Delicate Weapon

Musical inspiration: Grimes – Delicate Weapon – the lyrics used in this story belong to Grimes and their respective creators, of course. Thank you for making such wonderful music!

[Set between Sleepover (chapter 2 of this series) and the quest 'Pyramid Song']

Warning: depicts the use of alcohol and possible alterations of a person's mental/emotional state that come with it. V gets silly.

It was one of those nights where my car felt like a coffin, and everything that had happened to me recently hit me in a more painful way than any bullet or blow. I felt alone in this monster of a city. I missed Jackie. My big choom with a heart of gold, the best Valentino boy on his block, for sure. He wasn't meant to die that way in that stupid fucking heist.

If there was anyone in Night City that deserved to be in the big leagues, anyone with a decent sense on how to survive in the streets but also enough decency not to be a complete asshole, it was him. And because of what happened at Konpeki Plaza, he was no longer around. He was dead and sent off, maybe to a better world, fuck if I knew anything about that. I was gonna find out soon, anyway.

I wanted a drink, and I needed one fast. Life's cruel irony decided that Lizzie's was the closest bar to my current location. It was where I saw the inside of Yorinobu's damn penthouse for the first time, thinking I was gonna get rich. It was where I met Evelyn Parker... and Judy. The latter has proven to be the brightest part of that memory so far. And alive, which was a lucky coincidence, considering how much time we spent together and the fates of the other people I met on my way. As I started to list the lost in my mind, it felt like the vehicle was shrinking around me even more, becoming a very uncomfortable coffin.

I turned around from my route and decided to head to Lizzie's. Even if the lights, the smell, everything about it reminded me of things... There was probably enough alcohol at that bar to make me forget. The gigs could wait. Johnny fucking Silverhand could wait. For once, one night in this hellhole of a city, I could just do something that didn't have to do with a boss, a fixer, a deadline, or maiming someone. I was dying anyway, what the hell did I care for a hangover?

I parked my car around the corner and made my way to the door. Rita must have seen the weight and determination in my steps because she lifted her hand and tilted her head to the side at me.

"Whoah, whoah... you're bringing a lot of attitude in, V. We gonna have trouble?" she asked, chewing loudly on her bubble gum as she rested her baseball bat behind her neck and squinted at me. The chick leaning against the wall who stood behind Rita straightened up and began feeling around for a holster hidden under her jacket.

"No," I said, my voice more tired than I realised, almost cracking, "No, I just want a drink. Rita. Please, don't make this difficult, kay?" I asked, looking up at her, my jaw clenched.

"Yeah, I can see that. But if you start punching people, I'm throwing you out. With a taxi home, cause shit, girl, you look like you're about to hurt someone. Or yourself, I dunno. You sure you gonna be alright in there?" it was odd. Instead of banter, the usual light-hearted exchange between us, I could hear concern in her voice. Wasn't usually a thing you could expect from a bouncer... but then again, these were the Moxes, and I think considering all the things that happened with Judy and Evelyn, I think she kinda understood.

I closed my eyes and exhaled, I could feel my shoulders slump as I nodded, "Yeah. I'll behave. And if I don't, just... treat me like any other gonk," my reply sounded like I was already dead and buried, and I hated myself for even letting anyone see me like that.

"Jeez, V. Come on in. Mateo will set you up with some hard stuff," Rita finally said and moved to the side so I could enter.

"Oh, and by the way..." the other Mox piped up, to which Rita held up one shushing finger and shot her a glare, as if she was about to spill a secret.

"... Thanks for helping the gals at Clouds...?" the other Mox stammered, though something told me that wasn't what she had been meaning to say.

"Sure," I nodded and headed inside. I just wanted to block out my thoughts. I needed music that was too loud, liquid that burned my throat too much, and a flurry of lights and colours that made me wonder where the fuck I was. The whole package.

I headed into the main room, I didn't need another Mox telling me how horrible I looked. I probably still had a split lip from that one Animal that punched me, and bruises blooming up on my cheek, but I didn't care. Regina had wanted me to retrieve a databank, some kind of collection of recordings of illegal fights organised by the Animals. Psyched up people that... were really straddling the line between human, borg, and beast. Like that Sasquatch in Pacifica. I could feel my spinal implant hurt just from the thought of that one hammer hit she managed to land when I was there, some time ago. No. Not tonight. No work, no gigs.

It was really busy, to the point where you could say that the place was crowded. The tables were full, so was the dance floor. I didn't feel like joining the writhing, twisting mass of bodies that seemed to had its own pulse and mind just yet. I was definitely too sober for that. But knowing I could get lost there at any moment gave me a glimmer of hope about how the evening was going to go.

It took me a few moments to squeeze through the crowd. They seemed to be collectively hypnotized by the heavy beat that was making the entire building shake. My bruised mug must have been in a pretty sorry state. When I arrived at the bar, a few people took their drinks and left, eyeing me with their noses wrinkled with disgust.

"Fucking tourists, acting like they've never seen a merc," I groaned, earning a nod from Mateo.

"Rough night," he stated, then hesitated for a moment, "Centzon, or something stronger?"

"Tequila's pretty strong already, isn't it?" I asked, oddly amused by his question. I moved my head from side to side, pretending to stretch my neck, like fighters do before a match, "Give me your strongest stuff, I was gonna look into liver implants anyway," here it was, the smirking, sarcastic side of me, that so many people found charming. He nodded and moved to retrieve the bottle, so I guess my mask worked.

For a moment, my thoughts took a morbid turn again. If I drank enough, would it poison my system and cause a critical malfunction of the Relic? That would be hilarious. Or at least it seemed extremely funny to me at that moment. Mateo filled my glass with something that smelled like... rum-flavoured rocket fuel. That would have to do.

"Leave the bottle," I nodded at him but he shook his head and gestured at my tumbler.

"I don't think so. Drink up first and we'll see if you can handle it," he tapped the bar in genuine interest and anticipation. How many desperate people before me have lost to this bottle? How many have won, to have their names etched into the Hall of Fame at Lizzie's? I spent a moment looking at the dark spirit before raising the glass at Mateo. I was going to die anyway. Would dying to rocket fuel count as a sacrifice for science? Ah, fuck it.

It began to burn as I downed it. Oh, that … liquid, it burned. My eyes teared up as I swallowed the shot. The fire that spread through my mouth, throat, and down my gullet, was soothing. Almost as if it was trying to remind me that I still had some life in me. I put the glass back on the counter with enough momentum to startle Mateo.

He watched me in tense silence for a moment before asking, "You alright, V? Can you still hear me?"

Poor choom. The shit I've been through. The things I've felt, seen, remembered... If Dexter DeShawn's bullet didn't keep me down, this would? No, this first shot alone was for Jackie Welles, a Night City legend.

"Keep'em coming, Mateo. Advance payment for the bottle coming your way," I said as my Kiroshis lit up electric blue for a moment.

"Jeez V, it's your funeral," he raised both hands and pushed the bottle closer to me to refill my glass.

"I wish," I muttered, didn't really care if he heard me or not. I downed another glass without hesitation. This time I could feel my nails scrape against the bar as I instinctively sought something to grip while the alcohol made my face twist into all five stages of grief. Thankfully, not all at the same time. I'm sorry, Jackie. I'm sorry, Evelyn...

The more of that magical nectar of black sorcery I felt coursing through me, the more relieved I felt. It was almost as if it contained the essence of their forgiveness.

"So, I gotta ask. What's going on?" Mateo leaned against the bar to have a better chance to hear me properly. The momentary lull in clientele gave him a chance to snoop.

"They don't pay you enough for that, trust me," I chuckled and shook my head.

"Was just trying to lend an ear. You could use a vacation," I guess it was his way of trying to be nice about my face and the general state of me.

"Yeah, maybe at some point soon," gotta write my last will first. Gallows humor stuck to me like bad shit to a good shoe, "Need to stay in the city for now."

He nodded but kept on trying, "Trouble with your missus?"

My brows shot up and I downed my third glass of rum-fuel. He smirked at my reaction, as if he was sure he was onto something. I was about to demand an explanation but he just shrugged.

"You tell me, V. People have been talking..."

"Talking shit, you mean," I scoffed, "I don't have an output."

"Is that so? I mean... you tell me," he shrugged again and looked somewhere over my shoulder, squinting. He slowly raised his chin, like someone trying to assess a potentially sticky situation. Something about the way he said those words made me follow his gaze.

At the doorway leading to the more private part of Lizzie's was a pair of dudes, practically blocking the path, even though they seemed to be just casually leaning. Someone was trying to get past them. Someone shorter and not as well-built and muscular as them. The blue light filling the large room flickered, and I saw caught a glance of green and pink hair, along with an implant on the left temple, where the hair was shaved.

Judy... Before I knew it, I was pushing my way through the dancing crowd to that doorway. The closer I got, even with the waves of ravers trying to push me back, the better I could see that Judy did not look even remotely amused. She looked uncomfortable, and more and more impatient with every second. When she noticed me, she gasped and covered her mouth in shock. Fuck. I forgot about my face that was in at least a dozen of shades of bruised.

The sudden change in her expression made one of the gonks turn around, just in time to face me.

"Problem?" I asked, sniffing as I wrinkled my nose. My rocket-breath made tears well up in his eyes. He blinked a few times and lifted his brows before he composed himself enough to answer.

"None of yours, choomba," he shot me a sly grin, "Walk away and we all stay friends, yeah?" Oh that gonk was far from qualifying for my list of chooms. And he knew it would make me react, so I didn't give them the satisfaction.

"V, what happened?" Judy looked at me, she seemed horrified for some reason. I could swear, it was just one punch. She was being so cute. I smiled at her. I wasn't drunk, no.

"Shit... you're V? The V?" the other guy, younger and with shaggy blue hair turned around. He eyed me up and down in disbelief. I glanced at him but didn't reply. I looked back at Judy. Her opinion mattered here, "You okay, Jude?" she shrugged and looked away. She wasn't.

"I ain't going home without this cutie tonight, I don't care who this is..." the first guy, bald, with a grey goatee, and a tattoo of an eye on his forehead, didn't seem to relent.

"Then I guess you're gonna end up sleeping here. Good luck," I shrugged, exhaling through my nostrils.

"Dude, I'm not getting mixed up in this..." the blue-haired guy raised his hands apologetically at me before he left. Judy took that opportunity and kicked the tattooed gonk in the ankle, making him jump in place on one leg and stumble enough to make way for her. I burst out laughing into his face as Judy walked past me and disappeared into the crowd. I turned around to follow her and saw a Mox sporting a hot pink crowbar approach the guy.

"You done being funny with one of ours? Scram," she glared at him and nodded at the exit. Who said violence was the only answer? For some mysterious reason, I found that entire exchange stupid and funny at the same time. I dove into the crowd again to go back to my bottle. There wasn't much chance of finding Judy among the ravers. To my surprise, she was sitting at the bar. Conveniently close to my bottle. I joined her but she didn't look at me, she frowned.

"What did you do?" she asked. It sounded like an accusation.

"I saw you and those gonks. Thought I'd say hi," I replied. I wasn't lying.

"V, for fuck's sake. What happened to you? You look like you ran into MaxTac but somehow lived to tell the tale," she groaned and hid her face in her hands. Mateo gingerly filled her glass with something that looked... like tequila? Or maybe vodka? Hmm... I thought Judy was more of a tequila girl, to be honest.

"V!?" she turned to look at me, concerned, pained. She looked hurt. The expression was like a punch to the gut. I opened my mouth but couldn't find words for a moment.

"Judy... I'm sorry. I just... was a gig, I got punched, it's nothing serious, I swear," I sighed and looked down so that my hair could cover my face at least partly, "I didn't mean to worry you."

"Nothing serious my ass, show me, let me have a look at you," she muttered and I could feel her hand cup my chin and cheek, urging me to look at her and show her my bruised mug. Her hand felt so soft and warm. As much as I shouldn't and as much as it felt completely inappropriate, I leaned into it. And I immediately regretted doing so. I wrinkled my nose, hissing in pain. Gotta watch how much pressure is put on my face. Should have paid attention before I got punched... She moved her hand away, gave my palm a quick squeeze, and went back to leaning against the bar.

"Oh, V..." she was concerned, but at least her frown softened into a less angry expression.

"In my defense, I gave her out best analgesic," Mateo piped up, "Before you ask, big nope, Jude. Just don't."

"I'm not a fucking masochist like some people here, Mateo, I'll stick to my usual," Judy sighed and looked at me. I felt scolded, somehow. I've never felt that scolded, even under Mama Welles' careful eye when I lived with them before getting my pad at H10.

"Why did you come here tonight, V?" Judy turned to look at me again. I could tell it wasn't the easiest for her to see me like that.

"To get shitfaced," I replied, as close to the truth as I could, "I wanted to forget. Just for a night," I added, shielding my eyes with one palm, holding my glass with the other.

"To forget... I see," she nodded, pursing her lips. For some reason, she didn't like my answer.

"I didn't know you were working tonight, I didn't want to-"

"I'm not working. Not tonight," she butted in, "I'm not here to forget. I'm here to remember. It's a month tonight. A month since I've found her, V..."

I squinted, trying to do some quick calendar, rocket-fuel-propelled maths. Fuck. Evelyn took her own life exactly one month before. I closed my eyes. I was being stupid. If anything, I should have given Lizzie's a wide berth. This was bad.

"And I'm reminding you? That it?" I asked, trying to pinpoint my fault in all of this, at least in this moment.

"Everything's reminding me. This fucking place's reminding me," Judy combed through her hair and stared into her glass, then quickly downed it, shooting Mateo a look he knew well, so he wouldn't delay refilling her drink.

"That doesn't make sense," I shook my head, "Why come here if that's how it makes you feel?"

"Don't ask me. Felt right, somehow. In some sick way," she sighed, raising her hand to gesture she had no clue either, "Fuck, do you always do things that make sense?"

I gave her a tired look. I guess she accepted it as my answer. A part of me wanted to make some kind of a stupid joke. Tell her I was here shadowing a wanted netrunner for a big, fat bounty. But that wasn't the time.

"I wanted to hide from the city. At least for a bit," I admitted, "Raise a glass to Jackie. To Evelyn. All those people..."

"Who's Jackie?" Judy asked, genuinely curious after I mentioned the name.

I let out a heavy sigh. Oh boy, there goes forgetting. Judy raised her brows.

"I'm gonna need another drink," I said and poured myself some more of that magical rum. Judy already had her glass handy.

"Jackie Welles... Where do I begin. What he is now is a Night City legend. But when I met him, he was a Valentino gangoon with big dreams and even bigger shoulders. And something of a heart of gold. He was sweet on a girl that has a shop in front of my ripperdoc's clinic, you know, Vik's," I began explaining. I told her everything. All the jobs we did, how I didn't trust him at all, but how he practically made me his half-sister and gave me a place to stay... About his mother, about his garage, his pet shark Taco... I could see her struggle to understand me at some points, maybe it was the rum. But she listened, curious and attentive, staring at me with those hazel eyes. I didn't even know how much time has passed, but when I got to the part about Arasaka... and later the part she knew, she reached out for my hand and gave it another squeeze. Her anger and frown were completely gone.

"I'm sorry, V. I was being selfish... I had no idea," she looked down and zoned off for a moment, watching the crowd.

"Hey, it's okay," I looked at our laced fingers and smiled softly. She her hand felt very nice in mine. I could get used to that. But she was just being nice. Just showing support. I mean, my best friend fucking died, and I was drunk, telling everything about him to Judy. Be weird if she was, I dunno, laughing instead. I was starting to suspect the rum was slowly getting to me. Maybe a bit.

"Tell me we're not gonna be sad gonks tonight," Judy turned to look at me again, then stood up, putting her hands on her hips.

"...what...?" I was utterly confused by this change of stance.

"Jackie. What would he do if he saw you like this? If he saw you moping at a bar?"

I didn't have to think long, "I think he'd be like 'chica, turn that frown upside down, let's get some food, get you a drink, let's go dancing! Life's too short for legends to be sad!'... yeah, something like that," I nodded, finding it odd how easy it was for me to imitate him.

Judy smiled and nodded, "Ev would have chosen a different club, something like Riot, or I dunno, but she wouldn't let me be alone with a long face either. Come on," she nodded at the crowd. My rum-brain was unsure what she meant, so I squinted at her. For some reason, she found that amusing.

"I said come on. They're judging us hard, I can feel it on my back. We gotta go dance," Judy sounded determined.

I turned back around to Mateo, "I'll uh... watch from here," I offered.

"No you won't," she tugged on my sleeve, "Drink up, we're going to the dance floor."

"Judy, please..." I sighed and looked at her, trying to be serious. That was my mistake, because the moment our gazes locked, I just... I couldn't say no. The music was thumping in my ears... or maybe it was my wild heartbeat. Judy tilted her head to the side. It was like Lizzie's bar stopped existing around me. There was just the music, and Judy. She smiled at me, with a certain sheepishness, quickly turning it into a more self-assured grin, "Move, V," she reached out for my hand and pulled me towards the dance floor. I only had enough time to finish my drink and set the glass down, "Vamos, chica!" something about the way she said it... Time stopped, rum spread a holy fire through my body.

Was this the kind of weird shit they called a spiritual moment? Maybe it was the booze, maybe it was the weight of it all, I had no clue. But when I heard Judy said that, it felt like she was right. If Jackie was here with us that night, he'd not at me, wink and tell me the very same thing. And then he'd wrap his arm around Misty and have a swig of beer.

Quite some time must have passed, because the crowd was a bit thinner than I remembered when coming in. It must have been late. I didn't mind. Everything was a blur, and I was glad I could easily tell Judy from the rest, thanks to her haircut and her overalls. The way she wore them was adorable, no doubt about that.

That girl had moves on her, that much was certain. She felt the rhythm without effort, she let it guide her, closing her eyes and moving her hips and her arms, claiming her space on the dance floor as if she understood it on a very deep level. Dancing was all about emotions, and emotions were definitely Judy's deal, so that didn't really surprise me.

I would have never suspected. But how could I know if most of the time we spent together was kinda... not really about dancing? I tried to focus on not tripping over my own legs. That would be a good start. I wasn't that drunk, I just found new moves thanks to liquid fire. And they must have been pretty okay, because Judy was smiling, but not laughing. I took that as a good sign.

I had no clue who was the DJ for the night, but they kept up the tempo, playing banger after banger. The bass shook my entire body, and the beat kept me moving with confidence and fluidity. And my intoxicated brain did a great job at assuring me I didn't look like a complete gonk, so everything was nova.

It was working. I could feel the weight slowly, but surely move away from my shoulders, as if sweating through dance was a way to banish the morbid thoughts that kept haunting me all evening. Something about just giving in to the rhythm, to the wild, frenetic sequence of beats and samples felt... cleansing. A part of me wondered if that was how Johnny felt after performing, after screaming out all his hate of Night City. The city that kept taking from him... I opened my eyes and that thought quickly disappeared. I recognised one of the tunes that was playing. I think the title was "Run" or something along those lines. It was one of the recent hits, often played at clubs... at least, somehow I remembered it from different places, as background noise for talks with fixers and the like.

The light was set in a way that made all the movements seem in slow motion. I made sure to keep my eyes on Judy, I didn't want to lose her in the crowd, and I sure as hell didn't want some loser with clammy hands to try and make her uncomfortable again. The track kept building towards a drop, slowly but surely. We both had our hands in the air and began to move to the rhythm.

I didn't even notice when the track started to come to an end. A trickle of cold sweat ran down my spine as I saw Rita exchanging words with Mateo, then walking up to what looked like the DJ's booth... Was something going on? Were they going to close earlier? I really hoped not, because... For the first time in quite a while... I was out, among people, out with Judy... and I was having fun.

The next track meshed with the one that was ending. It was much slower and I needed a moment to recognise it.

It makes me wanna di-die, I wanna die

You said I ruin your li-life

Love is the devil and the devil doesn't sleep

Oh shit. They were playing Lizzy Wizzy... What was the track's name? Something... Delicate weapon! Some people on the dance floor were utterly confused, others left to take a breather. I looked at Judy. She walked up to me and placed her hands on my shoulders, tilting her head to the side in an unspoken question. Of course I would. My hands moved to her hips before I wrapped my arms around her, reminding myself not to hug her too tightly. Rum-brain was getting woozy. Maybe I should have taken it easy...

Baby, take it out on me

Just reiterate everything

Sorry I can't make it easy

We began to sway to the rhythm together. I was self-conscious about stinking of rum, but I quickly decided I shouldn't be, because Jude smelled of tequila, and that was really funny for some reason, funny enough to make me smile at her like a goof. She smiled back but didn't hold my gaze for long, instead she let her head on my shoulder. I felt like the most important person on the planet. Fuck, even more important than the suckers in the Crystal Palace.

Ooh

Delicate weapon

Ooh

War in heaven

Yup, that was definitely Lizzy Wizzy. I would have recognized that ethereal singing everywhere. Suddenly, it felt like this was my favourite song. I silently hoped it would never end. I closed my eyes and rested my chin against Judy's head as she got comfy on my shoulder.

Tell me all the ways I hurt your name

Do you feel the same?

You wanna keep me yours forever

But it was all a game

Make me, shall I choose regret

So I don't feel ashamed again

I wasn't quite sure what Lizzy Wizzy meant there, not with my rum-brain shrouding any sense of poetry I had in my shot up head. It didn't quite matter, because her voice sounded soothing, and my heart really needed something to calm it down, considering that it was pounding in my chest like an untamed beast that escaped the zoo and wreaked havoc in the streets. I wanted to remember this moment. This little slice of heaven I got to share with Judy, on this... weirdest of nights. Honestly, it turned around in a way that would corpo backstabs jealous.

Wherе are you tonight, are you tonight?

Baby, it's the worst day of my wholе life

Put me outta my misery

Baby, take it out on me

Just reiterate everything

Sorry I can't make it easy

It felt like it was the worst day of my life. Or at least it started like one. It felt that all the shit that piled up suddenly got into my system and poisoned it. But she turned it around. In a way, she put me out of my misery. In the least expected way possible, but the best one, for sure. Was it pity? Was it what I told her about Jackie? Did she need someone to hold her because she missed Evelyn? I blinked a few times, even my rocket-fuelled head couldn't keep up with that many questions.

I could Judy move her head away from my shoulder. She gracefully turned around, so now my hands were on her abdomen. One strap of her overalls was undone, so my hand drifted onto her exposed skin. She felt so warm and soft, and something about touching her like that felt extremely intimate. I tensed up immediately, she must have felt it, because she slowly, gently moved her hand up to trace my jaw, as if to say it was okay for my hand to stay there.

Who the fuck was I kidding, this was getting too hot for me to handle. Now that I was technically Judy's big spoon, only... not sleeping. Our hips moved together to the slow rhythm of the song. I hoped the song played because the DJ finished the shift and went home... and this song would just be played on repeat. Preferably forever.

Judy turned around again, and to be fair, I didn't mind. This way I could look at her. Her hands traced my arms and she smiled at me again before looking away and hiding her head on my shoulder. I knew the song was about to end. I knew we had our grief and our mourning. But she reminded me, that even with the people who lost their lives, we were still here. Somewhere between the chorus and the outro, with Judy's hazel eyes looking into mine, somewhere at the edge of the night, that woman helped me find my will to live again.

The next few seconds were a blur but we eventually found ourselves outside. Judy lit up a cigarette. What a great idea it was. I felt the strangest need to light one up, too. That sensation I felt after our dance of being deeply satisfied and almost sleepy reminded me of something, but I couldn't quite put my hand on it, I was too busy trying to thumb the lighter and convince it to work.

"So, I guess my plan worked, didn't it?" Judy shot me a smile. Was that a blush on her cheeks I saw? I stared at her for a bit too long and took a big, long drag from my cigarette.

"Yeah... yeah, I guess it did," I exhaled the smoke and blinked a few times. The world was not agreeing with me. Fuck. I may have just ignited my rocket fuel with that smoke. I turned away from Judy, the beautiful, wonderful Judy that I shared the best of dances with... It felt like my insides were being twisted, wrung, and used in AllFoods before being reused. I was going to die. Rocket fuel bad. Mission Abort. Help.

I puked my guts out, leaning against the wall. I could feel Judy's hand on my shoulder, and the other holding up the unshaved half of my hair. The only thing missing was Johnny laughing his ass off at my misery. I did not feel well at all.

"Damn, V," I could hear Judy somewhere in the background, "You still with me? Hello?" she looked at me with a degree of suspicion. My vision swam.

"Yup, yup... uhuh," I replied, but I wasn't sure if anyone heard me.

Rita was somewhere there, I saw Judy and her talking. I curled up somewhere. The good part was that it didn't smell like my own vomit. There was a bit of sway, and it did not agree with me, but I was pretty sure I didn't have anything else left to turn myself inside out.

"Almost there, V," I could hear Judy's voice. Was she with me? Were we home? Hang on, were we going to have noodles? The thought almost retch again. Nope, maybe later. I was in bed. Somehow. My boots were off, those heavy boots. I wiggled my toes.

"Okay... okay..." Judy sighed, it sounded like she just finished carrying something. Something heavy, too. Somewhere in the back of my head, a fresh seed of sobriety brought forward a bold thought – Judy must have helped me get home somehow. She was so precious. I hoped we could dance again. I felt very tired.

"Good night, V," I could hear her voice. Music to my ears, even with the club's heavy bass still ringing in my ears.

"Good night, Jude... thank you," I managed to reply. The next thing I remembered was the sharp, cruel daylight, and Nibbles, sitting on me, meowing in a loud demand to be fed. Sun was hurting my thoughts. My head was like a block of concrete. I shared a dance with Judy. Even if that hangover was going to end me, I was going to die a happy woman.