LJ Idol, Season 11 - Week 12
Title: Eight Days Later
Topic: failure
“She's not coming,” Russo says, watching Jamie demolish a pile of steamed buns.
“She'll be here,” Jamie says around a mouthful of bun. “She said she would.”
Eight days ago they sent Alesa a reminder that she promised to meet them back at the spaceport. Four days ago they sent her a reminder about the reminder. And now it's time, and she's nowhere to be seen.
In some ways she's a terrible business partner. Yes, she has money, and yes, she's happy to put it towards maintaining Russo's ship and keeping Jamie in buns and spicy soybean snacks. And yes, she can find them jobs that allow them to do some good in the shady corners of settled space. But she's developed a frustrating tendency to go off and make unilateral decisions without consulting either of the guys first, and Russo is getting tired of it.
Back when he and Jamie and Alesa joined forces, they did so with the understanding that they were all equal in the partnership. They didn't do it under the assumption that Alesa would casually and unapologetically manipulate the guys to do her will.
Sometimes Russo feels like he failed somewhere, somehow, that he can't make her understand that he and Jamie are not her employees and not her subordinates, and they're not here to be at her beck and call.
“You're very trusting,” he tells Jamie now. Jamie just shrugs.
Russo waves at the bartender for another drink. If they're going to sit and wait for Alesa, he can at least run up a tab for her.
But two hours later she still hasn't shown and Jamie and Russo are both getting restless. Russo asks the bartender to keep an eye out and the two of them leave.
The port is hustling and bustling and since they were planning on this being their last day on the surface, Russo and Jamie are out of things to do. They've run their errands, resupplied and refueled the ship, helped a bounty hunter friend capture a difficult bounty, slept in real beds, washed in showers with strong water pressure, and breathed reasonably fresh air. Jamie got to see the girl he likes, and the girl he likes got to tease him about his hair.
“I think we should leave her,” Russo says as they stroll through one of the covered markets. None of the stalls have anything he wants or needs, but it's something to do and someplace to be, and being among the crowds makes him forget how annoyed he is at his missing partner.
“We can't!” Jamie says, shocked.
“Why not? She'll just meet us wherever we go. Besides, I'm getting heavy feet. I'm starting to feel like I've been grounded too long.”
“We still shouldn't leave her. It's rude.”
They parted ways with Alesa at a space station after making her swear on the sublight drive that she'd keep her head down, whatever she chose to do. She didn't tell them where or what she was planning, but Russo and Jamie didn't ask, because they didn't think it mattered. Her time is her own, when they're not hustling for a job or working one. Russo wouldn't want her asking about his private life either.
Not that he has a private life, but all the same. Now, knowing her, she's finding someone to save or some amoral rich person (which is every rich person, as far as Russo is concerned) to fuck over or some corp to try and bring down. But Jamie's right - they can't leave her, at least not until they've heard from her. They're all partners. Besides, Russo's not that much of an asshole, and she might come back with a job.
Russo's handheld bings almost an hour later, interrupting him in the middle of trying on an incredibly ugly shirt that Jamie thinks he should buy. There's a message from Alesa:
Big things happening. Won't make it back. Meet you in 10 days at that bar you hate.
“Ten days?” he demands disbelievingly of the handheld. “Really?”
“What?” Jamie says, thoroughly distracted by a pile of ugly, hairy sweaters. Everything in this stall is ugly. Why are they even here?
“I was right. She's not coming. She'll meet us in ten days at the Unseen.”
“Why? Where is she?”
Russo just pulls off the ugly shirt and puts his own shirt and jacket back on. He takes the opportunity to gently thump his head against the stall wall. He just knows Alesa found someone to save or someone to bring down, and in ten days she'll share with Russo and Jamie her utterly absurd, urealistic plan and ignore any of their concerns.
“Are you okay?” the stall owner asks him. She turns to Jamie. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he'll be fine,” Jamie says.
Eventually, Russo thinks, I will be. After we've all had a chat.
In ten days when they meet up with Alesa, they are all going to have a conversation about deadlines and equal partnerships and planning, and he is going to make her listen for once. And then everything will be fine.
Topic: failure
“She's not coming,” Russo says, watching Jamie demolish a pile of steamed buns.
“She'll be here,” Jamie says around a mouthful of bun. “She said she would.”
Eight days ago they sent Alesa a reminder that she promised to meet them back at the spaceport. Four days ago they sent her a reminder about the reminder. And now it's time, and she's nowhere to be seen.
In some ways she's a terrible business partner. Yes, she has money, and yes, she's happy to put it towards maintaining Russo's ship and keeping Jamie in buns and spicy soybean snacks. And yes, she can find them jobs that allow them to do some good in the shady corners of settled space. But she's developed a frustrating tendency to go off and make unilateral decisions without consulting either of the guys first, and Russo is getting tired of it.
Back when he and Jamie and Alesa joined forces, they did so with the understanding that they were all equal in the partnership. They didn't do it under the assumption that Alesa would casually and unapologetically manipulate the guys to do her will.
Sometimes Russo feels like he failed somewhere, somehow, that he can't make her understand that he and Jamie are not her employees and not her subordinates, and they're not here to be at her beck and call.
“You're very trusting,” he tells Jamie now. Jamie just shrugs.
Russo waves at the bartender for another drink. If they're going to sit and wait for Alesa, he can at least run up a tab for her.
But two hours later she still hasn't shown and Jamie and Russo are both getting restless. Russo asks the bartender to keep an eye out and the two of them leave.
The port is hustling and bustling and since they were planning on this being their last day on the surface, Russo and Jamie are out of things to do. They've run their errands, resupplied and refueled the ship, helped a bounty hunter friend capture a difficult bounty, slept in real beds, washed in showers with strong water pressure, and breathed reasonably fresh air. Jamie got to see the girl he likes, and the girl he likes got to tease him about his hair.
“I think we should leave her,” Russo says as they stroll through one of the covered markets. None of the stalls have anything he wants or needs, but it's something to do and someplace to be, and being among the crowds makes him forget how annoyed he is at his missing partner.
“We can't!” Jamie says, shocked.
“Why not? She'll just meet us wherever we go. Besides, I'm getting heavy feet. I'm starting to feel like I've been grounded too long.”
“We still shouldn't leave her. It's rude.”
They parted ways with Alesa at a space station after making her swear on the sublight drive that she'd keep her head down, whatever she chose to do. She didn't tell them where or what she was planning, but Russo and Jamie didn't ask, because they didn't think it mattered. Her time is her own, when they're not hustling for a job or working one. Russo wouldn't want her asking about his private life either.
Not that he has a private life, but all the same. Now, knowing her, she's finding someone to save or some amoral rich person (which is every rich person, as far as Russo is concerned) to fuck over or some corp to try and bring down. But Jamie's right - they can't leave her, at least not until they've heard from her. They're all partners. Besides, Russo's not that much of an asshole, and she might come back with a job.
Russo's handheld bings almost an hour later, interrupting him in the middle of trying on an incredibly ugly shirt that Jamie thinks he should buy. There's a message from Alesa:
Big things happening. Won't make it back. Meet you in 10 days at that bar you hate.
“Ten days?” he demands disbelievingly of the handheld. “Really?”
“What?” Jamie says, thoroughly distracted by a pile of ugly, hairy sweaters. Everything in this stall is ugly. Why are they even here?
“I was right. She's not coming. She'll meet us in ten days at the Unseen.”
“Why? Where is she?”
Russo just pulls off the ugly shirt and puts his own shirt and jacket back on. He takes the opportunity to gently thump his head against the stall wall. He just knows Alesa found someone to save or someone to bring down, and in ten days she'll share with Russo and Jamie her utterly absurd, urealistic plan and ignore any of their concerns.
“Are you okay?” the stall owner asks him. She turns to Jamie. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he'll be fine,” Jamie says.
Eventually, Russo thinks, I will be. After we've all had a chat.
In ten days when they meet up with Alesa, they are all going to have a conversation about deadlines and equal partnerships and planning, and he is going to make her listen for once. And then everything will be fine.