Terachnos' traffic floats by above Nova as she walks along the sidewalk, watching the other buildings pass her by while she leads Saros forward. Eventually, she slightly slows her gait to stand by his side. "Thanks for coming with me today, Ross. I know your appointment with Al was today too, but I wanted to know how you were doing, other than that and job hunting. Any lingering side effects? Memory loss? Any metal that was missed?"

Scratching at the space just above his ear, he shrugs. "Just that little piece. According to him, the biobliterator program Nefarious used for me is a little bit more complex; the 'artificial memory' part. Memories of myself and you and the others are just fine, but the planted memories are still a little fuzzy. Been fading over time, too. Combat training specifically is pretty blurry; I prefer it that way; lets me earn those skills on my own."

"Oh, I remember now," the young woman hums, recalling a very similar conversation on the subject they'd had before. "You said before he'd found this tiny node stuck in there still, the device that implanted those memories and junk when you were biobliterated. It wasn't originally organic, so the program to reverse biobliteration didn't see it. Does it hurt at all?"

"Nope," he assures her. "Shows up on security scanners though. A minor annoyance at best; I'll take being alive and myself," he chuckles.

"Good to hear. And your classes?"

To this, he seems to brighten up a bit. "Thanks for talking to the principal, you and Clank. I thought being an agent of Nefarious would have gotten me expelled, but you two convinced him that it wasn't by choice. Apparently there's no legal trouble either; a mind-control clause from way back when. Had a lot of work to catch up on, but I managed; the boys kept notes for me."

"That's sweet of them. You talk about them often, they must be good friends of yours."

"Yeah, they're good guys; you should meet 'em sometime! They like Dwelling Sin too, you and Clank have played that, right?"

To this, her face brightens with a wide, toothy smile. "Yeah! It's pretty scary, but I have to admit it looks so interesting!" Shaking the excitement from her palms, she muses on about the subject. "I gotta admit, I've been researching the plot lately. And now I really wanna play it!"

"Oh yeah," he chuckles, walking alongside her. "We'll have to plan a party this weekend; we'll play the first one together!"

"Oh, that sounds awesome! Who's your favorite character? Mine's probably Leona Kendo! I've mostly been fixated on the fourth one recently. It can be pretty funny sometimes!" Once more wound to excitement, she happily muses on about plans for the party. "Oh, I was on the holonet this morning, and I saw the cutest cookie recipe! Sugar cookies, themed to the game. I'll have to make some for everyone when we meet up! Does anyone that's gonna be there have allergies?"

"First question; Christine Bluesky. Second question, I don't think so," he replies. "I'll ask, just in case. Speaking of, I've been thinking on a major; talked to them about it, and they totally agree it's gonna be worth it. Robotics and engineering, ironically enough. I've talked to Al about an apprenticeship, and I was surprised to see him eager to take me on! It'll have to wait until this summer though; I've got classes and he's got an order to fill he says he needs to concentrate on first. Says it's above my level right now, and I respect that."

"Really?! That's amazing!" Nova offers him a high five, which he quickly picks up on and returns the gesture. "I'm really proud of you, Ross! You get to pick other classes too, right?"

"Yeah," he confirms, "I've been taking history. Specifically, the History of Intergalactic Heroes. Gotta know if my buddy here's in the books yet!" He hooks an arm around her shoulder, ruffling her hair as she laughs. Another thought occurs to him however, so he gives her space and waits for her to fix her hair. "While it's on my mind...Can I ask you something? As a friend?"

Caught off guard by the request, she tilts her head questioningly. "What's up?"

"You see," he begins, "...There's this transfer student that came in, eh, a month-ish ago? They're absolutely incredible; smart, attractive, look fantastic in glasses," he blushes, "They showed me a hologame series I liked as a kid and I think we should play it sometime. Speedy Quest 2; you'd like it, I think. I've always liked the soundtrack." He then lowers himself a bit and claps his hands together, looking away with uncertainty in his voice. Nova seems to beam up at him, but before she can say anything more, he interrupts her. "But before I...you know...I wanna do this right by them. With us, I gotta know if it was something I did wrong."

It takes a moment for what he said to sink in. "Something you did?"

"You know, how you never really saw me romantically. Which, to be clear, is fine! I'm cool with where we are now; not trying to ask you for anything."

"Oh, I gotcha." The question further confuses Nova; specifically, in the way it occurs to her that it's a question she's never been asked before, and has no reference on how to respond. "...You know, I don't really know. I mean," she shrugs, "The drama not being a part of it, it wasn't anything you really did or didn't do. I just, you know, didn't think of you that way. That's all. I mean I'd say you're probably attractive, but I just never thought about it much." Sheepishly scratching at her scalp, she looks away for a moment. "Sorry, that sounds mean, doesn't it? And it probably doesn't make much sense, huh?"

"No, no, you're good," he assures, but another question sits in his mind anyway. "Speaking of, how are you and Clank?"

"We talked it through, after it was all over," she explains, and a softer, yet more serious tone lifts her voice. "And we both agreed that the month we met was…" Tapping her finger to her chin, she mutters lowly. "What's the word I'm looking for…"

"Stressful?"

"Emotionally charged," she lightly specifies, "That was the phrase we found for it, thanks for reminding me. We wanted to approach the idea of being a couple with the time and mental space that sort of bond requires. To take things slow, and if we decided to lock in, we'd both know it happens for the right reason, you know?"

"Do you think you will?"

"He took me out for a first date last weekend," Nova blushes in turn. "Said it was 'his turn for a grand gesture'. And oh, Pokitaru's beach is gorgeous at sunset. It was nice and quiet; he'd planned it so it wouldn't be crowded, and I'm glad he did. Gave me this, too." She points out the set of silver and white headphones draped around her neck, decorated with several stickers including a rainbow-tinted infinity symbol, as well as a Q-Force and Secret Agent Clank sticker on the left side. The right side is instead adorned with a symbol he recognizes from Dwelling Sin, but a blank space remains to add more decorations. "He found it for me, and Ratchet modified it; said that Ratchet saw the box and immediately asked to tinker. And in his own words, it was a 'harmless indulgence he could not deny, especially considering what he has gone through as well', as long as he didn't add weaponry or 'unnecessary' modifications to it."

"Wait, hold up," Saros blinks. "Two questions, How's Ratchet here? I thought the frame Nefarious built was destroyed. And two, what would he put in the headphones otherwise?!"

"First question; I gave it a good smackdown, but after it was all said and done we took it back to the garage. Shoved it in the closet to deal with after Quantos was restored, but afterwards we agreed that if for no other reason than spite and it's a free, and rather expensively built frame, that he'd be cool with using it as long as we confirmed all of Nefarious' programming was wiped from it. Which we did. Second question, I've learned not to ask questions I'm not prepared for the answer to on that one," she chuckles, preparing to count off the additions with her fingers. "But what he did add was a comms radio channel, a regular radio, a telequip, plus a way to connect to my phone so I can play music on it! The noise cancellation was upgraded and reacts to speech, so if I was wearing them now I could still hear you just fine, or even fight with them if I wanted to. It really helps, especially for combat training; weaponry is way too loud."

"Oh, I see. Don't blame him for being cautious on that. But on the headphones, that's awesome! I'll have to get a pair myself; think he'd spice it up like that for me?"

"I don't see why not; once things were settled he asked to see my new staff, practically begged to take it apart and study it, so I'm sure he'd appreciate the tinkering project. Don't think I've ever seen him that excited, or that still or focused on literally anything, ever. Considering the fact that he takes Aphelion apart and puts her back together often, I guess it really is therapeutic. My only ask is that he doesn't change anything about it internally, which he honors, so I don't mind if he plays with it every once in a while. I think he's waiting on me to loosen up on that. I can tell he really wants to tinker with it and 'improve' it, but he doesn't pry about it too hard because it's not his own weapon. Teases about it, but doesn't pry."

"Think you will loosen up?"

"Nah. I trust him to make repairs and improvements, but I prefer to keep it the way it is. Especially wouldn't want to change anything without your input; it's yours, or, well, it was," she corrects.

"That's your weapon," Saros assures. "I like what it turned into. Back onto the topic though; out of pure curiosity, what does Clank do for you? Is it a preference for robots sort of thing? Or what if it's religiously charged? I mean, you grew up seeing the Zoni as deities of some kind."

Nova opens her mouth to respond, and stops walking entirely. Whatever thought was in her mind before drops in favor of an intense look, centered to the ground as she tries to find a good explanation for that one too. "I don't...think so? I dunno," she hums, a more neutral tone returning to her voice. "I don't really think about the 'robot' part. Or the Zoni part, at least in a religious sense. They're family to him; Clank just happens to have powers other beings don't because of that charge, and I can sense it due to my own ties to Them."

Unsure if the question is the right one to ask, he does so carefully. "Do you ever resent having that charge? Not being..a normal woman?"

"Normal is relative," she shrugs, sensing he bears no ill will towards the question. "This is my normal; it'd be more scary not to have my powers. On the other point; Clank as a person just makes me laugh. Makes me happy, trusts me, all that good stuff." Turning towards the other markazian, she speaks plainly. "And that's enough for me, you know? And I mean, the suit and all for Secret Agent Clank was cool too."

"Like in a 'hot' way? Not to be weird, just a question. Don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Tapping a finger to her chin, she continues the thought with a hum. "I know that folks in the past thought it was, so I guess yeah, it's attractive for what that's worth. Suits are really sharp and nice looking. I wouldn't be opposed to having my own, actually." The young woman thinks on the concept for a moment, then simply smiles with a content squint to her eyes as her face scrunches up. "I just think the show's neat! It's inspiring, you know?"

Saros returns the gesture with a warm smile of his own. "I think I get it."

Nova grabs his hand, leading them both forward once more. "Come on, it's right down the block." The two of them walk together, eventually stopping right in front of a newly renovated Star Bits. "It's been twice as busy since we opened back up; I even saw that agorian from Destructapalooza and his son last week! Gave 'em a dozen cookies on the house, like I promised. Took a while to clean up before opening though, can't believe I forgot to clean out the fridges before Clank and I left for the museum! The smell was so bad, I had to wear an O2 mask!"

Her laugh shakes her body, but Saros stays still as he stares through the glass. Upon noticing his silence, she speaks up. "What was it I'd told you again, last time we were here?"

The young man recalls the memory, although the woman who stands beside him now seems an entirely different person. "I couldn't come back here until I understood what Nefarious was capable of."

To this, Nova raises an eyebrow and tilts her head with a serious tone. "Do you?"

He nods.

"Then in that case," The young hero softens as she grabs his hand, gently leading him over the threshold of the door, and the ring of a tiny bell fills his ears. Clank's at the register, checking out the next person in line as a robotic Ratchet quips to his friend, earning himself one of the warbot's signature giggles. Qwark sits in the corner next to an arcade cabinet of 'My Blaster Runs Hot', telling his own account of the events it's based on to a group of children waiting their turn as the adults enjoy their own conversations. "If you want it…"

Despite everything, Nova releases his hand, holding them closer together as a modest blue apron and blank name tag materialize from her personal inventory. "Welcome to Star Bits."

Just as he takes the offered apron, a distant explosion rings out on the other side of town amidst maniacal cackling.

Nova immediately beams up at her partner. "Sounds like our cue, Clank! Ratchet, can you help him out and watch the front while we're gone?"

"Can do, kid," he grins, watching as the warbot takes his position and Nova grabs the staff from its place behind the counter. "You two get back soon; we're still on for Bass Champion tonight!"

"I call drums first!"

"Only if you let me add laser emitters to the staff!"

Just as they leave the building, she sticks her head back into the door with a smile. "Nope!"

"Ah, you're no fun!" he calls back, teasingly waving her off. "Kick his butt, you two!" The metal lombax and markazian watch as Nova and Clank fly off, ready to take on the universe. "So!" Clapping his hands together, Ratchet's gaze darts between the patrons and Saros to take on something far smaller in scale, but just as dangerous; customer service. "She's made enough to last a while; we should be able to run pretty smoothly until they get back. Everything in the displays is labeled already, so that should be pretty easy."

"Good to hear, I have literally no idea where anything is here," he says, taking his position behind the counter. But I gotta ask; why are you still here?"

"Well," he says, passing on a small box of brownies. "Gives me something to do with my time in permanent retirement, and gives me an excuse to hang out with my buddy and his girlfriend when I'm on this side of things."

"I gotcha." As the holovision is tuned to the local news feed, zeroed in on Nova and Clank, the young man can't help but raise an eyebrow to the metal lombax. "But..all this doesn't weird you out? Your reincarnation dating your best friend?"

"That's the happiest I've seen him in a long time; not at all. And heck, look at Qwark," he quips, pointing towards the big guy propping up one foot on a nearby table as he poses heroically for one of his stories. "He and all the other stuff that happened in my life's raised my Weird Crap Tolerance, that's for sure."