The Glow

- The Next Morning -

"Well, I'm sorry she kicked you out." Wallace said.

"What? No. She just needs time alone or whatever. It's a small apartment." Scott explained.

"Sure it is." Wallace rolled his eyes.

"Leave the man's paranoia alone, Wallace. He's concerned enough as is." You chastised. "But hey, we had a pretty successful night yesterday."

"I heard, it was on today's newspaper." Wallace chuckled, pulling out a newspaper.

"What?" You and Scott exclaimed in unison, seeing the front page of the newspaper.

"It was the best show in town." Wallace said, looking at the cover. "The article was pretty good, too."

"Oh man, we're on the front page of a newspaper." Scott gasped.

"Little by little, we're getting bigger and bigger." You optimistically grinned.

"See? If you did get kicked out, you'd have something to distract you." Wallace pointed out.

"Like you'd even know anymore! Where's your fancy psychic boyfriends I'm not allowed to meet?" Scott questioned.

"Mobile? He's on a business thing on the astral plane. But he left me his body to play with." Wallace smirked.

You and Scott choked on your drinks, not expecting him to be so blunt. But this was Wallace, so you shouldn't have been surprised.

"Oh, you. I'm kidding." Wallace then gave Scott a noogie. "Besides, now I've got your body to keep me company!"

"Huh-uh! This situation is gonna blow over in no time!" Scott protested.

"Changing subjects... did you get anything on the twins?" You asked.

"Nope, not yet." Wallace shook his head, walking over to a drawer and taking out a folder. "I did one miracle, though. You know how many guys named Gideon there are in New York City?"

"Probably a million." Scott answered.

"Probably. But there's only one for you, baby." Wallace winked, setting down the folder. "Gideon Gordon Graves."

"He's Ramona's Seventh Evil Ex. Heard so from the first four, apparently. And he's rich and powerful." You informed.

"Th-that's Gideon? He's..." Scott muttered as he looked over the contents of the folder. "...blurry."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Not a lot of photos of the guy floating around." Wallace apologized. "So assuming you're on track to beat these last couple guys over the winter, what happens next?"

"What next? What do you mean?" Scott questioned.

"In... the... future?" Wallace repeated. "Like, are you and Rammy gonna get married, or...?"

"The future? Like..." Scott nervously paused. "...with jetpacks?"

"Hey, don't worry about the future. It's mystery what will happen next. But for now, we should just focus on what's at hand." You advised. "And what's at hand is the Katayanagi Twins."

- No-Account Video -

You and Kim finished your shifts, and were now walking outside the store. "Let's go." Kim said.

"What's up? I was just gonna come inside for a minute, say hi to Hollie..." Scott asked, seeing you and Kim.

"She's pretty busy right now, is all. Arranging things in the back and stuff. Employees only." You explained.

"Got it." Scott nodded.

- Kim's Place, that night -

"Is this gonna become a regular occurrence?" Kim asked as you opened the portal to the VW, as Scott was gonna stay over.

"Oh, no way. This is nothing." Scott said.

"I'm sure Ramona will cool down, don't worry." You assured.

"Okay. I mean, cool. Well... 'night." Kim awkwardly waved.

"Actually..." Scott paused before he entered the VW. "Can you do me a favor?"

- The Next Day -

"Dude, I'm already tired of being cold. I need to move to the tropics or something." Ramona said as she sipped on a cup of tea.

"I always liked winter best." Kim chimed in.

"As did I, since this outfit feels more comfy and fresh." You commented, taking a bite of cake.

"Why am I not surprised?" Ramona joked.

But you knew what the gist was. Scott had set you and Kim up to meet with Ramona, so he could make his move and talk with her. Well, Kim was the one who got set up to this.

"Kim Pine? Y/N Rowe? Fancy meeting you here!" Scott "smoothly" called out. "Oh... Hey Ramona."

Ramona just stared, not saying anything. "Did he put the both of you up for this?" She asked.

"Yes." Kim replied.

"Not me, I just felt like getting cake today." You said, taking another bite of your slice.

Scott simply grinned, hands on his hips, proud his plan had worked. It was so hard to take him seriously, Ramona just started laughing.

"God, I can't believe that worked." Kim facepalmed.

"You can question the methods, but not the results." You pointed out.

- Anyway! -

A good convo later, and you couldn't help but notice a certain glow on Ramona's head. Was it a trick of the light? Maybe, but it could be something more. Apparently, you weren't the only one, because Scott and Kim were staring.

"Okay, at the risk of sounding insensitive, Ramona, what's with your head?!" Kim asked.

"Yeah, it's glowing." You stated.

"What?!" Ramona exclaimed.

"Oh my God, you see it too?!" Scott gasped.

"My head is glowing? No. Nuh-uh." Ramona denied.

"Uh, I'm afraid it is, actually." Kim informed.

"No. Scott's head glowed once. I saw that. But not mine." Ramona stressed, head down.

"What? When?" Scott questioned.

"C'mon, Rammy." Kim said, leading Ramona to the restroom.

- And so... -

"Another party at Julie's, huh?" You questioned.

"I think you should come tonight, Ramona." Kim suggested.

"I agree wholeheartedly." Scott added.

"You guys don't even like Julie's parties." Ramona pointed out. "Y/N might, but still."

"At least they give most of us something to complain about." Kim said.

"I just like the free snacks." You shrugged.

- Julie's Apartment: another friggin' party -

"So what did Ramona say she wanted again?" Scott asked.

"A bottle of 'Jose Cuervo Especial' and a break." You answered.

"Oop, found it." Scott said, taking the bottle from the bar that the building provided.

"Alright, let's get it to Ramona and-" You were interrupted.

"Scott! Y/N!" Julie called out. "Have you met Kyle and Ken? They've been helping me with event planning. They're award-winning roboticists. And hot. And Japanese!"

"Uh, um, yes, actually, we've-" Scott tried to explain, but was interrupted.

"Are you stealing liquor?! Oh my god." Julie screamed.

"It- It wasn't my idea!" Scott panicked.

"Put the bottle back, thief! That's for legitimate partygoers!" Julie demanded.

"Cuervo Especial? Soulds like Ramona picked the poison." Kyle observed.

"Ahh... Good times." Ken smiled.

"We're this mythical Ramona hiding, anyway? I heard she finally dumped your sorry ass, Pilgrim." Julie taunted.

"Oh, I remember. I guess we should thank you, Juls. Were it not for you signing Sex Bob-Omb for a show in Sneaky Dee's, we wouldn't have been such a hit and made front cover on the newspaper." You retorted, sticking out your tongue.

From the way Julie's face fell, you knew you struck a nerve. "You... Is that a piercing on your tongue?"

"Yes, thanks for noticing. But now, Scott is starting to make it big. And you know what the best part is? You kickstarted it." You smirked.

"Ugh, whatever." Julie scoffed. "Popular or not, Pilgrim's still a loser. Ramona's gonna get tired of his shit and find someone better than him. Not like that's hard."

"That's such a lie! She just- She briefly kicked me out, but that's ancient history! And it's all gonna be peaches n' gravy once I whoop those hoy Japanese guys' asses!" Scott proclaimed.

"You're sick, Scott. Seek help." Julie glared.

"I don't need help. I'll take care of business right now!" Scott yelled, setting the bottle down on a nearby table.

Ken clicked the button, and the remote he held summoned a big robot that would clearly target Scott. Said robot that smushed him to the floor.

"Y/N, watch over Ramona. This is gonna take a bit." Scott muttered.

"Are you sure you don't want any-" You began.

"I'm fine! I got this!" Scott grunted.

Oh well, if he says he's fine, he's fine. You were going to leave to look for Ramona, but noticed that Kyle grabbed the bottle of Cuervo Especial that Scott set down.

Suspicious, you followed behind as he walked over to where Ramona was, opening the sliding door. "We thought you might need this." Kyle said, handing the bottle to Ramona.

"Oh, you know me so well." Ramona, with a less than charmed tone, grabbed the bottle.

"There's no shame in being yourself Ramona. All this here-" Kyle said before he left. "This is temporary. Real life's waiting."

And the door closed. Through the window door, Ramona had an annoyed, angry expression on her face. Finishing the cigarette she had, she tossed it from the balcony, letting it fall down the building.

Feeling like she needed a little pick-me-up, you stepped forward and opened the door. But before you could say anything...

"Would you piss off?! I'm sick of your crap!" Ramona yelled, but more so out of impulse.

"Ramona, settle down. It's just me." You said, hands in the air. However, you did notice that weird glow around her head again. And quickly, you took out your cellphone and took a picture.

The flash of the photo dazed Ramona for a moment, and the glow disappeared. "Sorry, Y/N. Didn't know it was you."

"It's alright, I know you're stressed because of... well, the twins not giving you a breather." You said, standing next to her and looking out the balcony. "So, need anything? Something that'll calm the mind?"

"Maybe just talking to you is enough." Ramona softly smiled. "It's just... been feeling moody lately."

"Everyone has their days, Rammy. I get why you're like this. We're getting close to the end of the road in this whole Evil Ex business. So there's tension, and stress. It's normal, really." You reassured, gently patting her back.

"I guess, yeah. Thanks, Y/N." Ramona nodded, leaning her head on your shoulder. "How do you do it?"

"Huh? Do what?" You inquired, getting a bit red.

"Just... not get caught up with all the drama. Stay so cool and composed." Ramona elaborated.

"Oh, that? It's just something I've picked up throughout life." You shrugged. "I guess that's just how I'm wired. I just learned that you have to live, love... just not professionally."

"What?" Ramona raised a brow.

"One of the things I picked up from dad. Mom says it from the time she and dad cleared the streets of drugs and freed some hookers. Long story, I'll tell it to you sometime." You explained.

"Hah, wow. That's..." Ramona trailed off, chuckling.

"Something, I know." You agreed. "Conduits have wild lives. We sign an unspoken contract the second we're born. But I wouldn't trade this life for anything else."

"Hm... hey, I've got a bottle of tequila." Ramona held the bottle. "Wanna go back inside, find a quiet corner to keep talking?"

"I'm not much of a drinker, but if it'll make you feel better, sure." You smiled, nodding.