When the resonant
clang
of the secondary ship docking sounded, Cora was in the kitchen. Chatter echoed from down the hall. Nervous, she peeked around the corner into the main room. The mood was dark.
Uh-oh.
Mar, entered, followed by Tor. Both were unharmed, save for smears of what looked like ash and a nasty-looking burn on one of Mar's arms.
Nervously, she went up to them. Mar looked up at her, then shook his head. He began to laugh.
"Hey, Cora?"
She grimaced, recognizing that tone. She'd fucked up, somehow. "Yeah?"
"Add 'started an interplanetary war' to your list of accomplishments."
Tai ushered Mar into a chair, inspecting his arm. "Why are you blaming Cora for the Sheevae declaring war on us?" He asked, amused.
Both Mar and Tor turned to her with a frosty glare.
Cora winced, shrinking back. Tai turned to her as well, mounting concern visible.
"Cora? What did you do?"
Rubbing at the back of her neck, she fumbled for an answer.
"Well, ah, y'know- Back on Earth, you could participate in an orgy with no political consequences-"
Slowly, Tai turned back to the others. [She didn't.]
They nodded in unison. [She did.]
"Okay, no, I call bullshit." Cora crossed her arms. "Don't blame me because the queen found out about your people's shenanigans... through me. And then I fucked her, and several others... at the same time. But that's not relevant."
Mar winced as Tai started bandaging his arm. "You're right. It's not entirely your fault. But I want to know what were you doing outside Amola's ship without us."
"Mitri told me that Amola was nesting. She snuck up behind me at one point and I got scared. Ran right through the airlock. Danger, the one that came up to us at the restaurant, found me. Told me I had to come."
"She named herself Danger?" Mar snorted.
Cora nodded.
Tai motioned for Tor to sit down. "Amola. That's the name of that Noxis scavenger Erie got himself into trouble with, right?"
Erie called from across the room. [Tai, shut the
fuck
up.]
"No way." Cora bit back a laugh. "That was him?"
Mar shook his head. "I told them about that." He turned back to Erie, who was briskly approaching. "Don't worry, Cora went through the same thing."
She blanched. "Mar, if you don't shut up-"
"Twice!"
"Asshole!"
Erie swatted at the back of Mar's head. [Stop that.] He leaned against the back of the chair. "Twice? What did you do?"
Cora huffed, flopping down into another chair. "I didn't
do
anything. The first time, Mitri asked, and the second time, I volunteered."
Tor clapped his hands together. [Called it! Pay up, Mar.]
Mar shot him a dirty look.
"You... volunteered." Erie was staring at her in disbelief. "You volunteered for that?"
"Yep. Yeah. What was all that about?"
"I refused to believe that you
wanted
to go through that again. Tor told me I was an idiot and bet me a decent amount of currency that you volunteered for it." Mar was tapping at his tablet, scowling.
"I told you, Cora would never pass up an opportunity to make a whore of herself."
Erie snorted, muttering something under his breath. Mar's hand shot up, seizing him by his throat.
[Repeat that for me.]
"Oh, Jesus, Mar. Don't-"
His gaze snapped to Cora, and he squeezed. Erie made a hoarse squeak, scrabbling at Mar's hand.
"Mar, you're doing the thing you didn't want to do, remember?" Growling, he let go.
Erie dropped to the floor, coughing and heaving. He rolled over, glaring at Cora.
"
No, he won't,
she said.
Fuck me,
she said," he mocked her hoarsely. "I should have known."
Cora frowned at him. "Hush. You knew better."
Tai had become extremely interested in his medical kit, staring like he wished he could hide inside it.
Erie rose to his knees, scooting away from Mar. "Tai, you're being
so
very quiet over there! Would you like to say anything?" A knife stuck in the floor between his legs with a metallic
thud
, inches from disaster. "Ah. Understood." He got up, retreating to his quarters.
Cora reached for the knife, wiggling it loose. "Tai, do you want this back?"
Tai nodded, motioning for her to pass it. She turned it around, passing it handle-first.
Mar was watching this. "Cora."
She didn't look up. "Yes?"
"I hope you remember the conversation we had, before I left."
Her voice went up several octaves. "Yes! Yes, I do."
Tor leaned back, eyeing Tai. [Did you two have fun?]
Tai put the lid on his kit, looking around. [I have a lot of work to do.] He made a beeline for his room.
Tor's attention returned to her. "Both of them. Why did I bother controlling myself?"
Mar crossed his arms, a faint smile on his face. "You still have to."
Both Cora and Tor gave him a look of dismay.
She held up a finger. "Now, hold on. I could have sworn that I was threatened with- with, ah,
something
. Was that just talk?"
"I wasn't thinking straight at the time." Mar shifted in his chair, lowering his voice. "You know there's already three, we don't need more."
Tor scoffed. "She's already taken that risk."
"No, she hasn't. The entire crew of this ship is on mandatory suppressants. All of us but you."
Cora bit the inside of her cheek.
The ice just keeps getting thinner.
Tor's eyes were horribly bloodshot, and he bared his teeth when he spoke. "You don't know that."
Visibly annoyed, Mar snapped at him. [If you would just take the damn suppressants, it wouldn't be so bad.]
"Cora," Tor growled. "I need to talk to Mar."
He stood, dragging Mar out of his seat by one of his uninjured arms.
Oh, no. I'm gonna have to break up a fight again.
Cora slipped into the room behind them, narrowly missing getting shut in the door. The lights in the room were dimmed.
They hadn't even noticed her. Tor stood nose-to-nose with Mar, speaking quietly. His movements were aggressive, but Mar wasn't reacting. He looked away, clearing his throat before speaking.
[I don't want Cora finding out.]
Tor took his shirt off. [Why?]
Cora understood them easily, but remained confused.
She considered announcing her presence. Then, Tor tackled Mar, pinning him face-down into the bed. She recognized his expression.
