A Bar Somewhere in Iowa | Thursday FT

[pursuedthestars]

Christmas had been a quiet affair so Jim was hoping the New Year's Eve would be less so. He'd invited McCoy along with him but the older man had begged off, saying he was too old for this shit or something. Uhura and Spock were spending time together so it was just Jim and a bar full of people he didn't know.

He was about two drinks in and he'd taken up residence in a corner booth in the back, sitting there alone. There were tons of beautiful women around and he just didn't want to flirt with them right now. Maybe after he got drunk he'd be better prepared but right now, he just wanted to be alone.

[NFB but open]

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[pursuedthestars]

"I could have been on the ship," Jim said, sitting back and sipping his drink. "Who'd you ask to find me?"

[whenshewasnice]

Envy clucked her tongue and shook her head. "I can't compromise my sources like that. I might need them again."

[pursuedthestars]

"Bet it was Spock," Jim said, shaking his head. "Pointy eared bastard."

He didn't sound upset though.

"Thought you'd be busy tonight."

[whenshewasnice]

"How so?" she asked, tilting her head to the side but just barely. She sipped her drink, then smirked at him over the edge of it. "Keeping tabs on me?"

Of course he wasn't. She was teasing.

[pursuedthestars]

Jim shrugged.

"Well, you've got a job and a band and all that stuff," he said, leaning back and draping an arm along the top of the booth. "Popular lady."

[whenshewasnice]

Envy's smirk dimmed, and she rolled her eyes. "It's just the job now."

Things hadn't gone so well after the last time they'd met. In part because they'd met, but it was a pretty small part.

[pursuedthestars]

"What happened?" Jim asked, frowning. She didn't let too much bother her so this sudden change was worrying.

[whenshewasnice]

"We broke up."

The band. The relationship. It was both, so she kept it vague and mild.

[pursuedthestars]

"What caused that?" Jim wondered, taking another small sip of the whiskey and tilting his head to watch her very carefully.

[whenshewasnice]

Envy sipped her drink. She kept her tone mild, almost idle.

"Scott."

[pursuedthestars]

"Uh huh." She was being so, so vague. "When did this happen? What did he do?"

[whenshewasnice]

He'd known her for years. This level of vague was, sadly, absolutely nothing new.

"It's been a while now." Helped along by how fast time moved back in her world now. "We got into a fight, it got bad."

[pursuedthestars]

"Natalie, come on," Jim said, sighing. "Tell me what happened. Tell me what's been going on since I last you."

[whenshewasnice]

Envy raised an eyebrow at him as soon as that name rolled off his lips. No blinking.

Sorry, it didn't look like she was going to answer before he fixed his mistake.

[pursuedthestars]

"Envy," he said in exasperation. "Sorry, a name change is bound to have some mistakes attached. I knew you as Natalie for a long time."

[whenshewasnice]

"Mm."

She didn't seem pleased. But she let it go, because at least he wasn't trying to argue the point with her. Everyone was allowed at least one slip-up.

Well, some people, anyway.

She brought the glass to her lips, and glanced away. "There's not much to tell. We fought, we broke up. No more band and no more relationship. It's over. They're both over."

[pursuedthestars]

"I'm sorry," Jim said and meant it. "You love music, though. Are you not doing that anymore at all? Not even on your own?"

[whenshewasnice]

"Of course I'm doing music." She didn't say that unkindly or snappishly. It was that old favourite: a factual statement. "I just don't have a band anymore."

Or the clear trajectory that one could give you.

[pursuedthestars]

Jim nodded. "It's too bad you don't have a band. You were good. I liked seeing you do things that didn't require you to sit behind a desk."

[whenshewasnice]

"What's wrong with sitting behind a desk?"

That was a little more insincere now than it would've been just a relatively short while ago. Or a lot more. She'd gotten a glimpse of something else in her future, something that was hers and not in the shadow of another brilliant person.

She was struggling with letting it go.

[pursuedthestars]

"Nothing," he told her, shaking his head. "You just looked good up on the stage. That's all."

[whenshewasnice]

"Mm." Well, at least she looked vaguely pleased at him for saying that. It appealed to her ego.

(She belonged on that damn stage.)

"Anyway," she said after a pause, "how have you been? What've you been doing?"

[pursuedthestars]

"Nothing as exciting as you," Jim said, shrugging. "Drills, training, learning. Boring stuff."

[whenshewasnice]

Envy looked quietly amused.

"Is it really that boring?"

[pursuedthestars]

"It can be," Jim said, shrugging. "I'd rather be doing stuff than just sitting on my ass."