“Thanks,” I managed, taking them and then shutting the door in his face.
I didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or grateful, and then settled on the latter, shrugging the embarrassment away. Man had seen I’d need to get dressed—and decided not to make me have to do it in front of him. I could deal with that.
It was a nice change.
“You done, yet?”
I took that to mean the normal Mack was returning and I should get my ass into gear.
“We’ve got a debrief, and I don’t want supper getting cold.”
“Fine!”
I hurried, and we hit the officers’ mess at the back of the caf in five.
It was no surprise to find Delight and Tens already in attendance, although Doc’s presence was a bit of surprise. He shrugged.
“Best way to see you,” he said, and I wondered why anyone would want to see me.
They all raised their eyebrows at that, but none of them said a word. Mack guided me to a seat between him and Delight, and I remembered the last time I’d sat between them. Apparently, so did Delight. She reached over and patted me on the knee.
“Don’t worry,” she told me. “We’ve had about all the girl time we’re ever going to need.”
I wasn’t sure exactly what she meant by that, but I figured I didn’t need to; I’d be happy as long as it meant she wasn’t going to teleport me off the ship and shoot me, again. Mack got the ball rolling.
“What happened after the door closed?” he asked, and the only place he could ever mean was the arach ship.
I thought about telling him that what went on in an arach ship stayed on an arach ship, but I knew that wasn’t going to fly, and I needed to just get it over with. I picked a spot on the wall somewhere to the left of Tens’ ear, figuring I might as well as annoy someone while I told the story.
“I backed up and reloaded the Blazer, Glazer and Zak...” I started, and went from there.
When I got to where I negotiated the arena trial, things got a little tricky; I heard my voice thicken, and felt my throat clog up, and Delight’s hand became an irritation on my knee. I guess I don’t like company when I relaying something that painful. Fortunately, she seemed to get it, and took her hand away.
I wondered where Pritchard was; it was unusual for Delight to be without her keeper... Who’d let her off her leash?
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Delight murmured, and I remembered that my head wasn’t my own. Damn.
“You refused the meal?” Doc asked, and I nodded.
He sighed.
“Next time. Don’t.”
Damn. I waited for him to explain.
“First, because it’s an olive branch, a sign that the clan offering is willing to forgive a breach against them. Acceptance means you count them worthy of being forgiven by.”
Oh. Double damn.
Doc ignored me.
“Second, because it’s an insult; you’re basically telling them you don’t think their worthy of eating with.”
Well, f—
“One more cuss word out of you, young lady,” Doc snapped, “and I am going to put you over my knee!”
Fuck.
And Doc was out of his seat, and coming around the table. I stared at him, and then scrambled in the opposite direction. Tens started laughing, and Delight pushed her chair out, crushing me against the wall.
Well, wasn’t she just a funny f...—I shot a glance at Doc—GIRL.
He stopped, just short of Mack.
“I’m sorry?” I tried, not sure he was ready to forgive me.
His glare got deeper, and he looked from me to Delight, and then down at Mack. I followed his gaze. The look on Mack’s face was unreadable, but he was looking up at Doc, and not saying a single word—at least, not out where I could hear it.
I tried again. I really didn’t want a fight with Doc, but I didn’t know how I’d avoid it. I’d cussed so much lately, it had become a habit. Besides, that whole arach set up was f... it was enough to make anyone swear.
“I’m sorry. I’ll try, okay?”
I waited, watching as the tension leaked out of his shoulders. Finally, he sighed, and turned back towards his seat.
“Do you know which clan it was?”
I tried to think back, but I couldn’t recall the colors of the warrior that had brought the food.
“I don’t know any of the clans, and I’d have to go back over the footage to be able to tell you what he was wearing.”
“We’ll work it out,” Doc assured me. “What happened when they came back?”
“They weren’t happy about the meal,” I said, “but at least I know why, now. I’d have eaten it if I’d known, but I hadn’t seen arach before the two in Andreus’s mansion.”
“Where?”
“Andreus’s mansion. That’s why I kicked the door closed behind me; I didn’t want them getting past, and I didn’t think I could hold them. They’d have hit Mack from behind.”
“Fair enough.” Tens shrugged.
Mack just stared.
“Why would that matter?” he asked.
“Because you were shooting it out with a patrol. They’d have been all over you before you knew it.”
Mack opened his mouth to argue, and then closed it again. He didn’t look very happy.
“You nearly got eaten.”
I closed my eyes, shoving the memory of that first encounter to one side, as I went back to the debrief.
“Like I said, the arach on the ship weren’t happy about the meal, and I was searched at the door.” I looked at Tens. “They knew about the locator bracelet, turned back my cuff and told me jewelry wasn’t allowed in the arena, and then snapped it into three or four pieces, and stomped it, before they’d let me out the door. I’m pretty sure they knew exactly what it was.”
“Being arach doesn’t mean technically deficient,” Doc said, and I wondered why he felt the need. It wasn’t like I’d suggested the arach hadn’t known technology.
“They’re still a good deal more aware than they need to be if they knew to look
