He eyed his cousin like she was an alien. "You're dating the Little Boss? He's not a very good influence! I thought you hated lowlives like him!"
Raella held up her palms in a defensive manner. "Hey, he's cool once you get to know him! He's a great mech pilot and not like a country bumpkin at all, unlike most boys I've met on this farm planet."
Ves was not in a mood to play the parent, but he didn't want to leave it at that. Relationships with junior gang bosses had a tendency to entangle everyone close into a morass of intimidation and violence.
"I don't think the family will be glad to hear that. You know how they can get sometimes. We have a reputation to uphold!"
"Screw reputation! The Larkinsons will keep being the squeaky-clean military dynasty without me then!"
