“Lead the way,” Pisces said, stepping back to give Caledonia room to pass.

Caledonia’s stomach pitched like a tiny ship in a massive storm. She nodded, mouth twisted tightly shut as she drove her heart back into its place. “My quarters,” she said, taking the lead.

Her room was small with two berths that dropped away from the wall when it was time to sleep and just enough space for two people to stand. For a moment, neither girl spoke. They were alone, and it seemed that fact made Pisces just as uncomfortable as it did Caledonia.

It never would have been the case before. It never had been the case before.

“You changed your hair,” Pisces said, gently breaking the silence. “I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I.” Caledonia wanted to laugh, but her throat was too tight. “The red was too recognizable for Slipmark. Didn’t want to blow it before I had a chance to find you.”

Pisces’s own hair was nearly as long as Caledonia’s short locks. If this were any other time, Caledonia would offer to shave her head for her. But this wasn’t the reunion she’d hoped for, and she didn’t know how to proceed.

“Pi, I’m so—”

“I don’t want to be their captain,” Pisces said, cutting her off. “You have always been their captain and in spite of everything, they’d rather have you than me. It doesn’t hurt me to admit that.”

Taken off guard, Caledonia stood speechless.

“I don’t want to challenge you. That wouldn’t do the crew any good anyway,” Pisces continued. “And I shouldn’t be in charge. I got us caught and imprisoned. Not only do I not want to be captain, I don’t deserve to be.”

“And I do?”

Pisces was silent for a moment, her eyes dropping briefly to the floor. “No. But they—we—deserve a captain like you. It would be selfish and stupid of me not to recognize that. You’re my captain. From the very first, you’ve been my captain, just as you’re theirs.”

Now Caledonia did smile. All the anxiety she’d felt over this reunion began to melt away. “Pi, I’m so glad—”

“Stop.” Pisces’s voice was flinty and sharp. She studied the space between them as though it were a book in which she might find the answers she needed. Then, without warning, she stepped forward and pulled Caledonia into a hug, pressing their cheeks together. She pulled back just as suddenly, catching Caledonia’s face in her hands and pressing a firm kiss to her lips.

Then the distance was between them again, and Pisces drew a careful breath before speaking.