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She had never had the luxury of knowing glitz and glamor. Yet Valdis’ words had made her flinch. She may have been Rwaddian, but she was still a person. But one person couldn’t speak for all of a species. “No, I’m pretty sure it’s just me who doesn’t know how to dress.” Even then, who could afford such fashion statements? Especially when it was increasingly difficult to pay the bills? “Down here, you take what you can get, and it’s like they reserve all that fancy stuff for people like you. We get last dibs, at best.”

The ranting made her look down at her clothes. They weren’t much, mostly stuff she had owned for years. “Maybe you’re talking to the wrong person about it.” She wasn’t the fancy type. She was perfectly content with wearing work shoes and oversized cardigans everywhere, especially in winter. She didn’t think anyone would consider her to have a fashion sense. Well, at least not the kind the other was complaining about. “Have you tried talking to people above Pandora Heights? Or do they have nothing to offer you?”

“Oh, I’m definitely talking to the wrong person,” Valdis replied, looking over the woman’s clothing with a curled lip. Gross. “No wonder they destroyed your planet, they didn’t even know how to dress themselves properly. But I have, that’s where I live. Everyone things the same way as me.”

“Considering how much you love lamenting our past relationship, I’m surprised you aren’t keen on it,” he remarked. “… Yes, she is, if you must know.”

“No, not really. I just wish I had more money is all,” she said honestly. “You gonna make some disgusting half-human babies with her?”

“Sticks and stones, Dizzy,” he said, a grin curling on the corner of his lips. “Whatever. I really don’t care about your opinion concerning it. Or anyone’s opinion. It’s already been done and I don’t have any regrets, so we might as well talk about something else.”

“I swear, I’m too old to be called Dizzy. We’re not kids anymore,” she replied, frowning at his grin. “Is she at least hot? I mean, considering what she is.”

“I’d rather not pass down the generational trauma, but I’m flattered you’re still thinking about being my wife,” Lucky teased before stiffening whenever she began listing off species, inhaling steeply as he replied. “She’s human.”

"I’m thinking about what we could be if we were married, that’s all. Not like you’re the cutest thing to walk Nacene, especially not Bhevor,” she replied. “A — human? Am I hearing that right? You  — you’re passing off a life of luxury and comfort and everything for a human? You might as well have gotten yourself a pet, it would’ve lasted just as long. Probably more entertaining, too.”

“What, and end up exactly like my parents? No fucking thanks,” he scoffed at the idea. The very last thing he wanted was to be anything like the people who raised him — it’s why he was such a outcast asshole in the first place. “She’s not Bhevor.” was all he said in response, knowing the kind of ridicule he could expect from admitting she was human.

“Your parents have money. Who needs true love when you have that?” she asked. “Oh? You’re really digging your own grave with your reputation here. What is she, then? Ghel? I heard those are the hot new playthings lately. Or some exotic Rwaddi? They’re limited edition now.”

“We don’t exactly mesh well, Dizzy,” Lucky said with a small chuckle. “It would’ve been total carnage. And she wasn’t an asshole, she was abused. I just paid the Passenger off so and found it another body. Some Summit mobster, so really she should be living her best life right now.”

“Who cares about meshing together when you can buy whatever person you want on the side?” Valdis asked honestly. Lucky wasn’t her type by any means, but money was money. “You paid a Passenger off? That’s what your big money spend was? Stars, you’re depressing. So this girl is worth losing your trust fund for, paying off some Passenger  —— that I’m sure was asking for a lot  —— and what? Some cute Bhevor girl?”

Lucky scoffed at her, crossing his arms defensively over his chest before deciding to admit what had been transpiring in her absence. “I met a girl,” he began. “And she’s… She’s wonderful, really, probably the kindest person I ever met. But shortly after I was getting to know her, her parents sold her to a Passenger.”

“Huh. So... no money,” she said bluntly. “Unless she was that much of a little asshole that they were dying to get rid of her. So you really downgraded, either way. I don’t get why you just didn’t want to get married. Our families would’ve been unstoppable in Bhevor.”

“You know, you and I would’ve lived a rather boring life if we actually got married,” Lucky said. “Because I’m far too much of an asshole to let you waste all my money on fashion, and you would’ve resented me for it and it would’ve been extremely predictable and lifeless — and the situation is a bit more nuanced than that, Dizzy.”

“Stars, like I needed any of your money to treat myself,” Valdis replied, rolling her eyes. “I get that spending your money would’ve been a lot more fun, but the Solari family has much more money in their pockets than your family. Nuanced? What, fashion isn’t good enough?”

“Sounds fucking boring, no offense,” Lucky said bluntly. “I have… A friend who needed the money badly. If it were any other circumstance, I would’ve used the trust fund as a last resort, but this was a little different. Everything’s resolved now, though.”

“Look, poor guys live a boring life. I don’t know what to tell you,” the bhevor replied. “So you seriously broke into your fund for a friend? Stars, that sounds like a waste. What, did they need some of the new Lavanchy fashion? Because I could understand that for a nice dress. Those pastels are everything.”

“Seriously? Let’s hope this revolution doesn’t inspire them, then,” Lucky replied, then let out a small sigh as he tucked his hands into his pockets. “Because if I had, I’d just have been asking for someone to track me down and bring me home. It was safer that I only chip in a little, plus it’s not like I’m drowning here. I’m doing fine on my own.”

“I think it’s physically impossible, there’s tons of firewalls and — you don’t need to get involved with it. Not like you’re in the financial state of being able to need to know,” Valdis said. “Then why bother chipping away? Seems like an awfully risky waste of time... seeing that you’re so easy to find.”

“No shit,” Lucky said with his eyebrows perched. “You guys move fast, although I don’t know how well that droid investment will pay off. There’s been talk of rebellion for a couple months now. You could’ve just sunk a bunch of cash into an army,” he chuckled. “… Did it? Huh. I had no idea. Well, it’s not as if it was being put into any use.”

“We pretty much did. There are new droids, they’re all about taking down those deviant asses. We’re going to use the magazine to really talk about how deviancy is not good for the economy,” she said. “Yeah, I’m not dumb. Why didn’t you just empty it?”

“You must have wronged her terribly if she sent you to Avalon,” Lucky snorted in response, rolling his eyes whenever she referred to him as his full name. “It’s unpredictable, isn’t it? That was the whole point. I didn’t want any of my dad’s goons kidnapping me and dragging me back to Abcaris.”

“What, you think I can’t do a good job? I’ve already put in a three million credit deal with the Bellerophon Magazine and the damn droid corporation. Sander whatever. We heard there was a big push in droids and we wanted in on that,” she said nonchalantly. “I don’t think you’re at risk of kidnapping anymore. I guess your trust fund got robbed, you heard about that?”

“In all honesty? I think we might’ve kept all the glamor for ourselves, but this place isn’t half bad… If you ignore the Slums,” Lucky spoke up, a grin widening on his features as he approached the young woman. “Long time, no talk, Dizzy. What the hell brought you here?”

“I’d be a lot better if I was back home. But no, my mother decided to send me here to do a few business deals,” she replied, crossing her arms. He had gotten much taller since they last met, leaving her still nearly a foot shorter. Damn. “Is this really where you ran off to, Lucien?”