Oh boy, I think as Yvonne wanders to my side, hands in the pockets of my old coat she’s still wearing, looking like she’s sizing up Kel for a fight.
Well, I guess her attitude hasn’t been aimed at me, it’s bound to find another outlet. I consider grabbing both humans by the arms and dragging them back in the ship.
Another, much pettier part of me, wants to watch someone start a fight.
There’s a soft click from above, and I glance to the top of the ship where Bat has crawled his way out the top hatch to take a look at the drama. He’s as bad as me.
“Princess,” Kel says, with enough derision I wince a little.
Yvonne looks her up and down. “Well, I’d snottily say your title back to you, but as far as I know, you have none of note.”
Zane lets out a wheezing noise like he’s trying to choke down a laugh, staring at the opposite wall with a stony expression. Kel shoots him a glare, more annoyed by his laughter than Yvonne’s weak attempt at an insult. It’s fine. Yvonne’s holier-than-thou attitude makes up it. Suppose you get that air about you when you grow up royalty.
Still, I don’t think letting this continue is the best idea. “Alright children, back in the ship.”
When they don’t budge, I grab each of them by the sleeves of their coat and start tugging. As amusing as it is, watching them posturing with someone hates ho my guts is probably not the best use of our time.
Kel steps directly in my path, nearly a foot from my face, and I stop, skin crawling. I’ve spent so much time around Zane and Lalia and the royals I’ve nearly forgotten how uncomfortable it is when another human gets in my breathing space.
“We really doing this?” I ask. “What’s your plan. Fist fight me?”
Her eyes narrow. She has her hair done in a much more intricate braid than she used to do it, which is a little funny for some reason. She’s perhaps a little bulkier in build given I’m still skinny as hell, but I’m now taller than her by a few inches, and he has to tilt her chin up to look at me. It doesn’t appear to phase her, but I’m willing to bet it pisses her off.
Even if I was still smaller, hitting me was Never a good option for anyone after I was fourteen years old. Lalia and her knuckles learned the lesson all too well.
I keep an eye on Kel’s hands, hooked in the loops of her belt, because if they even remotely twitch in the direction of her pistol, I’m going to clock her. Lee will understand. Even if he doesn’t, I’m not letting her shoot me or any of my humans.
“Screwed anyone over recently?” she asks.
Apparently, that’s where my annoyance limit is. I grind my teeth, glaring down at her, ignoring the heat signatures my glitching eyes give me.
“No,” I say, slowly, as if she’s too dense to understand. “And I didn’t get shot in the face, either.”
Beside me, Zane stiffens. To him, it probably sounds like I’m saying Kel shot me, which isn’t true. But I suppose I’m not going to get out of this situation without explaining everything to him and Lalia at the bare minimum. I force myself not to sigh. It’s going to be a long day.
Kel’s expression twitches, eyes darting to one of the larger scars across my mouth. She opens her mouth like she wants to say something, when the comm for the entire hangar crackles to life.
Lee’s voice says, “Kel, if you are in the hangar picking a fight I will dock your entire wages for the month.”
Kel’s expression goes blank with rage, but Yvonne snorts. Loudly. Which only makes Kel more murderous. I manage to keep my expression as blank as possible. It’s a struggle.
Stiffly, Kel turns on her heel and strides out the hangar with more dignity than I’m certain she feels. I manage to keep the laughter down until the door closes, then I snicker nearly as loud as Yvonne. She joins in. Zane still looks pissed.
“See,” I tell him. “Lee’s cool.”
His mouth twitches. “I will acquiesce that Lee is possibly decent.”
What do ya know, Zane’s as much of a drama queen as his sister.
“I want to know what you meant by ‘didn’t get shot in the face,’” he tells me. Saw that coming a mile away.
“I mean I’ve gotten shot in the face before.”
He levels a glare my direction worthy of the eldest princess. “Aaron…”
“Alright, fine, geez, you’re all nosey as hell. Get in the ship.”
He gives me a final warning look that he is not going to let this go—as if I didn’t know—and heads for the airlock. Yvonne watches his back and stares at me expectantly.
“What?” I ask. “You can get in the ship too.”
Snickering, she struggles up the airlock, grumbling about me never putting down the gangplank. I jump in after her with ease.
“Show off,” she mutters.
Lalia says, “I only caught part of what happened out there?”
Zane folds his arm, expression still stony. “That bitchy first mate said something about Aaron screwing someone over. Aaron said something about getting shot in the face. And if he doesn’t explain in the next five minutes, I’m going to go shoot her in the face.”
I roll my eyes, sealing the airlock. “Relax, Zane.”
“Don’t tell me to—”
“Look, as mentioned, we already have me to be an ass, and Yvonne is the one so dramatic no one really takes her seriously anymore—”
Anya giggles.
“—so stop trying to take our jobs.”
Zane stares at me. I stare back. His expression doesn’t so much as twitch.
Okay then.
I sigh, taking a seat on the edge of the control console. “It’s not a big story. The last job I did here, I got shot—not by Kel, by one of the bounties we were after—so the job went down the drain.”
Zane blinks. “I don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
“Why is everyone here pissed at you? Kel specifically?”
“It was her first big job, she was totally in charge of it, and I screwed it up.”
“You screwed it up…by getting shot?” Lalia sounds doubtful.
I’m really not in the mood to explain, but they’re all staring, Anya included. Only Bat has heard the story, and comes to settle on my lap, bored. I pet his ears.
“It was the first time I had an active roll in one of the jobs Lee set up. Everyone was already uncomfortable around me and didn’t want me there, but I got put on the job, so that was that. Lee knew I was good with ships and taking things apart, so I had to disable the guns on one of the target’s ships. There were two vessels and one of them was my job. We were basically sneaking up on the bounties—there were five of them running together—so I needed to make sure they couldn’t escape in their ship and couldn’t use the big guns on it. I wasn’t nearly as careful then as I am now, which tells you a lot given how many injuries I get now…”
No one so much as cracks a smile. Okay, no bad taste jokes then.
“I disabled the engine but was part of the way through working on the guns. One of the bounties shot me. Knocked me right out. Three of them got away and the other two caused chaos before they got captured.”
When I don’t continue, Zane asks, “That’s it? They all act like you disemboweled someone.”
I grimace. I really don’t want to mention the other part of it, especially not with Anya in the room, watching me with large eyes. “Two of Lee’s men got killed. The bounty that shot me used the guns on the ship and blew up one of our ships.”
Zane shifts, and finally looks at his feet instead of staring holes through my face. “That’s not directly your fault. Any one of Lee’s crew could’ve gotten shot. Someone should’ve had your back.”
I shrug. “I don’t think it’s my fault.”
“You said you did.”
“Not really. I acknowledge that me getting taken out meant the entire job went wrong. I don’t blame myself.” Anymore.
Zane opens his mouth. Closes it. Looks toward Lalia like he needs her help.
Lalia shifts in her seat and says, “It seems like a really strange thing for them to hate you because you got hurt. Has no one else here ever screwed up a job? Isn’t bounty hunting chaotic as part of the job description?”
“Plenty of people have gotten hurt.” I remember Kel recovering from an injury from a job gone wrong right as I was first joining Lee’s crew. “But I’m the cyborg, so it doesn’t matter.”
Oh boy, I think as Yvonne wanders to my side, hands in the pockets of my old coat she’s still wearing, looking like she’s sizing up Kel for a fight.
Well, I guess her attitude hasn’t been aimed at me, it’s bound to find another outlet. I consider grabbing both humans by the arms and dragging them back in the ship.
Another, much pettier part of me, wants to watch someone start a fight.
There’s a soft click from above, and I glance to the top of the ship where Bat has crawled his way out the top hatch to take a look at the drama. He’s as bad as me.
“Princess,” Kel says, with enough derision I wince a little.
Yvonne looks her up and down. “Well, I’d snottily say your title back to you, but as far as I know, you have none of note.”
Zane lets out a wheezing noise like he’s trying to choke down a laugh, staring at the opposite wall with a stony expression. Kel shoots him a glare, more annoyed by his laughter than Yvonne’s weak attempt at an insult. It’s fine. Yvonne’s holier-than-thou attitude makes up it. Suppose you get that air about you when you grow up royalty.
Still, I don’t think letting this continue is the best idea. “Alright children, back in the ship.”
When they don’t budge, I grab each of them by the sleeves of their coat and start tugging. As amusing as it is, watching them posturing with someone hates ho my guts is probably not the best use of our time.
Kel steps directly in my path, nearly a foot from my face, and I stop, skin crawling. I’ve spent so much time around Zane and Lalia and the royals I’ve nearly forgotten how uncomfortable it is when another human gets in my breathing space.
“We really doing this?” I ask. “What’s your plan. Fist fight me?”
Her eyes narrow. She has her hair done in a much more intricate braid than she used to do it, which is a little funny for some reason. She’s perhaps a little bulkier in build given I’m still skinny as hell, but I’m now taller than her by a few inches, and he has to tilt her chin up to look at me. It doesn’t appear to phase her, but I’m willing to bet it pisses her off.
Even if I was still smaller, hitting me was Never a good option for anyone after I was fourteen years old. Lalia and her knuckles learned the lesson all too well.
I keep an eye on Kel’s hands, hooked in the loops of her belt, because if they even remotely twitch in the direction of her pistol, I’m going to clock her. Lee will understand. Even if he doesn’t, I’m not letting her shoot me or any of my humans.
“Screwed anyone over recently?” she asks.
Apparently, that’s where my annoyance limit is. I grind my teeth, glaring down at her, ignoring the heat signatures my glitching eyes give me.
“No,” I say, slowly, as if she’s too dense to understand. “And I didn’t get shot in the face, either.”
Beside me, Zane stiffens. To him, it probably sounds like I’m saying Kel shot me, which isn’t true. But I suppose I’m not going to get out of this situation without explaining everything to him and Lalia at the bare minimum. I force myself not to sigh. It’s going to be a long day.
Kel’s expression twitches, eyes darting to one of the larger scars across my mouth. She opens her mouth like she wants to say something, when the comm for the entire hangar crackles to life.
Lee’s voice says, “Kel, if you are in the hangar picking a fight I will dock your entire wages for the month.”
Kel’s expression goes blank with rage, but Yvonne snorts. Loudly. Which only makes Kel more murderous. I manage to keep my expression as blank as possible. It’s a struggle.
Stiffly, Kel turns on her heel and strides out the hangar with more dignity than I’m certain she feels. I manage to keep the laughter down until the door closes, then I snicker nearly as loud as Yvonne. She joins in. Zane still looks pissed.
“See,” I tell him. “Lee’s cool.”
His mouth twitches. “I will acquiesce that Lee is possibly decent.”
What do ya know, Zane’s as much of a drama queen as his sister.
“I want to know what you meant by ‘didn’t get shot in the face,’” he tells me. Saw that coming a mile away.
“I mean I’ve gotten shot in the face before.”
He levels a glare my direction worthy of the eldest princess. “Aaron…”
“Alright, fine, geez, you’re all nosey as hell. Get in the ship.”
He gives me a final warning look that he is not going to let this go—as if I didn’t know—and heads for the airlock. Yvonne watches his back and stares at me expectantly.
“What?” I ask. “You can get in the ship too.”
Snickering, she struggles up the airlock, grumbling about me never putting down the gangplank. I jump in after her with ease.
“Show off,” she mutters.
Lalia says, “I only caught part of what happened out there?”
Zane folds his arm, expression still stony. “That bitchy first mate said something about Aaron screwing someone over. Aaron said something about getting shot in the face. And if he doesn’t explain in the next five minutes, I’m going to go shoot her in the face.”
I roll my eyes, sealing the airlock. “Relax, Zane.”
“Don’t tell me to—”
“Look, as mentioned, we already have me to be an ass, and Yvonne is the one so dramatic no one really takes her seriously anymore—”
Anya giggles.
“—so stop trying to take our jobs.”
Zane stares at me. I stare back. His expression doesn’t so much as twitch.
Okay then.
I sigh, taking a seat on the edge of the control console. “It’s not a big story. The last job I did here, I got shot—not by Kel, by one of the bounties we were after—so the job went down the drain.”
Zane blinks. “I don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
“Why is everyone here pissed at you? Kel specifically?”
“It was her first big job, she was totally in charge of it, and I screwed it up.”
“You screwed it up…by getting shot?” Lalia sounds doubtful.
I’m really not in the mood to explain, but they’re all staring, Anya included. Only Bat has heard the story, and comes to settle on my lap, bored. I pet his ears.
“It was the first time I had an active roll in one of the jobs Lee set up. Everyone was already uncomfortable around me and didn’t want me there, but I got put on the job, so that was that. Lee knew I was good with ships and taking things apart, so I had to disable the guns on one of the target’s ships. There were two vessels and one of them was my job. We were basically sneaking up on the bounties—there were five of them running together—so I needed to make sure they couldn’t escape in their ship and couldn’t use the big guns on it. I wasn’t nearly as careful then as I am now, which tells you a lot given how many injuries I get now…”
No one so much as cracks a smile. Okay, no bad taste jokes then.
“I disabled the engine but was part of the way through working on the guns. One of the bounties shot me. Knocked me right out. Three of them got away and the other two caused chaos before they got captured.”
When I don’t continue, Zane asks, “That’s it? They all act like you disemboweled someone.”
I grimace. I really don’t want to mention the other part of it, especially not with Anya in the room, watching me with large eyes. “Two of Lee’s men got killed. The bounty that shot me used the guns on the ship and blew up one of our ships.”
Zane shifts, and finally looks at his feet instead of staring holes through my face. “That’s not directly your fault. Any one of Lee’s crew could’ve gotten shot. Someone should’ve had your back.”
I shrug. “I don’t think it’s my fault.”
“You said you did.”
“Not really. I acknowledge that me getting taken out meant the entire job went wrong. I don’t blame myself.” Anymore.
Zane opens his mouth. Closes it. Looks toward Lalia like he needs her help.
Lalia shifts in her seat and says, “It seems like a really strange thing for them to hate you because you got hurt. Has no one else here ever screwed up a job? Isn’t bounty hunting chaotic as part of the job description?”
“Plenty of people have gotten hurt.” I remember Kel recovering from an injury from a job gone wrong right as I was first joining Lee’s crew. “But I’m the cyborg, so it doesn’t matter.”
