[sylvanSpider]

The twins followed in Tennan's endeavor, however unconsciously, each draining their mug to half-empty and slamming it on the table in the highly exaggerated manner of pirates were just beginning a night of drinking. Both were keen to notice that all of this was done in unison and smiles erupted on their faces--the brothers each holding a hand out for a high-five to the other, then decided to include Tennan on in their ritual each holding up their other hand. Tennan now in on it, the twins each gave the other a look that seemed only to say She can keep up. She can be one of us, the third in our trifecta of explosions and mischief... Oh, how they had waited for this day! A third party that would show that they were not exclusionary to other members of the crew.

Indeed, the rest of the crew treated the brothers much like Marco had, simply staying as far out of their way as possible. Marco drank maybe a fourth of his, pressed as far back in his seat as humanly possible if only to put some distance between him and the three. They'd said that Tennan was new, but Marco got the feeling of anything but. She seemed to already belong with them. In a way, he envied her in her ability to keep up with the boys and actually enjoy herself, to actually enjoy being around other people. On Ariacan, he was always a lone wolf. There was no romance for Marco, nor friendships. It wasn't that he didn't want one, or maybe even two, friends, but he was terrified of each and every one of them. He didn't say anything, just continued to shift his eyes from one of the three to the others in turn lifting his mug to sip from it. Tennan was right; this was a very good brew.

“Damn right et is!” Damon said, raising his mug once more to finish the drink in one fell swoop.

Roek picked up his mug and grinned waggling his eyebrows at Tennan, “Cook makes et 'ere on the ship! 'E's the best damn brewer in the galaxy, an' we get 'im on our ship. Et's to 'im that we owe all our successes, giv'n us reason t'fight.”

Damon's brow, however, furrowed seeing Marco gingerly sipping at his drink and moved his hand to tip the mug at a steeper incline making Marco's eyes go wide with the sudden influx of alcohol, “Thar we go, that's better, isn't et?”

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Qi looked down. Lush. Green. Both descriptors of the way her planet was not even an hour ago. The Yingya descended on them in an instant. There was no fighting back. There couldn't have been. There was no way to predict what was about to happen and when it did, they took everything. Guangda was a land of a simple life, and it made for a popular destination for pirates to land, gather supplies, and take off again. They never stole from the locals and often paid handsomely for fuel and food, their economy booming just due to these miscreants. This was probably why Ilan was there to begin with, a weary traveler just looking for supplies, and Qi was lucky that he was there when he was. “I am new to space,” Qi murmured, bowing her head and clasping her hands in her lap. She swallowed some spit that had gathered at the back of her throat, choking back tears. Some formed in her eyes despite her trying not to, the blackened sphere that she once called home growing smaller as they traveled.

Qi took the little baggy in her hands and breathed in. It smelled delicious, the kind of smell that made her think of incense burned at the temple weekly, daily in times of festival. It reminded her of Nainai's house and the altar dedicated to her Yeye, gone before she was born, but always there. He was much a part of her life as Nainai had been. Qi didn't see her death either, she was with her brothers at the time, just getting ready for one of their fishing trips when they came. “It smells...good,” Qi said, almost a whisper. She looked up to Ilan taking some of the bag and putting it in her hand, “Is enough?” With his nod, she extended her tongue lapping up the drugs like a cat drinking from a saucer of milk. It tasted like it smelled—really delicious. She wanted more, if only for the taste, but she knew better than that.

“You're...pirate?” Qi said, gulping. While the pirates of the skies were the cause of a boom of economy, she'd been warned against fraternizing with them. They were thieves, rapists...murderers. Her prejudices would have to be put aside, however. Qi couldn't describe it. Ilan was a pirate, yes, but she trusted him. It wasn't as though she had a choice, but the trust was there regardless. Something told her that she was safe with him, so long as she stayed with him. “I guess I'm pirate now, too, then,” Qi said, chuckling a bit despite the tear that was still making its way slowly down her cheek, across her lower jaw and to her chin. The tear wasn't for her fate that lay before her, but for the past she was leaving behind. Her parents would disapprove, but then, everyone in her life that would disapprove was gone now. She was a new person now, just like that, in an instant and not with a bang but with a small accepting laugh.

The stars began to lose their clarity.