No. He couldn’t have her. She’d be gone in just a few days anyway. Then, she wouldn’t be a temptation for him any longer.
Chapter 10
Garnet
It was a complete surprise to her, but Garnet loved being on the spaceship.
She’d heard of aliens, of course. She’d watched all the news clips when it came to first contact. But as the idea became normal, she’d kind of just stopped thinking about it. Aliens being real didn’t mean her bills weren’t due, that her life was less difficult, that she didn’t have work in the morning. It was a huge change for Earth, but a weird news story day for her.
But now that she was on an actual ship, she was having a hard time trying to remember why she had to go back to Earth in the first place.
Goldie wasn’t really leaving their room much yet, but that was to be expected. Her sister was a lot more shy, more concerned about burdening other people. She worried about being in places she didn’t belong.
Garnet didn’t share that particular mental hang up. If someone wanted her gone, they’d shoo her out, and unless they did, she’d satisfy her curiosity by getting into everything she could.
Alred told her there was some manual cleaning supplies in one of the storage closets and directed her there, giving her access to a broom that was too big for her, gloves that were way too big for her, and cleaning supplies that actually smelled pretty nice when she was expecting a harsh, chemical scent to match the industrial motif the rest of the ship had. It wasn’t really floral or surgery. It was definitely an artificial smell, but it wasn’t unpleasant.
She was going to start by cleaning the halls. That would let her figure out the layout of the ship, and the halls desperately needed it anyway. She wouldn’t call them filthy, just neglected. Robots did this job usually, Alred explained, but most were broken and one of the crew members, Vytln, scrapped the rest for parts.
This place was hanging on by duct tape and determination, as far as she could tell.
And she loved it!
She always figured spaceships were going to be like these super clean, super regimented, serious places with no room for mistakes or dust. But space travel wasnormalto aliens, so of course there were going to be starships that needed a tune up and a new coat of paint. Seeing one in person just made it all seem real in a way it never had on Earth.
Cleaning it was a fun challenge as well. Garnet enjoyed a challenge. She liked rising to meet them. It made her feel good every time she met an obstacle and overcame it. She lived for that. And even though it was just cleaning, the fact that she was making clear and obvious progress, changing something for the better, even in this small way, felt good.
Garnet also got to meet the rest of the crew as she tidied up the halls.
The twins made themselves known to her first. They came around as she was working on the first floor, in the very first hall. They just kind of appeared without a sound, looking at her in that unnerving way of theirs. At first, they said nothing. Garet stared back, waiting for a bit, but they remained silent. When she finally gathered the courage to just introduce herself, only one of them spoke back, identifying them as Sorbet and Tebros. They told her to stay out of trouble before leaving her alone. That was it. Their words didn’t even sound so much like a warning as a super awkward way of them telling her to be careful. At least, that’s how she interpreted it since she felt no actual malice from them.
She also got to meet Rok again. The guy with four arms and patches of teal and black scales was absolutely massive. He was also an absolute sweetheart. He walked with his head and shoulders hunched down. Not just because he was shy and sweet, but because his head would brush the ceiling if he didn’t.
She found him crouched down, peeking around a corner, as she was working her way through the first floor. She knew he was staring but chose to ignore it, waiting for him to say something. He made a move like he was about to a couple times but always withdrew again. When she finally just decided to confront him directly, he jumped up, panicked, roared a loud-
“I’m sorry!”
-before running off into the ship. Garnet only figured out who he was and what was happening because Alred chose that moment to show up, laughing uproariously, to explain.
Rokwol, Rok for short, was the delivery boy of this company. He was the one who actually delivered and picked up the packages – usually. Tanin stepped in if it was important or dangerous. He was big, he was strong, and he was also mostly harmless. He knew his size was scary, and he felt bad about it, but he also wasn’t capable of making himself any smaller.
That didn’t stop him from trying. If Garnet came upon him while she was cleaning, he’d crouch down and back away slowly like he was worried she might attack. Or, more accurately, like he was worriedshewould be worried he’d attack. His voice was big and booming, and when he wasn’t shouting his apologies, he made attempts to make it quieter.
He was scarily big, but she also realized very quickly that he was a total cutie. She just wanted to hug him, pat his head, and tell him it would be okay. He’d never let her, always backtracking if they crossed paths, but that just made her want to do it all the more.
She explained all that to Goldie as she was standing in their privy, washing her clothes by hand in the shower along with her own body. The overall shorts and the shirt underneath them were the only things she had.
One downside of being here was that none of the guys had clothes that could fit them. Tanin was shorter than the rest of the crew. He was big, but not in a way that would do more than earn a second look on Earth. He was still within the realm of normal by her standards. At least, compared to the other monsters working on this ship.
But he was huge compared to her! There was no way his clothes would fit either of them. So, she had taken to washing her stuf by hand at night and wearing them again the next day. It was a lot of work, but it was only for eight or nine days.
Only five days until they swung into subspace…
Two days left now, actually. And whenever she thought about it, she’d get bummed. All she was doing was cleaning this place, but she was having a lot of fun. And she didn’t have to worry about bills or the rent-a-furniture people coming knocking for their couch back, or Goldie’s ex trying to stalk her again because the last time Garnet beat him with a baseball bat wasn’t obvious enough.
Comparatively, this was actually pretty sweet. So, knowing it was all going to end soon was a real downer on everything.
“I feel bad for screaming at him now,” Goldie laughed, running her fingers through her hair. They didn’t have brushes either. They were missing a lot of things. Just another reason they needed to get back to their apartment and all their stuff.
