“Sounds fair, go ahead.”
“The four of us bonded in some really odd—but really nice—way. I don’t know if it was the march up there, the march down, you guys watching me change my clothes, or that I really liked having you watch me. Maybe it was I just felt so protected by the three of you. That would be okay if I were the only one who felt it. So, with that big buildup, my question to you is—”
“Yes, I did, and still do,” she interrupted. “I don’t know what, why, or how but we had something when we came down on the elevator that we did not have going up.” She was looking at me intently. “Is that what you mean?”
“Exactly. I didn’t know I was lacking it, but now that I have it, I never want to lose it, and I don’t even have a name for it.”
“Yes!” She almost shouted.
“Well, that’s what I told Brill. Along with the reason why I went for Alvarez.”
“Oh, my.”
“You were grinning when you saw Alvarez lead me off the floor,” I observed.
“Yes, I was.”
“What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking,
“And you were a little sad, too?”
She shrugged. “Life on the
“Well I can’t promise that, but I’ll try not to.”
“That day, back when you were working in the mess and you came and we changed out the algae matrices…?” she said, letting the statement trail off suggestively.
“Oh, gods, you’re kidding?” I told her.
“Nope. You looked so damn good.” She sighed and shrugged helplessly.
“Yeah. Which is what you were telling me with the ‘understand what it means to be a spacer’ stuff?”
She nodded. “Different ships have different cultures. It’s strange. Gregor did not like it here because of that. I’ve been on those ships before. There are some advantages, but I didn’t like being a bunk-bunny.”
I chuckled. “I can’t picture you as a bunk-bunny.”
“Yeah, well, lots of men—and not a few women—seem to think I’m attractive. I found it too distracting for comfort. Saying no isn’t easy on a ship like that,” she said this last part while looking off to the side in a kind of distaste—almost like she wanted to spit. “So, yeah, I was a little sad that I couldn’t have you, but I was glad for you that you were leaving with Alvarez. She’s something else.”
“Okay, so why do you think I went after Alvarez?”
“To show us you didn’t need us interfering with your love life.”
“That’s what Brill thought, too.”
“It’s not?”
“Nope. What I told Brill was that if I couldn’t have one of you three, then I wanted to get as close as I could get. There were only two other women in the bar that I was remotely interested in beside you three.”
“You think I’m in the same league as Brill and Bev?”
“What you think you’re better?” I teased her.
“No! Ya jerk. Brill has so damn much class it hurts me to look at her sometimes, and Bev has so much raw sensual confidence that I could almost go for her myself. You’d put me in that same group?”
I laughed. “That’s what Brill said about you two, but don’t tell her I told you.”
“She doesn’t think she’s in the same league as us? Good gods! She’s what I’d like to be if I grow up!”
“So, that’s why Alvarez. She’s in the same class, but unlike you, she’s not on the
“Wait, you think Bev, Brill and I, are in the same class as Alvarez?”
“Well, not exactly, but she’s close,” I told her with a grin.
“I still can’t believe you thought you could pull it off.”
“I didn’t think I would.”
“But you went anyway.”
I shrugged. “One in a million is a lot better odds than zero.”
“Gods, you must have been out of your mind walking across that floor to her like that. What were you thinking?”
“Don’t laugh?”
“No promises. I have a feeling it’s going to be funny.”
“I was thinking two things. First, the worst she can do is say is no.”
“And?”
“I’m wearing Henri Roubaille.”
She fought it valiantly—I had to give her credit—but in the end she lost it and dissolved into giggles.
“Yeah, yeah, big joke, but while you’re done laughing your cute little butt off, think about this.”
I paused for her to get her giggles under control a bit. “It worked.”
“I know. That’s why I’m laughing!”
I loved to hear her laugh—even if it was at me.
“Anyway. I came to relieve you and to give you this.” I held out the small package.
She opened it curiously and when she saw it, I thought she might puddle up. “It’s beautiful,” she breathed. “This is a whelkie, right?”
“Yeah. I got it on St. Cloud. When I was going through my things earlier, I saw this one and thought of you. So I wanted you to have it.”
“Thank you!” she said with feeling. She held it up close to her face and stroked an index finger along its head and back, patting it the way one might pat a real fox, if one could actually pat a real fox. For a heartbeat, I thought she might kiss it the way Alvarez had kissed the dolphin earlier in the day.
Remembering that episode gave me a pang of a completely other sort that was centered somewhat lower on my torso, and I could not help but grin a little at the small jab of remembered pleasure.
“This reminds me of Brill’s,” she said, looking up.
“Yeah, Brill has a heron. They’re from the same guy.”
“You gave it to her?” she asked, but she had an expression that said she knew the answer already.
“Yeah, funny story. We saw this booth but neither of us bought anything. Later we both snuck back to it alone and bought whelkies for each other. Over dinner, I reached to give her the heron just as she was handing me the one she’d gotten for me.”
“You have one, too?”
I reached into the pocket of my shipsuit and pulled out the dolphin, holding it up so the section overheads glinted off the polished wood. The way the light slipped across it almost made it look like it was swimming.
“Oh, it’s lovely. Can I touch it?”
“Sure.” I held my hand out.
She reached out and stroked it a couple of times with just the tip of one finger along the back and dorsal in a gesture vaguely similar to the way Alvarez had.
“It’s so smooth. The wood almost feels soft,” she said dreamily. “You know Brill carries hers with her, too?”
“Does she? I knew she used to, but I didn’t know she still did.”
I looked at the chrono and saw 17:44 click over to 17:45. “You ready to hand over the watch?”
“Mr. Wang, all ops normal. No maintenance was scheduled or performed. You have the watch.”
“Ms. Ardele, I relieve you. I have the watch.”
She slipped her tablet into the holster and grabbed her coffee cup, still holding her whelkie in her other hand. As she slipped past me, she gave me a little peck on the cheek. “Thank you for the fox.”
“You’re welcome. Sarah says they have to find their true owners. The fishermen along the south coast there think they’re magical in some way,” I said as I settled into the seat and scanned the readouts once quickly.
“Maybe they are.” She regarded hers carefully once more.
