The city’s lively hum enveloped Kira as she strolled alongside Sev, Serina keeping pace on Sev’s other side. They navigated through the bustling crowds of pedestrians, cutting through the flow like a rock dividing a stream.

As Kira was becoming more acclimated to handling the world around her, helped along by her ongoing training, Sev allowed her to participate in more jobs, the safer ones at least. That meant much less sitting alone on the ship for the gray-haired wife while Sev and Serina were away on missions!

“Ew, this place stinks,” Kira uttered, covering her mouth and nose. The innocent bright-eyed girl observed the endlessly swarming crowds of people and the variety of urbanized buildings around her.

“You have your rebreather, Kira,” Sev calmly reminded her. Embarrassed, Kira quickly reached for the rebreather mask on her utility belt and positioned the equipment over her nose and mouth. She sighed in relief as the stench of the city faded from her nostrils.

“So, why are we here on Vexis again?” Kira inquired, her voice muffled by her mask, while she kept a careful hold on Sev’s armored arm—Vexis was a semi-lawless independent urbanized fringe world out in the border territories of Coalition space. “I know you said you were meeting up with someone. But you left it very vague. And I don’t like it when you keep things vague. I thrive on data and details!”

“We’re meeting up with an old friend of mine,” Sev enlightened Kira. “I’m just getting some information from her. She owes me a favor. That’s all.” Kira bobbed her head in acknowledgment.

“She??” Serina chimed in with a curious, yet stern tone. “And why does ‘she’ owe you a favor?” she continued as she leered at Sev through her gold visor.

“I helped her get out of a tight spot a while back… Several times actually…” Sev casually explained, purposely avoiding eye contact with his first wife. Serina squinted at him but sighed, sensing that was all the answer she was going to get.

“Erh, couldn’t she just contact you remotely? That seems more practical than meeting in person… And why here?” his second wife noted.

“That’s a good question. I have no idea why,” Sev answered, equally puzzled. His old friend had always had a penchant for picking off ball places to rendezvous.

Turning into an obscure alley, the trio strode deeper along the narrow passageway toward an old wooden sign bearing some letters that the wear of the elements had rendered unintelligible. Coming to a halt before a set of metal doors, Sev pressed on a nearby console which caused the doors to slide apart.

The doors led to a bar, seemingly a haven for a mature, pleasure-oriented clientele. The air was thick with the nostalgic strains of old-time music, and the pungent smoke from cigars and pipes swirled within every nook and cranny of the newly revealed space. In stark contrast to the chaotic city outside, the atmosphere inside exuded warmth and tranquility.

The trio attracted the watchful eyes of the regulars. Their coordinated attire projected a formidable presence, dissuading any potential confrontations. Feeling a bit uneasy, Kira wondered if potential conflict awaited them. However, a glance at Sev and Serina, who appeared unfazed, helped alleviate her concerns. The calm demeanor of her companions contributed to a sense of security in the otherwise watchful and smoky ambiance of the hidden establishment.

Stepping toward the bar table, they met an older-looking man with a notable white mustache who was industriously, cleaning out a glass with a rag. Seeing the tactically outfitted individuals standing before him, he curiously cocked his bushy brow. “Welcome to “The Charleston.” Can I help you with anything?” the bartender asked, his grumbly voice conveying a hint of reticence.

“I’m here to meet with someone,” Sev went straight to the point. The bartender met his words with a practiced look of feigned ignorance.

“I’m afraid I don’t know who you’re talking about… But just for starters, individuals usually order some refreshments before talking business,” the old man remarked with a subtle hint underlying his words. Sev sighed, recognizing the unspoken protocol the bartender was subtly nudging him towards.

“Hm, is that so? Serina, Kira, do you want anything?” Sev begrudgingly played along.

“I’m fine. It’s too early for me to drink,” Serina stated. The bartender looked visibly disappointed.

“How about you, young lady?” the older gentleman kindly asked Kira. Kira’s heart raced after being asked such a mundane question.

“She doesn’t drink alcohol,” Sev interjected rather sternly.

“We have non-alcoholic beverages here,” the bartender rebutted. Kira’s eyes lit up with cautious curiosity.

“Em, do… do you have something sweet?” the gray-haired girl timidly asked. The older man amusingly smirked and chuckled.

“Yes, we do,” he cheerfully answered. “I’ll prep a house special for you.” Kira grinned with excitement. Their light-hearted interaction escort helped put Sev at ease.

During the few short minutes it took to mix Kira’s beverage, Sev carefully monitored the older man ensuring that he didn’t spike the drink with anything suspicious. Once done, the bartender placed a fountain glass containing a brownish-cold liquid on the counter with a flourish. The beverage was topped with a mysterious white foam upon which a strange red fruit was neatly perched.

“Em, what is this?” Kira cautiously inquired.

“Never heard of a chocolate milkshake before?” he playfully remarked, inserting a straw into the ice-cold beverage.

Kira’s eyes lit up with delight. “Chocolate shake? I thought that was just an Earth thing. I never figured I would see something like this out here!” she excitedly gushed. Removing her rebreather, she settled on a barstool and sipped her drink, humming cheerfully. “Hmmm! Tasty!” she gushed happily, savoring the unexpected pleasure of familiarizing herself physically with a treat that she had only previously known about virtually during her days as an AI construct. And in such an unexpected place!

“Heh, welcome to The Charleston, then! This place is meant for those who have a taste for the classic Earthly luxuries.” Serina arched her brow intrigued.

“You wouldn’t happen to have some cola, would you?” the first wife inquired.

“Heh, of course!”

Serina felt a little embarrassed. “Ahem, I’ll have one of those then,” she calmly requested, trying to hide her excitement. The bartender happily nodded and produced a brisk bottle of cola. Popping off the cap, he slid it to Serina. Removing her helmet, she adjusted her bangs and sipped the refreshing beverage, humming quietly with satisfaction.

Sev observed his two lovers enjoying themselves. Smirking, he reached for his satchel to pay the barman. But before he could, the older man stopped him. “No need for that. It’s on her tab,” he informed with a knowing look. Sev slowly nodded. “She’s in the first private room in the back on your left,” the bartender directed.

“I’ll be back in a bit you two. Serina, keep a close eye on Kira would you?” Sev said as he strode toward the back of the bar. Serina gave him an affirming two-fingered salute as she sipped her cola while Kira cutely waved at him.

Entering a small hallway lit only by some small flickering light source, Sev turned left and proceeded to the first door he saw. Opening the door, the armored Valkorian stepped inside and scanned his surroundings. The room was also dim, with a single light fixture mounted on the ceiling. His eyes focused on a woman lounging about on a sofa with her legs crossed, her shape half-hidden in the darkness.

“Long time no see, hotshot. ¿Me extrañaste? Hace tiempo que no nos vemos (Did you miss me? It’s been a while since we last saw each other),” the voice continued in an Earth-born tongue.

“What?” Sev responded uncertainly. It had been some time since he’d heard that foreign language.

“Aye aye, whatever…” disappointedly muttered a voice that bore an accent traceable to a Latin origin from old Earth. “I almost thought you’d gotten yourself killed or something,” she then greeted him more playfully. “How’s my Valkorian bounty hunter doing nowadays?”

“Hey, Valerie. Long time no see,” Sev greeted back with deep sincerity. “May I ask why you couldn’t just contact me remotely? This place was a bit hard to find. And out of all places, Vexis? You never fail to make things… difficult…”

Valerie and Sev had known each other for quite some time, going all the way back to his amateur days as a bounty hunter: a time well before he had obtained Kira. Valerie held a significant place in his life, akin to a sister.

As Valerie leaned further forward into the light, her distinct features came into better focus. Her purplish hair, skillfully woven into a braided ponytail, featured a noticeable asymmetrical wave of bangs that gracefully draped across the right side of her face, while a smaller sweep of bangs adorned the left side. Valerie’s tanned, brown skin provided a warm undertone, and her eyes, a piercing violet shade, radiated both confidence and a touch of mischief.

“What? I can’t see an old friend. It’s been how long now, about three years?” she remarked. “And, for a girl like me, in my line of work – being discreet is a necessity.”

Slowly getting up from the sofa, Valerie strode over to Sev. “Ooh la la, I like your new armor. It looks quite good on you,” she remarked in a rather suggestive voice, her words hanging in the air. With a deliberate but delicate touch, she placed a tender hand on his chest plate, her fingers tracing a slow, teasing path to his collarbone.

Grasping her wrist, Sev shook his head and carefully removed her hand from him. “Did you have a little too much to drink?” he asked bluntly. Valerie squinted at him and giggled.

“I might have had a couple, heh,” Valerie admitted with a sigh. She always got extra flirtatious escort bayan when she’d been drinking, especially toward Sev. But as flirty as she was, their relationship was platonic, mostly…

“So, do you have what I requested?” Sev drove to the point. Walking over to a nearby mini-bar, Valerie poured herself a drink.

“Pfft, you’re no fun… You’ve mellowed out a lot… But yes,” Valerie sighed. “I would hardly count this as a minor favor, however. The lengths I had to go to acquire this information were almost beyond my capacities. I had to pull a lot of stings and call in quite a few favors of my own.”

Producing a small data chip from a pocket in her coat, she presented it to Sev. “Here, everything that you’re looking for should be on this. Sorry if things seem a bit patchy, but it was the best I could do. However, I’m confident you can connect all the pieces on your own.” Even though she spoke fluent English, her accent gave an exotic emphasis to her words. Sev nodded and reached for the chip, but Valerie quickly retracted her hand before he could take hold of the prize. “Before I give this to you, I think you owe me a little something in return.” Sev arched his brow under his helmet.

“What?” he responded, intrigued. Valerie rubbed her chin and pondered for a moment.

“Promise me you’ll look out for yourself,” she said, intoning the simple request with straightforward sincerity. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in the company of anyone I considered close to me. So, that being said… If you should ever need additional assistance, just give me a call, hotshot. I would love to work with you again, just like old times.” Valerie extended the chip once more. Sev responded with a warm smirk. He had always valued Valerie’s unwavering support; she was one of the rare few he counted among his true friends.

“I promise. Thank you, Valerie,” Sev responded, with equal frankness. “Let’s just say I owe you one since you said this came without easy cost.”

Valerie waved her hands as she tried to refuse any further obligation. “No, no, it’s fine. It’s the least I can do.” Sev nodded, but as he turned back toward the door, he stopped and pondered momentarily.

“Hey, since I’m already here, why don’t I just get that favor I owe you out of the way? A little bird told me that you were undertaking a pretty hefty job around here,” Sev suggested with a knowing tone.

Valerie arched her brow, bemused. “Huh?? I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m doing what? Who could be spreading such rumors??” Valerie uttered urgently, trying to play dumb. Sev’s eyes went dead under his visor and he just stared blankly at her. Sensing the gig was up, Valerie sighed. “Ugh, how did you know?”

“I have my ways,” Sev chuckled mischievously. “I skimmed through your contract… An administrator of Vexis? Seems kinda risky.”

“Huh?? How did you get hold of my contract?! Tsk, never mind that… Have I given you any reason for you to doubt me? Or did you forget?” Valerie retorted with slight annoyance. “Aye aye aye, to be honest, it’s a little disrespectful that you would even think such a thing,” she scolded.

“What? No, it’s not that,” Sev quickly backtracked. “Listen, I just want to help, nothing more. And I’ll even sweeten the deal. I won’t be expecting any portion of the reward.” Valerie rubbed her chin as she considered his offer. Grinning to herself, she accepted there was nothing to be gained by turning down such a delectable offer. Plus, spending time with an old friend on the field would certainly prove to be enjoyable.

“Hm, you have a deal, hotshot,” Valerie hummed happily.

“You chose well. Come now, it’s time for you to meet your new team,” Sev replied, gesturing for her to follow him.

“Team?” Valerie confusingly murmured.

Following Sev’s lead as he returned to the main bar area, Valerie’s violet eyes widened to see two women with matching black and gold outfits like Sev’s sitting at the bar enjoying their beverages. Curious, Valerie wondered who these girls were. Sev had never been one to team up.

“Girls,” Sev called out to Serina and Kira. Their heads perked up and they turned to look in his direction. Feeling Sev’s gloved hands grab her shoulders, Valerie let out a small squeal as he abruptly jerked her body around in front of himself.

“Hey!” Valerie hissed as Sev presented her to his lovers.

“Serina, Kira, this is Valerie,” Sev made the introduction with hand gestures. “Valerie, this is Serina and Kira.” Valerie awkwardly smiled and offered a small wave.

“Hi! Nice to meet you, Valerie!” Kira happily returned the greeting with a cheerful smile. In contrast with Kira’s lightheartedness, Serina responded with a cold look of caution and suspicion.

Squinting at the purple-haired girl, Serina gave a slow nod just to acknowledge her presence. “She seems lovely…” Valerie mumbled to herself sarcastically as she caught Serina’s scrutinizing stare.

“What’s with the gimmicky outfits? And bayan escort I thought you didn’t like working with people, hotshot,” Valerie inquired with a slight smirk.

“They’re not gimmicky,” Sev sternly remarked, releasing his grasp from her shoulders. “And they aren’t just ‘teammates’… they are my… wives.” His words seemingly hung in the air. Valerie’s face slowly reddened as his meaning penetrated her consciousness. Serina and Kira smirked and nodded proudly.

“W-wives?! Eh?? Since when? Where?” Valerie exclaimed in pure bewilderment. “I never thought you could be such a two-timing stud! I take back calling you mellow,” she continued teasingly, however, her stomach fluttered with a mix of embarrassment and surprise.

Sev quietly chuckled and shook his head. “As much as I’d like to fill you in, perhaps another time. We need to get business.”

–

Taken to his ship, Valerie meticulously laid out her job in full detail. In the process, memories of their youthful novice days flooded back to Sev and Valerie. Their conversation was punctuated with playful teasing and shoulder bumps. Despite these lighthearted moments, Valerie couldn’t shake the feeling that Serina’s tense amber eyes were staring deeply into her soul.

Serina was indeed scrutinizing Valerie, carefully observing her attire. Valerie wore a somewhat fashionable yet practical gray crop top coat paired with a black meshed snatched leotard undersuit, which suggestively revealed her hips and form-fitting black and gray combat tights. Serina’s gaze fixated on a pair of silenced pistols holstered on each of Valerie’s legs, providing clear evidence of her preferred combat style. The choice of weapons spoke to both practicality and efficiency, emphasizing Valerie’s readiness for various situations they might encounter during their mission. Serina also noted her open-fingered gloves, adding a touch of agility and dexterity to her overall combat ensemble.

Interrupting their planning for the collaborative mission with Kira, Sev exited the ship to retrieve some gear for their mission, taking the gray-haired wife along with him. This left Serina and Valerie all alone. Once Sev and Kira were out of sight, Serina launched into an interrogation of Valerie. “Who are you?” the raven-haired wife sternly inquired with a hint of honest curiosity, getting up into Valerie’s face.

Pinned back against the table on which she had laid out the info for the mission, Valerie stumbled back as far as she could. “Woah there, I mean no harm, Hermana,” Valerie urgently replied.

Serina arched her brow, unfamiliar with the foreign word. “What the hell did you just call me?!” she exclaimed. Valerie inched still further back, knocking over some objects behind her.

“Aye, sorry, I called you ‘sister’ in Spanish, my native tongue, okay? Jeez, could you just calm down a bit so we can talk like normal people?” Valerie responded in a rebuttal. Serina just leered into the other woman’s mischievous violet eyes. An awkward silence hung between them for another tense moment before Serina backed off, sighing, allowing Valerie some room to breathe.

Taking a seat directly in front of the purple-haired stranger, Serina crossed her legs and repeated, “Who are you?”

“I’m Valerie, I believe we were introduced not too long ago, heh.” Serina’s eyes went dead in response to this poor attempt at a joke. Valerie squinted at her cautiously. “Okay, ice queen, I’m just trying to lighten the mood…” she mumbled. “What exactly is it that you want to know from me?”

Serina rubbed her chin in deep thought. “Everything. What are your skills, what do you do for a living, and most importantly, what’s your relationship with Sev?”

“Woah, upfront and straight to business, and I thought Sev was serious… Hm, I guess I know his type now…” Valerie whispered under her breath. “Hm, okay, Hermana, I’ll tell you what you want to know. But you have to give me a little something back in return, it’s only fair.”

“What is it you want?” Serina replied, arching her brow.

“Tell me a little about yourself, how you met Sev, and above all, how you became Sev’s wife!” Valerie spoke with urgent curiosity. “Oh, and the cute girl, Kira, she seems really nice.” Serina momentarily contemplated this proposition.

“Fair enough,” she agreed with a slow nod.

Over the next half hour, Valerie recounted her general background. Although she was a netrunner, Valerie had opted away from the typical operation behind monitors, instead favoring a hands-on approach in the field. However, Valerie didn’t fit neatly into the category of bounty hunter, either, instead, she viewed herself as a freelancer who selectively took on jobs aligned with her interests. Touching upon her connection with Sev, she recounted their partnership from their earlier years. However, she chose to withhold certain details, reserving some aspects of their history to herself.

Serina reciprocated by explaining her background. However, as Serina disclosed her history about how she met Sev, strange feelings were conjured up for Valerie. As interested and happy as she was to learn how her close friend had found love, she couldn’t help but struggle with an aching feeling of jealousy.

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