Archive of Our Own

Topaz of Debt Retrieval is the reliable, yet outspoken member of the ten Stonehearts, better known as the Non-Performing Asset Liquidation Specialists.

Starting her career as the youngest ever recorded in the Strategic Investment Department and flying through her internship. It wasn’t long before she went from Jelena, a girl from a despondent planet in Marketing Team 166 to earning her title and right to call herself Topaz, not that she minded her old name too much anyway.

Despite the lengthy rumors about the Stonehearts and their ruthlessness and tenacity, a lot of which held a decent amount of truth to them, Topaz wasn’t much different when it came to a lot of work matters. Business is business and money is money, even if Madam Jade liked pushing past the point of what was necessary, she herself was satisfied as long as she turned a profit.

Topaz of Debt Retrieval is a Stoneheart, but beneath that bejeweled exterior of hers, she was a young woman who enjoyed things other girls around her age liked.

That is to say, Topaz adored cute things.

Fluffy creatures from various different planets that now lived in her apartment on Pier Point? Cute.

Romance novels that she secretly picked up from her business trips to the Xianzhou Luofu? Very cute.

Lady Asta, Lead Researcher on Herta Space Station with her pink hair and ardent passion for astronomy? Super cute.

Numby? The cutest.

It was a little known fact obviously, while she didn’t care about her image all too much, the potential hassle of dealing with other investors and clients who might make her job difficult just because she liked such cute things made her keep to herself.

When things used to be a little easier, back when she was just part of Marketing Team 166, she didn’t have to worry about something like that. Despite Uncle Dvorski’s slight protests about having Numby in the office, he had come around to it relatively quickly and even secretly gave her a figure resembling the little warp trotter on her birthday.

Unfortunately, life moves on and she’s no longer just a regular employee of the Strategic Investment Department but a Stoneheart specializing in tracking down debtors. Even more unfortunately, Aventurine, one of her coworkers, is similar to her in the way of collecting such debts.

And by the great Amber Lord, Aventurine of Stratagems is the most not-cute person Topaz has ever met.

It wasn’t a matter of simply face-value, after all the man was objectively handsome. Blond hair and bejeweled eyes filled with hues of blues and purples, he was almost painfully attractive, but good looks were not exactly a net positive.

How could she put it… it’s just that being that visually attractive while having a personality like his made him seem kind of like…

“…a playboy,” Topaz discreetly muttered, sitting right across from said man. Shades covering the other man’s eyes, she could still faintly see them flick up at her sudden utterance before twisting into a closed-eye smile that obviously held no true felicity.

“Did you say something just now, Topaz?” He asked, cocking his head. His voice was teasing, almost to the point of being unnaturally so and she probably would bet a few credits to say that it absolutely was.

That was the thing so off about him, because no matter how he looked, there was something painfully artificial about his every move. Fluid at times, it seemed as though he was putting on a show and even when he seemed to slip-up, a few more scrutinizing moments couldn’t help but give the impression that even those were staged.

And also his outfits were way better than hers, tense coworker relationship be damned, she needed to ask him who his tailor was because that chest window was really working out for him.

“I was just talking to myself,” She sighed, pulling up her stock tabs with a wave of her hand. It was unclear if Aventurine even believed her, but he resumed idly flipping that embellished poker chip of his in between his fingers.

They had both joined around the same time, but Topaz was slightly more experienced, so that meant every now and then they made her drag around this guy on different missions and whatnot. Today, they had both changed out of their work attire and into something more formal because they were meeting with an IPC affiliate from the Intelligentsia Guild at the University of Veritas Prime.

Veritas Ratio was his name apparently, she had searched him up on a whim because of their little introductory meeting and was met with a disgusting amount of articles glazing him but even more online forums that clearly hated his entire being.

He seemed a little pretentious according to them, but they also say he’s a doctor who traverses the universe in order to “cure people diseased with ignorance”, whatever that means. In layman’s terms it sounded like he went around educating others and that was a lot more than what a lot of Genius Society members were willing to do.

It was too early to discern whether or not he was a good person, but from how Topaz had seen it, maybe he was just a little bit misunderstood? In her field she had met many with such eccentricity, but Ratio wasn’t her business anyway, all she was here for was to facilitate the meeting between him and Aventurine.

Madam Jade had sent her a message a few minutes ago giving her permission to kick his ass if he did anything stupid, though it was worded with slightly more flowery language and definitely a jest. Aventurine was very capable after all, incredibly suspicious and a source of distrust, but she believed pretty firmly that he could get things done.

Which is why she couldn’t help but lament her break time being interrupted by being dragged to Veritas Prime to go babysit him. Who cares if she had been there before? She’s a Stoneheart, not a fucking tour guide! If Aventurine had problems finding the room, he could just ask someone like a normal person would.

“You look a little upset, Director,” He drawled. Sitting, he put a leg up against his knee as they both waited in the lounge of Dr. Ratio's office for him to finish up a lecture. Numby scuttled over to the blond but without even looking up from her charts, Topaz snapped her fingers and the device on the warp trotter’s bow made it teleport back to her, much to its dismay, “So… what are you doing?”

“I'm monitoring the volatility index to assess the overall market sentiment before making any significant trades. Gotta stay ahead of the curve in this bear market, you know?” Topaz yawned, propping her head up against her hand.

Whenever he tried to make some long-winded and pointless small talk, she just started talking in stock jargon to make him bored. Unfortunately, Aventurine started getting into investing, so her strategy was starting to work a little less with each passing day.

“I totally understand what you’re talking about and not at all confused,” He said, slow and drawn-out. Slightly leaning back in his seat, he took out his phone to entertain himself.

For whatever reason, being near Aventurine made her nerveracklingly apprehensive. It was normal to be nervous around good looking people obviously, but many of the Stonehearts were to be honest. No, what made her nervous was that he really was a bit of a wild card.

Artificial in the most obvious aspects, but just as unpredictable. He was brilliant in ways that most wouldn’t expect, and that was what made him so dangerous.

Dangerous enough that she still couldn’t help internally languishing why she’s here instead of doing her own fucking work.

“Mr. Aventurine?” A rather plain employee called into the room, the man in question raising his hand in recognition. He stood up from his chair, dusting his hands off before silently eyeing her.

Aventurine was the only one to be meeting Dr. Ratio and while Topaz could probably sit-in on their little business conversation, she had her own matters to take care of. He could handle it alone, corporate negotiation wasn’t rocket science.

“I’ll be waiting here, come back when you’re done so we can leave,” Topaz spoke to him, barely glancing before returning to her multitude of screens. She considered adding a little “don’t fuck it up,” at the end, but they were far from close like that and she’s sure the real pressure was already coming from the higher Stonehearts.

He gave her a nod and a sly smile, leaving Topaz unable to hide a grimace the moment he looked back towards the door. Looking through the doorway from her seat, she saw the employee that had called Aventurine and… a man in a plaster bust.

Hand on his chin in a position of contemplation, he was just standing behind the employee from before, the girl seeming a bit anxious. Thankfully, Topaz had done a little research herself so she knew it was that man was Dr. Ratio. Aventurine seemed to acknowledge the fact too, giving a wave in his direction that the doctor didn’t return.

That was his problem, not hers at least. Now that she really thought about it, they probably picked either the best or worst person to come meet Dr. Ratio. His eccentric, plainspoken personality against her coworker’s charismatic, spurious one? A recipe for disaster in her opinion, but again, still not her problem.

“Would you like something to drink?” The employee from earlier asked, her voice was clear and crisp but she still looked incredibly nervous. Understandable, if she was her and had to be around someone like Dr. Ratio and two Stonehearts, she’d be uneasy as well.

“I’m alright,” She responded, giving her signature business smile that seemed to lessen the girl’s apprehension. Navigating her tabs and noticing a certain trend in a stock she had been following, Topaz switched her attention back to the screen but continued speaking, “I do have a question though, are you familiar with Dr. Ratio?”

“I am, but if you have any… personal questions of the sort. I would advise you to ask him yourself.”

“Ah, I heard he was attractive but that’s not what I’m getting at,” Topaz laughed, the employee also had a ghost of a smile forming on her lips. It seemed as if she had been asked this question a lot, “I’ve just heard a fair amount of rumors, is his personality as volatile as they say?”

“No! Well… the things he says certainly aren’t the most palatable, but others draw conclusions way too easily,” She said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. With the way she spoke rather passionately, Topaz believed every word she said.

“I’ve been his assistant for a while, and many don’t understand the dedication and heart he puts into his work. He genuinely cares about every life, many inventions he has made have benefitted hundreds of worlds and yet not enough people can look past his exterior. Yes, he’s rather candid and sometimes insensitive, but he has done more for others than what most geniuses brag about…”

Ratio’s assistant turned red, looking away and coughing into her hand in embarrassment, “But of course that’s all my own opinion. You should form your own of course, but I firmly believe Dr. Ratio is absolutely brilliant.”

Letting out a light and airy laugh, Topaz just smiled back at her. If that Ratio was just as admirable as she made him out to be, then she had to give him some credit. Looking back at the employee’s name tag before addressing her, “Thank you, Margaret. I was just a bit curious, but I’ll take your word for it.”

“It was my pleasure, Miss Topaz,” Margaret said with a slight bow, moving to walk towards the office room, “If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call me.”

Sounded like Dr. Ratio was more softhearted than what others made him out to be, how interesting. She smiled to herself, leaning back in her seat as she checked her stock market tabs again.

A development, but one that she had no stake in at the moment. Maybe she should tell Aventurine when he gets back, it shouldn’t take very long, it was a simple introductory meeting after all.

…

Topaz let out a long sigh, one full of exhaustion and boredom.

Watching the clock tick to end in another zero, she hadn’t checked the clock when Aventurine had left, but it had to be at least an hour since he had gone with the doctor.

During that time, she had read several economic reports, had a virtual meeting with some stakeholders to discuss risk management, monitored her portfolio, and analyzed enough market data to be deserving of a little nap.

At least when she does her daily investment activities, she is free to sit in her comfortable office or walk around, but instead she is stuck on Veritas Prime waiting for her stupid coworker.

What could they possibly be talking about to warrant this long of a meeting? They had to be playing starchess or something to turn a quick introduction reception to become acquainted into one lasting an hour.

Getting up from her seat and doing a few quick stretches, Topaz looked towards the office door and considered calling Margaret, but she knew that the other woman probably wouldn’t be able to do much.

She could take a walk at least, one to clear her head from this stuffy air. Topaz hated formalities, so she was completely amenable to not being included in their little meeting, but if she knew it wasn’t going to be as little as she had planned, perhaps she would have given it a second thought.

The heels she used on fancier occasions clacking against marble ground, she admired the Grecian-esque decor of Veritas Prime. It was very ornate, but not to the point of being gaudy.

Click!

“You expect me to believe you?”

Topaz immediately stopped, caught off guard by the sudden firm voice echoing the empty halls, interrupting her thoughts. She turned in the direction of the voice, finding a man with violet hair and golden laurels talking to Aventurine.

None of the publications she had read had shown a picture of Dr. Ratio without that plaster bust of his, so she was rather captivated for a moment. She had heard he was handsome, but even just his silhouette backlit by sunlight couldn’t be done justice with words alone.

Click!

“They always give the best of looks to the men with the worst personalities don’t they?” Topaz muttered to herself, crossing her arms.

Standing at the other end of the hall from the two, they didn’t notice her presence. A quick look downward upon hearing a loaded sound and the glint of metal, her eyes widened.

Aventurine, you fucking dick!

She couldn’t help but gape while watching them because her coworker had a revolver in hand. A few more seconds and Topaz realized that Aventurine’s gloved hand wasn’t on the handle, but grasped around the barrel of the gun.

Click!

Too far away to properly see their faces, she could still halfway make out her coworkers expression. Pupils blown wide, the smile he was wearing was different from those showy ones he put on.

Insane, he looked genuinely insane. Not that Topaz had ever considered him normal, but despite having a gun pointed at him, his features were stretched wide in elation.

“Why not, doctor? Life is a big gamble, and I’ll always be the final victor.”

Ratio’s hand was wrapped around the handle of the revolver, but she could see him trying to pull it away. Aventurine’s hold on the barrel brought it right back to aim at his chest with a firm thud.

He was the one who orchestrated this, not Ratio.

Topaz’s realization was followed by a second one as she realized what the empty clicks she was hearing before were. She knew he had always had some kind of complex related to that luck of his, but seriously? With everything laid out, it didn’t take much effort to figure out what was going on.

Aventurine’s next comment was spoken lowly, enough so that it didn’t reach her as he leaned in closer to Ratio’s ear. As cunning as he looked, she noticed the way his hand ever so slightly shook holding the barrel. Her coworker’s face obscured from her view, she could faintly see Ratio’s contort from confliction to something closer to indignation.

Brows shooting up, Topaz watched his free hand guide the doctor’s back over the trigger. There should only be two shots left in the cylinder and if she was correct, then that little game of his involved only one bullet. Half chance he gets his guts blown out, half he doesn’t.

Taking out her laser gun, she aimed at the revolver in their hands. It was difficult, despite training herself to have sharpshooter aim, such a skill was useless if she didn’t have a clear target. If she only wanted to hit the revolver, from her distance there was a chance that she might accidentally shoot one of the men’s hands in the process.

Well, if there was a probability of that happening, might as well take the opportunity to aim a little closer to Aventurine.

Trained on the revolver in her line of fire, her finger wrapped around the trigger with full intention to pull it, but Topaz was caught off guard as the once idle stances of the two in front of her suddenly shifted.

He had moved quickly, sweeping Aventurine’s leg out from under him. The man caught off guard, his grip around the gun had loosened completely, leaving it the doctor’s hand while he fell. More than expecting the other man to let him hit the floor, Ratio's free arm wrapped around his waist to keep him stabilized.

The two were frozen, their gazes locked for what seemed like forever. Not looking away, Ratio tampered with the revolver in his hand, opening the cylinder and letting a single bullet fall. It hit the marble floor with a resounding echo and yet even then they didn’t move from their position.

Topaz holstered her gun, both of her hands clasping together and coming over her lips in a sort of thinking position. She was a young woman with interests that other girls around her age had. If she had used her rather luxurious position to scour the IPC archives for BL manga from Izumo, that was no one’s business but hers.

But seriously, she had seen this kind of scene in a BL manga she had read before.

“Your life is worth more than to be wagered as a bargaining chip, dear gambler. I hope one day you can realize that,” Ratio finally spoke, voice rich and firm. Straightening up from the rather dramatic dip they were both locked into, he simply handed Aventurine the empty revolver before turning around to leave.

His footsteps tapping against the ground, as they got further away, Topaz remembered herself, melting from her frozen position and walking up to Aventurine. The man stood idle, gaze still trained on the ghost of Ratio’s figure that was long gone from the hallway.

“You crazy asshole! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Topaz whispered, mindful to not be yelling at her idiot coworker in a quiet hall in case anyone else could be listening in. Aventurine didn’t even acknowledge her, he seemed to be in a trance of sorts.

“He’s incredible,” He replied after a few long seconds of just staring. Given time due to Aventurine’s delayed response, Topaz couldn’t help but notice the rather spirited look the other had on his face.

Aventurine always wore a sort of teasing expression, lips curled up into a passive smile that wasn’t at all sincere. But looking at him now, those bejeweled eyes of his that were always worn and dull brimmed with life. Sunlight reflecting against them, his irises had a certain glitter that Topaz had never seen before.

Smile lacking its normal synthetic undertone, Aventurine’s lips curled so wide in excitement that his canines were on full display. Scrutinizing him ever closer, despite the poor lighting she could make out a faint tinge of red across his cheeks.

And for the first time in her life, Topaz couldn’t help but think that this kind of Aventurine looked a little cute.

Not in a romantic way of course, but for once she had seen him look human. Not like an actor performing on a stage or a savvy businessman trying to negotiate a deal, but he looked real for once.

Genuine, beneath that facade he put up when peeled back Aventurine looked like a genuine person and Aeons strike her down for thinking that was the slightest bit cute.

“Well, if you haven’t noticed, that little stunt you pulled likely didn’t leave the best impression,” Topaz muttered, crossing her arms, “If that crush of yours decides to break ties with the IPC because of you, we both know it’s your head on the chopping block."

She didn’t mean to call Dr. Ratio his crush, the word just came tumbling out in the midst of her ireful rant, but her eyes widened when the faint tint of red against the other’s face expanded into a full on blush.

“My crush?” Aventurine repeated, his tone was teasing but she noticed the way it slightly shook. He put his shades over his eyes before turning back to her, “Thought you were more mature than to use such elementary terms, let alone believe in love, but you prove me wrong, Miss Topaz.”

He started walking back towards the entrance, leaving Topaz to follow beside him, “If the doctor wanted to break his partnership with the IPC, he wouldn’t be able to as the Intelligentsia Guild is heavily funded by us. Even so, I’m sure if he had planned to anyway he would have no trouble voicing the intention to do so to my face.”

“That was still a stupid thing to do, Aventurine. What if you had gotten hurt?”

“I have wagered my life against fate itself and yet I’m still here, don’t you think that’s proof of my luck?” He grinned, noticing the way his tone set back into painful spuria, there was nothing Topaz could do but half-heartedly glare at him, “Well, now that we’re over with that, I’ve heard of this popular new restaurant that opened up on Pier Point. If you have the time, why not try it with me?”

“…I hope you’re aware that you’ll be the one footing the bill.”

“Like always, Miss Director.”

─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────

While his and Ratio’s little entanglement was quite a memorable moment, life doesn’t simply stop for things like that. Topaz resumed her normal working habits the day after and blissfully sat in her office doing her daily activities with no interruption.

The Stonehearts don’t gather together regularly and she would commonly go months without seeing some of them, so she assumed that she wouldn’t be meeting again with Aventurine anytime soon.

It wasn’t like she cared much, they were coworkers and nothing more. She ruefully knew in the back of her mind that he was one of the more amiable members of the liquidation specialists, but he was just as insane, so really what’s the upside?

Commonly getting the feeling when sitting in on virtual meetings and thinking, wow these people are so weird, thank the Aeons I’m the only normal person here. Topaz had a bit of a laugh in recognition that a good half of the others probably had the exact same thought.

Walking the halls of the main building on Pier Point, she had the bad habit of managing her stock tabs while moving. It made her think better, but it often came at the cost of accidentally bumping into people every now and then.

Doing a fundamental analysis of a certain company she had her eye on, she considered raising the stop-limit order she had some stock in. The market was bullish as of now, but the IPC had their eyes on the planet the company’s headquarters was based in. If everything went downhill, might as well sell her shit before it became volatile-

Numby let out a squeak in surprise as Topaz suddenly bumped into someone. An apology on her lips as she turned around, the words got caught up in her mouth as she faced familiar blond hair and twilight eyes. Topaz never had the best poker face, but she was one hundred percent sure she was gaping.

Aventurine turned around to face her as well, his own eyes minutely widening in recognition, the same artificial smile came to ghost over his lips. That wasn’t what made her so bewildered, though. Scanning over the man’s hair and clothing, it almost looked as if the man was going out on a date. He was normally very meticulous about his looks, but his signature flashy style seemed to have been taken up another level.

“Whoops, might want to start watching where you’re going ‘Paz,” The other man said, slightly grinning as he stared at her through his signature shades, she returned the gesture with a grimace.

“Don’t call me that, it’s not going to stick,” Topaz replied on impulse, the two having had this specific interaction many times. He huffed out a laugh before turning around, intending to continue heading the way he was going. She didn’t know what compelled her to grab his wrist suddenly, but she had already done so without thinking, “Wait, where are you going?”

“My, my, that’s private information, Director-”

“Shut up, you totally look like you’re about to go see someone,” She interrupted, crossing her arms as she got a good look at him now that he was fully facing her. It wasn’t bad, certainly not garish by any means, but then again everything looks good on people who are handsome, “By any chance, are you meeting Dr. Ratio today?”

His expression turned all the more teasing, but seeing a faint blush extend across his features, Topaz had to hold in an incredulous laugh at the absurdity. He cocked his head to the side, tone deceptively playful, “It isn’t very professional to be meddling in personal affairs, but if it matters, then yes, I am having a business meeting with Ratio today.”

“Is that why you look like… that?” Topaz asked rather bluntly, becoming rather inarticulate when it came to discussing the other’s sudden change in style. Opting instead to just gesture at his attire, Aventurine thankfully understood what she meant, but in common practice, made her life more difficult anyway.

“What? Can a guy not change it up every now and then? Oh, now I understand, you can compliment me if you want, Miss Topaz. No need to be shy,” Aventurine mocked, his challenging response causing the onset frown on her face to deepen with disgust.

“If you’re looking for an ego boost, you’re asking the wrong person,” She half-heartedly sneered, lingering on her thoughts for a moment longer as she observed him, an idea came into her head. Her tone softening with new interest, “Want a second opinion on it?”

“On my outfit? Does it not suit your tastes or something-?"

“Not my own tastes, I’m thinking in place of Ratio’s right now,” Topaz said, squinting at his appearance with her hand on her chin. Aventurine seemed to be genuinely dumbfounded by her plainspoken statement but she continued to speak before he had the chance to interrupt, “First, take off your sunglasses. I know you don’t wear them to hide your eyes because you dramatically take them off every chance you get, but they also make you look like a playboy.”

“Hey, I think you’re misunderstanding something, ‘Paz- What do you mean they make me look like a playboy-?!”

His widespread blush deepened in color at her comment from earlier, any faint attempts to deny her assertion broken off into a tone of indignation at her criticisms. Aventurine’s shorter stature making them similar in height, she quickly plucked them off of his face before folding and putting them back in his hands.

Ignoring his objections, she continued to pick apart his outfit in her head. She didn’t realize what good stress relief it would make, but that was just a little added bonus, “There isn’t anything wrong with your hair being tied back, but it feels off. It especially draws attention to your earrings rather than them blending together with your hair. You would want Dr. Ratio to be looking at your face rather than anything you’re wearing, right?”

Leaning up a bit to undo his hair tie, Aventurine could have stopped her at any time, but just looked back at her with a faint look of amusement. Topaz messed with his hair a bit, inwardly envious of its sheen and softness as she made sure his layers framed around his face properly. Finally ruffling his hair slightly for volume, she stepped back to admire her work before nodding in approval.

“Was being a stylist your first choice before joining the IPC?” He asked tauntingly, pulling out his phone to check himself out with the camera.

“Nah, it was something like taking care of animals, but a lot of the species on my home planet died out before the IPC took ahold of it,” She replied offhandedly, maybe she should have become a stylist, this was actually pretty fun. Almost as exciting as checking the market and dealing with clients, she dared to say, “Take off your jacket, it makes your silhouette oddly bulkier.”

Letting out an over dramatic sigh, Aventurine complied, almost theatrically shrugging it off before neatly folding it up and throwing it over his shoulder. Posing by putting his hand on his hip, he raised a bemused eyebrow, “Better?”

Topaz hummed in response, leaning in a bit to better scrutinize the meticulous details of his outfit. Straightening up his collar, fixing his buttons, smoothing out the fabric, her hand lingered over the rather abundant chest window cut out on his dress shirt before leaving it alone. If Dr. Ratio was a man of culture, he would appreciate the style as well.

“There, now you look good.”

Rather proud of herself, she stood back to finally admire her work. Giving a thumbs up in approval, she rolled her eyes fondly when Aventurine tiredly sighed, knowing it was an act.

“I appreciate the gesture, friend,” He smiled, the action making her tense up slightly, not used to the man acting so sentimental. Topaz just turned around, opening her tabs back up and calling Numby back to her as she walked off.

“Not your friend,” She replied. Already facing the other way, she couldn’t see his expression, but Topaz decided to add just a little comment, “Good luck on your little date.”

“It’s not a date, ‘Paz,” He groaned back, his voice echoing across the empty hall.

Turning the corner, she finally let a small smile spread across her face that held a disgusting amount of fondness.

…

Topaz had never expected to see the fruits of her labor at all, it wasn’t often that she crossed paths with her coworkers, but going out on a convenience store run for a sweet treat and some snacks for Numby, there they were.

She had just finished her shopping, walking along the empty sidewalk of Pier Point. The nightlife in the area wasn’t particularly busy being a weekday, so she was free to take one of the treats out of her bag and use it as bait to get Numby to do tricks as they headed back to her apartment.

Hearing an all too familiar hushed voice, it caused Topaz to freeze in her steps, looking into an alleyway and spotting violet and blond hair, she darted back against a wall. Snapping Numby back to her, she made a motion for it to be quiet, the warp trotter nodding in response.

“Well, thanks for meeting with me, doctor. I know it’s all boring business stuff, but in my opinion, virtual meetings are just as uninteresting,” Aventurine said to who was presumably Dr. Ratio, his signature grin was evident in his voice and despite knowing full well she shouldn’t be listening in, casually walking by would be just as awkward, “I should be heading back now…”

There was a pause before a sudden shifting of fabric, someone’s coat maybe? After the weighted moment, Aventurine spoke again, his voice immeasurably caught off guard, “What are you doing, Ratio?”

“Giving you my coat, we just came outside and you’re already shivering,” The other man smoothly replied, his tone so forthright that Topaz almost wouldn’t have thought about the connotation if she wasn’t hanging onto every word the two said.

Quietly pumping her fist in the air, she silently patted herself on the back for getting him to discard his jacket.

The blond huffed awkwardly, his own usually practiced voice unable to hide his own surprise, “I had one earlier, but due to… reasons I chose not to bring it.”

Oh come on, she literally helped him and this is how he repays her? Silently considering sending Aventurine a request for credits after all of her hard work, the pettiness of doing so would be ruined because he would totally send her the money anyway.

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t notice Aventurine leaving the alleyway until placid footsteps and a quiet bid goodbye dragged her out of her mentation.

Panicking on where to run to not get seen, her worriment led her to the first place she thought of: absolutely nowhere. Back pressed against the wall she was once eavesdropping from, she inwardly cursed hearing steps coming closer to her. Clenching her eyes shut, she tried to convince herself that as long as she didn’t see him, he wouldn’t see her.

As one would expect, that was a really fucking stupid idea and when she opened her eyes, she immediately made contact with Aventurine who looked unbelievably bewildered. He had every right to be obviously, she was dressed down to her normal at-home loungewear but it was the middle of the night on a rather vacant street in Pier Point.

“Topaz?” Aventurine silently mouthed, brows furrowed together in confusion. She just shook her head, putting a finger over her mouth in a shush motion. Eyeing the alleyway where Ratio was, she jumped hearing a second set of footsteps coming towards the entrance.

“Shut up, shut up, shut up,” Topaz mouthed back, voice barely coming out as she pointed to the alleyway and the other man who was right about to walk out of it, “I wasn’t here.”

“Aventurine? Is something wrong?” Dr. Ratio asked. Looking towards where the blond was turned, the other’s hand impulsively shot up, grabbing his jaw to turn his face away from where Topaz had stood and back to him.

“W-what? No doctor, everything is fine,” Aventurine replied shakily, immediately remembering himself and releasing his hold around Ratio. Looking back towards Topaz’s old hiding spot, he let out a sigh of relief seeing that she was gone.

Of course, she didn’t have warp trotter abilities and had just sprinted for her life into the next alleyway over in pajama pants. Why is she even an IPC Senior Manager? In her next life, she should consider being a track star.

Bewildered from Aventurine’s sudden movement moments prior, Ratio didn’t voice it. Instead just staring back at him with striking cerise irises and by the Aeons, it was so refreshing to see the blond so inexplicably nervous.

Tugging Ratio’s coat closer over his shoulders, his tone was unusually awkward, but there was that same genuine air to it that only seemed to manifest when the doctor was around. Tucking a strand of blond hair behind his ear as he spoke, “So… mind walking me back to my apartment?”

The other man just sighed, but even without seeing him Topaz could make out how fond the his face must have looked just from the sound alone, “Hurry up then, it’s rather chilly outside and it certainly wouldn’t be beneficial for your workflow if you happen to catch something.”

“If I get sick, does that mean you would take care of me?”

There was a quick, solid smack followed by a pained noise from Aventurine, peeking out from the alleyway, Topaz could make out the tome in the doctor’s hand and her coworker nursing the back of his skull.

Ratio’s head suddenly snapped behind him, narrowed cerise eyes staring straight into her as she ducked back against the wall, but as he turned back around, no accusatory words came out of his mouth, “The goal is to not get sick in the first place, dear gambler. If you happen to fall ill, then we wouldn’t be able to meet for business matters, would we not?”

Damn, she wasn’t familiar with your game like that, Ratio.

As the two walked off, the sound of their footsteps patting against the sidewalk getting farther away. Topaz carefully exited her little spot in the alleyway.

Finally heading back home with Numby in her arms and the ice cream she had bought earlier undoubtedly melting, she considered reviving the BL romance market by writing her own novel. She certainly wouldn’t be lacking in inspirational material, anyway.

─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────

“One thousand three hundred and fifty six divided by twelve,” Aventurine muttered as he slouched in one of Topaz’s office chairs, he opened up his phone to a new gacha game that the Trailblazer encouraged the both of them to try out. Hearing him pull on a new banner, she let out a soft sigh and a glare upon his device blaring the signature sound that plays when one pulls a five star character. Consecutively. Seven times in a row.

Responding almost immediately, Topaz didn’t even look up from her projected tabs to dwell on it, uninterestedly replying, “One hundred and thirteen.”

“Now multiply that by seventeen thousand five hundred and six.”

It had been a while since her and Aventurine started to stand on well-disposed terms and even longer since he and Ratio had first met. As much as she would hate to admit that the doctor was a sort of catalyst for their companionship, still cringing at even thinking of the idea of calling him her friend, there was no denying that they had become rather familiar with one another.

After her “royal fuck-up," as Aventurine once called it, on Jarilo-VI and him offering a Investment Department job in one of their upcoming projects, they had been meeting rather regularly. Both constantly went in and out of Pier Point on small missions, but when they both had time, or rather, when Aventurine came into her office to annoy her for no reason, their conversation would slowly devolve from regular business talk into mindless nonsense.

Currently, such nonsense involved the two lounging around her office with Numby happily laying on Aventurine’s lap while he asked her some mental math questions. Incredibly stupid, but it had become so ritualistic that Topaz didn’t even realize they were doing it again until right in the midst of doing so.

“One million, nine hundred seventy eight thousand, one hundred and seventy eight. Are you even trying?” She yawned, stretching a little in her office chair before quickly unholstering her laser gun to shoot an ornate die that the other threw at her in mild annoyance, “Think of something harder.”

“You’re asking a lot from a guy who never entered formal schooling,” Aventurine said in a sing-song voice that made her want to roll her eyes. Hearing him pull on that same banner, she considered giving him her phone so he could wish on that same game for her. Topaz wasn’t one for games, let alone ones designed to drain you of your credits, but there was this one character with a rather cute design she wouldn’t have minded having…

“So, how are you and Mr. Intelligentsia Guild?” Topaz asked, eyeing the blond who she could see subtly flush red at the mention. Despite insisting that he had no interest in the man like that, Aventurine got oddly tense every time she had used his name, leading her to come up with the most embarrassing nicknames possible for the doctor.

“I’ve said it and I’ll say it again, I have no feelings for… that man,” Aventurine replied, always with that practiced, confident tone of his if not for his hesitance in voicing Ratio’s name, “You’re totally imagining things, maybe lay off those Xianzhou novels would you?”

“That’s why I’m never letting you into my apartment again,” Topaz groaned, remembering when he had barged in just to end up hanging out there for a couple of hours, finding her little collection in the process. All of her pets liked him, so it wasn’t easy to kick him out, “Do you remember two nights ago?”

“When I got drunk after a business meeting with Ratio? Yeah, why?”

It was three in the morning when Topaz had decided to finally go to sleep. She had stayed up just to finish watching this romance show she knew ended in tragedy, but that didn’t stop her from watching it anyway. Rubbing her eyes which were red from crying about it, she checked the time and realized that she had to get up for work in two hours.

Whatever, wasn’t the first time Topaz had worked on minimal sleep, but as she was snug as a bug in a fucking rug, her phone rang.

“It’s three in the morning, what do you want, Aventur-” She grumbled, picking it up and squinting at the bright light of her screen. Suddenly cutting herself off when she was met with a plaster bust, Ratio’s plaster bust to be exact.

“Hey ‘Paz!” Aventurine slurred from inside the bust, voice slightly distorted from the video call. There was the sound of fast-paced footsteps in the background, and from the way his angle was shaking, he was definitely running, “Ratio’s little mask uh… thingy is kinda tight, how the hell does he put it on so quickly?”

“Are you drunk?” She asked, her tone completely baffled as she stared at her screen with absolutely no clue what to do, any semblance of tiredness shaken out of her, “If you stole Dr. Ratio’s plaster head, where is he?”

“Huh, what did you say?”

“Your boyfriend, where is your boyfriend at, Aventurine?”

Aventurine’s loose grip on his phone made the camera unbelievably shaky, but there was a faint blur of violet in the background that was slowly getting closer.

“I dunno, but I remember Ratio saying that he used this to block out idiots or somethin’?” He responded, leaving Topaz wondering if the breathiness in his speech was due to intoxication or running at top speed to only the Aeons know where, “That would probably explain why I can’t see or hear a thing-”

With a metallic clang, Aventurine’s camera angle abruptly dropped, clattering to the ground. It was a wonder how his phone didn’t break but it left Topaz’s end looking at the sidewalk, hearing the faint sound of the man groaning in pain in the background.

“…He just ran into a wall, didn’t he?”

“That, he did,” Ratio’s voice suddenly popped up from outside the angle. With a heavy sigh, he picked up Aventurine’s phone, his unmasked face showing up on screen. Despite running for just as long as the blond, he looked significantly less tired, if not a bit miffed, “Hello, Miss Topaz.”

“Dr. Ratio, glad to see you’re… well…?” She replied automatically in a business tone before slowly trailing off into uncertainty as the doctor looked not at the phone screen, but down at where she assumed was Aventurine’s sprawled body, “Is he okay?”

“As okay as one can be after running head first into a wall, I suppose,” Ratio responded, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, a pained grumble coming from outside the frame as he turned back to the phone camera, “I’ll be taking Mr. Aventurine back to his apartment. Have a good night, Miss Topaz.”

Somewhere in the back of her sleep-addled mind, Topaz snidely thought about the implications of Ratio already knowing her coworker’s apartment address, but no comment reached her mouth as she rubbed her tired eyes. Reaching for the end call button, “You too, Ratio.”

As one would imagine, upon hearing her little anecdote, Aventurine looked implausibly flustered. His mouth opening, then closing, before opening again, he just paused before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his signature shades. Yeah whatever dude, those aren’t going to help you now.

“I’m cooked,” He said in a rather stoic tone if not for the way he was hunched over, hands clasped near his mouth in a thinking position. The glint of his sunglasses hiding his eyes, she was sure underneath them were bejeweled eyes wide in mortification. It was nice seeing the Aventurine beneath his sly, theatrical exterior and Topaz wasn’t about to feel the slightest bit bad about it, “Is that why he hasn’t texted me since then?”

“You guys regularly text?” Topaz asked, her brows shooting up in surprisal, the news unexpected to even her. Saying her next teasing comment with a poor, half-hearted impression of Aventurine, “What would you guys even talk about? Hey doc, want to go out on a romantic candlelit dinner out by the Pier Point boardwalk which is soundly not a date because we’re both wearing socks and said no homo?”

“He wears sandals,” Aventurine muttered back, face covered by his hands, ineffectively blocking out her raucous cackles, “We don’t talk about much, he just sends good morning texts sometimes and abrupt health advice? Ratio visited my apartment last month to drop something off and lectured me for an hour about only eating food from the Omni-Synthesizer. Now, he keeps occasionally texting me that I need to eat ‘real food,' whatever that means.”

“That’s boyfriend behavior and you know it,” She commented, hiding just how taken aback she was herself at how tender-hearted the doctor actually was. Propping her feet up against her desk, Topaz eyed her coworker who still seemed to be in the midst of rethinking his entire life decisions, “So what’s the plan now, Senior Manager?”

“Kill myself-?”

“Denied.”

“It doesn’t even matter, Ratio is my partner on the upcoming Penacony assignment anyway,” Aventurine said with a groan, crossing his arms. Taking his phone out again, it seemed as though he was messaging someone, but he continued talking, “You checked over the mission document I sent, right?”

“The one you left half blank?” Topaz asked, raising a brow as she remembered the document he sent to the Stonehearts group chat. More specifically, the one that Madam Jade reacted to with a question mark and a message that said “Call me, Aventurine.” Sighing, she continued, “Yeah, introducing the plan with breaking the Cornerstones and then leaving the rest of the details as vague as possible probably wasn’t the move.”

“Leave the elaborate planning for the unassured, to ‘them,’ results are what matters the most, are they not?” He said smoothly, that same practiced tone of his coming back over him. It always made Topaz a bit apprehensive in the past, but getting to know Aventurine a little better, all it did now was make her sigh, “If they want results, I can give results.”

“Or get yourself killed along the way,” She added, her comment making the grin on his face widen ever so slightly, “I’m guessing part of that plan involves leaving Ratio in the dark about most of it?”

“The doctor is more than brilliant enough to figure it out himself, I gave a few imprecise remarks here and there, but to fool The Family, this needs to look as authentic as possible,” Aventurine spoke, he looked back at her distrustful, perceptive gaze and yet he said nothing about it.

“Have you ever heard of the prisoner’s dilemma? It’s a classic game theory with many variations, but they all have one thing in common. That is, despite not knowing the other parties’ intentions, the two must choose to either act in their own benefit to the other party’s demise, or remain trustful for the optimal outcome. It sounds simple, but if the two choose to go separate ways and act in their own favor, then they both receive the worst possible result. I need Ratio to trust me, and he is to enact the plan by doing the exact opposite.”

She didn’t respond, looking back at him with a slightly skeptical look, he continued regardless with a small smile, “All for the Amber Lord, Miss Topaz.”

“All for the Amber Lord,” Topaz responded, her reaction driven in by habit. Rolling her eyes, there was no hiding just how uneasy this plan in particular made her feel, “I trust you, but I can’t say the same about how Ratio may feel about this.”

“Yes, yes, I’m sure Ratio thinks I’m an unreliable bastard or something. That’s perfect for the plan, by the way,” He disparaged, waving his hand dismissively. He very likely knew that wasn’t what Topaz had meant, but he spoke anyway, much to her apparent dismay, “By the way, mind if I borrow your Cornerstone for let’s say… give or take a few weeks?”

The sound of Topaz’s laser gun firing multiple rounds at Aventurine of Stratagems reverberated across the empty halls.

─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────

“Hm… well I bet a male nurse is going to come in next,” Aventurine said in a rather surefire tone, Topaz sitting by his bedside rather unamused with her arm propped up against her knee.

“Aventurine, only two nurses are cleared to come assist you and they are both women,” She replied tiredly, the man’s certainty not fading despite her stating pure fact. Despite their antics, there was no denying the slight bleary feeling that lingered in the atmosphere.

Against all odds and doubts, he had lived and successfully reclaimed Penacony. After being trapped in a plane of Nihility, Topaz had thought for a hot minute that he was completely fucked, but it seemed as though those Knights of Beauty always came in clutch. Talk about a real deus ex machina.

He seemed to have left the Dreamscape just fine, maybe a little bit more insane than he usually was, but fine nonetheless. Being in the Dreampool for an extended amount of time shouldn’t have had any adverse effects, but perhaps due to the special condition of being straight up flung into the Horizon of Existence, his body was weaker than usual. One executive order from Madam Jade later and here they both were, Aventurine stuck on bedrest for the next few days and Topaz keeping him company.

“I’m just saying there is no male nurse, so there is no way you could be right.”

“Doubtful as always, ‘Paz,” Aventurine spoke with a closed eye smile, his theatrical nature eliciting another sigh and a blase reaction from her. Looking towards the door, the handle shook just as he continued, “They should be coming in right…”

The door opening, she was startled to see violet hair, golden laurels, and Grecian-style clothing stride in. His tome open as he walked in, Dr. Ratio closed it with a firm shut as he locked eyes with Aventurine, cerise eyes boring holes into placid twilight ones. If she really squinted, Topaz could see just how spurious her coworker’s calm nature was at the moment, her brows furrowing together in a discordance of what to think or say.

“…now.”

“Aventurine,” Ratio said. Despite only speaking one word, a name at that, even she could feel the confliction in his tone. Firm, but there was a softness at the edges that was easy to discern once the layers were pulled apart. Veritas Ratio was tense, and with the way he looked back at Aventurine, it wasn’t difficult to discern for what reason.

“Glad the ever-illustrious Ratio has come to grace this sick man’s presence,” He responded to the doctor, an artificial grin coming to curve across his lips. After knowing him for so long, she could easily recognize when he was flustered or nervous, even when he put up that little sly facade of his. Something apprehensive stirred up within Topaz knowing that despite his words, Aventurine looked nothing less than terrified, “Told you, ‘Paz.”

“I’m sure Ratio wouldn’t appreciate being called a nurse after earning a PhD in Medicine,” She replied rather unamusedly, subtly eyeing Aventurine’s reaction and how his gaze was firmly trained on the other man, his unstable gaze slightly shaking, “If you two are going to talk, I can go-”

Standing up from her chair about to leave, her eyes widened in being off guard by Aventurine abruptly grabbing her wrist. Hold inexplicably firm, he had that same theatrical smile plastered on his face but it was paired with a sense of pleading within his eyes.

“Actually, me and Miss Topaz have a conversation to finish up, so I’m afraid you’ll have to come back at a different hour, Ratio.”

There was a heavy silence and for the longest minute of her life Topaz felt as if she was caught in the middle of a lover’s quarrel. Not in a weird way of course, but there was an unbelievably tense air in the room that lingered even when Ratio gave a curt nod.

The doctor stood there for a weighted moment, contrariety etched deep into his being, and yet she couldn’t even let out a breath as he exited, the door closing with a solid shut behind him. Her coworker seemed to be under the same thing, he seemed to reach into his pocket for a moment to grab his sunglasses, but huffed out a self-deprecating laugh when he realized they weren’t on him.

“What the hell happened, Aventurine?” Topaz hissed out, gaze still lingering towards the door as if Ratio could come back in at any moment. Speaking in a low tone regardless, “I’m not going to push if you don’t want to tell me, but seriously…”

For a moment, Aventurine looked human again. It wasn’t often that Topaz had the thought after knowing him for so long, but it wasn’t one that brought her any contentment as the vulnerability carved into him was what brought the mentation back to her. Beneath that assured exterior, he looked unpleasantly panicked and seeing him like that made her feel just the same.

“Well, the plan worked,” He said rather blithely though his undertone was nothing short of mirthless. He didn’t look at her, staring off into a corner of the room where the paint was peeling away from the wall, “I don’t know what I expected, my ideal outcome came to fruition regardless… He betrayed me, and that was always what was supposed to happen. I don’t understand it either, I wanted him to betray me, I needed it for the plan but…”

Putting his head into his hands, he let out a long laugh, mendacity leaking from each syllable, “I must be insane for this, we weren’t even friends, we were acquaintances with a business relationship at most. But the thought of Ratio truly lacking trust in me makes me nauseated. Our act was genuine in the truest sense of the word and I hated every moment of it! I know I’m witless, I know this is beyond idiotic-”

“I don’t think it is,” Topaz firmly asserted, hesitating slightly, she gave his hand a solid squeeze in an attempt to drag him out of his spiral. Aventurine looked back down at it with wide eyes before giving her a lopsided grin, clearly a little embarrassed.

“You trusted him, and getting the feeling that he didn’t think about you in the same way sounds horrible. Aventurine, I truly believe that he cares and that it took just as much trust in you for him to betray you like that. Despite how he acts, the guy is a real humanitarian, and he wouldn’t just sacrifice you to The Family out of all people. It was done with favorable intent and the fact he just came to check on you just now is clear proof of that."

“I know, that’s the thing, I know that,” He responded, speaking in a hurried tone before remembering himself and slowing down. Letting out a heavy sigh, Aventurine relaxed himself for a moment before continuing, “He gave me a little note, told me to open it on my last legs or whatever. Finally got the chance to in the Primordial Dreamscape and he was basically just telling me that there was a way out and to stay alive… I had spent hours up to that moment doubting whether or not he truly meant to betray me or not and finding out he was always on my side…”

He paused for a long moment, normally dulled eyes glistening with light, a certain feeling she couldn’t quite place a finger on, “Walking aimlessly around the underside of Penacony’s surface left me with a lot of time to think. The Harmony made me dwell on a lot of things about myself, but Ratio too. I didn’t realize just how much he actually meant to me until that moment, and even if he was acting, it stings even now that I just can’t accept the belief that his intentions were ever in my favor. I just feel… unreasonably hurt about it even if I have no right to be.”

“You can feel any way you want, no justification needed,” Topaz said gently, there was a moment of silence between them. She wanted to add something, tell him that she understood everything he meant even if he couldn’t quite explain it himself, but there was just something that had no need for words, “Think talking to him yourself would help?”

“He’s a real practical guy, do you think that he would want to listen to another grown man talk about his feelings getting hurt because of him?” Aventurine said rather mirthlessly, rolling his eyes in spite of himself, “It’s fine, like I said, we’re acquaintanced business partners at most. I don’t mean shit to him-”

Uptight atmosphere reaching a new high as the patient room door swung open, an aggrieved Dr. Ratio walked back in, eyebrows furrowed as he quickly scanned the room before locking in on an incredibly pale Aventurine.

“You have this habit of taking the most contrived of notions to heart, dear gambler. Fortunately, I am an educator and therefore willing to explain the truth as many times as you may need.”

Aventurine gaped, eyes unbelievably wide as he looked at the doctor, then back to Topaz, before back at the doctor. Feeling a fresh stroke of guilt strike her in her core, Topaz gave a very ashamed laugh, awkwardly handing her phone over to Aventurine for a moment so he could read her chat logs.

[Topaz] (15:39)

Don’t leave.

The walls are thin enough to be easily heard through, just wait by the door.

[Dr. Ratio] (15:40)

What you are suggesting is a breach of privacy, Miss Topaz.

[Topaz] (15:40)

Shut up and do what I’m telling you.

[Topaz] (15:56)

Don’tbreakindontbreakindontbreakin

“In my defense, I did tell him not to interrupt us…?” She grimaced, looking over as Ratio so he could take partial blame just for him to look away. Yeah, whatever, thanks for being so helpful, Ratio, “I knew you probably wouldn’t open up again after this, but having a whole big misunderstanding with the doctor didn’t sound like a good outcome…”

Aventurine thankfully didn’t seem hurt, but he was unbelievably mortified, a vibrant blush tinting his features as he was completely frozen up. His practiced mask of confidence wasn’t simply cracked around the edges this time, but shattered into pieces, each one like a spark of glitter within his eyes shining with fervid emotion.

He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to as the doctor stepped closer to his bedside, clearly about to give him a very stern talking to about their companionship. A very positive one, she hoped, but with Ratio’s boldness she was half-expecting him to start spouting a long-winded lecture as she was still in the room.

Finding space for her to leave, Topaz slowly inched out of the room with Aventurine not grabbing her wrist this time, the man dazed just by the doctor’s presence alone. Mouthing a quick little “sorry!” as she left, deep in her heart of hearts, she wondered just how sorry she should be as she heard Ratio shouting about how friendship is magic or something from down the hall.

…She’ll use this time to go buy Aventurine a gift, he said he liked the blankets they used here so maybe she should buy a weighted blanket? Yeah, she’ll go do that and then get Numby some treats and sit outside so she can touch some grass.

…

Topaz had wondered in her little heart of hearts just how sorry she should be as she stood in the hall of Aventurine’s hospital room. Weighted blanket in a reusable bag, to absolutely no one’s surprise, a weighted blanket is indeed very weighted and fucking heavy as hell to be carrying around.

That was not the problem and neither was the immense guilt she felt leaving Aventurine alone with the doctor earlier. Just how sorry was she supposed to be?

“Right there, right there, right there-! Fuck, Veritas-”

The answer is not very.

As a single tear of suffering threatening to roll down her face, Topaz dropped the weighted blanket right by the door before walking as far as possible from the room's radius. Telling every single nurse she came across to steer clear of that hall just the same even though she had a feeling that incessant banging sound might span across multiple.

Sitting on a bench overlooking Pier Point, Numby was by her side happily waddling around with a shiny little coin she had given it as she tried to distract herself from what she had heard. Topaz doesn’t know what she expected honestly, but she could say with utmost certainty it wasn’t that.

Pulling out her phone, she dialed Madam Jade’s number, obviously having it in her contacts but choosing to do it from memory just so she could focus on the numbers rather than what she had experienced, “Madam Jade? I’m taking a day off tomorrow, I am not asking, just informing you that I will be doing so.”

The woman on the other end let out a honeyed laugh, her voice always light and airy, “And may I ask why, Topaz?”

“I don’t think you would want to know,” She responded, hunching over the bench as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Letting out a heavy sigh, a certain idea she has had many times before popped back into the front of her mind, “By the way, I have a business project to propose to you. Of course I’ll write up the proper reports, but if you have the time, can you hear me out for a moment?”

─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────

“The Blond Playboy gets Tamed by the Eccentric Scholar?” Aventurine read out incredulously, holding the book Topaz had given to him in his hands. He opened a page just to close it immediately after seeing a rather detailed drawing that unsurprisingly looked a tad too close to himself, “There’s like ten things wrong with this, ‘Paz. For one I’m not a playboy and why does my hair color matter so much that it needs to be put in the title?”

“People love blonds, Aventurine. My novel is currently getting beat out by In a Heated Romance with my Ex-Academic Rival Roommate and the main character in that one is also a blond,” She replied, catching the book thrown at her before putting it back on her office shelves, “It’s very loosely inspired by you and Ratio, so it’s not an exact copy of your personality, obviously.”

“And does every author in that kind of circle write books with tastelessly long titles?” He asked with a raised brow, crossing his arms while she pulled out her current work in progress: the sequel to the first book, “I could search every corner of the universe and I wouldn’t find a single person interested in reading a second book of this.”

“You’d be surprised at the little fanbase you and the doctor have, maybe it’s all that time you spend sitting in on his lectures on Veritas Prime,” Topaz replied eyeing him with a teasing grin that he just gave an awkward laugh in response to, “Don’t worry about it, Madam Jade said it’s good PR for the Stonehearts and by letting me write this you’re basically paying me back for helping you and Ratio get together.”

“I thought I paid you back when you sent me a request for one million credits, what was that for then?”

“Psychological trauma.”