I don't even know why I let them all stay here. I barely see them lifting a finger to help out without me having to ask them. Walk Ein. Feed Ein. Buy some food for the ship. It doesn't just appear there by magic. Would it kill you to clean up after yourselves?!
The ship's cold. I'll have to check on the heating system after I rest. I should've just sunk my fingers right through that bounty's face and he wouldn't've gotten away.
It feels like night here, at least that is how everyone is acting. Though it was mid-day on Mars, my drifting ship is dark and it's quiet. Either that, or everyone's killed each other. It doesn't matter to me. I can navigate these rooms and walls with my eyes closed anyway.
I enjoy the simple solace of the dark quiet. Something about the night that ma- What did I just kick?
"Captain overboard!" I hear the sudden remark and sigh as Edward has yet found her sleeping quarters in the middle of the floor and has been stepped on. The fact that I cannot walk down a dark corridor or room without tripping over Ed sprawled out says a lot about who's running the show here. This has happened with Ein before, but he is a dog and they obviously don't know better, which makes me wonder if the kid thinks she's a dog or something. I honestly don't know. There are always obstacles with these people.
"You have a bed, why don't you sleep there?" I ask irritated.
"Ed's bed's instead here," she mumbles, but gets into a handstand and disappears into the darkness.
A nice hot shower will take the stress away and then I can just get some sleep. I grab my clothes and a towel and head to the bathroom. I just need to wash the stench of failed bounty away and then just move on.
The shower turns on smoothly as I have just repaired it; nobody else would and step i—FAYE!
Of course there would be no hot water in the place! That woman takes hour showers with NO consideration for anyone else and must seem to know when I want to get in because I never seem to get hot water when she's around. Now I have to wait for the damned thing to heat up! If anyone as so much goes near that door, there will be hell to pay. I just put on the clothes I grabbed and head to the kitchen.
Right now, all I want to do is pour a glass of—and the bottles empty. How many times do I have to tell that lunkhead, if you finish off the bottle, get rid of the empty bottle and replace it! They're impossible! It's like being stuck with children and they aren't even mine!
I just want to grab some rest and then plot my next move. The couch is closer then my room, so that is where I'm going to rest. It is not the most comfortable place to sleep, but that doesn't even matter right now. Ein stares up at me from the couch I just want to drop onto.
"Ein!" I growl, but then he gives me pleading eyes and I soften. Why? I don't know. Maybe he's the only member on the ship that doesn't argue... although that one time with the kid… "Move over," I commanded, hoping he would understand English right now. He did. Ein scooted over to the end and I lay down, flattening the yellow sofa in the process. Piece of junk, stuffing coming out of the side and yellow! Can't even remember where I got the damn thing.
Ein comes over to my side and lies down near my chest, giving me those eyes of his. I scratch his ears a few times. Laying in the dark is peaceful.
A small scuffling and then Edward comes into the room at a sleepwalker's pace.
"What are you doing?" I ask flatly as the peace is shattered.
"Ed's gotta update," she mumbles and flops to the floor at her computer.
"Can't you do that another time?" I grumble, hoping she'll just leave.
"Must update now or the—"and then it grows incoherent as to what will happen if she does not update right now. Whatever. I close my eyes again to the sound of clacking keys and tiny, minute, occasional beeps. Ein jumps off the couch and goes over to the hacker.
All is calm, quiet and dark until I hear footsteps. Great. Now what?
"Oh good, you're here," comes a soft voice. I don't open my eyes. "What is it Faye?"
"I was on Earth earlier and I came across this Bonsai tree. The guy said it was a so— su—well, I heard you mention the name earlier. It wasn't looking so good; in fact many of the potted plants were looking on the bad side. I thought since you mentioned the Bonsai, you'd be able to bring it back to life or something," she said, all the while sitting at the edge of the couch. I opened my eyes and she was holding the small tree in her hands. When she saw me look, she handed it over.
"These are very rare. Thank you. It must have cost you a lot," I replied shocked. When has she ever thought of anyone over herself?
"Like I said, the man didn't seem to care too much for his plants, so I decided to find this one a better home," she answered simply. Five fingers. Of course. Whatever. I'll fix it up.
"Thanks," I repeat, setting the Bonsai on the table and returning to my laying position with my arms behind my head. I close my eyes. Faye continues to sit there, though I hear the faint sounds of her filing her nails. Glad she could do that in the dark.
"So, how did the bounty go?" Did you get him?" she asks casually. Really? I groan internally.
"I just missed the bastard," I reply, not opening my eyes. Should I just get up and go to bed?
"At least we are not on our last rations," she consoles in her best Faye way. If we were, I'd doubt you go out of your way. "By the way, I stopped over at the market. It seems like nobody was going to buy food for this ship, so I had to," she tells me. I was about to rip her a new one, but she went food shopping, so I was going to let that comment go. Besides, I don't really have the energy to anyone anything.
Edward continues to update, Faye continues to file and I relax in the silence. Ein rejoins me in his same spot and his little warmth is fine. I am just about to doze off when Spike enters the room. I might as well just get up now and leave them all right there.
"How'd it go?" Spike questions as he takes a seat on the table. I assume it is the table because the couch is occupied.
"Jet missed it," Faye replies, speaking for me.
"What happened to this thing?" Spike asks. I open my eyes to see him poking at the bonsai.
"It's a manifestation of Jet-person's current condition," Edward replies, goggles on and working diligently. She does not even look over, but seems to have woken up. "Jet-person needs some TLC," she suggests.
"No, I don't think that's true," I grumble about the second part. I feel as the tree looks right now, but on the contrary I need to be left alone.
"Here's what you need," Spike says as he hands me his glass. I take it and take a swig. I guess he just replaced the bottle. I hand his glass back to him, in which he puts up a hand. I nod and take another swig. Spike grabs a magazine off the table and sits on the stairs and reads. Faye takes the glass off the table a takes a drink herself.
"I'll never be alone with these people."