tried.
She smiled at them all.
“Happy birthday to you, Mun. Pila told us it's your birthday today, and on Earth, we sing a song on someone's birthday. I've come to sing it for you, if you'd like?”
Mun's gaze flew to her face, then she looked over at Pila. “A song especially for me?” She looked stunned.
Fee wondered what the hell they thought singing was, here. Some kind of finite resource, obviously. To be dolled out sparingly and with a mean hand.
“I don't know . . .” She trailed off, and then looked up almost guiltily, as someone else entered the room.
They all turned, although Fee saw Carmain had obviously been standing with her body angled to the door all along, so she already knew it was Captain Vakeri, and her gun was not raised like Pila's.
“Feeling better, Mun? Hadri?” The captain's gaze flickered over Pila as he lowered his shockgun, and then focused on his injured crew.
“I'm probably ready to leave,” Hadri said.
“When Jasa says,” Vakeri said. “Mun?”
“Still a little tender, sir.” Mun lifted her body with her arms carefully, and repositioned herself again.
She couldn't get comfortable, Fee guessed. Chances were there was something she could take for the pain and she had decided not to take it.
Silence fell, as everyone tried to work out what to do, now the captain had joined them. He was a similar size to Pila, perhaps a little taller and leaner in build, but he seemed to take up more room.
“Fiona is here to sing a birthday song for Mun,” Carmain said.
“I know. Gerbardi told me, and I hope you don't mind, but I would like to hear it, too.”
Fee sensed Pila's tension dissipate a little. He'd thought he might be in trouble for this, she realized. Organizing a song for his girlfriend on her birthday while on duty.
Except, his time was hers, really. And she wanted to do this. Wanted to integrate into this life, if she could.
Suddenly, every eye in the room turned to her.
She did want to do it, but suddenly, the gesture took on a lot more weight than it should. It was just 'happy birthday' after all.
“I don't mean to diminish the moment, but you do realize it is a short song?”
“Even so, to waste your voice on something so trivial . . .” Mun looked like she didn't know whether to dig a hole and hide or clap her hands excitedly.
The Grih definitely had some strange ideas about singing. Using your voice made it stronger. Made it better.
Before Mun could talk herself out of it, Fee launched into the song, singing it through twice seeing as she had such an avid audience, to give them more bang for their buck.
When she finished, Mun was leaning back on her pillows, her eyes bright with tears. “Thank you, Fiona.”
“It was my pleasure.” She meant it, but was uncomfortably aware that they were placing far more value on what she'd done than it deserved.
She didn't know how to convey that, though, without ruining the moment, so she kept quiet.
A fight for another day.
She caught the captain watching her, leaning against the wall, with arms crossed over his chest.
He was the hardest to read of everyone in the room.
Carmain was openly affected, like Mun, and Hadri was, too. Pila was trying to keep his expression neutral, but Fee honestly couldn't say what Vakeri was thinking. His gaze caught hers and she held eye contact, trying to stand her ground.
She tugged at her shirt, and then tried to still her hands, but she refused to look away.
He made her feel unbalanced.
On Earth, she'd had power over her own life. Since she'd been taken, she'd been at the mercy of others, and that was still the case.
Vakeri was the one with the power over her now.
And yet, she thought she could trust him. His behavior since she'd met him told her that, and still, he could change his mind at any moment and there was nothing she could do about it.
It made liking him difficult, even though it wasn't his fault. He was the captain. She was the orange.
She tugged at her
She smiled at them all.
“Happy birthday to you, Mun. Pila told us it's your birthday today, and on Earth, we sing a song on someone's birthday. I've come to sing it for you, if you'd like?”
Mun's gaze flew to her face, then she looked over at Pila. “A song especially for me?” She looked stunned.
Fee wondered what the hell they thought singing was, here. Some kind of finite resource, obviously. To be dolled out sparingly and with a mean hand.
“I don't know . . .” She trailed off, and then looked up almost guiltily, as someone else entered the room.
They all turned, although Fee saw Carmain had obviously been standing with her body angled to the door all along, so she already knew it was Captain Vakeri, and her gun was not raised like Pila's.
“Feeling better, Mun? Hadri?” The captain's gaze flickered over Pila as he lowered his shockgun, and then focused on his injured crew.
“I'm probably ready to leave,” Hadri said.
“When Jasa says,” Vakeri said. “Mun?”
“Still a little tender, sir.” Mun lifted her body with her arms carefully, and repositioned herself again.
She couldn't get comfortable, Fee guessed. Chances were there was something she could take for the pain and she had decided not to take it.
Silence fell, as everyone tried to work out what to do, now the captain had joined them. He was a similar size to Pila, perhaps a little taller and leaner in build, but he seemed to take up more room.
“Fiona is here to sing a birthday song for Mun,” Carmain said.
“I know. Gerbardi told me, and I hope you don't mind, but I would like to hear it, too.”
Fee sensed Pila's tension dissipate a little. He'd thought he might be in trouble for this, she realized. Organizing a song for his girlfriend on her birthday while on duty.
Except, his time was hers, really. And she wanted to do this. Wanted to integrate into this life, if she could.
Suddenly, every eye in the room turned to her.
She did want to do it, but suddenly, the gesture took on a lot more weight than it should. It was just 'happy birthday' after all.
“I don't mean to diminish the moment, but you do realize it is a short song?”
“Even so, to waste your voice on something so trivial . . .” Mun looked like she didn't know whether to dig a hole and hide or clap her hands excitedly.
The Grih definitely had some strange ideas about singing. Using your voice made it stronger. Made it better.
Before Mun could talk herself out of it, Fee launched into the song, singing it through twice seeing as she had such an avid audience, to give them more bang for their buck.
When she finished, Mun was leaning back on her pillows, her eyes bright with tears. “Thank you, Fiona.”
“It was my pleasure.” She meant it, but was uncomfortably aware that they were placing far more value on what she'd done than it deserved.
She didn't know how to convey that, though, without ruining the moment, so she kept quiet.
A fight for another day.
She caught the captain watching her, leaning against the wall, with arms crossed over his chest.
He was the hardest to read of everyone in the room.
Carmain was openly affected, like Mun, and Hadri was, too. Pila was trying to keep his expression neutral, but Fee honestly couldn't say what Vakeri was thinking. His gaze caught hers and she held eye contact, trying to stand her ground.
She tugged at her shirt, and then tried to still her hands, but she refused to look away.
He made her feel unbalanced.
On Earth, she'd had power over her own life. Since she'd been taken, she'd been at the mercy of others, and that was still the case.
Vakeri was the one with the power over her now.
And yet, she thought she could trust him. His behavior since she'd met him told her that, and still, he could change his mind at any moment and there was nothing she could do about it.
It made liking him difficult, even though it wasn't his fault. He was the captain. She was the orange.
She tugged at her
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