It might have been a short-lived experience, but she didn’t think she’d ever forget it. The day she officially joined the Black Web. Sasha stared at the clothes Madame Dyré had picked out for her. Something that would mark her choice to pursue freedom, the spider had said. The white cloak was a bit cumbersome to put on, but she liked the design with its curled lines stitched on the back. It made her feel like she had angel wings. Far from something she’d figure a pirate would wear. But then, she was only technically a pirate, wasn’t she?

Her door flew open.

“Delivery!” a familiar human voice called.

Sasha recoiled slightly, but tried not to show it too much as the always smiling Gabriella strutted into her room, the tall weasel known as Bettle behind her. The latter was carrying a small cardboard box while the former skipped along, stopping just in front of the panther.

“Hmm,” Gabriella hummed. “You look good in white, Sasha. The waves of the sky will surely bring you smooth sails.”

Sasha forced a smile. “Right.”

Gabriella giggled. Even if they were on the same side, Sasha doubted she would get over her distrust of the girl anytime soon. It was hard to forget the sensation of having a needle jammed in her neck. Or seeing the little girl smiling down at her as she fell unconscious. And it certainly didn't help she was so chummy with the man who threatened to cut off her tail only a couple days before.

She had yet to see Xan's look-alike around the ship. Given how Bettle was, she didn't mind that.

“I see little kitty’s got an upgrade,” the weasel said.

Sasha bared her fangs, though the older man seemed to regard the threat with a bigger smile. Gabriella stood between them.

“Easy on her, Beetle,” she said. “She’s on our side, remember?”

“Uh-huh. Why d’ya think I brought her all this fancy stuff?”

He set the box down on her new bed. The old one felt like a lump of brick compared to the supple cushion Madame Dyré had provided her. The room was about the same size as the old one, though without the overly large window. Instead, she had a monitor against the wall, which Sasha had at first mistaken for a camera before one of the pirates explained how televisions worked. She'd yet to use the thing.

"Are those grenades?" Sasha asked, looking inside the box. An assortment of knives, blasters, and round objects were all piled up together. Bettle picked up one of the round things.

"Ah. A cat of class, I see." He tossed it up and down. "Ever use one of these?"

“Not really, no.”

“Ah. Well, it’s real simple.”

He pulled the pin.

Sasha’s eyes grew wide, an orange glow rising over the device as it started emitting a high-pitched beep. Beetle gave a toothy smile, still tossing the weapon like a ball.

"You'll have about 10 seconds," he said.

"Are you-"

“Catch!”

He tossed the thing Sasha’s way, the panther instinctively freaking out when she saw the thing glowing in her palms. She threw it back to Bettle, who grinned and threw it to Gabriella. The thing kept glowing and beeping, the sound steadily growing from a slower chime to a speedy rhythm. Gabriella stared down at the bomb like it was some toy.

“3 seconds,” Bettle said.

Sasha yanked the thing, tossing it into a corner wiping out GT, staff raised as she stood in front of the little girl. The grenade gave a final ping. Sasha braced.

A spray of confetti blew into the air.

Sasha slowly lowered her weapon, colorful pieces raining down all around her room. Bettle threw up his hands, dancing around the room like it was snowing. His huge grin and playful laughter made Sasha's rage boil over.

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"A prank?" she growled. "You stupid weasel! I thought we were gonna die!"

He just laughed louder, stopping to hold his stomach. That was the final nail in the coffin. Sasha would have been glad to see Bettle thrown out the nearest airlock along with his stupid box of junk.

But the worst part was the look Gabriella gave her. Her usual playful smile had turned into one of admiration. Sasha looked away. She might not have liked Gabriella, but she wasn’t about to watch the girl get blown up. Though if she’d known it was a prank, she would have been happy to step aside and let nature take its course.

Sasha put away GT.

“Are these all joke weapons?” she demanded.

“Only some of them,” Gabriella said. “Bettle knows which ones are real, but he's...”

“Not telling,” Beetle said, his laughter finally dying away. “Good luck figuring it out on your own, little kitty.”

Sasha growled at him, but he was already dashing out of the room, his annoying deed accomplished. She cursed under her breath. How was it that she’d met someone somehow worse than Captain Mercury? Than the Elders at Argos? She groaned, briefly considering how to dispose of her box of semi-useless junk. Maybe the airlock.

“Every warrior hides its teeth for a pinch,” Gabriella said. “Some of this stuff might be useful.”

“Uh-huh.” Sasha plopped down on the bed. “Think I’ll just stick to GT for now if it's all the same. It hasn’t steered me wrong yet.”

Gabriella nodded. She plopped down beside her, much to Sasha’s restrained disgust. If not for the girl being so close to Madame Dyré, Sasha would have gladly told her to get out of her room. My room. She found the word strangely comforting. Her special place in all the cosmic madness.

“I wanted to apologize.”

Sasha came out of her thoughts.

"Huh?"

Gabriella was staring down at her hands, squeezing the seams of her skirt. Her usual smile had fizzled away.

“About lying to you,” she said. “I needed you to let your guard down, but, I realize that wasn't really a good way to form a lasting friendship.”

She looked up at Sasha, the playfulness gone from her expression. She almost looked afraid. Like she was scared to speak further. She tried to reach out but seemed to decide against it, her hand pulling back to grab her skirt again. Sasha didn't say a word. For once the kid, the kid seemed like she was being sincere.

“I’d like to be friends with you, Sasha,” she said. “There aren’t a lot of other girls on the ship if you haven’t noticed. But I know you might not like me because of what I did on Omopoe. So I won’t force you into anything.”

The little girl smiled, one that seemed almost sad.

“But if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m all ears. I know a few shows I could show you. As long as you don’t mind being friends with a human.”

She giggled, one that sounded so forced Sasha wondered if it was instinctive. Gabriella gave a final dip of the head, hopping off the bed and racing back into the hallway. The metallic door slammed shut behind her, Sasha left to stare after the strange little girl.

Friends with a human?

Sasha looked to the prank grenade. To the box of supplies sitting on her bed. To the pieces of confetti scattered all around her new room.

So this is the life of a pirate, huh? Guess I should get used to it.

She smirked, laying back against her bed. It felt like everything was happening so fast.

Somehow she'd gone from a girl trapped on an island to a monster killer to a pirate. And now she was being offered friendship by the same girl who'd gotten her kidnapped and waterboarded. Thinking about it all, Sasha couldn't help but laugh. So much so that she ended up holding her sides, nearly knocking over the box in the process. A quick summon of GT kept the container from spilling out.

"Phew."

She pulled the junk box towards her.

"Hey GT."

"Yes, Ms. Sasha?" the staff asked.

"You think Mr. Erin and Mr. Xan are okay? Wherever they are?"

"Are you asking if they're dead?"

"What! No! At least, I hope they're not."

She felt a tug in her chest. Even if she’d joined with the Black Web, it was hard to forget about her two former liaisons. She didn’t know what happened to them after the ship incident, but she could only assume they were okay. Mr. Xan was a wall, and Mr. Erin was invincible as long as he had his wand. They wouldn't let a little ship explosion hurt them, would they?

She looked at her commpad. She quickly searched the tracker, relaxing slightly when she saw an icon appearing in some faraway galaxy. She smiled.

Right. They're fine. They'll take care of each other wherever they are.

The sound of the intercom drew her attention.

“Sasha the Panther, you are needed to the bridge,” a male voice called out.

She nodded. Time to liberate another world. She straightened up, dusting the confetti off her cloak.

“Focus up, Panther,” she said. "Gotta save some worlds so I can see Cici and Iris."

Her smile grew, Sasha hopping off her bed and heading straight into the hall, her heart slightly lighter.

Stay safe, you two. I'll find you as soon as I can.