Well, this is awkward. Can we all please ignore that it has been three months?

I am so sorry everyone, but again, life has gotten in the way. Hell, I should be studying for my upcoming exams even as I update this. I feel so guilty about not updating, especially considering that I already have some chapters written up. I have the entire story planned out, every single chapter, but I just have to write it. I currently have Chapter 9 written, but I still need to get to writing Chapters 7 & 8 (these two chapters are quite different from the rest, which you will understand when I finally get around to writing and posting them). So I am sorry guys.

Please review! They give me so much inspiration to keep writing and updating!

ALSO: though it is a little bit of a spoiler for the chapter, I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable, so just fair warning, there's some implied pedophilia in this one (soz).

Mauriti Settlement,
Aralos
23rd Janwir

The prospect had left her speechless for a moment, in all honesty. Not for its contents, but that it had been so readily offered – that it had been offered in the first place was in itself shocking – and though she attempted to keep her expression neutral and answer with a simple I'll need some time to think about it, she had to try hard to not to entrap Feliks in a bone-crushing hug. Honestly, that damn Pyndaphian had turned her life upside down since they'd first met, but not in the negative way that so many had previously. No, that lovable asshole was actively making her life better, and judging the smug smile he bore every time he saw her, he knew it too.

But this, this was something she had never been offered before. This was something that completely overshot being nice and friendly, that completely overshot a simple gesture. This was an invitation, and he was inviting her to be free. Of all the things she'd expected him to say when he rocked up at her house this morning, it was not for him to offer that she come with them, and join them in their travels. It was insane that he so flippantly offer such a thing, and she'd told him as much. But, as he'd said, he'd talked to the others, and they were all cool with it. Well, the way he'd said 'all' made her believe that there had been at least one dissenter. She considered herself relatively intelligent, but even an idiot could realise that it was Gilbert that he was talking about.

They had never argued. Hell, she'd witnessed more arguments between Gilbert and Feliks than she had had total conversations with the pale Incandan, but he didn't seem to like her much. The others seemed fine. Ivan and Berwald were intimidating from a distance but much nicer up close and Francis was overly flirtatious, but in a completely playful way. Alfred was just a fun guy, as was Antonio, and Matthias, as the leader of their little gang, was well adjusted to such a role. Louise lived her life much how Tori lived hers, and they got along well. The blond had even said that she was happy to have another girl around.

Gilbert, on the other hand, treated her with indifference at best, dislike and distrust at worst. And she understood, yes, that he might just be a little defensive and possessive of his friends. She knew that the nine of them had lived and worked together for years, and trusted one another implicitly. If it were her, she probably wouldn't trust some newcomer from a rough planet with dubious origins, so she could relate as to why he didn't trust her. But if it were her, she would give the person the chance to at least earn her trust before dismissing them. Gilbert had offered her no such chance, and she couldn't figure out why. She'd done nothing to insult or offend him, as far as she knew, and also hadn't infringed that much on his friends. But he seemed to almost hate her. She was yet to ask Feliks about this, as Gilbert was his friend and she didn't want to cause anything bad to happen between them, but she was almost dying to know at the same time. Well, she supposed, not everyone had to like her. She was surprised that only one of them argued with her joining, actually. She had never considered herself an overly charismatic person.

But, ignoring Gilbert's opposition, Tori had to think about actually joining them in the first place. Yes, it was the sort of opportunity that she had been awaiting for years, but at the same time, were these the sorts of circumstances she wanted to place herself in? The others were all good people, but they were bounty hunters. Having seen a great deal of people being sold and used over the years, and occasionally having suffered that same treatment, she was reluctant and unsure if she could bring herself to do the same. A part of her was saying that it was sensible to have to consider such an offer, the other part of her was saying that this may be her only opportunity to get out of Aralos. But there was a lot to consider. Would she be expected to stay with them forever, or could she leave whenever she wanted? She really should have had a longer conversation with Feliks about this.

Speaking of Feliks, he was one of the major factors that would probably determine her decision. Honestly, half the time she didn't know what to do about that boy. He was a bounty hunter, yes, and currently the one who held the key to her freedom. He was…interesting. Smarter than he let on, and quite ruthlessly cunning when he wanted to be. He'd admitted that he'd frequently been a crossdresser for some of their missions, though she'd needed pictures to understand how he had passed as a girl (and afterwards, yes, she'd understood – he looked good in a dress).

He was a great deal kinder than many of the people she'd met, and seemed quite genuine. The others, as well, were kind, and open. And she didn't have to be afraid of them taking some sort of advantage of her, considering that Louise was already a part of their group, and was completely untouched. Tori believed she'd already managed to mildly intimidate some of them, so that wasn't a problem. And Alfred had told her that they used to be a group of ten, before one of their ranks had left to pursue riches through another method. One considerably darker, judging by Alfred's tone when he had told her the story. So they weren't like some insane cult that would insist she stay, she would still have some personal freedom. But in addition to the pros, there were also countless cons.

She exhaled slowly as she finally came to her decision.

Bibesti,
Rela,
23rd Janwir

Sadik drummed his fingers on the bench as he watched Lovino force down the liquid. Statica was an agent that stopped bleeding, both internal and external, and though it was endlessly effective, it was notoriously disgusting. The producers didn't bother to try to alter the flavour at all for the common version. Sure, there was probably a form that tasted like fairy shit, but it was probably also very expensive, and only for people who were almost uselessly rich. You know, the sorts of people who probably wouldn't ever use it.

Judging by the look on the younger man's face, and the way his stomach seemed to be tensing and untensing, this Statica was the kind that tasted like old bile. The liquid had the same consistency as oil in addition to this, so it really was just a delight.

"If you puke on my carpet, I'll make sure you need a bathtub full of that oily shit." Sadik warned. Though he probably wouldn't follow through with that threat. Probably. Hey, he liked his carpet, okay?

Lovino glared at him, as usual, wiping his mouth, whilst (impressively) keeping all the Statica in his actual stomach. Feliciano had begun to worry about both their questionable cauterisation job, and potential internal bleeding. So the younger of the two scrawny siblings had strode off that morning, stolen a reasonably affluent man's coin purse and bought a few bottles, in addition to some strong spices for Sadik, who was letting them use his apartment while Lovino was still out of it. He honestly didn't mind that much – these kids were some of the only non-criminal company he got nowadays. They'd been away for the majority of the last year – spending time on Incanda or some shit like that, with only infrequent and short visits back to their apartment down the hall from his. Though he wouldn't admit it even on his deathbed, he'd kinda missed them. Feliciano was endlessly nice and polite, always offering him food and gifts even when it was clear he couldn't easily afford to give them away (Sadik always refused, he was a greedy man, but not that greedy), and Lovino was one of the most insufferably rude, hostile, profanity-laced people he'd ever met.

Sadik liked both of them.

When he'd seen the familiar set of dark hair, tanned skin and bright eyes reappear in the lobby, about a week ago now, he'd honestly been very happy to see them back on Rela, though at the time he'd offered little more than a small wave. He wasn't a man of excess, in any circumstances. And they knew they were still relatively welcome at his door.

Lovino rubbed his side, pulling his shirt halfway up to examine the bandage underneath. Sadik looked away, though not for any weakness when it came to blood. He'd seen plenty of that in his life, living on the lower rung as he did. He cursed the slight twisting in his stomach. He'd done time for this in the past, and knew a lot better now than to even tempt himself. Even looking was bad. Looking led to thinking, thinking led to acting, and he never wanted to act on it again. He'd originally kept that particular section of his life from Lovino and Feliciano, but had decided it was better to just tell them. Lucky for him, they hadn't decided to just ignore him forever, and though they had been noticeably more awkward around him for a while, they'd cooled down since. But his movement was noticeable. Lovino looked up, noted his averted gaze, and dropped his shirt silently, leaning back against the wall.

Sadik stood when Feliciano entered the room, carrying the pot of tea he had just been brewing, gently easing the tension without knowing it. He poured all three of them tea – a black ginger brew from Pyndaph – and they sat in silence, enjoying it.

It was moments like these that Sadik truly noticed how 'otherly' the brothers could be sometimes. They held knowledge of the customs and cultures of many different planets – mostly because they had been to them – but seemed to hold no real set of cultural values themselves. Even their ethnicity was questionable. For their skin and hair, Sadik would say Jhobrasian, or that they were from the northern regions of Nyma, but they had little knowledge of either. Their accents were ambiguous and so mixed that any original enunciations was indistinguishable. He often put these things out of his mind. After all, people nowadays didn't always subscribe to the culture matching their ethnicity or race, or any culture at all, but they were still unusual.

Not in a bad way, just in a curious one.

Lovino sighed as he shifted slightly on his temporary bedding. Staying in Sadik's apartment was a rare occurrence, but for now he was grateful that the gruff Qyyytish man was being so accommodating. He would consider him a friend, but he respected his own privacy. Lovino could understand that, and tried to never infringe on that privacy. Sadik was a weird neighbour who they didn't see that frequently, but they knew he would probably help them hide a body or kill someone, if only for something to do. The incident earlier had made him a little uncomfortable, though he knew Sadik didn't mean it. Lovino was 19, but he looked younger, due to both genetics and almost lifelong malnutrition, and though Feliciano was younger than Lovino, there was something about Feli that didn't spark that same sort of interest. Lovino could handle it, as Sadik was always honest about it, and had never, ever tried anything. If he had, things might have been different.

He put it out of his head, not wanting to consider Sadik's past and current problems. He turned his attention toward the other issue hanging in his mind right now. Feliciano.

Feli and Sadik had tried to cauterise his wound about five days ago, with (not that they knew) little success. His biology wouldn't allow his flesh to blacken and burn, and he had continued to bleed (though at a much slower rate) since. His wound would close, yes, and the bleeding would finally stop now he had forced that disgusting tonic down his throat, but there would be no burn mark. A scar, obviously, but no burn marks, and even for a botched cauterisation that was weird. Feliciano, being the anxious creature that he was, would want to be continually checking his wound, and he was bound to notice.

It made his heart hammer to think about it, but there was no other option. He could always try to avoid that inevitable confrontation, but he knew it was coming. He'd felt it closing in on him for weeks. He had to try to explain everything, and why he'd hidden it from him.

Lovino was normally a composed person, and very little could make him react strongly in a way other than anger. That was just how he was. But tonight, thinking about having to unload the truth onto his unsuspecting brother, Lovino brought his arms to his face and cried.

Mauriti Settlement,
Aralos
24th Janwir

Feliks gave Antonio a thumbs-up to indicate that the bottom panel had been resealed. Antonio returned the gesture, grinning amiably. Feliks' joints sighed in relief as he finally slid down from his cramped position between the bottom of the ship and the crossbeams from one of the 'legs' holding it up. He scooted down the thick metal strip and let himself slide off the edge, landing on the ground with only a minor stumble. His landing stirred up some of the dry, red dust covering the ground, and he merely sighed in dissatisfaction as it settled in the creases on the edges of his pants again. He would be more than happy to never see this damned desert ruin ever again. And it looked like he would get his wish. They were finally leaving. After 10 days of hot winds, bitter and unpleasant (for the most part) locals, near misses with flat-backed snakes lurking in the sparse dry grasses nearby, and red dust finding it's way into every crevice of their bodies, they were leaving Aralos behind.

This would have made Feliks jump for joy, were it not for one thing. Tori was yet to give him an answer about whether she was coming with them or not. If she refused, then okay, and if she accepted, then fuck yeah, but her silence so far was making him nervous. He liked her a lot, and was desperately hoping she chose to join them, but he would respect her decision, whatever it was.

Louise, who had been fixing a minor problem in the engine, wiped black grease from her hair as she yelled that the ship was good to go. Alfred, excitable as always, whooped with joy and sprinted up the entryway. Ivan rolled his eyes and followed, having finished loading on some of the goods they'd picked up in the city centre. Gilbert, who had emerged from the ship for the first time since they got here, looked around and shook his head, clearly recognising that he had not missed anything by staying inside. He helped Berwald up and into the ship, the pair disappearing quickly.

Matthias, who had been making final checks on the ship, met his gaze. He shrugged, looking almost apologetic, jerking his head toward the ship as if to say 'sorry, but we do need to go'. Feliks sighed. He knew it was kinda a long shot anyway. He was halfway up the entryway when he heard it.

"If you close that thing I will hijack your fucking landing gear!"

Feliks stilled, whirling around. When he saw who was running at him at top speed, he didn't even try to hide the smile that spread across his face, and he shuffled up the closing entryway to offer the wild brunette girl a hand. Tori had to jump to grab a hold of his hand, and hurriedly slither inside before the doors closed around her torso. She landed gracelessly on top of him, with an equally ungainly 'oomph' noise.

And Feliks found himself on a ship rapidly escaping Aralos holding the small hand of one of the most remarkable people he'd ever met, whose elbows were digging rather painfully into his ribs. Tori grinned at him, sitting up to throw her arms around him in a proper hug, before exclaiming,

"Come on, you guys are my best option!"

And he could do little more than laugh and hug her back. Matthias, summoned by the noise, spotted her and punched the air with victory as the pair helped each other stagger to their feet. His loud yelling attracted all of the others, who reacted similarly. For now it was easy to ignore the potential difficulties Tori might have in such a different environment. For now it was easy to ignore the strained look Gilbert sent Tori, not happy and jubilant like the others. For now, Feliks would focus on the fact that Tori had chosen them. Right now, that was enough.