their names at the bottom. Faye looked dubious.
"Guys, I'm still not sure."
"What's the big deal, Faye?" asked Jet. "She'll be in and out. She'll only observe. And you can stop any time you want."
"I guess I just don't know what's so interesting about our lives."
"Are we boring you, Ms. Excitement?" asked Spike, lying down on the couch. "Or is it because you don't want the feminine competition?"
"Oh please. We're entirely opposite. There won't BE any competition. I just don't see what Beth could get out of this."
Lisbeth stepped back into the room. "I'll get my dissertation completed, a Ph.D. a job at a university, tenure, promotions and money. It's a kind of investment. Also, if it goes as well as I hope, no one in academia will be able to mention bounty hunters without a nod in my direction. It's a nerdy kind of fame."
"How about us? Will we get famous?" asked Faye.
"Oh, no!" laughed Lisbeth. "No one ever reads anyone's dissertation. Other academics just sort of hear that they exist and pretend that they've read it. But, only if you're lucky. Sorry. If this works out at all, it'll only be in my direction. You all will have to find another kind of way to get famous if that's what you want."
"So you want money and fame…a nerdy fame?" clarified Faye.
"Basically. Yeah. Plus this is the least boring research in the least boring field that will get me the results I want in my life."
Faye nodded thoughtfully as she signed the informed consent form in front of her. "I guess I can respect that," she said. She still was not sure, but did feel comforted that she could stop the whole thing any time she wanted. She would go along for now.
Lisbeth asked, "Jet, are you Ed's guardian? My chair said that I can continue and stay if her guardian signs for her."
Jet shrugged. "I guess I'm her guardian."
"I really need you to be sure."
"ED!" roared Jet.
Ed padded in, weaving erratically around the furniture, eyes bleary with sleep. Lisbeth smiled in amusement at the girl's antics. "You rang?" asked Ed with a flourish and a deep bow.
"Am I your guardian?" asked Jet.
"Nope! I put Faye-Faye as legal guardian," Ed said with a matter-of-fact smile.
"WHAT?" shrieked Faye.
"Ed needs a MOM!" said Ed in a serious tone.
Lisbeth bent and scooped up Ein again and began scratching him in all of the secret dog places. He actually began to groan in ecstasy as she hit itches he'd been feeling for weeks. Lisbeth settled back into the chair to watch the drama resolve. The dynamics between all of them were comfortable and mostly friendly. Lisbeth was taking an immediate liking to the whole crew.
"Ed, I demand that you put someone else as your guardian! I will NOT be legally responsible for you!" shouted Faye.
Ed turned to face Jet and Spike with the unasked question in her eyes. Spike laughed and said, "Don't look at me. I'm barely responsible for myself."
Ed looked at Jet pleadingly, playing up her youthful and innocent features. Jet sighed. "Alright, but if you leave, be sure to change it, ok?"
"Aye-aye," Ed saluted and began to tap furiously at her computer.
"Jet, you're her guardian, then?" asked Lisbeth, slightly confused at what she had just witnessed.
"I will be in a matter of minutes," he said, signing the piece of paper that Lisbeth had just passed over to him.
Lisbeth cocked her head and watched Ed. "Am I witnessing a felony?" she asked incredulously.
"Is that a problem?" asked Jet with a smile. If it was, he thought, her stay would be short and very eventful.
Lisbeth set down Ein and stood with a smile on her face. "Not really. Like I said, I won't help, I won't get in the way. I'll have to report you to the police if I see you, like, assaulting each other. If I get too uncomfortable with how you do things, I'll just leave. Other than that, I don't really care all that much."
When Ed was done, Lisbeth reintroduced herself to Ed and explained what she'd be doing and all of Ed's rights as a research subject. After she read it, Lisbeth had Ed sign the same informed consent sheet as Jet had previously signed as her guardian.
"Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV? Wow. I like it. How old are you anyway?" asked Lisbeth.
"Ed is 13!" shouted Ed, attempting to curl he leg to touch the soul of her foot to the back of her head.
"No way!" exclaimed Lisbeth. "I have a cousin who's six and is twice as big as you."
Ed looked unimpressed and began to rock back and forth on her feet.
"But he's freakishly huge," Lisbeth added and shrugged. Jet caught her eye and Lisbeth added, "Mother's side, takes after my aunt's husband's family. So I've heard. Anyway, 13? Are you sure?"
Ed nodded emphatically in the affirmative. "Bethie will be staying on Bebop-Bebop?"
"It looks like it," said Lisbeth as she looked around. "Unless there is anyone else on the ship."
"I don't guess so," said Jet. "When will you move in?"
"End of the week, if that's ok with all of you."
Jet continued, "You can have any of the unoccupied rooms on the ship. Spike'll show you around."
Spike took Lisbeth down the corridor to the nearest vacant room. He tried to act smooth. There was no way that he could keep his "man card" and not at least make an effort to see if a girl this pretty would be interested. "So, Beth, what are the rules about going out with your guinea pigs?"
Lisbeth smiled openly at him, taking the question as a compliment. "Not to," she said simply with a tinge of regret in her voice. She shrugged.
"Is that, like, a major rule?"
"Etched in stone," Lisbeth confirmed, nodding looking around, deciding what she would need to bring. Spike grinned back at her and nodded, the matter was settled for both of them. He walked her outside.
Lisbeth waved as she left, satisfied with the way things went. She couldn't wait to get started.