It wasn't a knock, it was Jani's fist beating on the door that woke April from a restless sleep. It had taken forever to fall asleep- she'd heard Feb crying next door, and somehow that got her more upset than the fight they'd just had. She paced a while, until the crying stopped. Then she had waited by the door, hoping to hear that timid drunk knock from Feb after she'd been drinking. But that knock had never come, and finally she took a warm bath and went to bed. "What do you want?" April yelled out, not yet ready to get up and face the galaxy. "I want you to get your butt out of bed and make yourself useful." Jani answered. "We have a chance to make some money." "Money?" April was at attention now, and got up quickly. She ran to the door and flung it open. "I'm listening." "Jun did a little spamming and we have a potential buyer for the guns we've been stockpiling off our raids. But I need to get them more sorted and cleaned up before we go down to show them." "Okay, I'll get on my work suit and be right there." April went over to her closet. "Did you- did you wake up Feb yet?" she asked casually, rooting through her clothes. "Didn't have to. She got up on her own today and even seems to be sober. Maybe you should kick her door every night before she goes to bed." Jani snickered at the thought. "You're just so full of good advice these days." April huffed as she got dressed. "I'm absolutely chock-full of wisdom." Jani puffed out her chest. "You're chock-full of it, all right." April muttered as she went through the door. "Hey! I heard that!" ---------- She knew she was up, but she hadn't expected to see her in the armory, working alongside Jun and little Mayo. Feb usually didn't engage in hard labor- she preferred the kitchen, or being at the ship's console. She wore a dark green smock that had wide straps, almost like overalls. April had never seen Feb wear anything like that before, and couldn't help but stare for a moment. "Like it?" Feb asked, her eyes not matching the warmth of her voice. "It's really- different." April shrugged, not wanting to get into another fight. She took a seat on the bench opposite of Feb, and looked at the huge stack of guns on the table. "All these work?" she asked out loud, not sure who would have tested them. "I fired them all this morning." Feb said evenly. "Jani's been hauling the crates in, Jun sorted them and I fired the ones that looked good." "We're just going to need some good sets to take." Jun tossed a rag at April. Jani grunted as she moved crates around, trying to put them in sorting order. Mayo swung her feet busily back and forth, bent over her homework. "A-29's in this one, 410's in this one." Jani tapped the crates with her foot as she rattled off what gun went in each. "We've got seven batches altogether." "Sounds good." April bent her head and started her cleaning. The simple worked helped her to feel better, and she occasionally stole a sideways look at Feb, trying to gage her mood. Feb had twisted her hair and pulled it back, showing the fine angles of her face. Afraid that she would somehow start a fight again, April bent her head over further and continued working. Jani plopped down next her and started her own round of cleaning. The sound of metal clacking and hands scrubbing soon filled the room. "Why isn't anyone talking?" Mayo asked, clicking off her tablet. "Because we're busy." Jun answered patiently. "Are you finished?" "Yes. Do you want to check?" Mayo asked, clicking the tablet back on. April watched as Jun came over and put her hand on Mayo's shoulder, going over her work. Jun was reveling in her chance to be a parent. April sighed, wishing she was as happy. "What is that for?" Jani asked. "Nothing." April caught Feb looking at her, and looked back down at her gun. "Why were you yelling at us last night?" Mayo asked as she got up from the table. "What? I wasn't yelling at you." April was surprised at the question. She frowned and dragged her arm across her face, wiping the sweat from it. "I was just-" "She was yelling at me." Feb said evenly, and Mayo came to stand next to her. "Why was she yelling at you? Were you fighting again?" Mayo looked confused. "Yes we were, sorry about that." April nodded her head. "I didn't mean to bother your sleep." "Why do you fight so much?" Mayo asked, pulling on her ponytail. The room became quiet, and April realized that she and Feb were the center of attention. She cleared her throat nervously, searching for something to say. "Because we don't know what else to do with each other." Feb's soft voice filled the room. "Well, maybe you should play cards instead." Mayo announced, satisfied with the answer. Jani snorted and Jun gestured at Mayo to join her. Mayo took a step and something crunched under her foot. "Oh, look what I found that fell out of the pile!" she said brightly, holding up a pair of black sunglasses. "Those look a little big for you." Feb observed. Mayo turned back around and planted the sunglasses on Feb's face. Mayo stepped back and giggled. Then she stopped and tapped her lip. "You know with those on, you look like Percy." She tilted her head. "Jun, don't you think so?" "Well, she does have the same skin and hair, now that you mention it." Jun agreed. "But I have to say their lips are different." "Yea, Feb actually has lips." Jani chortled. "Ouch!" she yelped as April pinched her. "Well, since I was here first, I think it's safe to say that Percy looked like me." Feb swung her head around, but April couldn't see her eyes through the dark lenses. "What do you think?" she asked April. "I think I don't want to talk about this." April said tersely. Feb stood up and leaned over the table, her hand coming up to April's mouth. "Watch how you wipe. Your mouth is dirty." She said, running her thumb over April's lips. April jumped up and almost fell backwards over the bench. Jani and Mayo both burst out laughing. "You did the exact same thing the first time Micki Stousser touched you." Jani slapped her knee with laughter. "Micki Stousser? Who was he?" Feb asked, her head snapping in Jani's direction. "Stousser was April's jail girl." Jani snorted. "Jani! Shut up about that!" April fumed as a collective gasp went up around her. "You were in jail?" Mayo was incredulous. "You kissed a girl?" Jun's eyes were like saucers. "What was it like?" they both said at once, and Jani laughed even harder. Feb had sat back down at the table and was staring silently at April. "Of course she was in jail! You're living with a bunch of pirates, kid." Jani good-naturedly elbowed Mayo. "How do you think I met her? She was my best jail buddy!" "Will you kiss me?" Jun asked, looking hopeful. "I'm not kissing anybody!" April threw up her hands in frustration. "I'm not talking about this anymore- I'm leaving!" Jani's laughter echoed in the room as April ran out the door.
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