Chapter Text
Gulch Canyon, January 12th, 1358
It took Marya Junková nearly two years to settle into Comfrey MacLeod's home. She knew she was safe- she had food, and water, and shelter. She was not hurt intentionally. She had breaks and a bed and she figured that Comfrey and Van liked her well enough. That was more than she had in Scrapsylvania.
Truthfully, she had not slept well as her 18th birthday approached. She had spent more than a few nights after a nightmare curled up in Van's bed, old sailor's lullabies hummed to her as she drifted back off. She had spent nearly as many thinking of Van in a way she would never have her. More than either of those had been spent in Comfrey's office, running calculations and math until she fell asleep on the desk and the ink from her work smudged on her face.
The morning before her 18th birthday, Marya woke up in a shivering sweat. The desert nights had turned cold, and her nightmares had grown with them in intensity. She saw her home, corroded and rusted and full of people who threw her nasty looks and words and the occasional stone. She was alone, she was not safe, she was going to die here-
"Marya?" Comfrey knocked at her door. "I've got breakfast ready. Your favorite."
She swallowed thickly, pushing herself from the bed and tugging on her day wear. The days had grown cool enough for a cycling sweater, though she had not yet worked up the courage to resort to trousers in the cold. The dark brown skirt she had found in a shop her first day out in Gulch Canyon had served her just fine. Her corset still was near too loose on her, though she had a bit more meat on her bones than when she had first left Scrapsylvania. She pulled her hair up into a braided monstrosity that Van had painstakingly showed her to execute.
"Hey, kid. How'd you sleep?" Comfrey was washing her dishes from cooking, pouring hot bacon grease into a jar. Marya had no a clue what she used it for, but she was sure she had seen her use it before.
"Slept alright." The lie was nothing from her lips. She told Comfrey the same thing every morning. Worrying her was no use. She lit up when she saw the biscuits covered in a cloth, knowing that there was therefore a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs somewhere on the counter.
"Oh, while I've got you here, you need to go talk to Van about your birthday cake today. She needs to make the cake tonight for it to be ready for lunch tomorrow."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it's your eighteenth birthday tomorrow. Don't tell me you forgot?"
"I did not forget, I just- I assumed we were not doing anything for it."
"Why wouldn't we? We do stuff for every birthday, and this is a big one."
"I just figured it was not a big deal," she whispered. Tears pricked hot in her eyes, and the heat spread over her face and ears. She could feel her breathing get shallower, and she looked up at Comfrey. Her eyes softened, and she set down her skillet and crossed the room to rub Marya's back.
"Hey, hey, kid, you're good. You're safe." Her hand was warm over Marya's shoulder blades. "Do you- should I go and get Van?"
"No, I- I am fine." Despite her words, she leaned into Comfrey's touch near imperceptibly. Comfrey only smiled and squeezed her shoulder.
"We're gonna do your birthday, okay? It's an important birthday, and even if it wasn't your 18th, we'd still do it because you're important to us. We're taking the week off, and we'll do cake and presents tomorrow, and we'll start some lessons on how to live on your own, alright? You're alright. You're safe. We aren't gonna get rid of you."
"Okay." Marya's voice was hoarse and quiet. She wanted to be embarrassed, crying into Comfrey's shoulder like this as she pulled her into a hug, but she had not felt so safe before in her life. She let Comfrey hold her, and when she pulled away, she squeezed her shoulder again.
"You're safe, kid. Now, eat somethin' and go talk to Van. If you let her pick, she'll make you a cake out of jerky."
"Ew." Marya wrinkled her nose and laughed, watery and shaky, but a real laugh. "Thank you, professor."
"'Course, love. Eat up."
The biscuit sandwich was gone in a matter of minutes, and Marya gulped down the bitter coffee Comfrey had made her. She had told her it would be better with milk, but Marya insisted otherwise.
"Scrapsylvanians do not waste coffee or milk by mixing them."
Marya did not know why she prescribed to some of it, still. She had seen what her home could do to her. What they would do to her in her home. It would be too much, though, to leave it all behind at once.
She pushed open the door to the living room, where Van was sitting on a comfortable chair with a book in hand. The sun shone through the window, making her gorgeous blonde hair almost light fire.
"Hey, Marya, good mornin'." Van put a bookmark in her book. "How're you doing?"
"I am alright." She yawned. "Comfrey told me to come and talk to you?"
"Oh, right, yes!" She pulled out a notepad and pen. "What sort of cake do you want for your birthday?"
"What sort of cake can you make?"
Van laughed, high and clear and gorgeous. "Well, I can make vanilla, and chocolate, and red velvet, carrot cake, strawberry, lemon, coconut."
"Ooh, lemon sounds delicious."
"Alright," Van said, writing that down on her notepad. "What about frosting? I'd personally go with a buttercream for lemon cake, and I can do pretty much any of those other flavors other than red velvet and carrot cake."
"Hmm… probably strawberry."
"That sounds delicious. Anything else? You'll have writing on top."
"Can I get cherries?"
"Of course! That sounds delightful."
"Thank you." Marya smiled bashfully, and Van's smile made Marya's heart swell.
"Of course, kid. Comfrey and I'll be out the whole day. You and Hutch will have the house to yourself. We've got groceries to get and some more stuff for tomorrow."
"What sort of stuff for tomorrow?"
"You'll see." Van winked. "You like fish and chips, yeah?"
"No, I do not like fish," Marya said carefully.
"You'd make an awful sailor, then." Van's laugh made Marya's face flush pink.
"Oh, I would be a bad sailor for more than that. I cannot swim, I do not eat fish, and I like oranges far too much to give them up for the sea."
"Good thing I don't plan to go back, I'd have to take you with me if I did." Van ruffled her hair lightly. "I'll bring you back some chicken and chips, don't worry."
"I appreciate it." Marya heard Van lean down to peck Comfrey on the lips, and she bit her tongue to keep something she would regret inside. She knew, logically, that she should be happy for them. She still could not bring herself to accept it.
"We'll be back, kid! Don't burn the house down!" Comfrey called. The door lock clicked shut, and Marya was alone in the house. Finally.
Marya sipped on a glass of water, watching out the bay window as the wind swept through the more dead crops. Hutch had been taking care of the crops with his girlfriend, Artemisia, lately, and Marya knew he would get the house once they had a successful ship. They were so close to friodynamic lift that Marya could taste it. With her luck, though, she would be asleep when Comfrey and Van got it to work.
She would not mind that too much, she thought. She was worried about the excitement, and the potential to overshoot and take a fluke for a definitive success. She was worried about how she would react when Van and Comfrey celebrated, happy and excited and together. They never meant to exclude her, of course, but it… happened.
"Marya? You home?" Hutch asked, swinging the back door open.
"Yeah, yes." She leapt up, trying not to spill her water, to greet him.
"Hey, Junker," Artemisia said. She had dirt on her hands, though the rest of her outfit looked clean. That might have been the clashing patterns, though. "How's it goin'?"
"I am okay," she answered, handing both of them glasses of water. "I was informed today that a birthday party is being thrown tomorrow for me."
"Oh, it's your 18th, huh?" Hutch's eyebrows raised. "I forgot you weren't here yet when I turned 18. You're in for a real treat."
Oh, gods. If Hutch was saying it was a 'real treat,' Marya was going to die.
"What sort of cake is it?" Artemisia asked.
"Lemon cake with strawberry buttercream. Cherries on top because I asked Van very nicely."
"Oh, I'm sure." Hutch grinned. "You should save us some."
Marya rolled her eyes, punching his arm gently. He stuck his tongue out at her, and she snorted.
"You are like a toddler."
"Yeah, and you're in love with someone old enough to have a toddler."
"Shut your mouth," she said, and Artemisia laughed.
"In Marya's defense, Van is pretty hot." Artemisia sipped on her water, rummaging for an apple as she spoke.
"Oh my god, you guys, she's dating my mom! You can't talk about her like that!"
"Sorry your mom has good taste, babe," Artemisia said, rinsing the dirt off of her hands.
"You two suck."
"Love you!" Marya grinned widely, and Hutch rolled his eyes.
"Love you too, I guess." Hutch squeezed her shoulder. "Artemisia, honey, why don't you go clean up? I think it's gonna be a bit too warm to get much more done."
"Alright. I'll be back." Artemisia grabbed a bag she had left in the living room and left deeper into the house. Hutch waited a moment until the sound of the shower started before dragging Marya to sit on the couch.
"Can you keep a secret for me?" His expression was suddenly more serious than Marya had ever seen him.
"Yes, of course. What is the matter?"
Hutch reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a ring box. "I'm gonna propose to Art. She helped pick it out, so she knows it's coming sometime, but she doesn't know when. I'm gonna do it on Wednesday."
"Oh, my gods," Marya gasped. "The ring is gorgeous."
It really was. A thin, gold band with a small diamond- nothing much, though she knew Hutch could afford it. She knew more, though, that Artemisia wouldn't want more. They had the sweetest relationship of any couple she knew, and she really admired them. Hutch and Artemisia knew each other better than she felt anyone would ever know her. Somehow, the thought was comforting.
"I know. Fittin', for her." Hutch grinned and laughed. A happy, in-love laugh she had only heard once or twice- and both times, it was from him or Artemisia. "You're the only one who knows. Mama's gonna flip her lid when she finds out."
"Oh, for sure. That you proposed and did not tell her? That is practically treason."
Hutch elbowed her, quickly tucking the ring in his pocket as he heard the shower turn off. He drank his water like he'd never had water before, spilling all over his chin.
"You look like an idiot," Marya said. "You will also need to shower once Art is out."
"Yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes. "You won't- you won't tell anyone, will you?"
"Who do you take me for? Of course not." Marya shook his hand firmly, wiping the dirt off on her skirt.
"Alright, baby, it's your turn," Artemisia said, stepping out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her hair.
Hutch pecked her on the lips and scurried back to his bedroom, Artemisia taking his place next to Marya on the couch.
"You'll keep a secret, right?"
"Of course." Marya did not know where exactly this was going, but if it was what she thought it could be-
Her suspicions were confirmed when Artemisia pulled a ring from her duffel bag.
"Don't tell Hutch, but I'm proposing on Wednesday."
That ring was amazing, too. A flatter, black ring with a thin band of some sort of silvery filament within it. She recognized that one-
"Wait, that is the one you were asking me to make!" Marya said, trying to keep her voice down.
"Yes, it is. I- I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Junker, I just needed to make sure Hutch wouldn't find out."
"No worries, really. It just- I am honored that you trusted me to make it." She thought back to the ring Hutch had showed her. It had not been something she had made, but she was almost certain she had just resized it. It was Comfrey who had asked, though, so she apparently had not known its purpose.
"I am really happy for you, you know. You two are- you are perfect for one another."
"Thanks, Marya. I- I agree, as silly as that may sound."
"Not silly at all. You are more than allowed to think so."
"Good." Artemisia squeezed her hand before tucking the ring safely beneath her clothes again. The shower turned off. Marya and Artemisia turned their conversation to whatever new fad was popular in Gulch Canyon- some sort of beauty product Marya would never trust near her eyes.
"Y'all talkin' about girl stuff?" Hutch asked.
"No, we're talking about how we're gonna go drinkin' tonight." Artemisia had that look in her eyes. "You want in?"
Marya was startled. "I- I cannot. I am not 18, and I have no identification."
"We're in Gulch Canyon, baby, no one cares."
"I will have to check with Comfrey," she said softly. Truthfully, she was scared. She did not want to end up alone again, lost in a bar in Gulch Canyon while two of her only friends in the world made out in the bathroom. She did not want to be left behind again.
Artemisia must have seen the panic in her eyes. "Hey, you don't gotta. We just wanted to offer for your birthday. How about we try after we get back?"
"Okay." Marya's voice was rougher than she wanted it to be. "Thank you, both of you."
"Of course, Marya." Artemisia squeezed her hand again. "We're always here. Well, except for next week."