Space Criminal and Chillboi

Nova had been to a few fancy parties before, so she had some idea how to doll up and blend in. At least enough to get by, since she generally didn’t enjoy it. But this time she was actually looking forward to it and could have fun playing fake princess for a night. She didn’t have to steal anything this time and she’d be with Jay. She knew all the puffed up formal stuff didn’t matter to him, but she still wanted to dress up and look as nice as she could. So instead of just grabbing the first thing she could find that would suffice, she had gone seriously dress shopping. There had been a lot of beautiful dresses to choose from; it was a little overwhelming. But she’d finally found the perfect outfit and hunted down accessories and shoes to go with it before returning to the ship.

Now she was scrunching her eyebrows at Jay. “Kidnapped by street thugs?” she repeated.

“I went into the city for a little bit after making my social rounds, and I was approached by another bounty hunter,” Jay explained. “He’s working with a team I guess, and he made me a proposition to hand you over to them in exchange for a portion of the bounty.”

Nova went incredibly still, her stomach lurching and a little stab of panic going through her. She supposed it wasn’t surprising that a hunter had approached Jay and offered to make him a deal; why go to the effort of kidnapping her if they could have her brought to them.

“So, I figure if we pretend that I’m going along with their plan, we can blow up the building. We can put together a fake ransom note so everyone else will believe we were kidnapped, and then they’ll think we died tragically in the explosion.”

Nova didn’t reply, trying to wrap her head around the fact that he had even told her about the bounty hunters and that he was planning a way to use them for their fake deaths. It would’ve been easier for him to hand her over, and not have to worry about her fake dead weight before he went off to start his new life.

He glanced over at her when she remained silent and frowned slightly. “Hey, are you okay? I know it’s kind of a risky plan but between the two of us we can pull it off.”

“I’m not worried about blowing up the building or the bounty hunters,” Nova said.

“Then what’s wrong?”

He was startled when she hugged him suddenly.

“It’s just…you told me about the bounty hunters. You could’ve just turned me in.”

Jay got an almost comical look of horrified confusion on his face. “No, I couldn’t have. God, Nova. I’d never do that.”

“I’ve just always had to worry about having a knife in my back, both literally and figuratively. It’s kind of a big deal for me that you’re not willing to sell me out.”

“I feel really bummed that you’re so touched by someone not wanting you to die.”

Nova cracked a rueful half smile before hugging him again, and she felt a flutter in her stomach when he kissed the top of her head.

“Okay, well. We’ve established then that we’re dying in a fiery explosion,” she said, trying to stifle the flutter. “After the party, we’ll need to pack a few things; probably stash the bags someplace and then rig together some kind of explosive before you take me to the bounty hunters. And we should make sure no one gets the ransom letter in time to actually come find us before we set it off.”

“Right.”

“And till then, I guess we party.” Nova smiled and poked him lightly in the side. “I hope you’ll try to have a little fun during your last night of existence, Mr. Whitley.”

“Ordinarily I’d say that’s easier said than done, but if you’re there it’ll actually be fun.” He poked her back and she squeaked indignantly. He took some time to brief her on whatever bullshit he’d been feeding people about her so they could keep their story straight.

“Sorry if I made things confusing,” he said. Nova shook her head.

“Grifter, remember? I’m good at remembering lies and I’m nothing if not adaptable.”

“Did you find everything you needed while you were shopping?”

“And then some,” she laughed. “Like I said, I went a little overboard. I almost feel guilty for how much debt I just racked up for the Harrods.”

“You don’t need to feel bad about that. I gave you the card.”

“I said I almost feel guilty,” Nova said and he laughed. The next day she locked herself in the spare bedroom to get ready. She felt almost giddy and supposed she should stop thinking of this like it was some kind of real date. But tomorrow she was facing down bounty hunters and blowing up a building, and after that she didn’t know where she was going to end up. And it was probably the last chance she’d have to do something fun with Jay. She felt an unpleasant squeeze in her chest when she thought about it, but Jay was doing all this to escape a relationship he’d been forced into. Nova wasn’t about to put pressure on him because she’d gone and caught a case of feelings while they were supposed to be having fun. She didn’t want to seem like everyone else in his life, always trying to influence his decisions. She would just make sure tonight was fun, and commit every detail of it to memory before they carried out their plan and parted ways.

Nova glanced down at the tattoo on her arm and smiled. She’d also packed the wrap dress she’d bought on Corth. She’d probably never even have a reason to wear it, but even though she couldn’t pack everything and was trying to travel light, she didn’t want to part with it. Nova turned her attention back to getting ready for the party. She’d curled her hair slightly and then piled it up on her head and adorned it with glittering pins that looked like stars and moons; a few tendrils fell down to frame her face. With the bright highlights in her hair, it was quite the sight. She’d bought a shimmery, color shifting eyeshadow and put on blush and lipstick, and even some delicate floral perfume.

The real star was of course the dress, which was sleeveless and swirled with shades of dark purple and blue. Designs like twinkling constellations trailed all around the skirt and the bodice was cinched tight and covered in tiny multicolored crystals. It was gauzy and swishy and dramatic, but she was okay with looking a little dramatic today. There was a knock on the door.

“Nova, are you about ready in there?” Jay called.

“I’ll be ready when I’m ready,” Nova replied primly. “Just wait in the parlor, I’ll be out in a minute.”

She put on her heels and then appraised her reflection to take in the whole outfit. It was in fact as colorful and sparkly as she had thought it’d be. There was some glitter on her bare shoulders too; it was like a star had exploded all over her outfit. She did a tiny twirl to admire how the skirt swished. It was the most ostentatious thing she’d ever worn but she had to admit, the dress was beautiful.

Nova stepped out of the spare room and walked down the hall. Jay was sitting on the couch, adjusting the cuff links on his sleeves. Nova cleared her throat as she stepped into the room and dipped into a melodramatic curtsy.

“So, do you think it’s insane enough to blend in with the peacocks?” she asked. He didn’t answer her at first and she raised an eyebrow.

“What? Is it actually too much?” she asked, starting to feel a little self-conscious. “Does it look stupid? Your extended silence is making me think it’s too much.”

“No,” Jay said, standing up. “You…look beautiful. The wait was worth it.”

She blushed, unable to keep from smiling so hard it almost hurt her face. “Well look at you, so dapper and handsome in your tux.”

She felt fluttery again walking into the party with him. Taylor was nearby and spotted them almost right away. He managed to look surprised, suspicious, and annoyed all at once as he approached them.

“You actually came,” he said to Jay. He shot Nova a look. “And you brought your…mentee.”

“Yes, I did,” Jay said. “And she has a name.”

“We’ve met several times, Taylor,” Nova sighed. “I literally told you I was coming to the wedding. You seriously don’t remember?”

Taylor’s expression shifted now to annoyance and confusion and Jay grabbed a flute of champagne off a passing tray to hide his smirk. When Taylor wasn’t looking, Nova shot him a quick wink.