Pidge POV
We are packing up to head back to our real camp-our real life. I'm back in my old clothes, which thank goodness are clean (but they feel tighter like they got shrunk) but there's no way I'm complaining. Mrs. Montgomery said something like, you will thank me later, but I already thanked her. Whatever, they were so dirty and stiff from being wet that I really don't care if she accidentally shrunk them. At least they smell nice.
As I got ready this morning it was all I could to to stop myself from thinking about how I rambled on and on last night. It's just that I couldn't sleep and I got restless with no lab to work in or a project to distract me. I'm not used to going to bed so early and as farmers, they go to bed early! Soooo I decided to go outside and look at the stars. Not a problem right?
Of course, Keith was up and outside as well. He's probably the next worst sleeper than me and I still don't know how I didn't anticipate it. *face hot* He asked how things were with James and I, and I felt rather flustered. I don't even know why. We aren't a thing, we aren't really dating or anything. But something about Keith asking about the two of us made me feel uncomfortable. Or it could have been the fact that I was walking around in a night gown. It covered everything but still. Or maybe the fact that Keith had on a T-shirt and shorts. Barefoot. I mean he had really nice legs. Shit. So I rambled. And rambled. I honestly couldn't even tell you what I was talking about, he must think I'm so immature.
Focus on now. We say our good byes, and Mrs. Montgomery gave us a bag of food for our travels. Which is so nice because I'm sure that food is in short supply for them so I know this is them thanking us yet again. I give Percy a hug and he squeezes me so tight it makes me remember how I used to hang on Matt. Again, Mrs. Montgomery gives me a hug and thanks me for saving her son. I shake it off, honestly, anyone would have done the same. As I move to leave, she squeezes me a little tighter and whispers, "Sweetie, another word of advice, when he catches you looking at him, don't look away! You'll be surprised at what may happen next! And don't forget what I told you yesterday!" I stupidly nod as again I feel my face flushing. How obvious am I?!?
We take a roundabout way back to the tanks and on the walk back it's pretty quiet. Even the Serrano sibs are quiet for a change, so I can hear some birds calling and I tried to center myself like when we were Olkarian. Kinkade is carrying the food which kinda makes sense since the guy can totally eat us out of our rations! But otherwise we don't have anything else in our hands. It's almost like the story we were telling everyone!
As we walk, I try to distract myself from my feelings by trying to figure out how to get up the mountain without announcing our arrival to our potential enemies. I plan a route that I think will work, using my memory of the maps and the new information we gathered. Again, try to focus on our main goal. We still need to find the sleeper cells ASAP because I can imagine that the Garrison is not happy with our little detour. Thank goodness Keith stuck to his guns.
Keith. Shit, I can't help but think about what Mrs. Montgomery said. Her advice. Basically yesterday we had talked while everyone was washing up and I was helping her with the laundry and drying. Percy was napping and I didn't want to make her do all the work herself. So Veronica was in the kitchen helping with dinner and the guys were helping with chores after they got cleaned up. While we were doing the laundry, she asked more about what happened and news from the other towns. It was nice just talking to regular people who didn't know who I was or what I had been through.
Keith had come in and deposited the last of the dirty clothes and saw me on my tiptoes trying to hang the clothes on the line. Unfortunately the Montgomery's were a tall family. So it was not especially easy for me. Keith came around and nudged me aside with his hip not saying anything to interrupt our conversation. He motioned for me to hand him the clothes and he'd hang. Then after dinner I washed and he dried the dishes. Honestly, we just work well together. When we were in space, Hunk and Lance were tight and Allura and Shiro took over the leader roles. So it kinda left Keith and I paired up.
But as time passed and Keith went on with the Blades, we both matured individually. Yet our relationship, no, teamwork was one of the easiest things to recover. It's like we just fit well. He listened and respected me. So when he came back, we just always had each other's back. It was when she was giving me some pajamas before bed that she stopped me and said, "Love is weird. And sometimes you can't see it even when it's hitting you in the face. I'm not going to lie and it's for hella sure not easy! You're young but you helped my boy and I just want you to know that life is full of unpredictability, that's a fact. And it's not always clear what you should do or when. But I just want to say, there is no right time for falling in love. It just is. Don't waste it, sweetie. It's yours for the taking."
The she leaned in and gave me a hug. And for a minute it was like my mom was talking through her! My mom kept asking if I liked someone and I kept denying it. Finally she outright asked if I thought it was weird that I worked with so many guys that were interested and yet I was oblivious. I shrugged it off. Eventually she asked about Keith and I after one of our lunches. And I kept telling her that we had work to do and there was time to fall in love later. But, honestly, talking about love just made me uncomfortable. I really valued our friendship and I can't do anything that would jeopardize it. Not without proper data to prove that a change in course was beneficial. Sigh.
Finally we get back to the tanks and Cosmo was a great watch dog because nothing was disturbed. We eat and decide to rest for the night. Veronica and I bunk together while the guys share. We end up coming up with a schedule for watch and James gets the first watch. Everyone seems subdued and lost in their own thoughts. And even though it was another early bedtime and this time I stayed in bed.
Early the next morning Keith moves off to give another status report and I find myself alone with James. He inquires how I slept, fine. He asks if I need anything, nope. I feel bad, I want to say something but I just don't know what. I'm just not in the mood to chit chat.
Finally Keith signals that we need a team meeting. We all sit around the dying campfire, eating our breakfast and discussing our options. Eventually we agree that my route is good and that Lance and Veronica are our best bet for town spying (Lance is super annoying about it too!) He kept repeating, "Just call me Bond, James Bond" until Veronica squeezed his pressure point on his shoulder (that must be her thing with him, lol).
As they did before, the siblings are going to head in first, gather intel and after a night head back out of town. They plan to rent a room and buy supplies all the while talking up people, sharing gossip and observing the town. Lance added to their story, since they don't have the baby to ask about. They are siblings traveling to their abuelas where they hope gather family is at. As they make their stops, they hear whispers about a few 'troublemakers' who have taken over the town. It continues from location to location. People are scared and its hurting the businesses. They also have 'friends' in the mountains. Rumors are rampant and obviously they aren't all true. I mean it's not like they are from the Garrison but they could be aliens or even criminals, especially smugglers. However, as soon as Lance can, he relays this information back to the group and suggest backup.
After much discussion, the remaining four of us decide to enter in waves so it is not so suspicious and we don't look like a gang or unit. Kinkade and James decide to act like a few bounty hunters and go to the bar where Lance and Veronica are supposed to eat dinner. While there is no visual of these bad guys, I was able patch in a rudimentary audio. There aren't enough ear buds but Keith, Kincade and I have one.
I realize I can hear a hum from something and let Keith know I have to go in to try and triangulate the source. He's not too keen on me going in alone but honestly I am hoping to go unnoticed. Let's face it, it shouldn't be too hard because I literally spent high school being invisible! I think I sat by myself at lunch for a few years, so how hard could it be?
I walk in and go sit at the bar, far enough away from everyone to unobtrusively try to hack into whatever was being used from my wrist unit. The bartender comes over and I ask for whatever they have on tap (gotta look the part!). I can feel James' eyes on me and mentally want to tell him to stop staring. As I glance around, I realize the bar looks like the saloons I used to see in Western movies. How cute! It's like I'm on a movie set! The wait staff seems to be all men which I find odd. In fact, as I look around, I don't see many women...no women. Except Veronica.
My beer is placed in front of me and I pull out some money only for a guy to come up behind me, slam some money on the bar...wait, is that for my drink?
Umm, he's totally in my personal space and I mentally blank. What's the best strategy here??? Option 1: I can act tough and beat the crap out of him, making an example of what I'm capable of. I kinda like that one. Option 2: ignore him and hope he goes away. Option 3: act like a damsel in distress and see who comes to my aide (yeah, not gonna happen) or Option 4: flirt and see if I could weasel some info. I smile to myself, yeah right.
Slowly I turn in my stool to look at him better. He's tall, muscular and doesn't smell...awful. He's got brown eyes and hair and is wearing a cowboy hat, go figure. He's actually not bad looking but definitely not cute or my type. He's too bulky and I feel like a kid. I look up and notice his eyes are definitely not looking at my face. Rather he's staring down my top and crowding me. Ugh. Whoa, what do we have here...I can feel heat through his coat. Yes, there is something that I giving off thermal energy something electric that I need to copy. I need to see it. It could be a tracker or GPS coordinate device. Shit it could even me a trigger or whatever, I just need to see it. I need a plan fast!
Ok, ok, so as I glance around and think back over the walk into town, definitely not a lot of girls here, he may be more receptive than I imagined. I take a deep breath and notice he notices. Hmmmm, time to try to channel my inner Lance and think Jessica Rabbit. Luckily Lance has talked a lot about what he finds attractive so I just gotta try and pull off a few of them. I lick my lips and smile. Shit, he's still not looking at my face!
"Thanks." I try and talk low and sultry. I have no idea if it works but I think guys like breathy voices. One time Matt had a crush on some actress and I swear it sounded like she was sick.
He finally deigns to look up into my eyes. He smiles and says, "No problem little lady."
OMG, OMG, his voice sounds like he just sucked on a helium tank. I bite my lip so I don't start laughing but damn it's hard!!! I bet my eyes are laughing but hopefully he thinks I'm flirting. Well his hand is now on my lower back so I'm guessing this is working. I look down and try to see Veronica out of the corner of my eye, what do I do next?!?
"My name is Hank, how about yours?"
"Um, nice to meet you Hank, my name is, uh, Katherine." I put out my hand to shake and he laughs, kissing it. Um, now he won't let go. Now what? I seriously did not think this through. I can vaguely hear Keith's angry voice in my ear, low and demanding me to get out of there and what the hell do I think am I doing.
Hank pauses and says, "Do you hear something?"
I quickly laugh, "I don't know, my hearts beating so fast, I can barely hear anything!" I give his hand a squeeze and let go so I can grab the beer. I take a big drink and practically choke as I try to swallow it down. This tastes like crap!!! Ugh!!! As I choke, I unobtrusively take out my earpiece.
"Hey darlin, I need to freshen up for a minute. I'll be right back, where's the ladies room?"
He rubs my neck and turns me in the direction as I move to leave, he slaps me on the ass. I falter for a minute and have to get myself under control. I cannot hit him. So I walk slowly to bathroom, head held high and try and sway my hips. I don't know if I am doing this right and I'm in boots and black pants but whatever. I literally can feel every persons eyes on me right now and I wanna die.
In the bathroom I splash water on my face and wait for Veronica to arrive. There is no way she's not following me in here. A minute later she's in here and mouthing "What the fuck!"
I lean close and whisper, "He has a device that is giving off mad heat and I need to copy it to see what it is. To do that, I gotta get close. What the hell do I do????"
She sighs, "You know, none of the guys are gonna be happy right? Of course you do. Oh well, you do you."
I pull the earpiece out of my pocket and hand it to her. "Here, one of you's need to listen to Keith be pissed. I can't, it distracts me."
Veronica laughs quietly, "I bet!! Okay, we need to switch bras."
"Um... what?!?"
"Girl, I know you are wearing a sports bra and that is not putting your best assets out there."
God, she whips the thing off and shoves it in my hands, turning me to the stall. Okay, I take mine off and switch. Handing her mine. She's in the stall next to me, saying, "You need to be flirty but not easy. No one is letting you leave with this schmuck, so we need to work fast. Maybe get him to dance or sit close, maybe on his lap? Can you program your watch to clone his stuff?"
I get out of the stall, and say sure. As I reprogram my watch so it can clone she pinches my cheeks and somehow adds lipgloss on me. She then takes my zip up off and ties it around my waist. She then pulls my tank down...to better showcase my girls and grins. She tells me to leave first then she will. Again reminding me, no one is going to believe this.
As I walk out, I feel annoyed. I'm a girl. I'm not hideous. Why would no one believe this?!? I could do this. I'm woman hear me roar!!!
Shit. There's a lot more people at the bar now. As I get closer to my seat, another guy moves in and pulls me close. Maybe I should have kept my sweatshirt on. I was doing okay. This guy pulls be close and I swear, I can FEEL him, he pulled me that tight!
Suddenly there's Hank, bumping into the guy and pulling on my arm. He and the other dude are now arguing, I swear, I think I heard someone say dibs!!! What the literal hell?!? I look to Veronica and she shrugs. SHRUGS!!!
I currently am trying to look interested but secretly I am trying to clone the guy's device so I'm kinda hanging on his arm. I look over to Lance who is looking seriously pissed as well as Griffin. Unsurprisingly, Kincade is eating so he actually looks pretty happy. As the stuff is cloning I'm trying to think how to extricate myself from this mess. I gotta say, I'm not coming up with a lot here. Maybe I can drink a lot and get sick???
I know Matt got drunk once and he was a really pukey drunk! I could pretend...