Iowa | Monday FT

[pursuedthestars]

It was Jim's birthday.

"And on January 4th, my mother birthed the beautiful, gifted, charming, amazing man you see before you!" Jim shouted while standing on the counter of some bar he'd found. In his hand, he held a drink high, looking out over the patrons of the bar. He knew none of them but he didn't care. "So, on this illustrious day, I say we drink. To me!"

Any excuse to drink seemed to satisfy the denizens of the bar so Jim knocked his shot back and everyone else did too. He raised his fist up in victory before jumping down and getting another drink. He grinned and leaned against the bar, chatting up the nearest pretty girl.

"I think you should sing to me," he told her breezily. "The birthday song. You know it?"

She did and so she sang it. A few people around her joined in, some in drunken, slurring voices and some a little clearer. Jim loved it either way!

"Best birthday ever!"

Spent around strangers. Yeah, he was faking it but he was still having fun.

[NFB but open for all the usual things. Slowing time down a bit in Jim's world to get this post in since I missed it on the exact date. Yay canonical birthdays.]

Comments

[whenshewasnice]

"Reading my notes on a dignitary who's visiting next week," Natalie told him wryly. "Nothing you're interested in."

[pursuedthestars]

"Boring," Jim chanted, shaking his head. "Why are you doing that? It sounds boring."

[whenshewasnice]

"I'm doing it because I'm boring person, Jim."

Seriously, now. Surely they'd covered this already?

[pursuedthestars]

"Well. Stop that," Jim chided, shaking his head. "Be less boring."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie snorted.

"How?"

[pursuedthestars]

"Toss those notes out the window," Jim told her. "Just like that."

[whenshewasnice]

"No."

Don't be a party pooper, Nat.

[pursuedthestars]

"Oh, come on," Jim wheedled. "You can go pick them up later. Just do it and make yourself feel awesome."

[whenshewasnice]

"With classified information strewn around the garden?" she argued. "That's not awesome."

[pursuedthestars]

"Fine, toss the notes into a trash can and pick them out later," he tried. "That's not as awesome but still cool."

[whenshewasnice]

"And if I did that, what would I do after?" Natalie wondered. "Once I was magically not boring."

[pursuedthestars]

"Talk to me," Jim returned. "Tell me what you'd rather be doing that isn't reading notes. Go get yourself a drink. Get naked and dance."

[whenshewasnice]

"I'm sorry," Natalie drawled as she pushed herself off her couch, "did my lack of introducing myself throw you off and make you mistake me for someone else? This is Natalie."

[pursuedthestars]

"Oh come on, I know Natalie has an evil streak inside her," Jim told her. "Let it out!"

[whenshewasnice]

"It's Monday evening at the Hegemon's complex," she pointed out. "There's only so much evil that can happen here."

[pursuedthestars]

"You're making excuses," Jim pointed out. "Stop that."

[whenshewasnice]

"I'm being myself." He couldn't argue with that, could he? She padded to her desk. "I've put the notes away," she added, once she had. "Happy?"

[pursuedthestars]

Jim paused and took a drink from his newest glass of whatever colorful liquid someone had bought him.

"You happy?" he asked possibly somewhat out of the blue.

[whenshewasnice]

'Somewhat' out of the blue, yes. Natalie stopped.

"What?"

[pursuedthestars]

"You heard me," Jim said because he knew she had. "Are you?"

[whenshewasnice]

"I don't know." And she was wrinkling her nose at the question, even if her surprise possibly got him something of a more honest answer that might have happened otherwise. "I guess."

[pursuedthestars]

"I guess?" he repeated, frowning. "What's up?"

[whenshewasnice]

The surprise was beginning to wear off. "'Happy' has never been a top choice for a word to describe myself with, Jim," she replied. "There doesn't have to be anything up."

[pursuedthestars]

"Natalie, I'm asking after you," he said patiently. "I still care."

[whenshewasnice]

"I appreciate the sentiment but have no plans to go further on this topic at the present time."

It was Natalie speak for 'please, drop it'.