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‘This is ridiculous.’
‘Hey, you’re doing great!’ Vienna’s voice is far too cheerful. ‘And besides, it’s not that bad. Have you tried the food? Those weird crab puff things are delicious.’
‘We’re not here for the food, Vienna.’
‘Doesn’t mean we can’t have it anyway.’ Jexie glances across the room, just in time to see her partner grab something oyster-like from a passing tray. She sighs, and returns her attention to the job. Vienna’s a professional, she knows that, but Jexie would prefer if she could be a little more serious on jobs like this.
‘Mmm, they’re so good,’ she mumbles, around a mouthful of oyster. ‘Best part of events like these, I swear. You have eyes on the target?’
‘I think so, yeah. Blue suit by the window.’
‘Right, I see him.’ Vienna pauses. ‘Do you want to make the approach, or should I?’
Jexie frowns. ‘I’m closer, especially if I keep to the edge of the room. Come back me up?’
‘Of course.’
Squaring her shoulders, Jexie steps forward, and is immediately engulfed in a whirlwind of movement and colour. A man in a spectacular golden ballgown spins past her, held fast in the arms of another man in silk, nearly sweeping her off her feet. She barely makes it another step before an alien couple move into the space in front of her, far too caught up in each other’s eyes to pay attention to anyone else. Around her, the music swells.
‘Okay, dance floor was a mistake,’ she mumbles.
‘You’re standing out too much,’ Vienna says. ‘Head back to the edge, grab some food and look busy.’
‘Right.’ She shuffles out of the way of another pair of dancers- a man and a woman, this time, modelling some sort of cyberpunk fashion that really didn’t fit with the theme of the place- and moves as decisively as she can manage towards a table laden with hors d'oeuvres. ‘I still don’t see why I couldn’t have just come as one of the serving staff. I’d still be here to back you up, and I’d stand out way less.’
‘Please, you’re just complaining about the dress.’
Jexie glances down automatically, taking in the blue ballgown she’d been practically forced into for this job. It’s pretty, sure- it’s very pretty and the tiny part of her that used to pretend to be a princess off slaying dragons is absolutely delighted- but it’s hardly the sort of thing she’d choose, especially when there’s a risk of ending up in a fight.
‘No, I’m complaining about the shoes.’
Vienna laughs. Jexie’s eyes are drawn across the room automatically- her partner is absolutely stunning in red, and moves across this place with an easy confidence Jexie can’t help but envy. ‘You’ll be fine. Make the switch then head for the dance floor, I’ll meet you there. It’ll provide the best cover.’
‘Copy that,’ she mutters, returning her attention to the target.
He’s a crooked businessman, just like everyone else in this room, but this particular crooked businessman happens to have the override codes for a shiny new prison planet tucked into his coat pocket. That prison planet? Seems to have a bit of a trend of picking up low-level political agitators, journalists, student protesters, and the like. It’s technically legal, what he’s doing- most of the worst crimes are, these days- but both Vienna and Jexie would very much like it to stop.
Jexie breathes a sigh of relief as she makes it to the tables on the edge of the room. She snatches up a spring roll, jams it into her mouth- damn, the food at this thing is good- and continues working her way along the wall, edging closer to where their target is standing, cheerfully expounding on his work ethic to a bunch of uninterested socialites.
‘Okay,’ she breathes. ‘Going for it now.’
‘I’ll be right behind you,’ Vienna assures her.
(At some point, well after this is done, Jexie is going to sit down and actually properly think about the fact that she’s apparently become an experienced pickpocket entirely by accident. While she’s fine working… less… on the side of the law, some of these things still come as a surprise when she realises just how far she’s come.)
It’s a simple matter to brush past the man and lift the data drive right out of his pocket. She turns, stepping onto the dance floor, and right into Vienna’s arms.
‘Got it?’ her partner asks, pulling her in close.
‘Got it,’ Jexie confirms, taking Vienna’s hand and palming the drive across to her.
Vienna grins, and spins her away, squeezing her hand reassuringly. ‘Great job. This was pretty easy, all things considered.’
‘Don’t say that yet. Please don’t say that until we’re out of the building.’
‘Sorry?’ Vienna offers, not sounding particularly apologetic.
The band in the corner- an actual band, Jexie can’t remember the last time she saw someone hire a live one- shifts to playing something decidedly slower.
‘Oh, come on,’ she mutters. ‘Can we just get out of here?’
‘Relax,’ Vienna says. ‘He hasn’t noticed anything yet. We’re fine. And besides… Might as well enjoy it, right? This isn’t the sort of party you get to attend all that often.’
They turn, and Jexie takes a moment to cast a glance back in the direction of the businessman. He’s talking animatedly with a woman half his age, who clearly does not care in the slightest for whatever story he’s trying to sell. So far, at least, there’s no sign that he’s aware of a problem.
‘Fine,’ she mutters. ‘But if this turns into a shootout, I’m blaming you.’
‘Aww, after all the work I did getting us disguises and everything?’
‘It is a nice dress,’ Jexie admits.
‘It is. You look spectacular.’
‘So do you. Although, I’ve got to ask: why do you know how to do ballroom dances?’
Vienna laughs, pulling her closer. ‘What can I say? Perks of the job, you pick up all kinds of things. You’re not bad either, partner.’
‘Eh, I picked up a bunch of weird hobbies when I was a kid. Never thought I’d actually use it. It’s… kind of nice, actually.’
‘Yeah,’ Vienna says, softly. ‘Yeah, it is.’
They spin together, slowly, disappearing into the crowd of dancers, and Jexie finds herself relaxing into Vienna’s arms, despite the data drive clasped between their fingers and the constant thrum of the fear of discovery lurking in her chest.