“Oh! Er, I don’t really know,” Goldie frowned thoughtfully. “I just know how to work the mediring, I don’t actually know howitworks.”
“That’s okay,” Haven waved away the words. “I can figuring it out.”
“Haven,” Vytln started, giving her a warning glance. “You can’t break it unless you know how to fix it. Not the medscanner. It’s too valuable.”
“Aw,” she pouted. “But how is I supposed to be knowing that without breaking it first?”
“You can practice on a broken one.”
She perked up. “You are having a broken one?”
“I’ll find one,” he promised, thinking about their next supply stops. There was always usually lot sales where broken and unsalvageable things were being sold for those who would either try to repair it or break it down for parts. He often re-supplied his collection of scrap from such sales, then used what he bought to either repair their ship or replace something on it.
Haven would dearly love going to those sales, he realized, turning his head. He looked back at Tanin who was conversing with the twins. The two male avanava were focused on him as he spoke. They were speaking too quietly to hear, but as Tanin finished, the two nodded and walked quickly from the room, moving in lock step.
“Captain,” Vytln called to him, catching his attention. “I forgot to ask. What job are we doing now?”
Vytln maintained the ship and everything electronic and mechanical on it. He worked with Alred in doing so, but he didn’t work with the others on actual deliveries. Unless it was so big or so dangerous they needed his strength, his task wasn’t actually involved with everyone else’s. For that reason, he rarely paid attention to what they were delivering or where. Especially now that they had a reliable set of subspace crystals running their subspace generator, and they didn’t need him watching them closely to make sure they didn’t die.
“We’re delivering a shipment of radioactive metals to a machine shop,” Tanin said, walking their way. “Our next one is a shipment of dangerous, venomous, carnivorous plants to a medical facility.”
“When is our next supply run?”
Tanin stopped in front of him, hands in his pockets. “You need something?”
“Scrap.”
“We can make time after that. The others would probably like leave time anyway. It’s been a while since we had time on a station.”
“Station leave time!?” Garnet called, jogging towards them from the other side of the room, beaming in excitement. “Yes! I would love to go shopping with Haven. We need to make sure she has everything she needs. Right, Grace?”
“I would enjoy a shopping trip,” the other female beamed, nodding along. “Haven?”
Haven cocked her head. “You’re inviting me?”
“Of course!” Goldie laughed. “You’re one of us now. And we definitely need a girls night.”
Haven blinked once, then broke out into a wide smile. “Yeah!”
Vytln grumbled quietly. That was not what he wanted. He wanted the chance to be with Haven for himself. But as the four females began chattering, talking excitedly about the things they wanted to look for and what they needed to restock on, he couldn’t interfere. She just looked so happy. And this seemed right.
Which was odd for him. Lvtl females didn’t gather together like this, communally. A female would always prefer the solitude of her nest. Which worked neatly with the male preference tokeepher safely in that nest. They would gather to protect and provide for their wylps, but in general, they weren’t extremely sociable.
It must be a human trait, however, because she seemed eager to go out with the others. He was just surprised thathewas okay with it.
He liked seeing Haven with the other females. He liked knowing that she wasn’t going to be trapped away from everyone in the walls anymore. She would get actual social interaction. She might have proved she didn’t need it, but by the smile stretched across her face as she nodded along with whatever Garnet was saying, she enjoyed it.
“We can have a couple days, right?” Sway asked, appearing at Tanin’s other side, his eyes on Grace, no doubt thinking the same thing as Vytln.
He liked the females being together, but he still wanted time with his mate.
“That’s fine,” the captain agreed, like he wasn’t just as invested in being alone with his female as they were. “We’ve saved up a fair amount of credz. A good supply run wouldn’t hurt. And we can take the time to get some renovations on the private rooms.”
Sway nodded to that, clearly liking that idea. Vytln really wasn’t as concerned about that part. He and Haven spent all their time in their workroom. He couldn’t move the trap out of there. It physically wasn’t possible. It was too big, too heavy, welded directly to the wall in places. He’d either have to destroy the ship or the trap if he ever wanted that moved.
Not that Haven seemed to mind its places. She always looked happy whenever he put her in her nest. And even now, when he interrupted their conversation and plans to take her hand and pull her away, she only laughed. She didn’t resist his tugging. The other females called out that they’d see her tomorrow, none of them even questioning that he was bearing her away.
“Backing to our nesting?” Haven asked, skipping happily to catch up to him and walk at his side, turning her hand to hold onto his fingers.
