“What the hell did you do?” Random asked for the fifth time as he lifted Mika’s foot to examine the small gash there.

“I told you! I must have stepped in some glass or something.” Mika took another unsteady swig from her half-empty bottle of rum.

“You don’t remember?”

The young woman sighed. “There was a glass, and it was broken, and I must have stepped in it. Happy?”

“But where were you? Why were you wandering around barefoot?”

The cut had already started to heal, so Random squeezed it to force out blood and all the impurities her foot had collected on her trek back to the ship. She winced, but Random held her foot firmly so she couldn’t pull away. He sighed.

“I’m going to get some supplies. I’ll need to disinfect this and bandage it. It might hurt for a few days when you try to walk on it.”

Mika smiled a slow and blissful smile – a drunken smile. “Will you carry me?”

“No. Now stay here.”

Mika let herself fall back onto his bed. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”

Random gazed at her sprawled form and sighed. “No. I suppose not.”

When he returned with a first aid kit, Mika had fallen asleep. He could just make out her soft snores as he kneeled next to her and lifted her foot. When he applied the antiseptic, she jerked awake and hissed, pulling her foot away from him.

“That stings!”

“Sorry,” Random tersely replied. “But it’s your own damn fault for gallivanting around town half naked.”

Mika gave him a sour look as he roughly pulled her foot back out again.

“I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I went to the Fest and took a bottle of rum.”

“Nicely sauced before you went there, I bet.”

“None of your business.”

“Well, I don’t know too many ladies who wander about town without their slippers, much less trod through broken glass and don’t notice it until the blood’s stained their bedsheets.”

Mika pouted. “Why are you so angry with me?”

“Well, it’s a bit early, isn’t it?”

Mika’s eyes lazily wandered the room. “True. Where’s the green tyke?”

“I’ve sent Jeremy on an errand.”

“It’s a bit early isn’t it?”

Random gave her a stern look. Clearly he did not like his words thrown back at him. “Some of us have duties to perform.”

“Oh come now, Random, since when have you turned down a drink? I hear you get pissed drunk every time you go to the Fest. Bet you’ve made an ass of yourself once or twice.”

“And what concern is that of yours?”

Random tossed aside the cloth he’d used to apply the antiseptic and blew on the cut. It must have felt cold because Mika fidgeted and glanced at him. He met her gaze, but she looked quickly away.

“Are you finished?” she asked.

“Not quite. Now I need to bandage it.”

Random bound Mika’s foot with gauze and when he was satisfied that it would stay in place, he ripped it with his teeth, securing the loose end with tape.

“Now be careful with this. We don’t exactly have extra money to throw around, so don’t waste what supplies we have.”

Random packed up the first aid supplies and rose to his feet. Mika struggled to sit up and reached for his hand. He looked down at her in surprise.

“Random!”

“What do you want?”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“This is normally the sort of thing I’d go to Arien for.”

Random snorted, but said nothing.

“Why are you jealous of him?”

“I’m not.”

“You are, I can tell. I’m a woman, and women know these things.”

“So?”

“So, I repeat. Why are you jealous of him?”

Random sighed, irritated, but he didn’t pull away. Mika tugged on his arm, impatient for an answer, and still he didn’t pull away.

“Well?”

“Well what? What do you want from me? You want me to say that I’m jealous because he had sex with you? Well, I had sex with you, too, remember, Mika? You want me to say that I’m jealous because you’re still pining after him when nobody even knows if he’ll be back? He better damn well come back! Did you know I had to give permission to Caden to move his new boyfriend in here? It’s only temporary, but still! My first order after being officially in charge, and it was that.”

Mika blinked up at him, her face utterly devoid of comprehension. “Caden has a new boyfriend? Why should that bother you?”

“It just does.”

Mika dropped his hand. “You have feelings for Caden, don’t you.”

Random sneered and looked away.

“You do! But why? He’s so… He’s so… clueless! And far from the greatest lover I’ve ever had.”

Random spun around. “You’ve slept with him, too!?”

Mika looked up at him defiantly. “So what if I have?”

Random turned away, his shoulders slumped. “Is there anyone you haven’t been with on this ship?”

Mika crossed her arms. “Jeremy and Caryn.”

Random glanced at her, one eyebrow raised. “If you ever manage to bed Caryn, let me know. I’ll want to see that.”

“Pervert.”

“Slut.”

“Like you aren’t? Can you honestly tell me that you wouldn’t have slept with Caden given the chance? Or Arien, for that matter. You like a pretty face just as much as I do. Isn’t that why you keep the kitten around?”

“Why I ‘keep’ Jeremy, as you say, is none of your business. And you’re drunk. Get some rest.”

Random started for the door.

“Wait! You mean I should sleep here?”

Random paused, his hand on the doorknob. “Why not? Enjoy the mattress.”

“You could help me back to my bed.”

“Just stay there and sleep it off. I’m going to put this stuff away.”

Mika stared after him a moment before curling up on the bed. She hadn’t been in a real bed in a while. When Random returned she had again fallen asleep, but this time he did not wake her. He even smiled softly while looking down on her, and ran his fingers lightly across her cheek. “Precious,” he murmured. Pulling the blankets up around her, Random carefully tucked Mika in.

With a stifled yawn, he settled himself on the floor, using his arms crossed beneath his head as a pillow. It was still early and with Jeremy running errands for him, Random wasn’t really needed on the ship yet. It would be amusing to see the boy’s reaction when he returned to find a woman in his master’s bed. Random smiled sleepily.