After leaving the mall, Qwark calls his own ship. "Sorry to leave my buddies hanging like this, but there's a lot of work to do! Lots of sponsors to call, catering, venue rentals, you get the idea. I'll see you two tonight!"

The little warbot and markazian wave goodbye, and Nova opens Aphelion's cockpit with the key. Dropping the bags into the back seat, Nova rolls her shoulders with a chuckle. "I've never known anyone that can shop like Qwark can, that's for sure! Those bags had to weigh as much as a Negotiator!"

"He certainly seems to enjoy your company, Nova. I believe he is excited to have a friend that he can share his interests with. Makeup and more feminine-presenting clothing, for example."

The woman presses her weight onto the shopping haul, struggling to squish it low enough for it to fit in the ship. "I'm guessing that the old Q-Force didn't do that stuff much, huh?" With a satisfied huff, the task is done.

"Not really," Clank confirms. "Qwark was more inclined to use those skills for disguises, but that opportunity did not arise very often. When it did, Ratchet preferred to use a hologuise, or just face the problem directly. He preferred trousers to skirts, as well."

The markazian nods, flipping the necessary switches and dials to prepare the ship for takeoff. "I see. I don't mind that stuff, so I don't mind doing it in the future if that were to ever come up. I bet it'd be fun too! Qwark seems like a sweet guy. Louder than a zyphoid in heat, but sweet. It's hard to believe that he almost killed you and Ratchet a few times."

As Aphelion lifts off of the ground and climbs toward the heavens, Clank continues to reflect on their friend. "Qwark has changed much, and for that I am grateful. I believe that when Ratchet and I met him, our presence humbled him quite a bit over the years. He means well, although with his ego that may not be apparent to others."

"I guess it's a less direct way of saying it," Nova decides. "He does seem to care though, so that's good enough for me."

Aphelion blasts off, warping back to Veldin to wait things out until the party's start.

...

In the bedroom, Clank allows the final touches of his tuxedo paint job to dry. A strand of silky black material in his hands reflects in the light slightly. His internal communicator picks up a message, and the cloth is carefully wrapped into a perfect bowtie, adjusted to be perfectly centered.

Peeking into the main room, he sees Nova at the workbench. She's using a mirror to touch up the makeup look the valkyrie gave her before, and the sight inspires him to test a theory.

Before making his presence known, he pushes his bow into a bit of a crooked angle. "I just received a message from Qwark, Nova. We have approximately one hour before the party officially begins."

"Sounds good," she responds, having just applied the last touch of lip gloss. A neutral shade, not quite as loud as the valkyrie would have chosen. Upon turning her attention to her robot companion, she beams at him. "You look nice, Clank! The tux look really suits you. Oh-hang on, let me get that for you."

She carefully reaches down to his bowtie, recentering the decoration. "Your tie was crooked."

Green optics tilt upward as he smiles in return. "Thank you, Nova."

"You're welcome. You look ready, and I think I'm almost ready other than my hair."

Opening his chest panel, Clank brings out something from his storage and places it in his hand. "In that case, it is the perfect opportunity to give you this."

Turning her chair fully, Nova gives him her full attention. "A gift? For me?"

The robot carefully turns the trinket in his hand as he finds the words. "Yes, I wanted to...congratulate you. I am very proud of your progress in so many ways. You have grown so much since the day I met you, both in skill and in confidence. In researching the appropriate gift for you, I found something that spoke to me, hypothetically speaking."

As Clank opens his palm, it takes Nova's breath away. There's a hair clip, shaped into a pentacle and forged with a raritanium alloy. "T-this is for me? It's beautiful," she sighs. "Clank, you didn't have to do this, this must have cost a fortune!"

Clank merely shakes his head. "It is a gift, Nova, do not worry about the cost. Regardless, raritanium is more common than one might think, if you know where to look. I made this for you because in some cultures, the five-pointed star enclosed in a circle, or pentacle, is considered to be a protective charm."

"Oh yeah, you're right! Now that I think about it, I've seen this symbol sprinkled into fongoid rituals." There's a thoughtful gaze to her eyes as she reminisces. "It was rare though; I wasn't allowed to participate as a kid. Had to watch from afar and I was shooed away pretty quickly. I always thought it just looked cool."

"Consider it a...graduation present of sorts," he continues. "You have worked incredibly hard in these past weeks, and your battle instincts from a life of staff use have blended well with what I have taught you. After seeing your skills in Destructapalooza, I believe you are now ready for the task ahead, Nova."

Her blues widen at the words, and her fingers trace the hair clip's metal. "Ready? You mean ready for Nefarious? I...thank you, Clank. Your faith in me, it… It means a lot to me." Her eyes threaten to water at the gesture, but she shakes the feeling out of her head. "Do you, uh, want to do my hair? I'd love to use this clip tonight."

His optics brighten at her reaction to the gift, and he gladly uses a nearby stool to take his place on the desk. "I would be happy to. Retrieve your products, and I will be ready to learn how to use them for you."

With an excited nod, she rushes off to the bathroom to grab a selection of creams, as well as a spray bottle of water and a comb.

Nova explains the methods she uses, and Clank delicately combs water and styling gel through each curl. "How did you want this clip incorporated into the hairstyle?"

"Like that valkyrie lady had it; half of it down, but with the pin in the pulled-up part."

With a short holo-net search, Clank finds just the right image as a reference. "That would be perfect, Nova." Clank begins to maneuver each curl into place with a mixture of bobby pins and light hairspray. The minutes pass by with an intimate silence.

"You are quite tense," the robot points out.

"Yeah," the markazian mumbles. "I'm just a bit nervous, that's all. This is a big night. For a lot of reasons."

Clank continues to work. "The life of a galactic hero can be stressful, that much is true. If I have learned anything from you, Nova, it is that you also tend to place far too much stress on yourself."

Nova tries to find the right words for the storm of thoughts racing through her head. "I just don't want to mess this up somehow."

"If you place your best self forward, and fight with all you have when the time comes, everything will fall into place. Trust me on that." The last bobby pin is added, and he fluffs her curls one more time.

"I hope you're right. There's so much I have to make happen-"

"You are doing it again, Nova."

The markazian sighs. "You're right. It'll be fine."

"It will be; it is only a party, after all." As the shining trinket is placed, the robot makes the final touches on his work. "There, you are ready."

"Oh, let me see! Here, take a picture of it!" Nova excitedly hands Clank her phone, and he does just that. Seeing the silver star at the back of her head is a gift in and of itself, and she gently hugs him to prevent any smudging on the tux paint. "I love it, it's perfect! Thank you, both for the pin and for doing my hair."

"You are most welcome," he smiles. "Are you ready to leave?"

"I think so-oh, let me add one more thing. It's in the bedroom, I'll be right back!" Heels click against the ground as the woman rushes across the garage. Locking the door as a precaution, she quickly scours the room for a container of some kind. In the nightstand, she finds an old Secret Agent Clank themed candy dispenser.

Nova hums, wishing there was a more airtight option, but there's no time to be picky. The time capsule is placed onto the bed, and the seal hisses as it opens once more. "Good, it still seems fresh. Fresh-ish? I dunno, this is still pretty weird." Pulling on the mini Agent Clank, the plastic tray slides out. "Then again, my life is weird enough that I really shouldn't be questioning this."

His companion reenters the room, with her brooch in hand. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yeah, didn't want to leave this here. I like it too, and the stone shines really pretty to me. Let's see..." Upon scanning her dress, she decides to lay it over the bow at her hip. "There we go, now it's perfect."

"You look perfect, Nova."