A THING OF BEAUTY.

he recognizes nova from jackie's ofrenda — from a few times before it too, but mostly from the ofrenda. an ex-valentino, if he remembered correctly. at least, jackie had said that. whether or not he lied about it remained to be seen. “ good to see you again. didn't realize when i got hired to escort nova that it was you. ” his hands are in his pockets of his jacket, head tilted slightly. “ so... pretty big shot if you need an escort, huh? were you expecting to see me? ”

@novastrella sent: “you do look like you can handle yourself.”

Tonight's escapades would take her far from her old home in Vista del Rey and into the glimmering hills of North Oaks. Some big corpo exec was throwing a party, to which he promised his guests their fair share of drinks, drugs, and girls. Nova fell into the third category, which would make tonight's festivities more of a job than an actual party.

Given the cutthroat nature of the industry, and talk that one of Virtu Fantasy's rivals had been putting a hit out on some of the other girls in the studio, a little bit of added security was a necessity. There are very few people she trusts in Night City, let alone a merc off the street who would inevitably sell out to the highest bidder. But Mack was different. Mack and her at least had bit of a connection through Jackie. And if Jackie had trusted Mack, then that was good enough for her.

⋆｡‧˚ʚ💋ɞ˚‧｡⋆ 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

❝ i wouldn’t find the need to tell you ‘i told you so’ if you weren’t so allergic to admitting i’m right—but by all means, keep walking into walls just to prove a point. ❞

❝ there are better hills to die on, but i’ve always had a flair for the dramatic, so this one? this one suits me just fine. ❞

❝ would you come with me? i know i could go alone, but everything feels a little less terrifying when you’re beside me. ❞

❝ that’s not the worst thing i’ve ever heard, but it’s definitely in the top ten—and i’ve been to family dinners. ❞

❝ i would love to help you, truly, but i’m currently suffering from a terminal case of 'not my problem' and my doctor says there’s no cure. ❞

❝ could you, for just one second, think about someone other than yourself? i’m not asking for a miracle—just a moment of humanity. ❞

❝ i’m not going to stand here and argue with you about how badly you need rest. when you crash, don’t expect me to catch you. ❞

❝ would you be a dear and shut the hell up? there’s only so much self-centered rambling a person can survive in one sitting. ❞

❝ i know i need help. i know. but asking for it feels like walking into battle without armor—give me a second to find the words. ❞

❝ do you know where we’re going? or are we just letting the chaos guide us now? ❞

❝ i’m trusting you with this. that’s not something i give away easily, so please—don’t make me regret it. ❞

❝ do you like it here? not the place—the moment. the quiet. me. ❞

❝ are you still happy? and i don’t mean surface-level smiles and small talk. i mean really, truly happy. with me. with this. ❞

❝ i didn’t lie to you. i just told the truth in a way that made it easier to swallow. if that’s betrayal, then maybe you never wanted honesty—just comfort. ❞

❝ do you even like spending time with me anymore? because lately, it feels like all we do is circle the same argument and call it conversation. ❞

❝ one of us is going to have to be honest eventually, and i’m starting to think it’s going to have to be me—again. ❞

❝ i want to tell you something. something real. something raw. but i keep getting caught in the storm of my own hesitation. ❞

❝ if you were the religious type, i think i’d still find a way to make you worship me. or at least remember me in your prayers. ❞

❝ don’t tell me to stop being dramatic. it’s the only thing that makes this unbearable mess of a life remotely entertaining. ❞

❝ were you ever going to tell me, or were you just hoping i’d eventually give up trying to read your mind? ❞

❝ i never needed you to fix me. i just needed you to stay when i was falling apart. but even that was too much, wasn’t it? ❞

❝ sometimes i think you love the version of me that only exists in your head. the quiet one. the easy one. the one who doesn’t talk back. ❞

❝ i’m tired of being the bigger person. it’s lonely up here and the view isn’t even worth it. ❞

❝ you don’t get to disappear and then waltz back in like you didn’t shatter something on your way out. ❞

❝ if you wanted to hurt me, congratulations. you did it with terrifying precision. ❞

❝ it’s not that i don’t care anymore—it’s just that caring has become exhausting. ❞

❝ i don’t know what we are anymore. i don’t know if we ever really knew. ❞

❝ you keep saying everything’s fine like you’re trying to hypnotize me into believing it. ❞

❝ loving you felt like setting myself on fire and pretending it was candlelight. ❞

❝ i keep telling myself it’ll get better, but i’m starting to wonder if that’s just another bedtime story i made up to survive. ❞

❝ you can’t just say ‘i’m sorry’ and expect everything to go back to the way it was. apologies aren’t time machines. ❞

❝ you left. and somehow, i’m still the one who feels guilty. ❞

trust me, i would never forget such a striking face.

why is so hard for you to believe i actually like spending time with you?

care to dance?

it's far too easy to lose oneself with you.

don't think i'm done with you yet, [name].

i imagine it would be quite difficult to focus on anything with you around.

you have quite the reputation. i'm eager to explore it for myself.

it's a pleasure to officially make your acquaintance.

i kinda feel underdressed.

trust me, you look stunning.

as long as you're going to be there, i'm up for anything.

careful there. i might just take you up on that.

are you always this oblivious?

are you always this much of an asshole?

cute. now get out, i've got work to do.

there's no time, all right? there's too much to do.

have i ever failed you before?

i'm serious, [name]. if it gets worse, you come get me.

how delightful. you're back.

you do learn quickly, don't you.

i'll have to find some more challenging lessons for you.

as much as i'm enjoying our conversation, there are a few more things i must attend to.

allow me to show you to your seat.

oh for fuck's sake, what do you want?

you actually care about this, don't you?

can i finish my drink in peace?

look, you'd better rest up if you want to be useful tomorrow.

you can't get rid of me that easily.

you'll probably change your mind once you realize what you signed up for.

i'm fine. you can put me down now.

that was unbelievably careless. what were you trying to do exactly?

just pay more attention.

i suddenly feel awkward and self-conscious.

you've done a decent job the last couple of days.

now you can get back to... whatever it is you do when you're not invading my space.

i already told you. big crowds aren't really my thing.

i do better on my own. trust me. i'll only slow you down.

be honest, you enjoyed yourself so much last time you just couldn't stay away. am i right?

i can't go back to being alone.

i can't lose you.

it's my job to protect you, even from yourself.

just do it before i change my mind.

i'd almost forgotten what this felt like.