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“Hey look!” Crys shouted, catching the attention of plenty of the vode around them in the mess. “Longshot’s got his fifty-mission paint on.”
“Get fucked.” Longshot said, dropping into the open seat between Wooley and Waxer. “It’s not my fault we had to bushwhack spike vines on the last planet.”
“You don’t see Wooley wandering around with his fifty-mission paint on and he’s shinier than you are.” Crys said, gesturing at Wooley. Wooley, totally lost, raised his hands in protest.
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about.” Wooley said. “What’s fifty-mission paint?”
“It’s a way of making you seem less shiny than you are by scuffing your paint up artificially.” Boil said. “It doesn’t usually work for a bunch of reasons.”
“One is using steel wool.” Longshot said, still glaring at Cry’s. “It doesn’t look natural and doesn’t have the same sort of scores as some types of genuine damage. Like from spikes.”
“Don’t most vode with paint keep it pretty well maintained when they can?” Wooley asked.
“That’s part of the reason why it doesn’t really work.” Boil confirmed.
Wooley looked down at his own paint. It didn’t seem that scuffed but he had no idea where the line was. Boil bumped his shoulder against Wooley’s.
“You’re fine.” He said quietly. “Longshot’s fine really. Crys is just making fun.”
“Right.” Wooley said. It was reassuring to hear, but Wooley still wasn’t sure of his place, didn’t want to seem like a shiny trying too hard to look experienced.
“If you want we can do a painting session.” Longshot said, nudging Wooley from the other side. “But you are fine. No one’d accuse you of having fifty-mission paint. ‘Cept Crys, who’s a shithead.”
“Hey.” Crys protested. “Wooley’s fine. He’s too earnest for it anyways.” Wooley felt a blush rising to his cheeks and ducked his head to hide it.
“Aww.” Longshot immediately pulled him sideways, ruffling his hair as Wooley squirmed to get away. “Is our shiny Wooley blushing?”
“Fuck off.” Wooley mumbled, shoving Longshot away. He went back to picking at his food as Gearshift and Trapper joined them and became the focus of the good natured ribbing from the other members of Ghost Company.