Chapter One, Part Three
Julie eased her single bag down to the floor carefully next to a sleeping nook; it was made, entirely in neutral and unassuming colors, and once the bag was safely on the floor her legs buckled and dropped her onto the thin bedding unceremoniously. She had, on the way to the room that was now her living space, realized that she'd been expecting to be turned away from the mercenary fleet entirely, able to go to her appointed duties knowing that she'd tried to escape and failed.
But she hadn't failed; she was flopped on a bed in her new quarters with Blackthorn Squad, apparently as a rookie mech pilot - a position so far beyond her imagining that it registered in her head solely as static. She knew nothing about mechs - save for the EVA suits for delicate external repairs - and less about anything like combat. She curled up on her side, starting to shake as it all set in.
The chime from the door interrupted her spiral into panic; familiar enough for her to identify what it was, but different enough to declare that it wasn't a sound from home. "Um." Quick flailing motions got her upright again, and she cleared her throat to ease the tightness that had been settling in. "Uh- System, allow entry?"
The door slid open a moment later to reveal a short, slim figure with a fuzz of hair so pale it was white tinged with blue, in a snugly-fitting jumpsuit; a container in each hand as they stepped into the room. "Hello there, rookie. I heard Archon abducted another likely soul and came to make sure you were okay. You can call me Spider, for now." Their eyes - irises a red so faded as to nearly be pink, skipped across her and her lone bag before taking in the room, each eye framed by tattoos of three more eyes, each pairing a different color.
One of the containers was held out to Julie, almost as an afterthought. "Tsk. Of course Mask assigned you to one of the smaller berths. You're okay here? She probably did it so if you see hers you'll be wowed by the size of it. Go on, don't just hold that, open it up and see if anything looks appealing." The newcomer - Spider - sat down on the floor, opening the other container at the same time to fill the air with a wash of steam and savory smells. "Might be a bit spicy, I like to fix things that remind me of home. There's a packet of milk jelly if you're not one for hot."
Julie opened the container, looking around the berth as she did so, a sense of bafflement creeping across her; the idea that the berth was small seemed absurd. Six people could call this space home, on her station of birth. "I- Uhm. That is-" She cut short, the scent of the food revealed - something with rice, a thick brown sauce, and a variety of colorful vegetables mixed into it, smelling savory and spicy enough to make her nose itch from it. "Oh. What is this?"
"A curry, dear. Mimics the stuff I grew up with, back in Phlegethon. Dig in, and let me know if it's a bit much for you. Archon loves it, Mask can't handle a bite, Ashes and Knight don't like it for ideological reasons." Spider had already taken a few bites, although they paused as Julie carefully tugged the single-use cutlery free from the outside of the container and took a bite.
"Oh." It was really all that she could say; everything the smell had promised, the first bite delivered, rich and spicier than anything she'd eaten outside of the occasional splurging birthday treat. She didn't notice Spider smile, just a little, as she dug into it, abruptly aware that she hadn't eaten for most of a day cycle.
It was only after she was scraping the last bit of sauce and rice out of the tray that realization hit. "Oh! I'm sorry, I completely forgot you asked-"
"Hush, darling. You were clearly famished, and it certainly looked like you needed it, and like you enjoyed it." Spider stood, and now Julie noted that their legs bent oddly - digitigrade like the EVA mechs. "It's nice to know I'll be able to share a meal with someone who isn't going to either turn their nose up at it or spend the entire time being All That, now and then. But yes - you're okay in this little space?"
"I think so. It's big compared to what I'm used to." She cast about for somewhere to put the empty container, only to have Spider take it from her hands. "Sorry."
"No sorries, darling. I brought dinner to your door uninvited, I take care of the dishes after. And... If this space ever does start feeling cramped, or you just want more room, there are a few larger berths you can move to, but if you're fine for now, that's good. Just don't let Mask try to wow you with how much space she has, all right?"
"O- Okay. Thank you for dinner."
"My pleasure, darling. I like to meet the people Archon collects as soon as I can." They began to leave, but paused at the doorway, just before opening it, and tipped their head back. "If you want, you can drop by my quarters tomorrow evening, I can fix you some other cuisine from Phlegethon. It'd be nice to have company, since everyone but Archon complains if I fix it in the galley and preparing a meal for one is just depressing."
"I- I'll think about it! Thank you!" As the door closed behind Spider, Julie let herself slide back down onto the bedding - loose, this time, rather than a despairing, frantic curl - and wondered what she had gotten herself into.
It was in the middle of realizing that Spider, like Mask, had asked her to come over for a private dinner that sleep took hold and dragged her down.
