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Vi is stretched out on her bed, staring up at the shadowy ceiling. Slivers of dusty light are leaking between the floorboards from upstairs and she can hear the faint thud of Vander’s footsteps moving around behind the bar.
“Vi?”
Powder’s voice is muffled from the lower bunk.
“Yeah, Pow?”
A long pause. “Er…never mind.”
Vi shifts so she is peering down at her sister. Powder is lying on her back, skinny legs stretched up against the wall, a pad of paper propped in her lap. A metal tin filled with crayons is open beside her.
“You know you can talk to me,” Vi says, smiling. “What were you thinking?”
Powder bites her lip, then picks up a crayon and starts drawing. “I guess I was wondering…when did you decide you liked girls? Instead of boys?”
Startled, Vi blinks a few times, trying to think of an answer. “I never really decided that I liked girls. I just do. Maybe I was born that way.”
Powder looks up at her, her eyes reflecting the colors of her glowing hanging crystals. “What way was I born?”
Vi shrugs. “One day you’ll find out, I guess. When you’re attracted to someone.”
Powder contemplates this, then grins up at her. “Why don’t you ever ask any girls out?”
The abrupt change in tone has Vi goggling. “Huh?”
Powder exchanges her red crayon for a blue one. “Like on a date. And that time you invited a girl to the arcade with us doesn’t count. You’re supposed to be alone on a date.”
“Is that so?”
Powder nods. “Ekko said he took a girl on a date once, but that she got angry when he didn’t have any money to pay for their food.”
Vi laughs and Powder joins in.
“I would’ve liked to have seen that,” Vi chuckles.
“So, that girl on the bridge today,” Powder continues, and Vi notices that she is drawing something that appears to resemble Vi down on one knee. “Why didn’t you go talk to her?”
Vi is still a bit surprised this conversation is happening. “Well…we just stole a bunch of topside stuff. Hanging around would’ve been dangerous.”
Powder gives her a blunt look.
Vi sighs. “And she was a topsider. There was no point.”
“Yeah, but she was staring at you first,” Powder points out.
Vi shrugs. “Well, like Mylo said. Probably thought I accidentally shaved half my hair off.”
Powder giggles and returns to her coloring, humming to herself. Vi lies on her back again, tucking her hands behind her head. Already the face of the girl from the bridge is beginning to fade and she is becoming just another pretty, dark-haired Piltie that Vi will think about for days.
She sighs to herself. Yeah, she definitely likes girls, and she can say for certain that she has never had a crush otherwise. Growing up in the Lanes, her experience is that most boys who aren’t her brothers or Ekko are assholes (although Mylo sure likes to test that theory). Girls are generally kinder. Girls are more relatable. And girls are easier on the eyes.
Yep, girls are for Vi, and she is perfectly happy with that.
…So maybe Powder has a point.