"That you guys? Or another mercenary team with a crazy bird in the turret?" Buster's voice taunted Kincade and Mirabelle over their communicator.

Kincade was shocked at the jet of fire that shot out of the Hydra in response. He leaned back and looked down into the turret. Mirabelle noticed the movement in the corner of her eye and glared up at him. "Hey!" he said firmly, microphone muted. "Trigger discipline. Remember: don't put your finger on the trigger unless you're shooting. You're lucky that didn't happen in the ship."

"That wasn't an accident, Kincade. I know what I'm doing!" she yelled back at him.

"This is your first time out in the field, Mirabelle. You don't know what you're doing." he tried to explain calmly, "I have a lot more experience than you, you need to follow my lead. You just wasted ammo and possibly scared off our bounty for no reason."

Before Mirabelle could fire back, Buster's voice stopped them both. As he explained the origin of their falling out, Kincade initially dismissed it as a trick. Then he looked down at the gryphon and the shocked look on her face said it all.

"Mirabelle, why didn't you tell me?" Kincade asked patiently, "That was a decade ago, it's OK that you didn't want to be friends then. We were all different people. But you didn't say anything all the times I complained about Buster brushing me off. Trust and communication are so important for Freelancers, remember?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

She barely heard him, she was so shaken. When she had fired off that flamethrower moments ago, she had felt powerful. Now she felt weak. Why had she kept that a secret from him? She should have told him. Now it was too late. He doesn't like me anymore.

As the gryphoness spiraled, the panda fired his next volley. He had intended to get to Mirabelle, but Kincade was just as shaken. Everything he said lined up. The grizzly bear had been so preoccupied with not underestimating Buster, he had completely overlooked the danger Mirabelle could pose to him. Even if the specifics were wrong, he would definitely need to rethink his future with her when this was all over.

As she looked up at him from the turret, she could see on his face that Buster's words were getting to him. That was what pushed her over the edge. Kincade was her only lifeline left, and she was losing him. Hot anger was bubbling up in her throat as her stomach dropped out just like Buster had slipped under the water into the deep end.

Kincade was shocked as he looked down and found Mirabelle scrabbling up into the cockpit. "You don't like me. You never liked me! Why don't you like me?!" she shrieked as she lunged at him, lost in fury, already pulling out her lighter.

Kincade reflexively reached for his sidearm. Before he could unholster it, the gryphoness was upon him.