“How are things in your sector?”
“Quiet.” He ties the cavrinskh together. Not much of it is left, so I doubt he’ll take it to Trench.
“Arc found a new Earth flick I think you’d like. Humans in space, thinking they have a chance against a bunch of bugs.”
“They win, of course,” he says, picking up a handful of snow and scrubbing it on his suit leg. “The hero gets the girl and they save the universe?”
“Something like that.”
“Send it over. I’ll put it on the list.”
I don’t know if he ever watches them, but I’ll keep sending them.
“Has anyone taken any big bites out of you lately?”
He makes a show of looking at his hands. The missing finger wasn’t from a bite, but the chunk out of the side of his palm was from a beak.
“Nothing permanent for a while.”
“Do you need anything?”
“No, this one was by itself.” He looks at the cavrinskh. “And it’s all wrapped up.”
“And that’s not what I was asking.”
“I know. But the answer’s the same.”
“You should put in for a bondmate… might be nice to have someone you like asking these kinds of questions.”
His jaw flexes and mine does too.
“Oh.” Drift has told him he can’t.
Sometimes I don’t have to ask a question to get an answer. Sometimes knowing by accident is worse.
Faultknowswhat I know.Maybe that’s why he doesn’t ever seem happy to see me.
But Drift and I disagree on a lot of things, and isolating Fault is one of them.
“Seen anything strange since the crash?” I change the topic, looking out at the peaks of the inner caldera.
Fault watches me. “Kind of.”
“Want to share?”
He doesn’t. But he will anyway.
“It has not escaped my notice that Arc isn’t making his usual rounds. Is he injured?”
“No. We just finally found a reason to convince him to stay home.”
“Must be a real temptation.” He glances in the direction of our outpost. “I would bet I’m not the only one who’s noticed… in case that’s something you three want to get ahead of.”
“And what do you think we need to get ahead of?”
“I don’t know, and Drift wouldn’t want me to know, but… make surehedoes know what it is.”
“Kimba’s aware.”
