Piranhas are fish, too
Author's note: I was hesitating whether it was time for Pyramid Song already (I kind of want to write an extended version of it, with some more focus on V's reactions, points of view in it, but I decided to explore different idea before that. Big thanks to Cartography from Lizzie's Bar discord server for a linguistic consultation regarding Spanish!
This is set after directly after 'Delicate Weapon', before the 'Pyramid Song' quest in the game.
Judy: [Hey, V. Can you let me know if you're okay?]
I stared at the message for quite some time, forcing myself to focus on it and put the letters together. I wanted to reply. I had to make sure Judy didn't worry. But my head was a mess. I was a mess. If I replied and she decided to call me, I didn't think I would have been able to hold a conversation.
I needed water, and badly. All over my sorry self. I stumbled into the shower, leaving a trail of clothes behind, in case someone came in looking for me. I made a brief stop at the NCVM to grab myself a can of... something, whatever. I think it was Spunky Monkey. Hideous, but it would have to do. I downed the can way too quickly and moved into my bathroom. I let water run down my head and all over my skin as I sat down and let out a sigh.
Some time must have passed, the water leaving me in a state between half-consciousness and shower meditation while I started to feel something else, other than a debilitating hangover. I washed my hair and my body, making sure to get rid of the stench of vomit, smoke, and sweat from my skin.
What a night it had been. Bits and pieces of the blurred memories were getting pieced back together. Somehow, the clearest of them was Judy dancing with me. First just raving to the bangers at the club... then that one dance we shared, the slow, intimate dance, with Judy in my arms, so close to me...
"Well fuck me sideways, looks like you've really got a lethal case of a crush there," Johnny informed me, having taken a seat on my toilet, across from the shower, with just the dangly, shimmering curtain between us.
I curled up my knees to cover myself, even though we both knew it didn't make any sense.
"Please, I know what you look like naked," he scoffed and shook his head.
"Doesn't make it any less creepy. And can you please get off my case about Judy? I groaned in my hungover thoughts. I really didn't feel like being lectured at that moment.
"See, you even know it's about her! Didn't even have to say anything, point any fingers. It's hopeless. Just tell her," he urged me, then continued his lecture, "I swear, Kerry had less trouble dancing around his lovers, and boy, could that guy dance sometimes," Johnny leaned back and lit up an invisible cigarette. I felt my stomach rise up to my throat at the mere thought of that smoke last night. Lighting that up had been a horrible mistake, one I still regretted.
"Tell her what exactly...?" I looked up at Johnny. I didn't even start the day properly, and I was already pretty tired.
"How you feel. Tell her you see the way she looks at you and you should have another sleepover. This time make it X-rated," Johnny raised his hands in impatience, "Or just show her. You're really asking me? Don't think our styles match in the matter, V."
I let out another sigh and shielded my eyes from reality, "Yeah, it's not like we've got a happily ever after waiting for us, Johnny. Not with my brain losing to the engram. She's lost Ev, Maiko fucked her over... She doesn't deserve this," I couldn't possibly do this to Judy. She had been through so much already.
"That's exactly why you should tell her. Don't waste time, V. Use it," he insisted, "Fuck if I know what's going to happen to us, but to be completely square with you? I admire your self-control. Way she had her—"
"Johnny, no. You need to stop talking right fucking now." I moved my hands from my eyes to my ears, as if that was gonna help, but at least my own voice ringing out blocked some of his unsolicited opinion about Judy's body.
"...I would have taken her to one of these backrooms and sealed the deal," he shrugged.
"And that's the difference between us, choom. We were both drunk. Wouldn't have been right," I definitely didn't want to hear what he had to say in the matter.
"Not like I'm gonna get anything out of it anyway. But you might," he pointed out, which was oddly friendly for him, considering that he didn't usually consider anything that wouldn't serve his interest, "Something good, in all this shit. Something to remember fondly, whatever happens."
"A sunny postcard from Night City to take with me to the void, that it?" I chuckled darkly at his suggestion.
He knew it as much as I did, he was just better at not denying and, to be fair, a complete asshole in the way he pointed it out. He wasn't completely wrong. When Judy gave me a kiss on the cheek after we dealt with the Tyger Claws at Clouds, it felt good. Almost too good. I didn't want to think too much of it, but the memory burned itself into my head and I kept going back to that moment. The way she looked at me when she strolled away, the way I wanted her to stay close just a moment longer...
And then when I was totally not being weird near her place and she came over to my pad to watch a movie. Fuck, I was being such a teenager. I held her hand for a moment and I couldn't say a word to save my life. I completely froze. I could only say it to myself, and Johnny already knew, but at that time, I really wanted to just lean in and kiss her. I've looked at her lips enough. Her smile, her pout, her self-assured smirk. She was cute as a button, and I was falling for her, a lot harder than a dying merc should.
There was also that dance we shared at Lizzie's. It almost felt like... a confirmation of sorts. Without words, sure, but the way we swayed together, the closeness she was not afraid of, and even encouraged. Maybe it was just the booze. Maybe I shouldn't try to see that much in it. I wanted to let go of my grief that night, and Judy was trying to have some fun. That might as well have been everything there was, and I was leading myself on without any confirmation from her.
Johnny may have been right on this one thing. If there was anything there, assuming it was mutual, maybe we both deserved our little slice of happiness. Would it be selfish of me to try? Probably. But she was free to say no to what I had to offer.
I could see the rocker boy smirking at me when I looked up from my musings, "Now, was that so hard?" he asked and I could see the tips of his eyebrows move above the edge of his sunglasses, "Now go, I'll get myself some popcorn."
"Oh if I go, I'm blocking you. I don't need your comments," I shook my head and stood up from my increasingly uncomfortable position on the shower floor.
"If I recall correctly, you had a free course on birds and bees when you browsed my memories with Alt, V. Wouldn't be very fair now, would it?" he tried, oh he tried, the sly bastard.
"Pretty sure you wouldn't want any fairy godmothers instructing you how to handle your first kiss with her, holmes. Just don't. Let me have that for myself. If it happens. It's nothing certain yet," I replied, shrugging. I was oddly giddy about the possibility, but I had to seriously curb my enthusiasm. This wasn't some joy toy fling to get some tension out. This was Judy. And I really, really liked her...and the idea of her liking me back. What a gonk thing to think when you're in your mid-twenties, wow.
"This is how you repay my generosity, V? I will remember that," he threw the butt of his cigarette away and left my field of view. His opinion wasn't very high on my list of moral authorities, but I could tell he wasn't completely serious that time. I almost felt like that asshole was cheering me on. Maybe it was my own quiet hope of Judy feeling the same way.
I dried myself and went to pick out some clean clothes that didn't have too many bullet holes or patches on them. I would have to get some new ones at some point, at least for the sake of decency, even if they weren't going to last anyway. The day seemed warm, so I settled for a t-shirt, a light synthleather jacket, and some slightly baggy, comfortable trousers to go with that. Sometimes I looked at Johnny in his rocker leathers and I wondered... how could he even walk in those? Suffering in the name of one's style was a thing back then... and still was, in Night City.
I threw the clothes on the sofa and sat down to get some kind of a snack and finally get to replying to Judy before I got dressed. I looked at the message. Then at my home display, comparing the dates. I glanced at Nibbles. He was sitting by his bowls and meowed at me in completely warranted impatience. I quickly filled them, one with food, the other with RealWater. No way that regal fucker was getting the piss from the sink.
I checked my holo and the date again. Fuck. Did I really sleep for two days after that? Shit, this was bad. Not only was this fucking Relic making me weaker than expected, it just made me look like an asshole to Judy. She was probably thinking I ghosted her after that dance.
I sighed and slapped myself mentally out of that sudden surge of panic. Just had to reply, it was going to be fine. It had to. Please, just with this one thing, let it be right. Let that good karma after saving that monk come back to me today. I even stayed my hand with those Maelstrom fucks, and they don't deserve gentle treatment at all. Not in my book.
I tried to tell myself that I had nothing to lose, but that would be a lie. I sure as hell didn't want to lose Judy. She made my life much more interesting, brighter... bearable.
V: [Hey, Judy. I'm really sorry, I only just woke up...]
Usually the reply from Judy would come after a few moments. Maybe she was sleeping after a shift at Lizzie's. Maybe she was busy. I used the time to properly get dressed and finish my food, washing it down with coffee. Nibbles looked pretty happy that he got his kibble and didn't look like he was going to kill me in my sleep any more.
"You think she's going to reply?"
He meowed and began cleaning himself, paying little attention to me. Now I was talking to my cat, too. Not just Johnny.
My holo pinged. Finally.
Judy: [V! Jeez I was so worried abt u] Before I could reply, she sent another.
Judy: [You okay?]
V: [Yeah, I just... Body lost track of time. Helluva night out. Didn't mean to worry you...]
Judy: [It's alright. I'm glad you're okay now.]
Something about her replies was... distant? I couldn't put my finger on it.
V: [I had fun. Maybe if we get a chance, we could go dancing again? With a bit less drinking involved.]
Judy: [Maybe. But will your moves still be good when you're sober? ;)]
There she was... This was my chance.
V: [You're gonna have to find out. Could meet up tonight if you want.]
There was another moment of silence. It was almost unbearable. I was probably being too quick. Damnit, V.
Judy: [Can't today, sorry. G2g catch ya later!]
I felt a bitter taste on my tongue. So much for good karma coming back, I thought. Or perhaps it was just a warning from the irony of life. A warning to be patient. I knew that meant I had to curb my expectations. Judy didn't owe me anything and it wasn't like she was going to make her life revolve around me, especially after I took two fucking days of beauty sleep. I had no right to be upset at her.
That still didn't stop me from slumping a bit. I had made a decision to go see Judy, maybe I was feeling a bit too pumped about the idea. Then again, if I had gone to see her, what would I have told her? Hey, Jude, it's me, I think I'm kinda really head over heels with you? Now that'd be pathetic. Maybe this way I had more time to prepare.
V: [Some other day then. Hope you have a fine one!]
I sent the message and cringed immediately afterwards. Have a fine one, fuck my life. I could have at least thought of something funny or... Johnny was right. I was in deep. I decided to stop denying that to myself. It felt like Nibbles was judging me.
"What. She's really nice. And cute. You saw her! She was here once. You almost ate her noodles, you gonk," I frowned at Nibbles. He didn't seem to care.
Judy: [¡te vere luego!]
At least she sort of wanted to see me again soon. Well. It was time to get on with the day, earn some eddies, bonk some heads, survive another day in Night City.
I geared up and headed down to the garage to start my day. Maybe a few gigs and some good, old-fashioned adrenaline would help me settle my thoughts down and make sense of things a bit better. How would I even go about telling Judy that I... caught a bad case of feelings? My first idea on that wasn't very good, and those that followed weren't much better. Maybe I should leave it for when the sich was right, the moon and stars aligned and all.
As I made it out of Watson and into Westbrook, I got a call from Wakako. She needed me to plant some malware at a shrine occupied by Tyger Claws. Preferably without getting noticed.
I liked these kinds of gigs, with a bit of challenge to them. Maybe I've seen too many ninja-themed BDs in my time, but I'd always find it deeply satisfying to get in and out of a place like a ghost. Even the digital eyes of the enemy were shrouded – I made sure to turn off the cameras, so that there wasn't any kind of evidence that I was ever there. What was even better, that approach usually resulted in a nice bonus from the fixer, so it was worth the effort.
The job at Milagro Terrace didn't take me a lot of time, so after calling Wakako, I drove back from the outskirts into the heart of Japantown to pickup my scratch. It was deposited in the box at the crossing of Salinas and Sagan Avenue, a loud, crowded, though rather nicely shaded place.
I sat down in my car to have a drink and a moment of respite after the gig. The radio was playing some chill tunes, I took a moment to do some people watching while I wondered about Wakako's long-term play with the Tyger Claws. I thought I saw a familiar vehicle pass by... Was it? Could it be? It was some uncanny coincidence. It was Judy's van, and I saw her for a moment, clutching the wheel. She looked upset, I could tell by the frown. And it looked like there was someone in the passenger's seat, too. Man, those Kiroshis were good. But what was she doing here, away from Lizzie's, away from her place, in an area where even NCPD patrolled with their tails between their legs, because it was crawling with Tyger Claws? After the stunt we pulled at Clouds... this was asking for trouble.
Perhaps it was Roxie that was with her, or Tom... or both of them. Maybe they were driving to get lunch or whatever. Was it really my business?
For a moment, I considered my options. I couldn't just insert myself into every moment of her life if she didn't want me in it. She usually asked for help if she needed some merc-related assistance. Why not this time? Well, I could follow her, just to make sure that she was alright. I could always turn around, she looked focused, she probably wouldn't notice me anyway. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her simply because I chose to be... neglectful, in a way.
After rejoining the traffic, I switched lanes a few times to get a bit closer to her van, but not close enough so she could see me in her mirrors. That would have been an amateur move, and I didn't do amateur moves. There was a part of me that was incredibly glad that I decided to follow her, because it looked like she was driving in the direction of the seedier parts of the district, and that was not a good sign, even if she wasn't alone. I kept wondering who was with her.
"I can feel that, someone's jealous. Let it burn, V. If shit gets started, I wanna be there," Johnny sat next to me, his arms crossed and his lips curled up into a smirk.
"I'm just making sure she's alright. You seen this part of town? It's not somewhere you'd go if you had any choice in the matter," I frowned at him and returned my focus to the road, I didn't wanna lose track of Judy.
He made a parroting gesture and shook his head, "Not something you considered, V," he stated more than asked.
"What are you on about this time?" I didn't appreciate him butting in at that moment.
"Maybe she didn't have time for you cause she's busy with someone else. Looking at you funny is one thing, already having an output is another," he explained and I groaned, clutching at my steering wheel.
"If you came here to be an asshole, just go. Please. I still don't even know how I'd tell her," I sighed.
"Hey, don't shoot the messenger," he raised his hands defensively, "Don't be mad if I'm right. At least I warned you."
He had a point. If I was about to witness Judy meeting with someone close to her that she didn't tell me about...and didn't really have to tell me, why would she feel obliged to in the first place... well, at least I could stop thinking of a way to let her know how I felt. I'd just let it go to my grave with me. Maybe it was even better that way.
Judy turned into what was a dead-end alley. I couldn't exactly follow her into there, so I stopped the car and got out, deciding to channel my inner ninja one more time that day. It came naturally, and my movements were fluid and calculated. I even put up a hood to hide my hair and make myself look a little bit more inconspicuous.
"Now this is a lot more entertaining than watching you brood in the shower," Johnny leaned against a wall a few steps behind me. I clenched my fist and that only made him scoff, "Oh, please, V. Let a dead guy have some fun for fuck's sake. This is gold."
"You're lucky only I can hear you..." I huffed and closed my eyes for a moment, trying to focus. It was time to get a snoop.
I leaned from behind the corner and zoomed in. A pair of sunglasses was hiding my eyes, easily recognisable due to the optics. The swelling from that last job went down so I was looking more like myself, it didn't exactly help in this particular case.
As Judy got out of the van, a wave of warm and fuzzy feelings surged through my body, just at the sight of her. That woman had a clear effect on me, and even if Johnny was about to point it out, I had no line of defence against his bullshit.
"I think I'm gonna barf. Boners are much less confusing," he offered some unnecessary information, "But I guess I was right all along."
Judy started moving towards the back of the van and I quickly hid behind the corner, pressing my back to the wall.
"Alright, let's get this done with, I don't want to stay here longer than I have to," I could hear her speak, she wasn't thrilled to be here, whatever the reason for it must have been.
"I know. But I really appreciate you doing this. I'm not even being ironic this time," another woman replied. My heart sank at first, but after a moment I recognised the voice and tensed up, feeling my fists clench, along with my jaw. For a moment I thought I was gonna punch that fucking wall that kindly supported my back.
"Just... please don't make me regret this, Maiko. Which stuff goes first?" Judy's tone was rather flat, borderline annoyed.
"Doesn't really matter, we could carry the heavier ones together?" a reply came, to which Judy gave a sound of acknowledgement.
Johnny pushed himself away from the wall and walked into the alley to look at the two, hands on his hips.
"All this fucking trouble. The entire goddamn conspiracy... And now this? They're choombas again? Fuck me, if her taste is shit, yours is un-fucking-redeemable," he narrated the slow motion car crash that was also known as my life.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. After all the double crossing Maiko had attempted, Judy was helping her? What the actual otherworldly fuck was going on?! I completely forgot about my 'spy' get up and moved out of my hiding spot to walk into the alley. Judy was in the back of the van, staring at a stack of boxes, as if wondering where to start with them. Maiko... was that Maiko? She looked... different. Still, she heard and saw me first, without a moment of hesitation she reached to a side holster and drew a Lexington pistol, firing off a shot at me. My reflex implant kicked in and I managed to dodge it.
Oh, my fingers were itching to respond in kind, but that wouldn't be doing anyone any favours, "Don't shoot, you fucking gonk!" I shouted and scrambled back behind the wall, "It's me!"
I heard Judy scream at the shot, it must have caught her by surprise... she was far from a squeamish type, "Maiko, what the fuck?!" she shouted right after.
"Don't jump me like that, you murderous bitch," yep, I was definitely sure it was Maiko.
"Alright... put it away... I'm not here to hurt you," I called out from around the corner.
After a moment I could hear Judy, she sounded completely surprised, "V...?"
"I know your kind. They sent you after me. They must have!" Maiko seemed to have some sort of a deeper idea behind my presence there.
"It's me, Judy," I came clean, "I was in the area, saw your van, got a bit worried."
Judy sighed, I could see her come from around the corner, her expression was a mix between impatience and just about being done with everything. Before I had a chance to say anything, Maiko came into view. She wasn't wearing her usual fancy pink get up, she had some kind of an old army jacket on. Her hair was a mess and her make-up looked hasty and not at all glamorous, "The fuck do you want, merc?"
"Don't talk to me that way after I let you live," I warned her, feeling the deep reserves of my patience drain. And they were draining very quickly, at that. Instead, I looked at Judy, "What is this about, Jude? This part of town is far from safe," I tried my best to sound as gentle as possible, but my voice was shaking, and so were my fists.
"V, this really isn't anything you should be worried about," Judy replied, crossing her arms on her chest. I kept looking at her and pointed at Maiko, "Oh I think the moment you involved her in it, it's very much my business, too, especially after what she pulled with the fucking Claw bosses, don't you think?" I was boiling. This was bullshit. First she rants to me on how much of a gonk she was for trusting Maiko, and now she's helping her move or whatever?
"It's complicated, and I don't exactly have to involve you in every little fucking thing I do, okay?" Judy was getting confrontational about the whole thing, "I appreciate you caring, but I'm fine. We're fine. I'm just helping Maiko move."
I raised my brows. We?! Did she just say we in relation to herself and Maiko?
"You really have no clue, do you?" Maiko lowered her gun before putting it away. She cast a glance around, scanning the environment in a way that I knew intimately. She was paranoid.
"I don't have a clue, and I don't really care what your play is this time, Maiko," I looked at the former Clouds manager, then shot Judy a deeply hurt glance, "I can't believe you're doing this after everything she tried to do," I said quietly, shaking my head with obvious disapproval.
Judy sucked on the inside of her cheek, keeping her arms crossed on her chest, "I'm with the Mox, V. We help our own. I don't expect you to understand that, even though you helped me and didn't ask a single eddie for it. I thought you understood that. We don't let our people in the shit when they need help the most."
"Far as I know, Maiko ain't a Mox and never will be," I pointed out, my tone audibly more upset than I wanted to let on.
"She may as well be, she used to be a doll, she knows the hard life. Besides... She's an asshole, but... I know she has good sides, too. I'm doing it for the sake of those good sides. Even though she helped me forget about them pretty quickly," Judy glanced at Maiko. I knew that glance. She looked at me in a similar way, too. If I recalled correctly, she'd sometimes look at Ev that way, back when we first met. What was even worse, for the first time ever I saw... a glimmer of warmth in Maiko's smile.
Fuck. I should have known. They had a history. The must have been an item at some point. Of course. And here I was, coming between them. First Judy told me she didn't have time that day, now she was helping Maiko move. It was my fucking turn to be a walking gonkfest.
"V...?" I had my eyes closed and my palm covering my forehead when I heard Judy call my name. She sounded oddly distant, "V, are you okay...?" she asked again, this time she sounded very concerned for some reason. I felt a coppery tinge on my lips, it was my own blood. But why...? I touched my face, I was having a nosebleed. I opened my eyes.
[Warning: Critical Relic Malfunction!]
My retinal display was filled with red numbers and letters, blurry lines of white and blue made everything look like badly executed slow motion or a corrupted BD that would be more likely to blind someone, rather than entertain them. Everything felt too warm, my head was on fire. I could feel a distant groan from Johnny, his voice echoing in a digital stutter, "Don't you fucking die on me, V!"
When I woke up, I was no longer in the alley. The room was dim, the windows were small, but isolating the noise rather well. I felt around, someone put a blanket on me. I was still alive. Was that really a good thing? A quick feel of my face and nose told me that someone was kind enough to clean my face. The place smelled of Buck-A-Slice and coffee. I remembered the course of events gradually. There wasn't better moving food than pizza, however synthetic it was. I sat up slowly to see Judy and Maiko, idly talking while sitting on the floor on cushions, at a low coffee table that was used as a makeshift piece of furniture for dining.
Judy noticed my return to consciousness and walked up to me, then knelt at my side, placing her hand on my forehead for a moment.
"You scared me..." she said softly. She was frowning, but her gestures were affectionate at the same time. Maybe I died and went to some kind of heaven? Or perhaps purgatory, considering that Maiko was there, too.
"I'm sorry, Judy, didn't mean to. You know that," I whispered, closing my eyes. Her hand briefly cupped my cheek, then gave unshaved side of my hair a playful ruffle.
"I know you didn't mean that. Just glad you're alive," she moved her hand away and sat at my side, "The chip, I'm guessing?"
I nodded, "It malfunctioned something fierce. I mean, I almost got shot, and..."
"It's alright. Take it easy. It was a fucking mess," Judy sighed and looked at Maiko for a moment before turning her attention back to me, "I'm sorry, too. Maybe I should have told you. Maiko thought it was a bad idea... but hear her out, okay? Please?" something about her expression said 'for me?' and that was a request I couldn't refuse.
I sat up a bit straighter and leaned against the wall, "Fine. You obviously had your reasons," I realised I still sounded quite pissy, but I'm sure she somehow understood where I was coming from.
"Please, Judy. Let me," Maiko turned to face me and gestured around, "Welcome to my new place, I guess. Not a penthouse, the plumbing's shit..."
"Maiko," Judy warned, gesturing for her to get on with it.
"Fine. Long story short, one day I came home and found my apartment completely trashed. Not sure who, not sure why. I'm thinking Claws. They know better than to touch you, so they struck me where it hurt," she explained, "I panicked, called Judy, didn't know where else to go, what to do. I found this pad for hire and decided to lay low here. I'm fucking scared, this whole plan was a mess and..."
Judy glared at her again.
"...thanks for helping me salvage what was left of my place, Judy," Maiko slumped, oddly humbled by the experience. I almost felt some kind of primal satisfaction at seeing her that way. I was glad Judy couldn't see it.
A few responses came to my mind. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Shame they didn't trash her as a bonus. Karma came back, finally. Maybe it wasn't good karma coming back to me, but definitely Maiko's hitting her in that pouty face.
"I guess that does explain things. Still, if you told me about it, I could have helped or something," I looked at Judy.
"Honestly, I didn't want to bother you. I still felt guilty about you feeling sick the other night at Lizzie's," she shrugged at first, then smiled at me, "Even though it was fun."
"About that...-" I started, but Judy decided it was time for a quick change of subject. Well, Maiko was still there. I was technically at her place.
"You thirsty? Hungry?" Judy asked me. She was still sitting by my side, and I kinda liked the fact she was being this close to me.
I smiled at her, "Throat's a bit dry," I nodded. It hurt to move a bit and my head felt heavy, so I decided to take it easy.
"You look like death itself. Didn't think a bit of sapphic drama had such an effect on mercs," Maiko deadpanned. I could see her watch the interactions between Judy and me. She was definitely scanning for signs, even though she wasn't keen on sharing any conclusions.
"I'll be fine, thanks for the concern, Maiko," I replied, trying to sound as neutral as I could. There was only so much common human decency I could extend towards Judy's standoffish, better-than-you, manipulative ex before finally submitting to the desire of applying a quick short circuit to her. A thought suddenly hit me. Mama Welles would not be proud if I did that. I was under her roof, while she could have just told Judy to leave me in the street. Mi casa su casa and all that.
Judy brought me something to drink and I thanked her before downing the contents of the mug. Lukewarm coffee, wasn't great, but it was like nectar on my parched tongue, "Feeling better already," I smiled at her. I didn't want her to worry.
"Well, since we're done here, and the next step is unpacking, I think that's my cue," Judy said as she stood up and put her hands on her hips. Maiko stood up as well. I suppressed a groan and joined them in the bipedal club.
"I should go, too. Thanks for picking me up from the street," I nodded.
"Wasn't easy with all that chrome, but we managed," Maiko sounded more like herself, but after a moment she exhaled, as if making a decision, "Fine, sorry I tried to shoot you," she added, earning a raise of brows from Judy. She looked positively surprised.
"I'd tell you to call me whenever you need anything, but... maybe it's better if we kind of leave it here. I don't want Claws on my tail either," Judy looked at Maiko and nodded.
"Yeah, I get that. I didn't think you'd help me but... thanks, Judy. You're a good person. With all the disadvantages that come with that," Maiko just couldn't say anything without backhanded compliments, it seemed.
Judy was about to say something and I could see her hands ball into fists. I gently placed one palm on her shoulder, "Shall we?" I suggested, deciding to be the dove with the fucking peace offering this time.
"Yeah. Bye, Maiko," Judy gave her ex a wave, I nodded, and we made our way back to the alley where Judy had parked her van.
"Fuck, I need a cig," Judy muttered and lit one up the moment we were outside. She leaned with her back against the wall and took a drag. She was shaking, and only now I could see just how many different emotions she had been holding back at Maiko's.
"I'll pass. The last one I had was pretty risky," I exhaled audibly through my nose, hoping to amuse her. She shot me a slightly mocking smile, "I swear, I've never seen anyone go that green in the face. You were really fucked up, jaina," she shook her head and exhaled smoke away from my face, just to spare me another embarrassing situation.
"Seems I have a knack at making myself looking like a gonk," I frowned, mirroring her position against the wall, close to her, but not too close.
"Well, V. We have a couple of ways out of this. We can both admit we made a mistake and agree this was a... miscommunication, or we can have a really tiring and pointless competition about who fucked up more," she shrugged.
Before I could think about my answer and apply some measure of common sense to it, I fired off, "I mean, the latter would give me a bit more time with you, wouldn't it?" I allowed myself a smile, just to show her I wasn't completely serious in my choice.
"Quality over quantity, V," Judy quipped, but smiled as well. She sighed and continued after a moment of consideration and another drag of her cigarette, "I didn't want to tell you exactly because it was Maiko. Not because she's my ex, but because of what she did. But I just couldn't leave her on ice with this. It's against my principles. I'm not Suzie to be picky about who I help."
It was hard to disagree with that, so I gave her a nod. I understood where she was coming from. Now that the biochip forced me to cool down, and I wasn't in a fighting stance when listening to Maiko's explanation, I understood, "Yeah, I can see where it's coming from. I really wasn't following you. I just got worried you got mixed up in something sketchy," I said quietly, "Not that you can't take care of yourself, just..."
"Hey, I get it," she smiled at me again, "It's kind of nice to see someone gives a shit for a change. And someone wants to do something for me, instead of just asking things from me," she said, I detected a bit of bitterness in her tone. Whatever happened between her and Maiko, it must have been pretty ugly.
"Whatever you need, whenever you need it," I said, as certain as I could make myself sound.
She finished her cigarette and turned to face me, arms crossed, a smirk curling up her lips.
"Really? Anything?" she challenged and I nodded.
"Even if it's something that might not work, something no one's ever done before?" she asked. I couldn't help but give her a slightly confused look, but quickly recovered.
"Did I fucking stutter?" I quipped instead, shooting her a grin.
She tilted her head to the side and eyed me up and down. She moved away from the wall and paced there and back a few steps as she considered something, "Alright... alright. Give me a few days. I've got something to prepare. I'll give you a call once it's done," she said. My surprised expression must have been hella amusing to her for some reason.
"Really? You're just going to leave me with that? More mysteries?" I asked. The last one didn't go over so well, after all.
"This one will be different. And no. I'm going to leave you with -this-," she walked up to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek with an audible mwah to it. I closed my eyes and smiled, welcoming the feeling of her soft lips on my skin. I wanted to hold her close, let this moment last... But before I could make a decision whether I should or not, she pulled away. My cheeks were burning, her had a bit of colour to them as well.
"Deal," I said, "I'll be waiting."
"Good. See you round, V," she shot me a smile that sent a shiver down my spine. I was in for a few very, very long days.
