"Come on, it's right this way," Nova calls, gently leading Saros upstairs into her and Clank's living quarters above the bakery. The space is peacefully quiet at the moment, except for the closet door slightly ajar that gives off a strange glow and hum. Without needing to be asked, the space witch explains. "Oh, don't mind that; Ratchet's frame's in there charging."
"Figures you'd have literal skeletons in your closet half the time, Starlight," he quips. "Where is Ratchet anyway? Is he with you?"
"Nah," she responds, digging into the fridge for two cans of Ultra Nanotech. "He's visiting the others for a few days; since I'm here, he has a connection to come back to this reality whenever he wants to. So he bounces back and forth." Closing the door, she smiles at the collection of various pictures they've taken lately. Group photos of the bakery's reopening, as well as more casual pictures of them all hanging out, litter the surface and amidst shopping lists and Ratchet's scribbled blueprints stuck in place with colorful souvenir magnets nearly block the fridge's finish entirely.
"What about Clank?"
"He's on the way back from Holostar Studios, according to his nav-unit. There's been rumors of an SAC revival series, which is pretty exciting," she explains more neutrally than Saros would expect. "Whatever he's working on is still really heavy under an NDA plot-wise, so Clank can't share anything, which is fair. But he seems happy to be acting again, and we do keep in close contact in case anything happens. So far, nothing, but it still makes me uneasy to not be there just in case. I wanna give him space though; that's his business, you know? Although he has asked if I was interested in acting myself."
"Maybe there's a character popping up soon he'd like you to try out for?"
"Oh, if it is SAC related that'd be pretty cool; I'd be terrified of the cameras, though. Maybe I should audition if something comes up anyway, might be fun."
"What if you ended up as like, a sultry agent from a rival agency? Pistol at her side, thigh high boots, red dress, the works. I think that you'd do well in that, better than you'd think."
Nova's eyes light up entirely, and the only thing keeping her from shaking her palms in delight is the fact that her hands are unfortunately full. So instead, the energy is spent lifting her heels off the ground and is then sent upwards with a giddy shiver up her spine. "Ooh, like a hologame character?!"
"Exactly. In the meantime," he changes the subject, pointing towards the consoles in the other room. "Did you wanna binge something? Start a new file of something?"
"Not a bad idea," she says calmly, after centering herself from the excitement she'd built up. but not yet. We've got all weekend, and there's something I wanted to do first. Follow me," she asks, leading the way to the roof. A plush blanket has been laid down, and the soft glow of Terachnos' lights illuminate the space alongside a small personal lamp; Taking the hint, he seats himself across from his friend.
They remain silent for some time, simply enjoying the sound of distant traffic. "You've really got quite the view up here."
"Mhm. You know, it's funny. With all this 'build a new start' stuff going on, I'd never really taken a moment to realize just how pretty the lights are at night here. Haven't had the time to, until now."
"I get what you mean. I'm used to the lights here, but I'd forgotten to take a step back and appreciate it, you know?"
"Yeah. Thanks for staying late tonight; It's been a while since we've had the chance to talk, you know? We've both been busy, and work keeps us on other things."
"No stranger to 'Work Mode Nova,' that's for sure," he chuckles lightly, and continues. "Don't mind it, though. The place has been busy lately, hope it calms down."
"I think it will," she guesses, "At least slightly, when the hype dies down. But that's work, and this is now." The young hero simply sits back, content to watch the traffic go by in peace. "I'm glad you're with me. That everything worked out okay in the end. A happy ending, you know?"
"Me too." Then he looks at her, and amidst her smile there's more good things to say. "But I can't help but wonder why you'd bring me out here? This seems like it'd be a good romantic date spot, not for this."
"Maybe, but I wanted to talk to you first. And to give you something; here." Nova produces something from her inventory; a wrapped present of a surprising thickness and weight, handing it to her friend with a smile that squints her eyes nearly closed. "Come on, open it!"
He's surprised to find that it's a binder, filled to the brim with scratchy writing that he can tell she's tried hard to make bigger, and so easier to read. A small cloth bag lies on top of the project. "What is this?"
"Open it," she asks, and so he does. What falls out is a single bullet casing, covered in carefully carved marks and held aloft by a plain, modest chain. "It's a protective charm for you. That's the bullet that unlocked bullet time; the moment I'd decided I was gonna watch your back no matter what. Even if I didn't know it yet. So if the universe ever decides to mess with you, just hold onto that bullet case and know you'll be back home in no time." Before he can give his thanks, she continues, with far more excitement. "But, it's only part of the gift. That binder? Read the second page."
Deciding to humor her before she vibrates off the roof or something, he does so, but is left stunned at the gesture. "'This book is dedicated in no small part to the one who's taught me what my existence truly means.'" A tear drips from his eye, one he quickly wipes away as he absorbs the rest. "'May the stars always guide your way, ya walnut.' Nova…" Flipping back a page, he silently reads the title, then moves on to the first passage:
'New Game Plus'
'This book, for all intents and purposes, is a love story. Not in the sense of courtship or bad breakups or 'there's only one bed's, mind you; it's the story of a love beyond Time itself, one that asks for nothing at all in return and begins many, many years before I was born. It's a story about all the different forms love can take, and how each and every one gives life meaning in it's own way. It begins with a simple agreement to protect one another, and ends with a promise that no matter what, the other never has to be alone again.
It's also the story of how this love shifts and changes under a different lens; that part of the story's mine, and I can't wait to see the rest of it play out.'
"Never pegged you for a terachnoid scholar, Starlight. Can't wait to read it all." Satisfied, he closes the binder and sets it down between them.
"Maybe it's petty to steal Nefarious' title," she scratches her scalp, "But I'd say I've earned the right to be petty at this point. In all seriousness, you said I should write a book for all my secrets. So I did, now that I can make the time; but it's not finished yet. If you're willing to share it…I'd love your side of things."
"I'd love to," he blurts out, not even needing to think for the answer. "Geez, this is…wow. You'd really have me be a part of this?"
"Of course; you inspired it, after all." Just as the emotional weight of it truly begins to set in, it's immediately popped by Nova excitedly recalling another reason they're up here. "Oh! And I wanted to show you this too!" An acoustic guitar materializes from her inventory, and she happily passes it along for him to inspect. It's certainly a nice piece, polished with care yet well-worn, and with a fresh set of strings.
"I've never seen it's equal," he quips, with Nova noticing it's origin and beaming up at the phrase.
"Thanks. Ratchet's been teaching me; it's been nice to have something fun I can do with my hands." As she adjusts the guitar in her lap, she checks it's tuning while she drones on. "I've been thinking about it, and I think I wanna play something for Clank. But I wanna make sure I'm not gonna embarrass myself first, you know?"
"I think you could squeak a cracked, plastic kazoo at him and he'd appreciate the enthusiasm."
"Maybe," she chuckles at the sight of such a silly scene. "But I want to do this right. I'd like you to be my first audience."
"He's your boyfriend, though. You sure?"
"You're my best friend," she argues lightly, "And yes."
Unable to argue with that logic, he gets comfortable. "Then fire away." The chords she then plays seem familiar to him, and strikingly so, and it occurs to him that it's a song he's heard before from a band he's been listening to a lot lately. As Saros watches the markazian before him's head bob slightly to the rhythm and her fingers dart across the fretboard, she stops, waiting for his input. "That's really good, dude! Got that one nailed down, I think."
"Yeah," she shrugs, "I've been listening to it and the notes seemed really fun. But it's the lyrics that keep tripping me up; do you know them?"
"Uh, I think so. At least, mostly."
"Alright, then that settles it; you wanna jam out with me a bit?"
"I'm not really much of a singer, I'm sure you'd have me beat in that department."
"Don't be so modest; it's just us up here. Call it practice for your partner, you know?"
"Ah, what the hell, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
She counts them off to start again, this time with vocals. As he sings, at first it's an autopilot response; a simple search in his mind to find the correct lyrics to recite. Then, as she starts to hum along lowly, he remembers something he's learned from the far more confident person he's had the pleasure of truly getting to know.
She's always worn her heart on her sleeve, and has always spoken directly; it's no surprise that this applies to her own personal thoughts, as he's learned in their time together at the end of it all.
The song is a love song, yes, but it's in the lyrics-in the most literal sense- that he finds that he too now speaks from the heart. Everything they've been through together, laid bare through the words of another by something that feels far too personal to be a coincidence.
It's as he sings the melody, and Nova looks at him as she plays, her hand tapping against the body of the guitar, that he sees a particular knowing smirk on her face that he understands for exactly what it is. Then she sings along, clearer and louder than before, and he learns that sometimes, this girl out of time is absolutely full of it.
They finish off the song, stronger together for it, and Saros is the first to speak after that last note rings out to silence. "That was never for Clank, was it?"
"I do plan to play for him later," she explains, putting the guitar down gently. "But that was for you." Reaching for the two cans of Ultra Nanotech, she passes one to the other markazian for a toast. "To us, Saros Mendrano."
"To us, Nova Albedo. But call me Ross; it's what my friends call me."
"Ross it is."