Just Perfect

Nova's eyes narrowed when he finally saw the man he'd been chasing for. There was no mistaking that face, even with that half-detached wig trying and failing to hide a shiny dome of a head.

A crooked grin slowly spread across Nova's face as he took a step forward.

"Well," he said, his voice low with a tinge of amusement, "isn't this just perfect?"

Without breaking his gaze from Cyrus, Nova gave the order calmly.

"Knock them both out."

Trev didn't wait for clarification. His massive frame moved forward like a truck on a mission.

The manager instinctively raised his hands, his face was etched with confusion, trying to deescalate with nervous words.

"W-wait! We can talk this out! I-I'm sure we can reach some…"

Thunk.

Trev's fist met the manager's face like a hammer hitting wet cement. The man dropped instantly, a gurgled squeak escaping his lips as his body crumpled to the floor.

Cyrus froze seeing the commotion, his eyes were locked on Nova like he was staring at a ghost.

His mouth hung open, the expression on his face was of disbelief and fear. The loose wig now sat at a ridiculous angle, exposing more of his bald scalp, making the entire scene look a little comical.

He couldn't move.

He didn't breathe.

Because Nova… Nova was supposed to be dead.

Cyrus had been there that night. He saw the body of Nova sprawled on the floor with blood pooling out of his wounds, he even checked the damn pulse himself.

As he remembered that exact moment, the relief of getting the job done rather than something worse… and the dread that followed when everything spiraled afterward.

But now, the corpse had returned and it was grinning at him.

He couldn't take his eyes off Nova, completely frozen in place like prey cornered by his natural predator. His breathing grew shallow, panic swelling in his chest with every second.

That's why he didn't notice the footsteps.

Trev had slowly closed the distance between them.

By the time Cyrus blinked, Trev was already beside him.

Pow.

One clean punch was all it took.

His head snapped to the side, and his wig that was already hanging on for dear life, launched off like a failed parachute, fluttering pitifully to the ground.

Cyrus collapsed right after it.

Joel glanced at the crumpled manager, then at the unconscious Cyrus, then finally turned to Nova.

"Now what?" he asked, adjusting his sleeves.

Nova looked at the scene, then let out a breath of half relief and half anticipation.

"Good job man," Nova said, placing his hand on Joel's shoulder. "You actually found him. I'll admit it, I'm impressed."

Joel straightened his posture and offered a calm smile. "Well, someone had to do it.", he said smoothly, while tucking his hands in his pockets.

But that was enough to set the others off.

"Damn, Joel! You actually did something useful for once!" Mari grinned, giving him a thumbs up.

"Not bad," Luca added with a small smirk. "Guess you're more than just noise and hair gel."

"…" Trev just nodded, showing his recognition.

Joel held steady, even sipping his drink like this was routine.

"Really, it's nothing," he replied with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "Just instincts."

But Nova who was close to him, tilted his head slightly, noticing something different.

Joel was many things, charming, loud, irritating, dramatic, but being humble wasn't one of them. Especially not when it came to praise.

Usually he'd be milking this moment, celebrating another one of his victories, retelling the tale many times over with increasing level of exaggeration.

But now he was just standing there and smiling stupidly.

Nova narrowed his eyes, a smirk already forming.

"You alright?" he asked casually, his voice was low that only Joel could hear.

Joel glanced sideways, caught of guard by the question. "Huh? Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

Nova said nothing, just stared at him for a couple of seconds with a smirk.

Joel noticed it immediately, Nova was staring at him unusually.

Not just the usual stare either, it felt like you're being watched like a lab rat that just did a backflip.

And the worst part was the smirk.

It started of small, but with each passing second, it grew just a little wider. Like Nova was seeing something funny that was about to happen and he was the punchline.

Joel shifted uncomfortably, gripping his drink a bit tighter.

"What?" he asked cautiously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Nova didn't respond. He just kept staring, his smirk widening so much it was borderline cartoonish now.

Joel took a step back. "Seriously. What. Did. I. Do?"

After a couple of seconds not responding, Nova burst into a quiet chuckle, barely restraining a laugh.

Then, in his usual casual voice, he said. "Oh, nothing. I just… really appreciate the amount of effort you put into finding Cyrus. That's all. Thank you, Joel."

Joel narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Thanks…?"

Nova patted his shoulder again, leaned in closer, and whispered just loud enough for Joel to hear.

"That was the luckiest accident I've ever seen."

Joel blinked. Nova said that like he saw everything that happened earlier with how he found Cyrus being coincidental. "You… how did you know…?"

Nova was already walking off with the others, casually waving a hand like none of this happened.

…..

"Leave that one here, but make sure to tie him up," Nova ordered, nodding toward the unconscious manager slumped in the corner, then pointing at Cyrus. "Get him changed too, something more presentable, and fix his wig."

Joel and Trev exchanged a quick glance, already moving to strip the dealer's uniform off. Mari stood near the door, keeping watch, while Luca began rummaging through drawers for something useful.

Nova stood still, his mind racing. There are many ways out of this casino without making a scene, but it'll take some time and planning.

But time wasn't on their side, a missing floor manager will surely arouse suspicions.

He glanced at the unconscious Cyrus getting his clothes change into a suit.

A plan was slowly starting to form on his mind.