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She wasn’t in the recreation room, or the entrance to the swimming room, or the galley. He didn’t think she’d be in the second bedroom, which only left the cockpit.
He headed there, apology already on his tongue.
However, the moment he stepped inside, his combot started its merry chiming, alerting him of an incoming vid comm.
Sophie, who was sitting at the communication panel, her combot in front of her, recording, gave him a look over her shoulder before turning back to the device.
She was putting on her makeup again. Something she did on camera as she talked to her audience. She had told him it was a way of connecting with her viewers in a more intimate way. When he suggested she just talk to them, she told him that wouldn’t work. Just talking gave it more of a formal speech feeling, but if she was getting ready while talking, it invoked a sense of intimacy and closeness that talking at them couldn’t convey.
And it felt strangely like she was shutting him out as she turned to them while aggressively swirling one of her makeup brushes into one of her powders. There was nothing between them, but it felt exactly as if she had slammed a door in his face.
Staring at her, Serval answered the comm without checking the name.
“This is Serval,” he said, stepping towards his mate as she angrily swiped the brush over her face. Her mouth closed as she waited for his call to finish before continuing her recording.
“Hey, you,” Korvii suddenly sang out, making Serval’s teeth grit as he glared over to see the infuriating domini male smirking at him. “What are you doing around these parts, friend?”
“What are you talking about?” Serval snapped, already aggravated by this fight with his mate. He didn’t want to add Korvii’s obnoxiousness on top of it.
“Just a bit surprised to see you dropping out of a swing in my vicinity.”
Serval groaned. “You are not around this outpost, are you?”
“Want to hook up our ships? We can share a meal. I can prove once and for all that my female is better than yours.”
Sophie sent him a look over her shoulder. Completely shuttered and unreadable, but it didn’t look at all positive.
“No. I have a job to do,” Serval snapped.
“Oh? What are you hunting down?”
“I’m not telling you! You think I’m that stupid?”
“You think I’m desperate enough to steal your story?! Ha! I’m chasing my own. My farasie story led me here. So, if that’s what you came here for, you might as well back off now. That story is mine!”
“It’s not,” Serval admitted, some of his defensiveness fading.
“You really think I would do that?” Korvii asked, something in his tone that didn’t quite sit right with Serval for some reason.
“You’ve never done it before,” he admitted.
Korvii was obnoxious. He was constantly a thorn in Serval’s side. But Serval could admit that he had never done anything underhanded like trying to steal a story. They had both covered the same conflicts and large events in the past, but that wasn’t the same thing as taking a story. Korvii had also never made an attempt to hide his own stories. He always announced them to Serval like they weren’t in competition. And of course, Serval didn’t steal them, because he wasn’t underhanded like that.
It must be insulting to be accused of doing so, especially when he was so openly unconcerned with divulging his own investigations.
Korvii made a sound, like Serval’s admission was enough of an apology for the, admittedly, baseless accusation.
“Me and Hela and are going down. Meet us. Safety in numbers and all that.” His voice took on that distinctly annoying teasing tone. “I would extend that offer to your mate, but I’m pretty sure you’re not enough of a novi to bring a soft little thing like her down there.”
Serval looked over to Sophie who was still staring at him. However, when she caught his eye, she snapped her makeup pallet closed with a harsh clack and set it to the side, deliberately ignoring him as she fished around for something else to slather on her face.
“You know, because yours is weak and helpless and mine is superior in every possible way,” Korvii continued, oblivious to the fact that she could even hear him.
“Shut up,” Serval said, perhaps not as strong as he could.
“I told you she can’t help you,” Korvii laughed. “Her cute little stories and silly little videos don’t even compare to what my Hela can do! See you down there, Serval. Guess I’ll have to meet your vitrala mate another time!”
Laughing uproariously, like he’d told some great joke by calling Sophie weak, Korvii ended the comm, leaving Serval and Sophie sitting in strained, uncomfortable silence.
