"Nebula!"
3 voices, synchronised in their relief, filled the main foyer. Octavia launched herself from the stage, whilst Dew and Gwen raced forwards, the trio rushing towards their lost friend. Before Nebula even had a chance to speak, she was tackled and hugged by the 3 girls, all 4 of them falling over and onto the floor.
Not that that stopped anyone.
"Oh my god, Nebula you're okay!" Gwen exclaimed, wrapping her arms tightly around the other girl's waist.
"Uh-! Y-Yeah, of course I'm okay! When did you all get here?" She asked, hugging her friends but also suitably confused. I stepped off the stage, stuffing my hands into my pockets and approaching the dog pile, Winter and Blake on my heels.
"They've been here a month, or so they've told me," I explained, giving her an amused smirk, watching her struggle to stand with the other girls keeping her in their grip. She chuckled, equally amused, and after a little work, finally managed to stand again, although the other 3 were still keeping a tight hold on her. Chuckling, I continued, "So, not that I'm complaining, but why are you here? Work doesn't start for a few hours."
She chuckled, scratching the back of her head in slight embarrassment.
"Yeah, sorry. I was at the gym that's just down the road, but just before I finished my workout their shower pipes burst and they had to evacuate, so I came here to clean up and maybe catch a nap before work," she explained, shrugging indifferently. Ah, just seemed to be one of those days, hm?
"Yeah yeah, that's great. Nebula, c'mon we gotta go!" Dew interjected, grabbing Nebula's arm and making her way to the front door, planning to drag her re-found friend off, only for Nebula to stay standing in place, her athleticism coming in handy.
"Hey, girls, it's great to see you again, and I'd love to hang out with you. But not now, I gotta shower, grab a nap and then run my shift. I'm free afterwards though, we can hang out then!" Nebula promised, gently shaking the other girls off of her, chuckling in amusement. She turned, and made to head to the washroom, when she noticed Blake, wearing her crop top. She blinked, confused, "Uh, Blake? Why are you wearing my shirt?"
"Oh I was just doing a little show for your friends, yah know, show what our work can be like. I'll have it washed before I give it back," Blake swore, which appeared good enough to Nebula, as she flashed a thumbs up and made a beeline for the washrooms.
"Well, as entertaining as this conversation will surely be, some of us have the sleeping schedules of regular people. And I have things I need to do before the day is out. Ciao, Mr Eclair, Blake, everyone. Today was rather fun," Winter said, giving a polite wave that Blake and I reciprocated. Giving a final goodbye, Winter exited the House, and disappeared behind the door.
Gwen was the first to speak.
"Girls, we need to convince Nebula to come back to Vacuo," she stated with certainty, the other 2 nodding in agreement.
"Like Nebula said, you can speak to her after her shift," I interrupted, crossing my arms across my chest. They gave me the stink eye, with Dew stepping forward, shaking her head emphatically.
"No, no we will not. If we're quick we can get her out of Vale before the week is out, and I want us all out of this shit hole ASAP. So, once she returns, fuck off because we'll be taking her back," she ordered, a fresh wave of annoyance rising up inside of me. I took a deep, calming breath, and I heard Blake do the same.
"Alright, let's get something straight; you don't order me in my own fucking business. Did we forget that Winter took your knives, and hasn't given them back? Or that I'm packing a little more heat than you, even if you did have them anyway?" I sarcastically asked, the 3 freezing in place at the reminder. You know, the last few months, I've had to deal with a little too much. My attack, Neo's attack, Flying Crane's, all that. And amongst all of that, these little snakes seemed to think that they ranked amongst my biggest worries, when really they were a minor nuisance at best.
"And besides, let's not forget that Nebula is, yah know, a person? With autonomy? She might decide to stay, for whatever reason," Blake added, causing the stink eye to move from me to her.
"Listen, you've only known Nebula for a few months, we've known her for years. When it comes to it, she'll listen to us, especially when it comes to getting her out of Vale and back home. You two are just her boss and coworker, nothing more," Gwen countered, Octavia and Dew echoing the statement. I groaned, smacking a hand to my face.
"You know what? Let's just sit down already. When Nebula comes back we can ask her herself and let her decide, and whatever she chooses, she chooses, mkay?" I offered, hoping they would at least be willing to wait a few minutes longer. The girls huddled, whispering amongst each other for a minute. I turned to Blake, shrugging helplessly, who nodded in understanding.
"Alright, we'll wait. But we're still gonna be convincing her to return home," Gwen said on behalf of the trio. Sighing, I threw my hands up in surrender, and turned around to sit back down at a table. I wasn't gonna fight them on this.
Blake sat with me, the both of us sitting away from the trio, knowing the proximity would just cause more arguments.
"Hey, Boss?" She quietly started, her hands fidgety and posture slumped. Leaning forward, I placed one of my hands over here, gently squeezing.
"Yes Blake?" I asked, just as quiet. Her mouth drew into a thin line of consternation.
"I know the final choice is Nebula's, and that she's the one who decides what she does but," she started, needing to take a breath before continuing, "But I don't really want her to go. She's our friend, and I like hanging out with her."
The quiet admittance was no doubt hard for Blake, who often kept her emotions shielded, out of habit if nothing else. Sighing, I attempted to think of any words that may assuage her fears entirely, but couldn't. Instead, I just told the truth.
"If Nebula does end up wanting to head back to Vacuo, then we won't stop her. Like you said, she has her autonomy, and we should respect that," I told her, which seemed to only deepen her sadness, her cat ears going limp. I sighed, and pressed my hand to the top of her head, "But, I admit. I would really miss her too."
Blake sighed, and laid her head against my chest, understanding the situation, but unhappy to potentially lose one of her friends.
I would be unhappy to lose her too.
But we haven't lost her yet, and we at least had a chance to have a conversation about it. I'm not sure what I'd say, but I figured that it was a situation where I'd just have to wing it.
The minutes seemed to pass at a snail's pace, Blake and I both in silence, whereas the trio were constantly muttering amongst themselves. I don't know what they were speaking about specifically, but I imagine that they were basically figuring out their game plan to persuade Nebula.
Speaking of, Nebula returned to the main foyer within a few minutes, with her hair slightly damp and her workout clothes switched out for a spare T-shirt and shorts. Seeing their friend again, the 3 rushed forward, although this time they refrained from tackle hugging her, instead just standing beside her, with Dew and Octavia keeping a hand on her shoulder.
"Listen, Neb, before anything else we need to talk," Dew informed her, the other 2 nodding in agreement.
"Uh, sure, what's up?" She asked. Taking a deep breath to stabilise herself, Dew finally said what was on her and the others' minds.
"Neb, we want you to return home to Vacuo," she started, perhaps missing the way Nebula's brow furrowed in consternation, "We don't like that you work this job, or any stripping job. Please, Neb, we just want you back."
"If it's losing a job you're worried about, my uncle has an opening at his construction company, and he promised to save it until we returned," Gwen promised, further sweetening the deal. And it wasn't a bad deal if I'm honest.
Sighing, I leaned back in my chair, suddenly tired. I must admit, it did seem like the obvious choice to make.
"Uhm, o-okay. First of all, thank you girls for worrying about me, I really do appreciate it," Nebula started, the 3 smiling, the first honest, happy smiles I've seen them wear today, "And uh, while I do appreciate the offer, I'm honestly happy to stay."
Wait, seriously?
Blake perked up, eyes widening in gladdened surprise.
"Wh-What? But Neb, you're working as a stripper in Vale! Vale! Why would you ever want to stay!?" Octavia asked, absolutely incredulous. Nebula shrugged, trying to put it into words.
"I know, it's admittedly an odd job. But I've grown to like it here. More than that however, I've got friends here, and I've got a good thing going. Not only that, I make good pay here! More than you think. And, most importantly; I don't wanna go back to Vacuo. I don't miss it, not even a little bit. I prefer Vale to Vacuo nowadays," She explained, crossing her arms.
I don't get those warm, fuzzy feelings often. Happiness, joy, excitement, sure, I get those all the time. But the fuzzies? That slow warmth that encapsulated you from the tips of your toes to the top of your head? Those are rare for me. But hearing that Nebula liked it here, and that she has friends, I admit, I felt a little warmth spread throughout my chest
"Neb, what are you saying? I get that Vacuo wasn't a good place for you, but surely, surely it's better than here! How could anyone ever be happy when working in this dump?!" Dew questioned, completely incredulous. Blake and I both narrowed our eyes, the stab at our workplace a little insulting.
"Hey c'mon, this place ain't no dump. And I would know, I've worked at a couple," Nebula lightly admonished, shaking her in a slight disappointment.
"And I'll have you know we literally just spent the last week getting this place up to snuff for a regulation Health Inspection!" I added, my pride demanding that I defend my business. Nebula chuckled, approaching my and Blake's table and patting my shoulder consolingly.
"Neb, please, think about this! You are literally choosing stripping and a sleazebag manager over home! This is ridiculous!" Gwen argued. The slight against me apparently aggravated Blake beyond her limits of patience, as she stood and pointed an accusing finger at Octavia.
"Talk about sleazebags, he's not the one that called me his pet!" She exclaimed, causing Nebula's eyes to widen in horror, turning to stare at her friends, incredulous.
"You what?!" She yelled, totally insulted on behalf of her friend.
Octavia stuttered, with Gwen jumping in and pointing to me.
"Well he pointed a gun at me!" She said, causing Nebula to turn her horrified look to me.
"They all pulled knives out on us while we were having lunch first!" I immediately defended myself, Nebula yet again turning to her friends, mouth agape.
Except this time, they didn't have as solid an excuse.
"W-Well-, well we only did that to get him to take us to you!" Dew said, but even she knew it was a flimsy explanation. We all knew she could have just visited the House and talked to Nebula directly, but nooooo, they didn't! They came up to us, flashed some knives and demanded we take them wherever they wanted.
Nebula groaned, putting her head in her hands, tiredly shaking her head.
"Oh my fucking god, you girls haven't grown up have you? You're still carrying knives and acting like the biggest bitches on the street, aren't you?" She asked, disappointment clearly evident in her voice. The 3 cringed, refusing to look anywhere except the floor or walls. I raised a hand, curious.
"I'm sorry, 'still?' What does 'still' mean?" I asked. Sighing, Nebula sat down, tiredly pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Back in Vacuo, the 4 of us all grew up on the same street. It wasn't a very good place to live, lots of gangs, drug issues, you know the deal," she started. I nodded, gesturing for her to continue, "So, we 4 were friends, and seeing how shit was going down, we decided to stick together and keep some weapons on us, for safety, yah know?"
Okay, makes sense. Where did it go wrong? Cause it always does eventually.
"So, just before I left Vacuo for Vale, we were feeling pretty good. We had knives and weapons, we had gotten a few other friends to join in our little group, and we had started doing a little vigilantism. Not much, and nothing spectacular, but we had started feeling like That Bitch, totally untouchable," she continued. I think I could already see where this was going. And from the look on Blake's face, she could too.
And whatever it was, the memory made Octavia, Dew and Gwen incredibly uncomfortable.
"So, we got cocky. And stupid. We heard some guy was doing some shady shit, and we figured we could teach him a listen, scare him into behaving," Nebula muttered, her eyes hazing over as her mind went back to that time.
"And it went bad, huh?" Blake asked, to which Nebula laughed sardonically.
"It went awful. We got our shit kicked in, and then got tossed out onto the street," she explained. I winced, copied by Blake, whereas Octavia, Dew and Gwen all shivered, phantom pains from that day causing them to cringe.
"So you left after that?" I questioned, causing her to nod.
"Yeah. I didn't have much connection to Vacuo anymore, besides these 3, and I just couldn't stay anymore. I arrived in Vale last year, and stuck around ever since," She finished, hugging herself to stave off the feeling of melancholy. Blake, the physically closest to her, wrapped an arm around Nebula's shoulders and gave a side hug, which Nebula leaned herself into.
Dew was the first to speak up, her voice rife with an old sadness.
"I know things went really wrong, Neb," She started, stepping forward and facing her friend directly, "But you know this place can't be good for you. Where is your pride, Neb? You're stripping for a bunch of creeps and weirdos in the shittiest Kingdom on Remnant!"
Nebula scoffed at the word pride, shaking her head sadly.
"Where did pride get us, Dew? We had pride, and it made us think we could be vigilantes, when all we did was make a nuisance for ourselves and piss people off. Vale may be shit, but at least here I've got a clear head," She argued, palming her face tiredly. I myself sighed, letting my head fall.
Pride was a double edged sword. It can make you great, or just as easily crumble your entire empire.
"Nebula, what about your family?" Gwen asked, obviously in a last ditch attempt to convince her friend to return. But all she got for her trouble was Nebula shaking her head, and a grimace.
"My mother is the reason I got into stripping in the first place! I was only 16 and she pushed me into working for her own boss!" She exclaimed, a fresh wave of anger overtaking her. The 3 flinched, whilst Blake placed her head on Nebula's shoulder in a show of support. Sighing, she calmed herself before continuing, "And as for my brother and father, well, we never had much of a relationship anyway. Vacuo was never home to me, and it never will be."
I figured that it was my time to shine I guess.
"And for as long as she wants it, the House will be her home," I finally said, waltzing forward between Nebula and the 3, my hands in my pockets and shoulders squared. I continued, my voice clear and words concise, "If Nebula has made the decision to stay, then she is free to stay as long as she wants. If she chooses to leave for different avenues, then that's just how it will be. At no point will you, or anyone be allowed to strong arm her into a decision. And you'll just have to fucking accept it."
My back was turned to Nebula and Blake, but I liked to imagine that they were looking suitably impressed, or at the very least felt like I had done something right.
Dew didn't take kindly to my wise words of wisdom, stalking forward with a feral snarl on her face, all the way up to the point that we were almost chest to chest.
"You mind your fucking business! This doesn't concern you, or your bitch, so step the fuck back!" She yelled, doing her best to try and shove me back. Unfortunately, I was a good 3 times her size, so the most she did was dust my suit. Apparently unsatisfied, she made do with spitting on my cheek.
Seriously?
"What, you gonna hit me?" She asked, narrowing her eyes, daring me to do something. Sighing, I pulled out my handkerchief and wiped my face of the mess.
I didn't need to hit her, because Nebula got up, strutted forward, and slapped Dew right across the face all on her own. And Nebula was pretty strong, so Dew's head snapped to the side, a big red mark appearing on her left cheek.
"Oh fuck off Dew! You always do this shit, you charge forward, fuck around, and dare someone to do something about it! And then you pout, whine and bitch when things don't go your way! You did it back then, you do it now! Why can't you just think for 5 fucking minutes?!" She questioned, yelling in her possibly ex-friends face with a burning vitriol, obviously letting out some stuff or stress from the past.
"We-, we just want you to-," Dew tried, holding her stinging face, only for Nebula to interrupt her, continuing her tirade.
"You want me to! To return home, to quit my job, to do whatever you think is best! You judge him for apparently being a sleazy boss who tries to control me, but he's the one who's saying that I can decide for myself what I do and where I go! You fucking hypocrite!" She ranted, her face red from exertion and eyes teary from emotion. The trio looked down, is sadness, shame or some mix of the 2 emotions, I dunno.
Letting out a deep breath, I gestured for Blake to come over, which she quickly did.
"Take Neb up to my office for a bit would yah? She clearly needs to have a moment away from this," I instructed her. She nodded, wrapping her arms around Nebula's shoulders and gently leading her off and up to my office, giving the 3 the stink eye as she passed them.
"We just want our friend back," Gwen muttered, all her aggression and energy having left her, which seemed to be true for Dew and Octavia as well.
"Mm, well, the thing is the way you tried to go about it expecting her to just cave to your wants, while ignoring her own. You didn't consider the fact that she may have gotten comfortable, or liked being here, or that she was happy. As her friends, shouldn't you want her to be happy?" I asked, tilting my head curiously.
If they didn't feel any shame before, they certainly did now.
Good.
"I'm sure you know where the front door is. You 3 are encouraged to close it on your way out," I told them. Without another word, I made my way to my office, leaving them behind without giving them a second thought.
"Wait, Eclair."
Or at least, I tried to.
"What is it, Dew?" I asked, not even turning to face her.
"How can we know that you're gonna treat her well? How can we trust you to make sure our friend is okay?" She asked, voice desperate, and demanding. I shrugged, and waved her off.
"I don't think Nebula's life is any business of yours now. She'll handle herself, and if she wants help, I'm sure she has your number. You, on the other hand, can stay away from her, and the rest of my employees. Goodbye, and get out!" I ordered, my patience having run out.
I left, without looking back, as I had originally intended.
Walking to my office, I removed my suit jacket, the garment suddenly uncomfortable. Taking the pistol out of my waistband, I checked the cylinder. No bullets.
Sighing, I wrapped the pistol in my jacket, hiding it away from sight.
"Blake, Neb, you in there?" I asked, just outside my office, my hand on the doorknob.
"Yeah, we're here. Come on in," I heard Neb say. Taking a breath, I entered my office, wondering what I might walk into.
Turns out, not a whole lot. Blake and Nebula were both sitting in the loveseat, side by side, the two holding a glass of amber liquid in hand. Blake had a hand on her friend's shoulder, with Nebula herself resting her elbows on her knees, limply holding the glass with her fingertips.
"Hi, Boss. Sorry about us raiding your minibar, but we were needing a little liquid relaxation," She apologised, giving me a small, sad smile. I waved off the apology, placing my jacket on the desk and grabbing a seat, moving it across the room to sit in front of the girls.
"Don't worry about it. You two okay?" I asked, causing them both to shrug. Blake spoke first
"I dunno. I'm upset for a couple reasons, yah know? My pride, mostly. But, I don't think that's as big as Nebula's stuff," she said. I could understand her point, a wounded ego was easier to heal than genuine emotional damage, which Nebula was obviously experiencing.
"I'm . . . I'm a little unwell. It felt really shitty, my old friends judging my current life. It makes me feel, fucking-, dirty? Wrong? A little sick, honestly," she tried to explain, the words muddied with depression, throat tight with emotion.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that Neb. How about you take the day off, clear your head a little?" I offered. Nebula sighed, hanging her head, in a state of contemplation.
"Yah know, it's the oddest thing. In all my life, I've never felt more free, in a way, before coming to Vale," she muttered, closing her eyes and sipping her drink. Blake slowly nodded, understanding her point. I did too, actually. Vale was oddly honest. You could look at it, and see its issues, the good, the bad, the cracks, all of it. There was nothing dishonest about it. And the average person was similar, for better or for worse.
"Vale has a special power. The power to bring out the deepest parts of a person. So I'm not surprised you feel that way," Blake commented.
"Heheh, you're not wrong. You know, back in Vacuo I was never really able to explore any deeper part of me? Not my sexuality, not my outlooks on life, not how I wanted to live my life, nothing. I just wasn't able to," Nebula said, gently raising her head up and smiling sadly. Quietly chuckling, I leaned back in my chair, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"How 'bout now? You figured anything out?" I jokingly asked. The 2 giggled, shaking their heads in fond exasperation.
"Well, my sexuality is still in question, especially since I swapped spit with Neon in a river that one time, but as for the other stuff?" She shrugged, quite unsure, "As for my outlook on everything, I guess I feel like I'm a little more observant of everything. Like I notice the important stuff more often. I'm-, well I'm still working on how I want to live my life, but I think I'm getting there," she answered. Sipping her drink with a smirk, Blake wrapped an arm around Nebula's shoulders.
"Well, if you need help with that first one, I'm sure I could call up Neon and have her volunteer to help," she quipped, the joke causing us to laugh in amusement. Especially since we agreed that Neon would do exactly that.
"Maybe some other time," Nebula said, shaking her head in amusement. Taking a deep breath, she quickly finished off her drink and placed the glass on the floor, "Thank you both for the help, and support. I'm really sorry that this all happened, and that they insulted you both like that."
Once again, Blake and I both waved off her apology, not really needing it. It wasn't her fault, and we weren't gonna let her think it was.
"Don't worry about it, hon. Just take care of yourself, and we'll be happy, okay?" I asked her, Blake echoing the statement by placing a kiss on Nebula's forehead.
With a watery smile, she nodded, promising to take care of herself.