Chapter 401: Stole That Shit

"Definitely not what I expected from a Love Hotel." Roka muttered while scratching her cheek.

"Love Hotels are different on VTX, I guess."

"Yeah..." Roka thought for a moment. "Are you into that kind of thing?"

"What kind of thing?"

"You told the receptionist you would be back..."

"I was just joking around," Cero shrugged. "I’m not into, like you said, that kind of thing."

"I see."

"The two of us have only gotten into bed twice, so I think Angela can wait a while."

"Yeah, okay, slow your horses."

Roka couldn’t keep her lips from curling upwards, and the two continued wandering through VTX after Roka took hold of his hand again.

Eventually, the two spotted something in the distance.

"That looks good." Cero pointed, and Roka followed his gaze.

Several colorful explosions illuminated the perpetual darkness of VTX’s sky.

"Fireworks." Roka muttered. "I wonder what the occasion is."

At roughly the same time, several spaceships descended from above, their engines illuminating the surrounding buildings as they landed.

"Let’s go check it out."

The two changed direction.

The closer they got, the louder the area became.

"Wow."

Eventually, the buildings gave way to a massive open space.

Spaceships were parked everywhere. Dozens of them, varying in model and size.

"This place is huge. Some kind of meetup?"

"Looks more like a parking lot," Roka noted. "Well, if you disregard them."

People, native to all kinds of different planets, had set up chairs and tables beside their ships. A couple of campfires were even lit.

"Hippies camping outside?"

"I don’t see any tents," Roka answered. "They’re playing music too. Must be a place where people..."

Her words trailed off while Cero thought of old car meetups he’d seen back on Earth.

"Look at that one." Roka pointed with one hand while pulling on his sleeve with the other.

"Oh, yeah. It looks just like..." His eyes narrowed. "You don’t think it is... It can’t be, can it?"

"Could be," Roka answered.

"No... What about the maintenance check? The parts we might need?"

"..." Roka pursed her lips with a shrug.

"Let’s go get a closer look."

They walked through the gathering.

Nobody seemed to mind their presence or wandering.

The entire area had a strangely relaxed atmosphere. The vibe was completely different than on the streets of VTX or inside that rave area.

"I can’t tell for sure..." Cero muttered while studying the ship.

"We would have to hop inside to make sure," Roka said and stepped closer.

"Stop right there." The two turned around. "You think you can just walk up to someone’s ride like that? Where did respect go? Left it where you came from?"

"Huh?" Roka’s eyebrow twitched. ’What’s up with this fucker?’

"Where’s this ride’s owner?" Cero asked after walking closer, looming over the stranger.

"I don’t know. You might see him soon though," The six-armed man raised his bottom four, which held a spatula, a cooking knife, a pair of tongs, and a whisk. "Cook you something up in the meantime? Card only; I don’t take cash."

Roka and Cero exchanged a glance before agreeing.

They followed him two dozen steps before arriving at his station, around which a couple of chairs had been set up.

"You keep an eye on people’s things?" Cero asked, noticing that some of those seats were occupied by people who seemed to be enjoying their meals a lot.

"Well, yes. Most of my business comes from drivers and navigators, so I make sure to put in extra effort."

"That’s nice," Roka muttered with a nod.

The six-armed cook tapped his wristband, and a digital menu appeared in front of him.

"What would you like?" He asked, making his cooking utensils spin and hop from one arm to the other.

Roka glanced at Cero and was confused by the expression on his face.

Cero saw this as a bit of a challenge.

***

"Hey, what’s wrong?"

"I’m done for the day, man!" The cook looked utterly defeated, already on his third beer.

"What gives? I always come around this time!"

"No more! My stock is gone, alright?"

Cero stared from a distance, a sly smile on his face.

"Did you have to take everything he had?" Roka scratched her head.

"I was hungry, plus he got paid, so..." He shrugged. "No harm, no foul."

"That’s true, I guess-"

"HEY!"

The shout came from nearby.

A small crowd could be seen beyond the ship they were surveilling.

Roka and Cero walked closer.

Someone was shouting at a familiar face. The latter looked completely unimpressed.

Cero squinted.

"There he is."

Roka sighed. "So they were just behind the ship."

Sure enough, their navigator stood in the middle of the crowd. So was the guy shouting.

"What’s happening?" Roka asked while sipping on her drink.

"Looks like that guy is about to hit Nolan."

"Oh." Roka took another sip. "Should we do something?"

They walked closer.

The other man shoved Nolan. The latter managed to keep his balance.

"Listen, you-"

His sentence was left unfinished as Nolan punched him directly in the face.

The man staggered backward, and the surrounding crowd erupted.

"GOOD HIT!"

"ANOTHER!"

"You son of a..."

Before he could retaliate, Cero appeared out of nowhere.

Holding the guy from the back of his collar, he lifted him off the ground.

"This guy bothering you?" Cero asked.

Nolan felt a shiver run up his spine despite the fact that Cero was technically protecting him.

The stranger’s legs immediately began kicking.

"PUT ME DOWN! LET GO OF ME!"

"Just relax, I’m sure this is a misunderstanding..."

Before Cero could finish the sentence, the guy kicked him in the side.

"Arghhh! You broke my shin, asshole!"

"You hit me." Cero sighed and let go. The guy immediately collapsed on the ground, holding his cheek and his shin while groaning.

"C-Call the cops! These guys broke my jaw and my shin! Nolan broke my shin and my jaw!"

"Man, fuck you, you piece of shit!" Nolan shouted while Roka held him back.

"Relax, let’s take a deep breath and settle this amicably."

"The guy stole my fucking girlfriend and I’m the one getting beat up. Man, fuck you all!" He was close to tears.

Nolan crossed his arms.

"Is that what this is about?" Cero sighed.

"I’m sure he didn’t." Roka scratched her head.

"Ask him, then!" The man shouted, a tear hanging on his eyelid.

"You didn’t," Roka turned towards Nolan. "Right? You didn’t steal her, did you?"

The crowd had grown quiet.

Cero stared at Nolan, and so did everyone else in the perimeter.

Nolan took a deep breath before giving a short and concise answer.

"Stole that shit."