Ed's POV
All in all I didn't do bad with blackjack, gaining about 100 woolongs by noon. After a very hug filled goodbye from Claudia I headed back to the Bebop to see if anything interesting had happened in my absence. Everyone was just lazing about as per usual when I arrived. Jet was cooking something in the kitchen, Faye was presumably at a casino somewhere and Spike. Spike was asleep on the couch, some sort of Bigshot (that bounty hunting show) magazine covering the top half of his face. I giggled and plopped down in front of Tomato seeing 2 message alerts. I opened the first one to see it was from someone I knew on Earth. I sent a short reply and went to the next one. It was just an alert saying that someone had used one of my names. I shrugged figuring it was from the application I'd submitted and began surfing through cyberspace.
A while later there was shuffling and a groan from the couch. 'Sounds like Spike's awake.' I tugged off my goggles and shut down Tomato. Ein was behind me and I laid back using him as a pillow. He let out whine equivalent to a sigh and went back to sleep. I stared at the ceiling and saw Spike sit up from the corner of my eye. I glanced at him to see that he was looking directly at me. He lit up a cig as Jet came out with a bowl of noodles. He didn't bother saying anything just left towards the rooms.
When I was sure he wasn't coming back for a while I lit up my own smoke and looked back at Spike who was still just sitting on the couch looking bored. I got up and sat next him. "Faye at the casinos?" I asked uninterested, he nodded. I sighed and leaned back resting my head on the back of the couch and closed my eyes. Spike seemed to do much the same, crossing his feet on the coffee table. I put my cigarette out after nearly smoking the filter and groaned. Spike chuckled, "That bored eh?" I turned my head to look at him, "Yea. I don't think I'll ever get used to these lazy days. There's almost nothing to do." I yawned and stretched, getting a bit more comfortable and warm. "There's always cyberspace and sleep." he pointed out. I nodded thinking about how good the second one sounded at the moment.
"But it gets boring sometimes and the less I go on the less chance I have of being caught. Not that Tomato can be traced easily but there's always a slim chance." There was a slight pause, "But who would be skilled enough to hack your computer?" 'The syndicate', just the thought made my eyes pop open and sleep seem less appealing. He seemed to notice my response and raised a brow, "There's always someone. The chess man for one, and the teen boy who was in a coma." I listed hoping he'd drop it. By the look he gave me it was obvious he knew there was something else but he didn't press it. Jus another reason he was my favorite shipmate.
It was silent from then on and slowly I fell asleep to nothing but the slight sounds of Spike smoking. Somewhere near 7 a door slammed making me bolt upright automatically wide awake. I first noticed my surroundings, I was still on the couch and Spike was too, closer than when I fell asleep and flipping through a magazine. Faye then stormed in, making it obvious that she was the source of the slamming, not that I doubted it.
"Ugh! Stupid Ponies!" she grumbled stalking over and sitting cross-legged on the coffee table in front of us. Spike didn't even look up and I tilted my head to the side wondering what she came over here for. "Maybe I should try the dogs.." she trailed off looking like she was in deep thought. "Well whatever you do it'll have to wait. We have a bounty" Jet announced striding over with a cell in hand. "How much?" Faye asked leaning forward her low top seeming even lower than usual. "3 million woolongs." he replied smugly like we had already gotten him. She cried out happily and I noticed the tie keeping her top together slipping. My eyes widened and I launched myself at her hugging her tight.
She seemed taken aback, "The knot in your shirt started slipping." I whispered lowly so only she could hear. "Shit." she looked down to see it untied and slipped her hands under my arms fixing it. When she was done I stepped back seeing the guys give us confused looks. Faye laughed nervously, "So, uh, when do we go after this new bounty?" that seemed to distract them. "As soon as Ed can get some more info on this guy." Everyone turned to me and I went over grabbing Tomato and brining it to the couch. "What's his name?" I asked.
"Len Novoa. Wanted for drug trafficking and the like." I nodded and got to work. "Um… Here we go! Not a lot of data on him...says he hangs out in a club called the Crypt." I told them. I searched for an address and relayed it to the three of them. They seemed excited; they'd be going after someone who wasn't a small fry for the first time in months. I smiled but didn't ask to go. I knew they would just see me as being in the way for this one.
They formulated possible plans as I sat there absentmindedly playing with Ein. "Why not just surprise him in the club, get close then put a gun in his side. His guards wouldn't shoot if you had him trapped like that." I proposed. "It would probably be easiest for Faye to do it." I added reading more about him, finding a slight catch. I laughed, "You might want to wear something less revealing though, it says he likes innocent looking women. So maybe less seductive, more…giggly." I looked up to see her staring at me with a grin I really didn't like the look of. "Well if he likes innocent Ed, I think you'd be much better suited. This seems like the perfect first trial bounty for you."
Jet looked dubious but Spike seemed to be thinking about it. Finally he nodded, "I think that's actually a great idea." And so Jet was out voted and I found myself in my room shuffling through my closet for something innocent yet something that wouldn't raise questions about me being 21 or not. I decided on a blue dress that came mid-thigh and billowed out at the waist so I could easily hide a gun on a leg holster. I pulled it on and brushed my hair out gathering it into a small bun. Faye put some light make up on me and deemed me good to go, well, after forcing me to wear a pair or wedge heeled shoes.
She led me out to the hangar and slipped a small pistol into my hand. I stared at it a moment before sliding it into the holster on my thigh. We walked to the ships where Jet and Spike were lounging around waiting. "We're ready." Faye called and slipped into her zip craft. Jet was already in his hammerhead and so that left me and Spike. He looked up from snubbing out his cigarette with his shoe and blinked one, twice, three times, before finally motioning me over as he hopped into Swordfish II. He held his hand out just like last time and I climbed in, a bit more carefully then last time.
I settled into his lap and the top closed over us as Spike took hold of the controls. His head was rested comfortably where my shoulder met my neck and his arms were on each side of my waist. "You ready?" he asked with a chuckle. I nodded, "Then here we go!" he exclaimed taking off. He sounded excited again, and this time so was I. This was my time to prove myself, as an adult, as a woman, and as a bounty hunter.
