Bebop Blues
Chapter 21: Rouya
The rest of their vacation continued uneventfully.
Rose and Jet had more alone time (Flora had even called him "Papa Jet" on a few occasions).
Ed and Flora ran amok at the theme park.
Mai kept Faye in line, and Spike kept Faye on her toes.
Faye kept Spike on his guard.
They were avoiding each other on an "alone" basis. If it were just the two of them in a room at any given time, one would retreat or ask for the company of someone else.
And it had to be someone other than Mai.
She would sit there with her signature smirk and imply things with her newly discovered bluntness, and it drove them mad.
The end of the vacation was celebrated with a large dinner (courtesy of Mai, as usual), and the crew returned to the Mezzo around midnight.
"Thank you, Mai-Mai! Edward had so much chocolate cake!"
"Yes, Mai, thank you for the sugar rush the children have been experiencing since we left," Rose giggled as they boarded the ship again.
Mai grinned. "The good thing about a sugar high is..."
But Flora had already fallen asleep leaning against Jet. Jet was smiling happily as he looked at the little girl.
Mai grinned still, her mouth curling further upwards. "They come crashing down." Mai leaned over to pick Flora from the floor. She cradled her lightly. "I'll take her to bed; you and Jet take care of Ed and get some rest."
Rose's eyes twinkled at her. "You'd make a good mother, Mai."
Mai laughed softly.
Faye looked from Flora to Mai and back again. Rose was right; Mai looked as though she was meant for motherhood.
"I'd like to get my husband back before I can even consider that notion." Her comment was lighthearted despite the underlying somberness, though.
Faye was right. A vacation did Mai some good. Everyone felt better.
The weeks dragged on afterwards, and eventually the crew hit their normal dynamic. Chump change bounties kept a steady cash flow that made Jet comfortable enough, and Mai's constant insistence of paying for most things made everyone a bit richer.
Ed and Ein were teaching Flora the ins and outs of hacking. She was picking it up rather quickly, given her age, and the twenties trio suspected that she would surpass Ed by Ed's age.
"Roy's been hacking since he was five," Mai informed Faye and Spike over poker. "I suspect Flora could give him a run for his money when she hits the right stride."
"That's scary to think about: kids and computers," Faye commented.
"I fold," Spike finally said.
He'd been irritated the whole game.
"We've barely started! What gives?" Faye shouted.
She'd been irritated the whole game.
"We need another big bounty; this chump change isn't my style," Spike answered.
"I'm calling bullshit," Mai quipped.
He glared at her, but said nothing.
Like he would admit to sexual frustration.
"Edward has news, everyone!" The young hackers face appeared in a hologram from the center of the table. "Come to the dooooooome," she sang.
"Finally," Faye touted.
Mai raised an eyebrow to her. "You're irritated, too."
"Hardly," Faye argued.
Like she would admit to sexual frustration.
The three headed to the dome where Edward had climbed the tallest branches of the gargantuan tree.
The tree was a good fifty feet around, and it seemed to stretch for eons to the top of the dome.
Faye and Spike had never given it much thought before, but as Ed came sliding down the trunk at an incredible rate towards the ground, their stomachs lurched slightly.
She hit the ground on her bottom with a soft thud.
Apparently the ship was softer than they thought.
"Edward has found the old home of the mysterious desert flower!"
"You have?" the three chimed.
In sync again.
Edward nodded vigorously. "On Titan there lives Old Man Jacobs! He is the keeper of the Desert Rose! He is still believed to be the person who still has it, though Bebop knows this is not true!" Ed squinted her eyes and placed a hand over her brow as though she was searching for something.
"Old Man Jacobs? What kind of name is that?" Faye asked incredulously.
The old Faye attitude was back.
Spike had missed it.
"His name! Silly Faye-Faye!"
Faye groaned as Mai let out a hearty laugh.
"Only problem is Edward cannot find him. He does not have a home!"
"You just said he was on Titan, Ed," Faye responded.
"But not where on Titan! Titan is huge and empty!" Edward stretched her arms out and wobbled from her sitting position on the floor.
"So that's our job, then?" Faye asked.
Mai crossed her arms in thought. "I need to see a friend about a lead," she decided.
"A lead? Already?"
Spike stared at Mai as Faye questioned her. Mai was uneasy.
"I'll be back before too long." Mai began to walk towards the hallway to the hangar.
"I'm going with you," Faye declared.
Mai turned to face her. "Forewarning, doll, you may not like the things my guy has to say."
The memory hit Spike quite suddenly.
"Besides, you're still not strong enough to fight, swimming bird."
He watched them walk away before deciding to visit the man himself.
Laughing Bull had always been insightful.
