Stakeouts were easy! Roxie only had to sip on drinks while chatting with her best friend and a handsome girl. She even got to roam around the bar, taking in neon signs, posters, and pictures up close. Her attention was stolen by a picture of a group of people with their arms around each others’ shoulders.

  “Who are they?” Roxie stood on her tiptoes to get a better look, something she wouldn’t normally do in platform shoes. She stood by a table, so her sense of safety was fortified.

  Krow squinted. “That’s Big Leda, her husband, and some friends, I think. Big Leda owns this place. For now.”

  “Oh? Are you staging a takeover? A coup, perhaps?”

  “What?” She looked up from making Jun’s next drink. “Nah, not after everything she’s done for me. But I will be inheriting it someday.”

  “So you’re more like an heir.” Roxie walked back to her seat. Her hands hovered over anything that might steady her, lest she suffer an ankle disaster or worse. Too many sharp corners in this room.

  “Something like that.” Krow slid Jun a cloudy elixir topped with a pepper. “Try this one. It’s kinda like a Moscow Mule, but this time with mint and a little jalapeno syrup. For an extra kick.”

  “Thanks.” Their eyes shot up after taking a sip. “Good stuff. I never knew drinks could taste like this. I’m into it.”

  “Nice! Glad you don’t mind being my guinea pig. Usually, when I do mocktails it’s a Starlet Special here, a Sweet Sunrise there, same old, same old.” Krow glanced at Roxie and her Sweet Sunrise. “No offense.”

  “None taken~” Roxie kicked her feet, watching Jun get lost in the delights of mocktails. “You’re going to be soooo hydrated. Your organs will thank you.”

  “Yeah, this is your fifth drink.” Krow checked the register. “This one’s on the house though, as a thanks for letting me flex my mixology muscles.”

  “Ahhh, you don’t gotta do that.” Jun already finished nearly half of it. “It tasting this good is thanks enough.”

  “You sure? I mean, I’m not gonna stop you from paying more if you want.”

  “Yeah, it’s–” Something stole Jun’s attention.

  A shadow passed over the entrance, dimming the bar the way shadows sometimes did. This one lingered, though, and darkness grew. Roxie turned to where the other two stared just in time to see an outsider enter.

  A spacepunk appeared! She stood tall, around Jun’s height. Her hair shined like pearls, white freckles sparkled on her rich skin tone, and her outfit had to be among the top ten cutest ones she’d seen all day.

  The newcomer shrank back upon seeing Jun and Roxie. “Oh, customers.”

  “Nova!” Krow welcomed smilingly. “What are you doing here? It’s too early for your shift.”

  “I know. I just figured since I was already on my way back from my interview, I might as well stop by.”

  “Don’t be shy, come in. Tell me how it went!”

  “Wellll…” Nova’s head tilted back and forth. Roxie watched her glee overpower any apprehension she had. “Alrighty. Since you insist.”

  “This is the new girl I told you about.” Krow introduced her friend, then vice versa. “We were talkin’ about Southern accents earlier.” She motioned to Jun. “You said something about Georgia accents being your favorite?”

  “Oh, that’s where I’m from.”

  Jun tipped their head up. “Sweet.”

  “Your outfit is sooo cute.” Roxie couldn’t hold it back any longer.

  Nova’s purple lips broke into a smile. “Goodness me, thank you. Yours too! I love the space goth look ya got going on.”

  “Eheheh, reeallyyy?” A buzz from Roxie’s phone interrupted the sway of her hair extensions. Checking to see what the group chat was up to, she found a surprise instead. This text came not from the group chat.

  It came from inside the bar. ‘i’m like 99% sure we found our friend. be cool. don’t tell the group yet.’

  Jun sipped on their drink, cool as could be. White hair, blue and purple clothes, Southern accent. Their combined charms distracted Roxie from noticing how perfectly Nova matched Mia’s description of the woman she saw. And she did look a lot like Yvette.

  “So, about your interview~” Krow cut in with a different conversation before Roxie could go back to gushing about Nova’s outfit. Her mended heart tattoo stretched with the flexing of her bicep. “Anyone I need to beat up?”

  “No!” Nova laughed. “It went real nice, actually. Me and the interviewer had a nice talk. I’m startin’ to think I might have a chance at this stylist internship. And it’s paid~”

  “See? What did I tell you? Aaah, I’m so excited!”

  The two jumped up and down, grabbing hands. Roxie wished to join in their celebration, but all she could offer was “Congratulations! May your job hunt be over.”

  “Congrats.” added Jun.

  “Thank ya both.” Nova turned back to her coworker. “The interviewer loved the outfits I posted on my blog.”

  “‘Cause they’re good. You should show it off to more people.” Neither Krow nor Nova seemed to notice Roxie staring at them with the biggest, wettest eyes she could muster. “‘Cept that weirdo you’ve been talking to. You haven’t shown him, right?”

  “Oh my gooosh. You’ve been so down on him ever since I mentioned the cupcake thing. I think he’s just bein’ nice.”

  “A little too nice if you ask me.” Krow busied herself with cleaning a glass. “Everything you’ve told me so far screams smooth-talker. Reminds me of a guy my mom used to date. Make sure he doesn’t leave you high and dry.”

  “Well I don’t plan on bein’ with him. But I’ll keep an eye out for anything sketchy. Goodness knows you have enough on your plate as it is. Speakin’ of, sorry for dumping those boys on you.”

  “What boys?”

  “Did they not come by?” Nova bit her lip. “I knew those directions wouldn’t do ‘em a lick of good. Who knows where they ended up?”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Jun leaned over to look at her. “What did they look like? Maybe they passed by.”

  “Um, the main one had a green bullseye t-shirt, a candy striped long sleeved shirt underneath, orange overall shorts, a matching hat, and glasses.” She rattled off the outfit of a certain muffin-headed boy. “Oh! And he nearly crashed into me with his platform wheelies. Poor thing couldn’t stand up straight. He’s probably walking with a limp.”

  “Have you guys seen anyone like that?” asked Krow.

  Jun pretended to think for a moment. “Nah, sorry.”

  “I don’t remember anyone with that outfit, but I hope he’s okay.” None of this would’ve happened if Roxie picked out Angelo’s clothes.

  “Me too.” Nova’s eyes fell. “Last I saw him, some little redheaded boy was helpin’ him walk.” That sounded nothing like Aiden.

  “And you sent them here, to a bar, because…?” Krow raised an eyebrow.

  “N-Not to drink! It’s just that, the older one, he was on his own and needed some help, and I thought you might’ve been the best person to ask for advice, because, you know.” Nova’s eyes darted from Roxie and Jun back to Krow. “You know.”

  Krow laughed. “I know.”

  Roxie’s phone buzzed. A message from Jun appeared! ‘brb in a few. gotta clear up some things.’

  ‘Do I let our party know the mission is complete? ‘,8Tc’

  ‘nah. i’ll do it later.’ Ever the mysterious one, that Jun Kim.

  ‘Ah, yes yes, when the time is right! ^^’

  ‘right.’

  Like a carnivore, Roxie resumed her job of sitting and waiting. Though not impatient with Jun’s plans, she found something to pounce on just to amuse herself. A lull in Krow and Nova’s conversation gave her a chance to strike.

  “How’d you get your hair so shiny like that?” Roxie leaned toward Nova.

  “Oh this?” Nova pointed at her own hair. “This is a wig.”

  “Such pretty colors! So shimmery~”

  “Awww, aren’t you sweet? I got it from that beauty store a couple streets down. Gina’s? You ever been?”

  “I stopped inside on my journey for these,” Roxie pointed at her ponytails, “but sadly, they had not what I sought after. Very cute selection though!”

  “Yeah, cyberpunk is about as alternative as they get, though, if ya don’t mind me askin’, where do you alt-types get your stuff from?” Finally, someone saw her for the alternative girl she’d always been at heart! “I’ve always been curious. Krow won’t tell me.”

  “I did tell you!” Krow cut in before Roxie.“I don’t go anywhere special, my clothes are just thrown together.”

  “Such is the way of punk fashion.” At least Roxie assumed that’s what Krow went for. She leaned toward Krow. “It’s thrown together very nicely.”

  “Heh. Thanks.” Krow noticed Jun’s empty cup. “You finished?”

  Even the joys of a good drink did nothing to soothe Jun’s sudden irritation at their tablet. They startled at Krow’s question, then their face returned to its usual breezy state. “Yeah, you can take this.”

  “As for you,” Roxie’s hands leaned her face back over to Nova, “I have no style secrets to keep. Ask me anything you want!” She kicked her feet, preparing for the kill. “And if you don’t mind, can I take a peek at your blooog~?”

  “Really? You wanna?” Nova’s shock softened into a smile. “Of course, sugar.”

  Giggling gleefully, the two talked fashion. Roxie got the honor of seeing pages of cute outfits Nova modeled, while Nova listened intently while Roxie told her where she shopped. Occasionally, Krow would chime in. Jun, however, stayed silent, not even ordering another drink. Roxie hadn’t forgotten their sour mood and picked up her phone to check on them.

  Jun sighed before she got the chance. “Killa wants me to meet up with him. I’ll be right back.”

  Krow eyed them as they stood up. “You don’t plan on drinkin’ and ditchin’, right?”

  “Whoops.” A sheepish smile crossed Jun’s face. “I plan on coming back, but yeah, I should pay now.”

  “You should.”

  “How much is my tab?”

  Roxie saw their eyebrows shoot up once Krow handed them the receipt.

  They handed over bills from their wallet all the same. “Here ya go. See you later.”

  Farewells followed Jun out the door. Nova’s eyes lingered. “I should probably get ready for my shift.” She turned to Roxie. “It’s been nice chatting with you. Hope ya swing by again sometime.”

  “I look forward to meeting again.” Roxie returned her modest wave with a sweeping one of her own. “Bye-byeee!”

  Krow lifted a hand. “See ya, Nova.”

  A rainbow shimmered through Nova’s hair once the sunlight hit it. Dread settled into Roxie’s heart around the same time. The mission wasn’t real to her when she stepped into the bar and only became slightly more so when Jun recognized Nova as Yvette Hook. Only after Nova left did it set in that Roxie’s mission was to betray her. She tried not to think about how those soft eyes would look at her when the truth came to light.

  Visiting the group chat provided just the medicine she needed. Emil posted a video of a tiny robot dog dancing on the edge of Eight Phases Fountain. The following message from him read ‘Introducing Cosmo!’ surrounded by sparkles and dog emojis. As if possessed, Roxie churned out a series of barely comprehensible messages talking about the cute puppy.

  She scrolled up to see Mia detailing a missing star ranger case from decades ago. Oopsie. It didn’t really matter much now that Nova had been–Time to look at more messages. The last one from Angelo read that he had last seen Nova–Actually, Roxie didn’t need to know.

  His safety still concerned her. Hopefully, no more injuries befell him. Hopefully, nothing happened to Jun while finding him. That’s what she assumed what they were doing, though their message was kind of cryptic. She wondered why they were so tense earlier.

  ‘Did something happen back at the bar?’ she asked directly. ‘You looked unhappy.’

  ‘it’s nothing.’ Jun texted back, which sounded good. Or maybe bad. They knew who they were and how they were doing, even when they made their decision to leave for the ends of the galaxy. She just hoped not to get blindsided again.

  Once, twice, and three times again, she rewatched the Cosmo video. It made her happy, but she felt the medicine wearing off. She set down her phone.

  Krow changed the TV channel from a Carter’s Mart commercial to one for the IF. People of different races, genders, cultural backgrounds, and flavors of queerness stood against a soft, white background. One by one, they said ‘I am a star ranger.’ The commercial ended with an adorable little girl, one who looked like she could’ve been Roxie’s cousin, saying ‘I can be a star ranger,’ and the slogan ‘Where anyone can shoot for the stars.’

  “A far cry from the old commercials, huh?” Krow’s words made Roxie remember commercials featuring only the hunkiest of men. They did hunky man things like exercise, yell over headsets, fix machinery–in space–and pilot, all set to action movie music. These commercials featured the old slogan, ‘Where men can shoot for the stars.’

  “Yeah.”

  “No offense to the IF, but I don’t think anyone took those seriously. Though somethin’ about the new ones, to me, it feels like a way to get bodies in the door. I doubt they’re all that accepting, not even after–” Krow stopped cleaning the cup Jun left behind, “You know, it’s funny. Your friend really reminded me of Jun Kim.”

  “Oh really?” Roxie hoped she kept a straight face.

  “The way he carried himself, mostly.” Their unperceivable gender saved the day! “I was wonderin’ who he made me think of, but now I’m thinking back to her interviews. I hope she’s as down-to-earth in real life. Some star rangers get a real ego trip. Most of the people I’ve thrown out of here were in the IF.”

  “You’ve thrown people out? With your arms?”

  “Sure have.” Krow mimicked picking someone up and tossing them. “If you want my two cents, I think the reason we get star rangers actin’ up is ‘cause Lunaria’s the only place they can really throw their weight around. The weapons ban tanked their reputation back on Earth, but the IF might as well own this city.”

  “I did hear something about them having an alliance with the police force.” The captain’s words from earlier felt a lot more sinister now.

  “Yeah, that’s pretty obvious.” Krow chuckled. “I guess I should say I’m grateful for them building a city for me to live in.” She held up her hands. “In all seriousness, I’ve met some okay people in the IF. I just don’t have the best history with them.”

  “Ohhhh.” Roxie doubted today would change that. New conversation time! “So, how did you become the heiress of this bar?”

  Krow chuckled. “You’re silly, you know that?” Being told such only increased Roxie’s power. “Me and the owner go back. After I had a falling out at home she took me in right before they were about to send me to a shelter.”

  “Isn’t shelter a good thing?” Roxie tried to ignore how many other runaways she met this week. It started to feel like a sign, maybe an omen.

  “Oh right, not everyone knows about this. It’s not good for Lunaria’s image to have homeless people around, so what the cops do is they put them in a shelter for about a month or so, and then dump them off at the spaceport back on Earth.”

  “Where do they go after that?” She had a feeling the answer wouldn’t be so great.

  No answer came. Krow just shrugged. “I’m guessing a shelter? Hopefully? I wouldn’t’ve minded being sent back to Earth if I had money on me at the time. I doubt I could just go up to someone and be like ‘Hey, can you take me up to my grandparents’ house?’ But anyway, Big Leda really looked out for me.” She smiled. “Taught me everything I know.”

  “Awww. I’m glad you got a good end!”

  “Me too.” she smiled. “This place is kind of a magnet for folks down on their luck. Can’t save ‘em all, but I try to do what I can.”

  Roxie nearly forgot her Starlet Special. She lifted it high. “A toast to you, bar heiress and hero of the downtrodden! And another, in the hopes that we can all find our good end.”

  “Uh, thanks?” Krow clinked an imaginary glass with hers. “Yeah, for a happy end.”

  Sipping on her drink once more, Roxie hoped a good end laid in wait for Nova.

  Has Your Hobby Ever Gotten You a Job