In the medical bay, Anya sat alone. She tapped at her clipboard with her pen, anxiously biting her lower lip. She had been reading and rereading Swansea's evaluation for the past twenty minutes. Not for analysis, but for procrastination. He was the last crew member Anya interviewed before she had to move on to the final evaluation. The meeting she had been silently dreading all day. She would unfortunately have to come face to face with the co-pilot of the Tulpar, Captain Curly's right hand man and supposed friend,
Jimmy.
Even if trying to get Swansea to open up was like nails on a chalkboard, it was still preferable to dealing with Jimmy.
Everytime Jimmy would ask her: What was the point of these? Does anyone even read them? Did corporate even care?
And everytime Anya's answers would remain the same: To prevent any credits from being docked from their pay. Probably not. Definitely not.
She felt an itch in her throat just thinking about it. Something about his demeanor set off an allergic reaction in her. He hadn't done anything in particular to warrant it. There was no single, definite act he committed that caused her skin to crawl at the sound of his name. Rather, an amalgamation of microscopic instances of disrespect that piled up and burned like a boiling cyst.
There were things he'd mutter under his breath as if she couldn't hear him. Every snide remark and passive aggressive comment were ignored by Anya to the best of her abilities.
When Anya first started her career, she knew she'd have to be tough. Tougher than her usual self, at least. No one wanted to deal with the emotional liability of a woman. Especially not men with a job like this.
Don't whine. Don't complain. Support the crew above all else. She was a caretaker first and a crew member second.
Then there was the way Jimmy would speak over her at team meetings. Blatantly stealing her ideas by rephrasing what she had just suggested. Denigrating whatever input she offered simply because she was a woman. Anya knew it was because she was a woman, but didn't dare point it out lest she be labeled an instigator. Curly didn't see a problem with Jimmy's behavior and never bothered to reprimand him. So Anya followed suit and ignored the itch just like he did.
Unfortunately, ignoring Jimmy's actions weren't as easy when said actions were directly affecting you.
There were times when they would cross paths down the ship corridors. He'd refuse to accommodate her by stepping out of the way. Oftentimes just grunting "Watch it." to her as he shoved past her. The palm of his hand finding Anya's breast every time as he would push past her.
He was just being rude. He was just being inconsiderate. Nothing to run crying to Curly about.
At the very beginning of the journey, every member of the Tulpar crew underwent a physical. Jimmy stood shirtless in front of her, an obvious erection tucked into the left leg of his boxers. Anya desperately kept her eyes focused on the floor, but no matter where she turned, he was intruding on her peripheral vision.
Jimmy was given a cup from Anya. All she asked for was a urine sample.
He made a joke about "needing a magazine" to "fill it properly."
Anya didn't laugh.
Then there was the time when he 'accidentally' walked into the showers when she was using them. He pretended to cover his gaze, peeking through parted fingers.
"Whoa. Sorry, Anya." Jimmy slowly backed away, taking his sweet time.
Thinking about it made her want to vomit.
She told Curly the next morning. The conversation was just as uncomfortable as the experience.
"So that's why I think that we should have scheduled shower times. So it won't happen again." Anya explained. "We can't have crew members just walking in and out."
"Sorry Anya, but I don't think restricting our allotted time any further is the answer." Curly brushed her off almost immediately. "It was just one mistake. It's not like it's going to happen again."
"He was in there much longer than he had to be." Anya spoke despite the lump in her throat threatening to gag her. "He was staring at me, Captain."
Curly sighed and placed his palm to his forehead. "Alright, I'll have a with talk him about it."
"No!" She panicked on immediate instinct. "Please, don't!" Anya brought her hands up and waved them frantically. "I don't want him to know I told you anything!"
"You aren't making this easy for me, Anya." Curly frowned. "Can't you just make sure that the shower doors are locked next time?"
"The showers don't have locks." Anya looked to the floor defeated.
"Oh. Right. I forgot." Curly laughed uncomfortably and reached his hand behind his head. "Sorry Anya. The Tulpar is a pretty old ship. When it was first manufactured they didn't have many female crew members."
"I see. So locks on the bathrooms were never a priority."
"Exactly." Curly nodded. "And Jimmy said he was sorry, right?" Curly placed his arm around her shoulder. "Look, I know he's rough around the edges. But you have to cut him some slack. He's had a troubled life back on Earth."
"That might be the case..." Anya said. "But I can't help but feel like he's especially 'rough' with me, though."
"Honestly? I think it might be because he likes you." Curly released his arm from Anya and chuckled to himself. "He's shy around women. So he puts up a front to seem tough. Really, he's just overcompensating."
"Likes me, huh?" Anya scoffed. "He sure does have an odd way of showing it."
"I never said he was normal." Curly ruffled Anya's head of already messy black hair. "I've known him my entire life. He just needs some patience, which I know you have plenty of." He smiled brightly, which helped ease Anya's stress just a little.
"By the way, before I forget." Anya turned to look at the captain. "I can't find my ID badge anywhere. I know I can't log my hours without it, so I'm worried..."
"I'll be on the lookout for it. And don't worry, just log all your hours manually and I can figure something out when we find your badge."
Anya nodded. "Thank you, Captain."
"Anytime, Anya."
Back in the present, Anya placed her head in her hands as she sulked at her desk. She still hadn't found her ID badge. She had given up hope of trying to find it. For some reason, she had a feeling Jimmy had something to do with its disappearance. But Anya knew it was just paranoia to think like that.
She wished he wasn't such a constant stressor for her mental health. But Jimmy's presence in this claustrophobic ship proved to test the nurse's resolve.
Anya wearily looked up to the analog clock ticking away. It was almost 'night' time, and she knew she couldn't delay the inevitable any longer. Sighing, she stood up from her chair and made her way to the cockpit. Hopefully it would be both captains in there.
She nodded at Daisuke as the two of them crossed paths. He flashed her a smile and it temporarily filled her with enough courage to finish her duties. But soon enough they were on opposite sides of the Tulpar, and Anya was once again alone in the corridor. Her steps slowed down as she advanced towards the cockpit, bracing herself for what was to come.
Anya rang the intercom and was greeted by a gruff voice.
"What is it?"
Anya frowned. It was Jimmy speaking.
"Anya. I'm talking to you. Did you hear me?"
"It's time for your routine psych evaluation." Anya finally answered. "Can you come meet me in the medical bay?"
Static emitted from the intercom for a while before Jimmy finally answered. "Just come in. We'll do it here."
The doors opened before Anya could protest. Her heart sank when she saw that the cockpit was only occupied by Jimmy. His tall body eclipsed the doorframe, blocking her from entry. He leered down at her with contempt.
"Where is Curly?" She asked.
"Why does it matter? I thought you were here to do my evaluation." Jimmy stepped aside only slightly to let Anya in.
Anya clenched her clipboard to her chest and awkwardly shuffled past Jimmy, unintentionally pressing against him. The doors shut behind her and she felt her heart rate increasing. The cockpit was smaller than she expected, and Jimmy was taking up too much space for her liking.
As Jimmy sat down, Anya went to the seat across from him.
"That's the captain's chair." Jimmy said before she could sit.
"I don't think he'd mind."
"I do."
Anya gripped her clipboard tight. "Jimmy. If now isn't a good time, then we can do this tomorrow..."
"Now is as good a time as any. You already barged in and interrupted me." Jimmy swiveled his seat towards her, looking and sounding disinterested. He spread his legs wide and Anya looked away when she saw the faint outline of a bulge outlining his thigh. At least he didn't have an erection this time.
Yet.
She squirmed in place. Jimmy knew he had to dial it back a bit.
"You can take a seat. I'm just busting your chops." Jimmy waved his hand dismissively. "In fact, take mine. I warmed it up for you." He said as he swapped seats, taking Curly's instead.
Anya chuckled uncomfortably. "You're funny. Jim."
"Thanks. In that case, let's just get this over with, shall we?"
"Sounds good." Anya clicked her pen and began reading the questionnaire aloud.
Jimmy didn't appear to listen as Anya spoke. He kept his sights glued to her striped turtleneck, keeping an eye out for any hint of a bra under the thin fabric.
"How capable would you say you are at handling your day to day tasks?"
"If you're a part of the tasks, I'd say I'm pretty damn good at handling them." Jimmy smirked.
Anya sighed. "Do you personally feel your skills are suitable for your position?"
"They're obviously good enough for me to be able to land this job." Intentionally or not, Jimmy found himself rolling his eyes at the banal line of questioning. He knew Anya didn't write the questions herself, but it still didn't shield her from his contempt.
Anya nodded and marked his response down in her notes. "How would you describe your current emotional state?"
Jimmy hummed in thought. Maybe it would be fun to toy with her for a bit and see how far he could drag this out. "Honestly, not too good." He sighed.
"Why is that?"
Jimmy made a face of disgust. She really was a shitty therapist. "There's things back on Earth that I'm just realizing now I took for granted." Damn, good improv. There was some truth to it, though.
