Jim's Voicemail

[pursuedthestars]

It's Jim. Leave me a message so I can be entertained when I get back. Think you can do that? Don't worry, I have faith in you.

Comments

[pursuedthestars]

Natalie.

He'd warned her.

[whenshewasnice]

Yeah, it was exactly what she'd expected.

That just makes you sound like a nostalgic softie, to me.

Thing was, it had been years since she'd changed names. She'd mellowed out as she'd become more secure in her identity.

[pursuedthestars]

Natty, then. I'll go with that.

Made her sound like a child in Jim's eyes.

[whenshewasnice]

... He was getting a call.

Ring, ring.

[pursuedthestars]

"What, that constituted a call?" Jim asked as he picked up his phone.

[whenshewasnice]

"Why, Jimmy?"

Yeah, that was what he was getting.

[pursuedthestars]

"At least people have called me that before," he pointed out though he still didn't like it. "Natty's a new one."

[whenshewasnice]

"And it's terrible," Envy informed him.

But then again he already knew that, didn't he?

[pursuedthestars]

"Which is exactly why I'm going to keep using it," Jim decided. "You made that choice for me."

[whenshewasnice]

"You're terrible."

He knew that too. She'd only been telling him that he was no good since they'd met.

She didn't sound like she actually minded.

[pursuedthestars]

"You brought this on yourself," he said, sighing heavily. "Learn to live with it, Natty."

[whenshewasnice]

Envy made a face at him. Which was pointless, and also not very serious.

"What if I uninvite you from my show?"

Which she would not.

[pursuedthestars]

"Is it an invite only show?" Jim asked her curiously.

[whenshewasnice]

"No." Although there were some of those on this tour, in some universes. "But I could tell you not to show up."

[pursuedthestars]

"And I could not listen and just buy a ticket," he pointed out. "So there."

[whenshewasnice]

"That'd be a jerk move."

Again, like that was new.

"I'm not going to uninvite you. I want to see you, if I can."

[pursuedthestars]

"You'd just be mad if I managed to get around your dumb rule," Jim pointed out, smirking. "But, I will do my best to get there. Can't make promises but I'll try."

[whenshewasnice]

"Good."

She didn't need a promise, so she left it at that. And, she didn't have too many more moments to spare on this. But she wanted to hear his voice for just a little while longer.

(She had too few friends.)

"How has life in the stars been treating you lately, Jim?"

[pursuedthestars]

"Busy. I work too much and play too little," Jim said, shaking his head and sighing. "I'm sure it'll all pay off in the long run but I hate being so tired that I just go home and sleep. Boring."

[whenshewasnice]

"No pain, no gain," Envy recited to him, with a drawl but not without sympathy. "I know how that feels."

[pursuedthestars]

"Oh god, no pep talks, please," Jim said, mock gagging. "I heard enough of that from Pike. I don't need it from you too. I know the score and I'll get it done. I promise."

[whenshewasnice]

Envy rolled her eyes, though you couldn't really infer that form her voice. "Oh, I wasn't going for a pep talk. I was just saying."

Working hard and spending what time was left over from that on resting was just familiar to her.

[pursuedthestars]

"Just saying in the form of encouraging words," Jim said, giving her a hard time because he could. "Pep. Talk."

[whenshewasnice]

"Fine, I'm taking back my encouragement," Envy retorted. "I don't understand what you're going through at all, and my life is all-around fabulous, because nothing is hard work."

[pursuedthestars]

"Well, now you're just bringing me down," Jim said, snickering. "Doom and gloom, Natty, doom and gloom. Cheer up, buttercup."