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As Ritika spread mayo across her sandwich bread, sharp clacks echoed throughout the Tempest's cramped Galley.
"Hmm?" Mira muttered. Her low voice was almost muffled by her pacing. Almost. "What the hell does 'hmm' mean?"
"How many times you gunna ask yourself that?" Riti added. She never looked away from the countertop, and draped some mystery meat over her bread before dressing her lunch with lettuce and tomatoes. Behind her, she sensed her sister make a face; which meant either Mira hated being called out on her ramblings or she wanted to reiterate how she despised Riti's healthy diet. "You haven't shut up about these 'hmm's in a week," the younger Ryder continued. "You ready to tell me what they're all about?"
A long, exaggerated sigh signified forfeit. When the purple-haired Ryder turned, her lunch accented by sliced fruits and a water bottle, she noticed Mira slumped in the corner booth. Waves of pink hair sprawled over the triangular tabletop and Riti brushed a few aside to set down her plate. A few moments passed. All was silent, sans Riti's chewing. She hated hearing herself chew.
"So," she started, "what was that you were saying, Mir?"
"What kind of sandwich are you even eating?" Mira countered. "Smells weird." She turned her head slight enough to uncover her mouth, but not enough to move the thick hair from her face.
Ritika shrugged. "Dunno. Drax made it."
"You're eating Drax's food?"
"My kitchen crimes aren't in question here. Your sanity is. Now, spill."
Mira hit her forehead against the table with a groan. "I don't understand."
"Understand what?"
"Everything! Me. My future. My past. My damn feelings. Evfra."
"Evfra?" Riti's throat hurt from swallowing half-chewed food, and she beat her chest as Mira erected her body like a Jack-in-the-Box.
"What's wrong with me? Scratch that; what's wrong with him? I try to talk like a normal person, and all he can say is 'hmm'?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up. Evfra told you this?"
"Yes."
"You've been talking to him?"
"No shit, Sherlock."
Riti made a face. "Is that why you spend your free time in Resistance HQ? To see him?"
"No," Mira spat. Then her golden eyes darted to the side. "I mean, not at first. It's just so peaceful on Aya. Too peaceful."
"That is what Rash and I love most about it. The mild climate. The sunshine. The sweet breezes. The waterfalls and"—a wide smile spread across Riti's face as her cheeks heated up—"caves."
"Firstly, ew. Secondly, that sort of...freedom is why I prefer HQ. Even though the Archon's gone now, there's still plenty issues that need sorted."
"And you like to help Evfra with those issues?"
"Or bother him. Tomato. Toe-mah-toe."
"Except he's getting under your skin. Without even trying, I imagine." Not that irking the pink-haired hothead cost much effort. She huffed and slumped down in the booth bench while Riti shoved a fruit slice in her mouth.
"I flirt with him," Mira said.
"Surprise, surprise."
"Sometimes he seems interested. But other times..."
Riti quirked an eyebrow, even though her sister stared at the metal table.
"He acts like I'm poison," she added, softer. "Maybe I am."
"Only when you deny yourself. You need to be more open."
"Sure thing, Darling One." Mira met Riti's glare with a smirk, which fell with her following sigh. "That's hard, ya know? And awkward. Weird ass Angara."
"Evfra isn't even as free with his emotions as Jaal," Riti muttered into her half-eaten sandwich. She savored its salty flavor, wondering how the Resistance leader could remain so distant. Wasn't that lonely?
"He called me something last time we docked there," added Mira in an undertone. "It was in Shelesh. SAM had a close translation though."
"Which was?"
"Slut."
Riti munched slowly, gaze focused on her sister's deadpan. "Yo—you aren't a slut!" she screeched. "I mean, yeah, you avoid commitment like the plague. Your only long-term thing was with he-who-shall-not-be-named, and you strung both Kandros and Videl along for months. And that was just here in Andromeda. That isn't counting the years back home when you—" The younger Ryder lowered her sandwich. "Oh God, my sister really is a space slut."
"Not you too!" Mira slammed a palm against the tabletop. It slid and left a sweat smear after the hothead gathered her hands back in her lap. "I got defensive and I don't know why. It's not like the news is new."
True; most who knew Mira, even if she never opened up to them, could tell she lived a non-committal life. Videl had taken advantage of that and Kandros had attempted to pull her out of it. Both had been unsuccessful in the long run like Mira was cursed.
"Hmm," Riti drawled.
The hothead shook a stern finger. "Don't. You. Dare."
"Huh? Oh. Well, I can't pretend to understand what Evfra's 'hmm' is. Though I can tell you why it bothers you."
"Please," Mira said dryly. "Dazzle me."
The purple-haired Ryder shoved the last of her lunch in her mouth then helped down it with gulps of water. She hiccupped after she finished, wiping water from her chin, saying, "You care what he thinks."
"I don't give a shit what anyone thinks."
"I've been with you since the womb; I know. If you asked Rash, she'd say the same thing. And it means something if you hate that he thinks of you as a space slut."
"Call me slut one more time."
"You want Evfra to see you as the good person we know you are. And he could. The only one stopping him is you."
"I'm not even—"
Riti's plate scraped the table as she leaned forward. "Say 'worth it,' and my biotics will blast you so hard there'll be a hole in the Tempest's hull."
Mira paled—a subtle act only her sisters could detect.
"No one is worth more than someone else, Mir. In any universe. It's all perception and perception changes. We came to Andromeda just for that: a fresh start, a new view. It took two-point-five million light years for me to find someone good for me. And he isn't human or even from the Milky Way. I think for us, after what we went through...that's best. Don't you?"
Mira kept quiet as Ritika gathered her dish to place in the sink. The hothead's breathes had slowed, and her brows furrowed tighter the longer she dwelled on her thoughts. She had a lot to consider, which was okay; Riti's main concern was setting up the Galley, so Drax thought Liam took his food instead.