"No, absolutely not."
"Yes, absolutely yes."
"Fuck, fine let's get this over with."
I could hear North and Gabe through the door where Luke, Silas, and I were eavesdropping.
"Hee-hee," a giggle slipped out. Luke's hand shot out to cover my mouth, but it was too late.
"I know you fuckers are out there listening!" North shouted.
"Sang, you can come in and watch. You're next anyway. The rest of you beat it," Gabriel called out.
The door slid open. Before Gabriel could drag me in, Silas and Luke kissed me on opposite cheeks and promised they'd be back for the big reveal. I let Gabriel take my hand, and tried to cool my blush with the other.
"Sang Baby, tell Gabe you like me just the way I am," North commanded with a scowl.
"I do like you just the way you are, but I want to see what Gabriel can do," I smiled back at him brightly.
He grumbled something, but sat in the chair before a desk with a variety of makeup and face prosthetics.
"We have to fool the media by changing your bone structure with these," Gabriel explained, gesturing to the collection.
Gabriel worked magic. In the end North begrudgingly had to offer compliments on the brilliant disguises. North's nose was widened, chin lengthened, and skin tone darkened to a deep mahogany tone. He actually looked quite handsome, just not like my North Star. Gabriel said it would be too hard to darken my skin that far, but I did get a sun-kissed tan. I also got brown-colored contacts and an auburn wig.
I was smoothing down the front of my emerald green dress when North stepped out of the bathroom in his formal wear.
His neon orange formal wear. His shimmery neon orange formal wear.
OMG. I thought Gabriel had been teasing this entire time! I couldn't help it and burst into a fit of giggles. The roar of laughter behind me meant that Luke and Silas had returned. North was turning purple. I think he would have attempted to retreat back into the bathroom, but Gabriel blocked his escape.
"I...I just....ha, ha...can't...ha, ha," Luke sputtered between breaths, tears tracking down his face.
Silas clapped North on the back, barely containing his own mirth. He whispered something and North's frown eased.
Gabriel looked like the proverbial cat that got the cream. And actually, the clothes fit North really well, especially with his new fake skin tone.
That's when Sean entered and a new round of laughter began. Just when I thought North was going to start pummeling something or someone, Kota and Victor came in.
Their jaws dropped and Kota asked, voice trembling, "What are you wearing?" He lifted a clothing bag from the back of a nearby couch. "I dropped this off a kasse ago while you were doing the make-up. This is what Gabriel told Victor to order for you."
North stormed over and grabbed the bag. He ripped off the cover to reveal a very sensible, dark blue men's formal suit.
"Thank fucking Muina," he muttered. Then he turned on Gabriel. He pointed, exclaiming, "You!"
Before North could attack, Luke teleported Gabriel and himself out of the apartment, leaving a wake of chuckles.
******
The concert was as lovely as I imagined it would be. Victor was so very talented. He even played my Earth song that we spent several Kai working out. North's arm encircled my shoulders when he noticed my eyes moisten. It was simply beautiful.
Now, we stood waiting on the sidelines of the reception hall. Victor and the two other performers of the evening would soon join the rest of the crowd. A quartet played nearby and couples were dancing in the central area. I looked out at them wistfully, admiring the gowns and glittering jewels. Actually, I looked up as well. The room had the circuitry that boosted levitation talents and some people were literally dancing on air.
North cleared his throat and put a hand out in front of me. He gruffly asked, "Do you want to dance?"
I looked over in surprise.
The corner of his lip twisted up. "I'm no Gabriel, but I won't step on your toes," he said.
I smiled and placed my hand in his. We stayed in place, swaying along with the music. When a slower song played he pulled me in closer and my arms found their way around his neck. Heat licked my skin wherever our bodies were pressed together.
"Sang, Baby," he whispered, drawing my attention.
Soon, I was so captivated by North's intense gaze that I had completely missed the music stopping and the countdown to Tare's midnight beginning.
"3...2...1!" Rang out all around us, startling me. North's protective hold kept me anchored.
"Hey, I've got you," he said, then his face dipped closer.
"North Star," I whispered back.
I am not sure who moved first, perhaps we both did at the same time. Our lips melded, at first sipping and tasting, then devouring and I was clutching at his shirt front as people celebrated all around us.
North suddenly pulled back, pupils blown wide and as breathless as me. "We should go find Victor," he said. I was still blinking, heart pounding as we pressed through the crowd.
*******
"I can't take much more of this," Victor mumbled as the three of us loaded into the transport that would bring us back to Konna from Unara. Victor mussed his hair in frustration. "He was completely out of line. I am so sorry you saw that," Victor said as he clasped my hand.
When North and I finally found Victor in the crowded reception hall, his father was very publicly berating him for something.
"What was that nonsensical shit you were pounding out in front of all those people?!" Tsa Morgan had yelled, pushing Victor up against the wall.
Victor was angrily whisper-yelling something back that I couldn't make out. Then his father reached back to strike Victor, but he never got the chance. North grabbed his arm and wrenched him backwards.
"Get off me, you Asshole!" Tsa Morgan shouted as he tried to twist around and throw a punch at North. North blocked him easily and thrust Tsa Morgan towards the blue-suit peacekeepers that had just arrived to handle the disturbance.
"You two boys will need to come with us, too," one of them told North and Victor. I was saved from being separated from them when North discreetly messaged the peacekeeper his Setari identification and we waited only a joden for them to confirm the security code. North didn't look like himself right now, but KOTIS had measures in place to protect Setari in these sorts of situations. We were dismissed and left the party immediately.
Now that we were safely away, guilt ate at me. I was the reason Tsa Morgan was angry and assaulting his son. Victor had played the song just for me.
"Victor, I feel so..." I started to apologize.
"No, stop Princess, " Victor interrupted. "You have nothing to be sorry about. That wasn't your fault, only my father being himself."
"What will happen? " I asked.
"He won't face any legal actions, but Jasmine will be make him pay for causing such a scene during a big event when the Unara Lehanti election is only a few kaone away," Victor responded as he pulled me into the bench seat next to him.
North sat on my other side and rubbed my back in wide, soothing circles. He added, "And don't worry. He can't do anything to hurt Victor."
I felt better by the time we returned to KOTIS. Luke met us in the hangar bay. I was promptly scooped up and swung around.
"All wellness, Sang!" Luke exclaimed. This was a Taren well-wishing phrase.
"Happy New Year!" I said back in English when Luke set me back down.
"What did you say?" North asked, and I translated.
Luke tried saying it back, but it ended up more like "Hippy Now Yere." I just giggled quietly and end up yawning.
"You two had Sang all evening. I'm taking her to me and Gabe's place. You're both welcome to join us. Kota and Silas will be back late tomorrow. Nathan is already asleep," Luke said.
They both turned down the offer, preferring their own beds for the night. Gabriel took off all the make-up and finally let me sink into Luke's bed. I was only awake long enough to feel them both climb in on either side and listen to a refrain of Gabriel's humming and smell Luke's vanilla scent as he kissed me goodnight.