Author's Notes: Sorry this chapter (1.b) took me a bit of time. I hope you enjoy it!
[Current Plans]: I'll be adding original made scenes/scenarios in future chapters. Things that'll occur between missions like text message conversations, holo calls, visits to apartments, etc which'll continue to build the relationship between V and Judy.
Additionally, erotica/explicit scenes will be written and included in various future chapters. However, I saw that FFN apparently doesn't allow that type of material (though I'm pretty sure… I've seen it… , so I will also post this story on 'Archive of Our Own' with a link in the chapters that have explicit scenes.
Real feels - One of Night City's most talented editors was struggling to achieve the thing that came so naturally to her; capturing real, raw, authentic feelings. Even though the actors and actresses in her braindances were supplying enough true emotion that it could overwhelm any cyberpsycho, Judy struggled to tune into those impulses - something she had been struggling with for quite a while now.
Judy had been watching the couple in her BD for about 5 hours straight – just enough material for her to splice into a one-hour playback. A client from Lizzie's had requested this very particular braindance; two chicks who've been friends that wanna be more than friends, passionately bang each other for the first time.
The client had written down a list of a few simple things she wanted to feel and see in her customized braindance. Judy read each item, line by line;
- Intense infatuation with a sprinkle of uncertainty - cuz the women are unsure if the other one has the same feelings
- Capture a moment that pushes both of them to finally cross that line from friends to more than friends (you guys can have creative freedom with this)
- Extra emphasis on the burst of ecstasy they'll feel once they've finally given into their desires. Wanna also feel a wave of relief as they give each other permission to cross said line
- LUST, LUST, and more LUST as they SLOWLY explore each other's bodies for the first time. Seriously - like a lot of lust and then add more lust to that
- Wanna feel both chicks orgasms (I'm paying a lot of eddies for multiple orgasms. Will tip for more)
- Finally, and most important - I want to feel what they're not ready to say, but have for each other; love
As Judy read the last word on the client's list, her stomach churned; it made her want to puke. Night City's most brilliant braindance technician had been wrestling with this BD for almost two weeks. Usually, Judy could check off each item on this client's list during a single work shift at Lizzie's. Capturing those old school emotions was Judy's specialty, but lately, she struggled to tap into those types of experiences. Clients had started to notice, and so had Susie, her boss.
Normally, Susie didn't give Judy the time of day, but as Judy's braindance quality had begun to slip, Susie was up Judy's ass more and more every day. Braindance requests were backed up and when Judy could finally call one 'complete', they didn't meet the personal quality standards she set for her braindances. Her inability to fully capture those emotions made her recent BD's feel borderline fake. Pre-crafted, hard-coded, and fenced in. Something she absolutely loathes about mass-market braindances.
Judy sighed, pausing the smut footage and shut down her editor wreath. As the dancing sapphire color in her irises faded back to hazel, she pulled the wreath off of her head and placed it on her desk – she needed a break. Her computer screen said it was almost 6:00PM - the time Lizzie's Bar opened.
Judy usually came into work before the nightclub opened its doors, taking advantage of the peace and quiet. When the bar was open, the loud music would shake the walls of her braindance studio, making it difficult to hear BD audio clearly. Some of the girls would go downstairs and tell Judy about strange client requests and ask the techie for her opinion on scrolling their scenes and which emotions they should feel. Susie would interrupt her by dropping off stacks of requests or bugging her to see when her current stack of braindances would be finished.
She rummaged through the desk drawers, pulling out a pair of soundproof headphones. Music sometimes helped her when she got stuck on a creative block or when she wanted her racing mind to slow down. She popped a shard into one of the slots behind her ear. Her eyes illuminated a soft orange as she flicked them side to side, scrolling through a list of music files she had stored on the chip. After a few minutes, she made her selection: Perilous Futur – Dirty Roses. Her favorite electropunk band.
The techie felt like her emotional responses were stuck - trapped somewhere so far that no matter how deep she swam to grab them, they were just outside of her reach. She could still churn out raunchy BDs, like fetish play, BDSM, water sports, anything with unleashing pent-up anger –- you know, the usual demands that Night City clientele make. However, the braindances that required old school feelings, those were next to impossible to achieve, and these troubles all started appearing about a year ago when Judy broke up with her output – Maiko Maeda.
Almost a year ago Maiko Maeda, an associate of the Tyger Claws and current unofficial manager of Clouds, was Judy's entire world.
At the time, Judy's braindances had quickly begun turning heads – her innovative capabilities and high-quality standards spread like wildfire. This led to the Tyger Claws hiring her to tune BDs at Clouds. When Judy walked in and caught a glimpse of Maiko at that Japantown nightclub, it was real feels at first sight. Something about Maiko's desire to break free from the chains of being a doll allured Judy's anarchist spirit and the two quickly became inseparable.
Judy had always wanted a committed relationship but there weren't many people in Night City who shared those same desires. This led to Judy becoming very picky about the girls she had allowed herself to fall for until she met Maiko.
Not soon after, Maiko moved into Judy's Watson based apartment on Charter Street. Even though they lived and worked at the same places, they couldn't get enough of each other. The two frequently snuck around, hoping to steal a few extra seconds of time with the other. Any moment not near each other was almost unbearable. Then, not too long after that, they began charting out their future. They had big plans and even bigger dreams.
Judy, an older soul in a younger body, had always wanted to leave the thrills of Night City and settle down. She didn't grow up in the bustling metropolis that was overrun by crime, corruption, and corporations, and her only family had moved to Oregon.
But before Judy could leave Night City, she wanted to make an impact – she wanted to help dolls, joy toys, and others down on their luck. She wanted to free them from the city that took advantage of them. The city that would use them up and then toss them into the gratitude of poverty.
Maiko had originally shared those dreams with Judy, for a time. She had promised Judy that if she climbed up the ranks at Clouds, she would be able to provide a home for dolls and joy toys where they would be happier, safer, and treated with respect. Like a Lizzie's 2.0. However, Night City did what it does best; draws people in with the promise of fame, power, glory, and then changes them for the worst. A seed in Maiko's heart had started to grow – a seed that Night City had placed in her.
She began to obsess over reading self-improvement books like beauty tips, weight loss, and how to be successful. She started purchasing very expensive makeup and clothing brands – the type that would get you targeted and mugged on the street. She began to only care about herself and her goals as her sympathy for others quickly diminished.
Catalogs about elegant corpo interior design and fashion magazines for those with "finer tastes" began to appear in Judy's apartment. While studying the fashion tips, Maiko would frequently make snarky comments about Judy's apartment – the building was 'substandard' and the apartment was 'mediocre in size'. Things weren't much better at work either. Maiko started asking Judy for 'favors' that would give the doll advantages at Clouds, like modifying her behavior chip so her client stats would dramatically improve. Judy complied.
Tyger Claws couldn't help but notice Maiko's achievements and she began climbing up the ranks at the nightclub. She was given her own private office and instructed to keep a close eye on Woodman, Cloud's manager at the time. As she climbed ranks, nothing got better for the other dolls - in fact, their treatment only got worse.
Maiko's desire to continue down the path of gaining power and building up reputation estranged her from Judy – the woman that had supported and encouraged her since the beginning. Judy felt Maiko slipping away and watched as her output gained several female friends, ones that pawned for the Tyger Claws' up and coming star's attention.
When confronted, Maiko had a tendency to ignore Judy's allegations by not entertaining a response, frequently change topics, and manipulate Judy's perception of events. She was good at making Judy feel like things were her fault. Manipulation was a skill that Maiko had become very comfortable using – a skill she exercised frequently in order to ensure her own success.
This sparked jealousy and anger in Judy she had never felt before. Not long after, Judy found herself spending time with the Moxes, a group who shared similar desires to liberate those who had been used up, cast away, and forgotten – those like Judy.
One fateful evening, Judy received a message from Maiko – higher ranking Tyger Claw's had assigned Maiko a sensitive and urgent project which meant she would need to stay overnight at Clouds. This was not the first time this happened to Maiko and it seemed to happen more and more frequently.
As a final attempt to hold onto the woman she built a life around, Judy planned to surprise her output after work by bringing Maiko her favorite champagne – a very expensive brand that the doll had acquired a recent taste for. Judy had scraped together enough eddies to get her hands on a bottle. She was hopeful the gesture would lead to something more – something she hadn't shared with Maiko in quite some time; affirmation and sex. Judy's body ached for Maiko's.
The techie had frequently snuck into Maiko's office earlier in their relationship. It was something they both highly enjoyed because it was risky and borderline inappropriate. As she climbed her way onto the office's balcony, she reminisced about an old desk – it was a piece of furniture within the office that the two had frequently used and abused until it collapsed under their weight one evening. The desk was then replaced with a much larger and much more expensive one. One that Maiko wanted to keep in pristine condition. One they would no longer use together.
Judy followed the same routine – hack into the balcony door control panel to unlock the door and shut off the security alarms just long enough to slip in before the alarms automatically turned back on. If the security system lost power for more than 10 seconds, a silent alarm would trip and Tyger Claws would swarm the club within minutes.
The latch to the balcony door popped open. The alarms disabled for a few seconds, and Judy slipped in.
"I used to mark time in stages. One juncture to the next. There was the mega building hole-in-the-wall phase, and then the group home phase, the Mox phase… Every time, I thought I'd found a home. And every damn time, I came away disappointed."
What she stumbled into would quickly become another phase in her life that had ended with disappointment.
Real feels — one of night city's most talented editors was struggling. Judy was glad that Maiko was gone for good, but the damage she did was done. The scar that formed over her wounds would not allow Judy to connect to those emotions the same way again. The braindance artist's incredible ability to bring love to life in her BDs was gone.
Silence. Dirty Roses ended but she barely noticed. She was seething at old anger. Anger she could do. Anger she was good at.
"If I can't even make two minutes of real feels for some girl to get off, what hope do I have?"
**BEEP-BEEP**
A much-needed interruption to pull Judy away from her problems. Her phone chimed with a message that was flicked to her optics: [Evie] Popped into view. Ev? Geeeez. Haven't caught up with her in a while - been what? Few months?
[Evie]: Alvarez! Heeeey, it's been like a thousand years since we saw each other! What's up with you, gurl? You still cooped up in Susie's basement? Still with Maiko? Hoping at least one of those things isn't true anymore.
[Judy]: Hey Ev - been a bit. Yes, one of those things isn't true anymore. How you doing?
[Evie]: Weeelllllll, I've got a tiny favor to ask…
OK, it's more like a humongous favor.
Super important to me, but should be a breeze for a geek like you. :P
[Judy]: Mind straight up just telling me what's going on?
[Evie]: I need you to scroll a virtu for me. That's it, I promise.
In exchange, I'll make sure you don't have to do anything for the rest of your life but art.
Let's just meet, OK? Where can I find you these days?
[Judy]: Susie's basement.
[Evie]: Good! That's what I was hoping ;)
Was already on my way over - I'll see you in a few!
Evelyn Parker - An old friend and colleague of hers from Clouds. As they had worked together, Judy and Evelyn's friendship grew into a sisterhood of sorts. When Judy felt down about Maiko, Evelyn was the only one who seemed to genuinely care and quickly offered a pair of understanding ears and a firm shoulder to lean on. Judy looked up to Evelyn as a younger sister would toward an older sister.
She was previously a member of the Moxes. A younger Evelyn joined the group shortly after they had become established in 2067, after Elizabeth "Lizzie" Borden's death and not soon after the waves of rioting settled down.
The Moxes had established their name from the term "Moxie" which signifies the ability to face difficulties with spirit, nerve, determination, and courage. The gang stood defiantly against oppression, taking matters into their own hands while always watching out after their own. This was an ideology that Evelyn embraced as she herself was especially ambitious and also harbored a fierce determination to achieve goals she set high above the horizon.
But like all things in Night City, Evelyn was seduced by the idea of fame, glory, and success. She was an inspiring artist who dreamt of becoming a professional actress. This led to her departure from the gang to join Clouds, a decision that would not bode well for her future. Though her plans were to save enough eddies to quit the nightclub and help jumpstart her dreams, Clouds would quickly become a permanent part of her life that she would never seem to shake.
Evelyn had joined Clouds before Judy and also left Clouds before Judy - Her humor, charm, and cunning helped her to become one of the highest performing dolls at the nightclub. She had a waiting list of clients that spanned out for months. This natural ability to be successful led to a rivalry between her and Maiko. However, Evelyn's drive and determination were acted on in a way opposite to Maiko - Evelyn did not harm others in order to achieve her goals.
Her clientele matured from streetmeat and gangoons to glitter folk and elite officials of corporations. She soon found herself narrowing her list of frequenters as she was sought out for lengthy private visits that could span over days, weeks, and even months. She ended up leaving Clouds as the nightclub no longer served her any benefit. This was also around the time that Judy's relationship with Maiko was nearing its conclusion.
Though Evelyn was always in high demand from her suitors, she always set time aside to reach out to Judy. Their indelible friendship led to Evelyn persuading her friend to join the Mox gang in an attempt to distance Maiko from Judy. The aspiring actress had never been fond of the pairing and was always concerned about how poorly the braindance technician was being treated. Then Evelyn inevitably lent a hand in Judy's transition from Clouds to Lizzie's.
A braindance? I wonder what this is all about. Maybe one of Evie's clients has a special request? What'd she mean I wouldn't need to do anything for the rest of my life but art? Seldomly did Evelyn ever ask Judy for help. That woman had so many connections within her network that there was no problem or obstacle that couldn't get resolved without a simple holo call.
Judy looked over at her braindance wreath that sat on her desk, mocking her. She reached over and clicked its BD shard, pulling it out and setting it to the side for her to continue editing later.
**BEEP-BEEP**
Another message. Wow. Ev already here? When Judy checked the message, she saw that it was not from Evelyn. Instead, a message from [}O{] blipped up.
}O{ is a Mox member.
She likes the color purple. She has purple hair, installed purple optics, wears purple makeup, and her wardrobe is exclusively purple; give or take a few articles of clothing that are not purple, but pair well with purple. Some Mox members are surprised that she hadn't opted for a full-body sculpt to install purple plastic skin - But she does have a purple handgun and her vehicle was painted an artist-commissioned, custom shade of 'the purplest-purple', so there's that.
She was the hostess at Lizzie's Bar. She was often requested as one of Judy's BD actors, but she mainly worked behind the front counter, helping clients navigate the catalog, and sold Mox merch.
When she joined the Mox a year ago, around the same time as Judy, she introduced herself to customers and fellow Moxers as, 'Candy'. "Like the ones you wanna lick, honey."
Then she started introducing herself as 'CanDe'. "I CAN satisfy any and all your DEsires, sugartits."
And then she created an acronym of her favorite things, 'CANDI'. "Clits, Asses, Nips, Dicks, and, of course, myself," she said when people couldn't figure out the I.
Currently, it's 'Candie with an I E'. "Cuz I luv Eddieeeees"
Apparently, she's working on 'Candeigh' now. Judy's hopes aren't high that this one's gonna last.
No one knew how she really spelled her name, or if it was really her name. Judy couldn't keep up with the constant switching, so instead, she saved }O{ , a candy emoji she made, as the Mox member's alias.
[}O{]: heeeeeeyyyy
hellloooo?
yyyoo juuuuuudddiieee
answr meeee
….
….
Gurl dont make me cum downstairs 4 u
I no ur down there - ur van is outside
HEY JUDE
NA, NA, NA, NA-NA-NA, NAAAAA
NA-NA-NA, NAAAA
HEY JUDEEEEEE
[Judy]: OMG. WHAT.
...That song is an ancient relic.
Stop blowing up my phone.
[}O{]: wus up?
[Judy]: braindances
[}O{]: kewl, kewl, kewl...
so listen
clubs gunna busy 2nite - bunch of ppl outside waitin to get past Rita
[Judy]: Enlighten me…This is different than every night...how?
[}O{]: saw some preem lookn candidates
not 2 many but som ur type
[Judy]: My "type?" I don't have a type.
[}O{]: hahahahaha... ok
[Judy]: Why are you laughing? I DON'T
[}O{]: ya - n my fav colors blu
NE way
try 2 cum upstairs 2nite - lyk on ur break
see if u can catch NE fish n this ocean
cuz ur ocean needs sum mooootion
ha get it?
….
judy?
helllooo?
….
stp ignoring me
Dont make me sing again
Cuz i will
Remember last time
literally see u on security cam sittin there doing nothing
HEY DONT FLIP ME OFF GONK :P
[Judy]: If I come upstairs later, for the love of god promise me you won't sing. Still need therapy from the last time.
[}O{]: yiiiiiiiiisssssssss promise
oh forgot sum1 just came n lookn for u
blue haired chicka
said u knew she was comin
got to go Rita lettin ppl n now
[Judy]: Blue hair? I don't know anyone with blue hair.
Er I mean, yes, I know people with blue hair. Half the city has blue hair.
… But I don't know about any meeting with someone with blue hair.
[}O{]: N MY SINGIN AINT THAT BAD
"Hey Judez" a voice from behind Judy startled her. "Evie! ... Almost gave me a heart attack."
Judy turned around and saw Evelyn, but not the woman she knew from Clouds. The person that Judy remembered had long white hair that was usually pulled back in a ponytail, long acrylic french tipped nails, thick black eyeliner paired with black lipstick, and she wore two-toned businesswear - specifically large triangular-shaped sunglasses with golden rims, black button-down tops that showed the top of her breasts, frosty silk business skirts that ended halfway up her thigh, and golden stilettos that shimmered when she walked.
At the time, many of her clients requested and preferred her to dress like a corpo and when Evelyn needed to put on a new face, she made sure that it was down to the details.
Evelyn now had electric blue hair that was cut to chin level with bangs that ended halfway down her forehead. She wore her eyeliner the same, but her bold black lipstick had faded into a natural beige. She wore a thin golden necklace which delicately rested upon her collarbone, sparkling under the right lighting.
She wore a long, black synthleather coat that hung open. The stitched-in elastic band around the midsection kept it held close against her waist, showing off her curves. The coat's collar burst out into a beautiful, large, white, and purple mane. The sleeves ended right below her elbows, guiding gazes down to her soft hands. Her nails were no longer long, manicured french tips. They were now brilliant gold plated rippers that danced with the smallest movement of her fingers.
Underneath the coat was a white skin tight dress that ended barely below her pelvis. Much like her old button-down tops, its collar was cut low enough to show off as much breast as possible. The dress looked like it was made out of diamond slivers, and judging by the quality of material all of her clothes were made out of, they probably were diamonds. The dress glistened brightly under light, stopping anyone in their tracks to catch a glimpse.
Blood red thigh-high stiletto boots hugged Evelyn's legs so perfectly, you would think they were painted on. The workmanship took to ensure the perfect fit was second to none.
Style meant everything in Night City, and Evelyn Parker; looked like a fuckin' movie star.
Judy jumped out of her chair and embraced Evelyn. They had a bond - one where if they haven't seen or spoken to the other in ages, they could easily pick right back up where they had left off. Like the universe made a special pause and play button for them to use so they would never lose time.
"It's so good to see you. How've you been Judes?" Evelyn asked, taking a step back to see her friend. Judy responded with a half-hearted shrug, "Uh, you know. Still tunin' smut every day so... Can't complain."
Evelyn crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at the techie. "You're looking… a bit pale. A little thin too. How often do you leave this basement? It doesn't look like you've been outside in… a while? Have you been diving at all?" Judy rolled her eyes, "No. Been too busy for that."
"And what about your bots? Have you been working on those?" Evelyn asked, a tone of concern slipping through. Judy placed her hands on her lower back and slowly leaned left and right, stretching her core muscles, "Nooope. Just been too busy Ev. BDs been stackin' up. Gotta bust 'em out. You know how it is for us, workin' girls. But it's all good. I'm fine."
Evelyn continued to look at her friend, then she slowly shook her head. "Mhmm… Well, for someone who has to give up all their hobbies because they're 'too busy'... I'm really, really glad you answered - I need your help." Judy returned a small nod, "What's so urgent about this BD? What did you mean in your message?"
"I'm going to tell you something, but I need you to hear me out," the blue-haired woman said cautiously. Judy was now the one crossing her arms, "Ahuh… Starting to get a liiiittle suspicious Evie… This like… some kind of XBD or somethin'?"
"No. It's much more than that. You'll need to sit down for this."
"Ev - have you gone COMPLETELY gonk in the head?! This… this will get you killed! It will get ME killed. You're talkin' about fucking over Arasaka. ARA-FREAKIN-SAKA. They'll have you creased before you even get near it. How the hell would you even pull this off!? Walk right in and tell Yorinobu, 'Hand over the Relic, or I'll stop fucking you'? I still don't even understand what the BD has to do with any of this" Judy was frantically pacing back and forth in her studio.
Evelyn followed Judy, trying to get her friend to slow down, "Jude. I wouldn't come to you with this if I thought it would put you in harm's way. I wouldn't come to you if I wasn't prepared. I have a plan - a real REAL good one at that and the balls' already rollin' babe. You're the last piece of the puzzle. BD is of Konpeki Plaza, inside Yorinobu's apartment. He keeps the Relic hidden somewhere in it. There's no security to worry about. Braindance will help us find where he hides it. I've hired a team already - professionals - they'll sneak in under the radar when Yori's gone and steal it. This is a once in the lifetime chance, Judy. And it has to happen soon."
"You've already hired a team?" Judy immediately stopped pacing. She quickly spun around, glaring at the blue-haired woman. Evelyn almost crashed into the techie but was able to stop just in time, "Yes. Got a Fixer. He's sendin' in his best players."
"Who is the fixer?" Judy asked, narrowing her eyes at Evelyn. "Dexter DeShawn."
"Dexter DeShawn… Like, the fixer from the Afterlife? Jesus Ev, how much scratch have you already spilled on this?" the techie's eyebrows raised up, her eyes widened. "Dex took some… personal time off. Hasn't been active in about two years. I'm his first client since he came back to NC - gave me a real good price."
Judy walked over to her desk and collapsed onto her chair, "You know what they say about these kinds of things Ev? If it sounds too good to be true, then it is. Somethin' 'bout this gig totally sticks. I mean do you even know his team? They got a plan?"
Evelyn followed, pulling up a chair close to Judy's, "Two mercs and one of the best netrunners in NC. From what he's explained to me - they have Militech equipment that'll help them get past Konpeki's network - it'll disable all their security tech. Merc's will rent a room near Yori's and netrunner will jam the network. All the merc's have to do is walk in, grab the biochip, and walk out. We just need to know where to look."
"This is way so risky Evey... Just pokin' around somethin' like this..." Judy, slowly rubbed her eyebrows, letting out a long sigh.
Evelyn scooted her chair closer, grabbing Judy's hands, "Judy. Please. Everything is already set up. It's a solid plan. All you have to do is compile the BD - they won't be able to trace anything back to you. You'll be safe. These guys are professionals. They can do this - this is all they do. Please."
Judy pulled her hands away, placing them in her lap, "I… I don't know Ev." She began to fidget and rub her hands together nervously.
"Jude... Aren't you tired of editing the same sleazy BDs day in and day out? All the porn? Shit eddies? These piss-poor conditions…" Evelyn slowly gestured her hand around Judy's braindance studio.
Judy lifted her hand, wagging a finger at Evelyn, "Wooah heeey now... This is my sanctuary. Stop bleedin' it."
Evelyn grabbed Judy's hand again, squeezing it, "Judy. You deserve more than all this. You deserve to work on the BDs you really care about. You deserve to work on your art. Please. Jude. I already have NetWatch waiting - they're ready to buy. You know nothing changes in NC without eddies to back you up. Think about what you could do with those eddies. Do whatever you want, when you want. Imagine the people you could help! The joy toys you could save."
Judy let out a long-drawn-out sigh. There was a moment of silence between them as she wrestled with her thoughts, "... Fine... But under a few conditions." Evelyn yanked back on Judy's hand, pulling the startled techie into a very tight embrace, "Oh god, thank you, Judy! Yes! Yes! Name them. Whatever you want, I'll give you!"
Judy pried herself from Evelyn's arms, falling back into her chair. She brushed herself off and had to straighten the strap to her overalls. "First, I want us to meet someone from this 'professional' team. Abso-fuckin-lutely NOT the 'Runner. I don't trust any of them. Who knows what shit they'd do to this place… Needs to be one of the mercs. We need to vet 'em out - see if they've got the balls and brains to do this gonk-ass shit. If somethin' seems off - and I'm dead serious Evie. If ANYTHING seems off, no movin' forward. Dex gets a better team together, and we vet 'em again. Any small fuck up could lead 'saka to us and that'll be the end. "
Evelyn raised an eyebrow towards Judy, "Merc's don't normally ever talk to clients… we go through the Fixer for that." Judy shook her head, "I don't care. We are safer talking directly to the game players instead of a middleman. Figure it out. I know you can."
Evelyn nodded in agreement. "Okay. Deal." Judy held out her hand, holding up two fingers, "Second, whatever eddies you make off of this - ten percent goes to helping the Moxes, joy toys, dolls - all of 'em. I want them taken care of." Evelyn blinked several times, "T-ten… percent? Maybe consider... like eight?"
Judy quickly crossed her arms, "No. ten, or I'm not agreeing. They need this - they need it more than me or you." Evelyn sighed, "Fine. Deal." Judy held out her hand again but with three fingers this time. "Three, absolutely no shortcuts. You go that route, city'll always win. So promise me that you'll be careful."
Evelyn quickly grabbed Judy's hand and pulled her into another tight embrace, startling the techie once more, "Jude. I promise. I promise to be careful. I won't take any shortcuts. I won't allow you to get hurt. Ok?"
Judy, again, pried herself out of her friend's vice-like grip, "Fine… Just…Can't believe I'm doin' this... hand me the damn dance…"
Judy finished compiling the BD. She checked the time - a little past 11PM.
She had been working on Evelyn's braindance for about three hours. It was a bit rough - still raw, but good enough to work given the short timeframe and persistent interruptions by a certain blue-haired nuisance.
Evelyn incessantly demanded updates, prodded Judy every ten minutes to see how much longer it would take, kept asking if the recording was good enough quality to work despite being told 'yes' several times, and kept asking if the techie wanted anything to eat or drink. Albeit that last interruption seemed like a kind gesture, Judy knew the real motive behind the interruption.
Ultimately the techie ended up barring Evelyn from entering her studio so she could focus. However, closed doors wouldn't stop her ongoing pestering. She sent an unrelenting wave of messages to Judy's holo, continuing to press questions and ask for updates. Eventually, Judy received a message that was of actual use; Evelyn had spoken to Dexter DeShawn and the meeting was set. They would be meeting the mercenary - tonight.
Ev better stop blowin' up my holo or so help me God... Judy was spent - she hadn't left the basement in almost 10 hours. Her eyes burnt from staring at monitors and using her braindance wreath for hours on end. She was too tired to message Evelyn back, letting her know the BD was finished. She just needed to close her eyes… let them rest for a moment...
**BEEP-BEEP**
Her eyes shot open. The time was now a little past midnight. Judy must have fallen asleep. She rubbed her eyes, removing the sleep that was still burning within them. She checked her phone; [ ] flicked across her screen.
[}O{]: yoooooooooo
[Judy]: NO
[}O{]: get this
[Judy]: STILL NO
[}O{]: Ur futur output just came n
[Judy]: Shocking.
[}O{]: She fine AF
[Judy]: You don't say.
[}O{]: gurl
you gotta cum up 2 see her
[Judy]: And why is the 716th girl you've tried to hook me up with worth prying me away from my work?
[}O{]: She took a info shard and is actually reading it!
[Judy]: So?
[}O{]: THAT MEANS SHE CAN RED!
… READ!*
[Judy]: … -_-;;; Busy. BDs don't make themselves.
[}O{]: C'mon we all rele wrry bout u. : ( : ( n I gotta gud feelin bout this 1….
[Judy]: …
Fiiiine. Gimme a sec. I need a drink anyway.
Judy stood up from her seat. Her ass and back ached. Suze still hasn't gotten me a new chair. How hard is it… Know what? What the fuck ever. Don't even care no more. She exited through the door of her braindance studio and made her way upstairs to the club to grab a much needed and well-earned drink.
Judy approached Evelyn who was sitting at the bar, smoking a cigarette. The blue-haired woman greeted her friend with a wide smile, "Sooooo? Finished?" Judy flagged down Mateo and asked him to pour her a large and very strong glass of bourbon. "Yes. Er, well - almost. Just needs to be primed in the system - won't take more than a couple minutes. Then we should be good to go… Also, got somethin' loaded up to test this hotshit merc. XBD. Wanna see how far we can push 'em." Mateo finished pouring her drink.
It was very busy at the bar, but Mateo always served the Moxes first, even if other customers had been waiting for almost an hour to place their drink orders. Judy picked up her glass and enjoyed the slow burn of bourbon washing down her throat.
"So... when's this meetin'? Any idea who Dex sent?" Judy asked after downing an impressive amount of her drink. "Merc should be here any minute. 'V' is the name. Dex seems to really like 'em. Said they're very, 'intelligent, professional, effective, and trustworthy.'"
Judy rolled her eyes, "Believe it when I see it. Mercs are arrogant and all they know is violence. All problems are solved by killin'… No tact. No sympathy for others. But I guess you have to be like that if all you do is murder for a living. Dex probably sent some CHOOH-head."
Evelyn quickly shushed and nudged Judy in the ribcage, almost causing the techie to spill her drink, "Ev, what the fu-" "Shhh. I think I see our merc," Evelyn said while still nudging Judy in the ribs. "Jude, turn around and sneak a peek. Try not to look obvious, m'kay? Don't wanna blow our cover just yet… want to observe them for a bit."
Judy scoffed and rolled her eyes as she turned around, leaning her back against the bar. She slowly scanned her eyes over the crowd, trying to spot someone who looked like a mercenary; someone who didn't look like they would fit in with the crowd. Probably large with a lot of chrome, muscular. Bulky.
She raised her glass up and finished off the remaining liquid that warmed her throat and helped her keep her nerves. Can't believe we're really doin' this… We're gonna get killed. Judy placed the glass back on the counter and asked Mateo to pour her another round. She needed more.
"Our merc is headed toward the bar, Jude. You see 'em? Matches Dex's description." Evelyn questioned while nudging Judy on her ribcage again. Judy swatted Evelyn's arm away, "Ow Ev, stop - that hurts. N' no, I don't see him. I don't even know who I'm s'pposed to be lookin' for. What does he look like?" "Half shaved head, left side. Sorta like yours. Dark hair - brown? Black maybe? Little bit of cyberware on the face. About 5'8. Oh, and not him. Her. Merc's a chick." Judy's jaw hung open as she mouthed the word 'What?' Merc's a... chick?
Again, her eyes scanned over the crowd. She tried to identify someone of a similar description walking toward the bar, but there were too many people in the way. "You're looking in the wrong direction, gonk. More to your left," Evelyn whispered harshly. The techie furrowed her eyebrows and shifted her eyes in the correct direction.
Approaching the bar was a young woman. She wore a long-sleeved white shirt, black synthetic leather pants with a pistol affixed to her right thigh, and black sneakers. Her style, curious - simplistic for Night City.
Her head was shaved on the left side. Above her left ear were two arched parallel stripes that exposed her skin, allowing cyberware to show through. The unshaved hair on her right side hung down past her chin, a bit longer than Judy's. It looked smooth and seemed soft, swaying, and bouncing gently with each step taken. Judy thought the woman's hair was completely black, until a bright ray of light from the DJ booth rolled over, revealing black roots that transitioned into rich, dark red toward the tips.
Framing her face were her strong straight eyebrows that expressed an unwavering determination. Above her left eyebrow was a small scar which drew Judy's attention to the woman's eyes. She had intense yet captivating eyes that were surrounded with black eyeliner and winged eyeshadow. Her gaze radiated a fierce, uncompromising intelligence and perception as she examined her surroundings.
Judy's eyes slowly traced down to the woman's nose. Its straight-edged shape was both striking and beautiful. The bridge of her nose and cheeks were peppered by a gentle spray of soft colored freckles that faded into the woman's sun-kissed skin.
Below were her enticing lips. They were refined with thinness. Her top lip wore a delicate cupid's bow while the bottom lip was a little fuller and tender. Judy felt a weakness within her as she stared at those lips for what felt like an eternity. Luckily for Judy, the woman briefly turned away to avoid colliding with a dancer who wasn't paying attention to their surroundings. Though brief, the visual disconnection snapped Judy out of her daze.
With the woman's quick and fluid sidestep, Judy found there was a swagger in the woman's gait. It was not a swagger that was arrogant or aggressive, but one with self-confidence, purpose, and pride. Her movement was almost feline in nature; a poise that expressed dignity and motion that embodied grace.
"Jude?... Judy, frick'n pay attention. You're staring too long. She'll notice us," Evelyn hissed and nudged Judy in the ribs again. Judy snapped her head toward Evelyn, "W-what?" Evelyn arched an eyebrow at Judy, "Okay, I'm ninety-nine percent sure that's our merc. I'll introduce myself - get to know her first. Have a nice chat. If I don't think she can do this job, I won't bring her downstairs n' waste your time. M'kay?" Judy nodded and turned her head again, catching a quick glimpse of the woman sitting down on the barstool next to her. The techie quickly looked away. Okay no - nonono. This chick can't seriously be our Merc.
"Hey" she heard the woman say. Judy felt a tingle travel down her spine when she heard the mellifluous voice. There was a slight husk in the tone; it reminded Judy of the warmth she felt in her stomach from the bourbon. Did she just say 'hey' to me? "Get you something?" Judy heard the familiar voice. Ooh, she's talkin' to Mateo.
"Lookin' for an Evelyn Parker. Know if she's here?" the woman asked. Shit. Judy peeked over her shoulder at the counter to see that Mateo had refilled her glass. She picked it up and took a sip. "Who's asking?" Mateo's voice again. "Name's V. Evelyn and I have a… date."
Judy knocked back whatever amber-colored liquor was still remaining. She hastily placed the glass down on the counter, accidentally making a loud clink. She froze for a moment before looking at Evelyn. The blue-haired woman gave the techie a small nod, signaling Judy's dismissal. She stepped away from the bar and headed back to her studio.
It felt like hours had passed. Judy sat in her chair, kicking the back of her heel with boredom. Whelp, guess Miss merc couldn't ante up n' they're not comin' down. That's the end of that. Judy let out a small sigh. Guess I'll finish this damn BD.
Judy grabbed her braindance player and clicked on the shard that was currently installed - it was the shard she had compiled for Evelyn. She slid it out and placed it down on her desk. She grabbed and installed the other shard of the braindance she had stopped editing earlier in the day. She placed the wreath on her head, pulled on her editor glove, leaned back in her chair, and fired it on.
She rewound the playback to the beginning. The scene was set in a dimly lit living room.
Outside, the rain beat violently against windows while a low rumble of thunder and a gust of wind could be seldomly heard. Lights were not on, but a small amount of light entered in through those large windows which cast a gentle glow over the decor within the space.
There was a large couch in the middle of the room made out of a material that looked soft - not synthleather, but a lush fabric of some type. Draped over one of the armrests was a throw, nicely folded, seemingly untouched. In front of the couch was a coffee table, its size not too large and not too small, and it's color complemented the couch. On it were a couple of magazines; one about Night City fashion trends, the other about luxury cyberware upgrades. In the middle of the table was a holoview that was not turned on.
Under the couch and table was a sleek, large circular area rug with a simplistic vintage pattern. Its fibers too, seemingly untouched as if just cleaned or brand new. Nearby, was a wall with a large recessed holofireplace that too, was not turned on.
Crashing through the door came in two women, both soaked and cold from the storm outside. Judy closely observed the two actresses. She could feel their chill as they shivered, their bodies almost frozen, trying desperately to grab hold of any warmth. Then, a feeling of relief washed over, as the women had escaped into the safety of the living room from the terrorizing thunderstorm. Judy had also picked up a feeling of familiarity the women shared as they had been friends for some time.
One woman with azure-colored hair removed her wet coat and hung it on a nearby wall hook. The other woman with cherry red hair struggled with her coat, as its thin material was sticking to her skin and clothing. As she struggled, the azure haired woman approached from behind - a trickle of timidness emitted from her that Judy had captured in previous run-throughs. The woman hesitated for a moment - uncertainty now radiating powerfully. Again, a sensation Judy had already captured.
Next, courage emerged and diffused over the other two feelings. The woman lifted up her hands and placed them on the cherry-haired woman's upper arms, grabbing the coat to help slide it off. As the cherry-haired woman felt the other woman's hands gently touch her arms, Judy felt the woman startle briefly before exhilaration pulsated in.
The coat was removed and the azure-haired woman began to turn around to hang the coat with hers. Before she could turn around, she felt a hand gently grab her wrist. Again, Judy felt the woman experience a startle and then excitement. Once again, the techie had already captured the feelings that both women had experienced.
The azure-haired woman slowly turned. Her eyes, a chocolate brown in color, met the tender stare of the cherry-haired woman's hazel eyes.
An overwhelming electrical shock struck Judy. She felt it in her chest, traveling across her body, dispersing out through her limbs and extremities. She immediately stopped the reel. The BD editor sensed something had changed in the scene. Something was different. Something felt different.
Judy had replayed and reviewed this same braindance several times over the past two weeks and never picked up on the multiple sensations that had just erupted from both women. These new and unfamiliar impulses were very faint and far away to Judy, but she felt them trying to breakthrough. They were there, trying desperately to be noticed.
"Ahem", a loud sound fired off near Judy's ear. She quickly paused her braindance and shut down her wreath. The techie shook her head and blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to her dark studio. Black synthleather sneakers were the first thing that came into focus. She blinked a few more times and slowly looked up. V was staring back at her. Judy felt a thump in her chest.
She quickly looked to her right and saw Evelyn staring at her with arms crossed, eyebrow arched. The techie smiled at her friend, "Heeeey, there you are!" Geez Ev, took ya long enough. Evelyn still had her eyebrow cocked toward Judy as she gestured a hand toward the mercenary. "This is V. She's here for that BD roll." Evelyn unfolded her arms and gestured towards Judy, "And V… This is Judy - best braindance editor I know."
Warmth flushed into Judy's cheeks. She flashed an embarrassed smile and rolled her eyes, quickly turning away from the two, toward her monitors. She looked upwards at several screens - Almost all were playing or paused on hard-core porn from other braindances she had been working on simultaneously with her troublesome overdue BD.
She felt her cheeks now fill with lava. Ohhmyfuckinggod. Judy quickly batted her hand backwards toward Evelyn, "Ugh, enough already. Gonna make me barf." Judy remained faced away, internally panicking, and acted as nonchalant as she could while trying to shut down or change what was playing. Whichever was faster.
As the techie finally cut off the various reels of smut from her many, many monitors, she heard V break the silence. "Sensory sig amps, acoustic and emotive wave monitors…" Judy's eyes grew wide. She slowly turned her head with a large smile forming on her lips. She saw the mercenary studying her braindance equipment. "Huh… top-shelf hardware."
Judy continued to watch V who had now moved onto studying other pieces of equipment. Some braindance related, some not. The warmth in her cheeks faded. Now she began to feel the warmth emerge from her chest.
V's attention now shifted towards Judy. Their eyes locked for a moment before Judy quickly snapped her eyes away, "Well, most of it's customized. Only things factory here are the casings," She gestured to some of the casings near her desk. "Mod all this yourself?" Judy arched an eyebrow and turned back to look at V, "What do you think?" a playful tone in her question.
The mercenary stepped closer to the techie, checking out monitors, various sensors, and wiring on her desk. "Expression translator… Futuysuki, right? Thought the matrices on that series were fucked up." Judy nodded as she felt the warmth in her chest burn a little hotter. I can't believe she knows this - nobody knows this stuff. No one has ever talked to me about this stuff. "They were. But swappin' out matrices' simple. N' this was the only model that'd support additional scanwa-"
"Ahem" Judy heard Evelyn's signature sound for 'I'm getting annoyed'. Judy looked toward Evelyn who was staring at her. The techie could literally see the impatience pouring out of the blue-haired woman's eyes.
"All right… all right." Sheesh Ev. You're the one who took forever to get down here… She looked at V again, a bit disappointed they couldn't continue their conversation.
Judy suddenly remembered why Evelyn and V were there in the first place. Right-o. Ev's BD. Heist. The thing that'll get us all killed. How could I forget about THAT? Judy cleared her throat, "Compiled your BD, Ev."
Judy removed her wreath. "So what do you think? Think it'll do?" Evelyn asked. Judy tilted her head and scrunched her nose, "Eh… well… still pretty raw, but yeah… it oughta do." "Mhm... V needs to get deep inside, that's most important." Judy felt her face begin to flush again. Oh, good choice of phrasing Ev. Did that on purpose. Judy flashed Evelyn a quick glare before looking over at V, "So then…" She placed her hands on her knees and pushed herself out of her chair, "... let's calibrate and tune it to her."
She needed to go to her other desk in order to prepare the mercenary's sensory profile. However, a very challenging obstacle stood in her way. V was obstructing her path and hadn't noticed because she was still observing the techie's braindance equipment. Judy began walking toward V, hoping the mercenary would notice that she needed to step back so the techie could get by.
She was now very close to V - the mercenary still hadn't moved. Judy squinted her eyes and pressed forward. She turned her body slightly sideways so she could squeeze herself past the blockade. She was now even closer to the merc. If a pencil was placed in between the two, it wouldn't fall. She tried to fight it back, but a large smile encroached over her lips. Stop smiling. Why do I keep smiling!? Prolly look'n like a gonk right now. "Er, oh. S-sorry", V said, stumbling backward. Judy caught a glimpse of V's face. The mercenary's cheeks were flushed with red.
Judy saw that V was approaching the end of the Heywood Hold-up BD. She knew what was coming, but the mercenary didn't.
Flatliner braindances - XBDs that only the most extreme braindance enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies wanted to view. They were considered so extreme, that some who played one would actually flatline in real-time during the experience. Judy had remembered too late that this was the type of braindance she had preloaded prior to V's arrival.
She had tried to buy time to upload a different raw braindance for V but Evelyn's impatience had reached almost lethal levels. By the time Judy had uploaded and primed a different BD, Evelyn would have probably flatlined. So instead, the techie installed pain limiters into the mercenary's wreath. The software would trigger once V's body reacted to the painful execution, saving her from a real flatline.
Judy sat close to V, wanting to be there and make sure the mercenary was okay once the BD ended, in about 3… 2… 1...
The mercenary let out a piercing, blood-curdling sound. She lunged forward in the chair, her eyes wide open, burning a bright blue. V's vital sign monitor beeped warnings as Judy watched extreme spikes explode in the merc's cortisol and adrenaline. Hang in there V… Judy knew the mercenary was in complete darkness right now, but only for a few more seconds.
Judy watched the blue in V's eyes slowly dim out, exposing a darker color; a rich, dark chocolate brown. "Hey… Slow, deep breaths now. Your cortisol and adrenaline spiked, but the soft activated your hormone blockers." Judy watched V slowly raise her eyes to meet the techie's. Judy looked at her softly. "Nothin' happened, you're alive and well."
V's eyes closed and slowly shook her now hung head. The merc hadn't spoken a word yet from her unpleasant experience. "Digame… how ya feelin'? Just breathe slowly, calmly. You're okay… it's alright…"
Judy hesitated, a trickle of timidness and uncertainty grew in her body. She lifted her hand and slowly brought it toward V. Now, courage emerged and diffused over the other two feelings as she placed her hand on V's lower thigh.
Judy felt a shock wave run up her spine and the warmth in her chest and belly heated up. She slowly rubbed her hand back and forth on V's leg, hoping the merc would find comfort in the connection.
Between fight or flight, Judy was a fighter. When under emotional attack or facing high levels of stress, her defensive walls would quickly shield her heart and soul while her body and mind would operate on auto-pilot. So when it came to facing things like fear, she only knew one way to respond - go on auto-pilot and get angry.
"Okay. Go ahead… I just need T-Bug to link in." Judy immediately felt a coldness quake through her entire body. She immediately stood up, her hands slamming down on her desk. She leaned forward toward V, "Woah woah woah woah, what? Excuse me? Who?"
"S-she's a runner from my crew. Security specialist." V raised her hand, gesturing towards Judy, "She'll tell me what to look for while we analyze." V lowered her hand back to her side, "No problem… I hope?" The fuckin' netrunner?! No. Nope. NO FUCK'n way. Come in here and expose everyone. Expose Evie, me.
"Actually, it IS a problem. Not what we agreed, Ev." Evelyn stood up, "Judy, please…" Judy placed both hands back down on her desk and leaned forward, glaring at Evelyn, "Ev, she wants to bring a 'RUNNER in. What part of that don't you understand?!" Judy shook her head defiantly while Evelyn walked toward the desk. "How do I know she'll only slip into THIS footage?" Judy snarled, still glaring at Evelyn. "Me - I'm your guarantee" Evelyn answered, softly. Judy rolled her eyes, standing back up, she placed her hands on her hips, "Yeah, right..."
"Remember our agreement…?" Evelyn asked Judy, quietly. "Help me. This one last time. I promise. Everything'll work out - just like we planned." Evelyn stared at Judy with eyes begging for agreement. Our agreement… We could finally help everyone… the dolls, joytoys… Evie could finally become an actress…
She let out a long, exaggerated sigh, dropping her arms lower, shaking her head back and forth. "Okay… Fine." Judy said, defeated. "Okay, V. Call in T-Bug and we'll dive in."
She felt it boiling up again. Anger. Good 'ol fashioned, unadulterated anger. Grinding her teeth, she flashed V a hostile look, "If you fuck up and they come knockin' on MY door-" "Jude... Relax. That's not gonna happen." Evelyn barked.
She stormed away and sat down at her desk. Listening to music, getting shitfaced, smoking, editing braindances, or enjoying her hobbies were the only ways Judy could successfully calm down when anger took over. As of now, the only thing she could do to combat her anger was to work on braindances. She quickly grabbed her BD wreath, her hand shaking with rage. As she picked it up, she saw someone approach from the corner of her eye. Jesucristo 'onna snap I'm interrupted. As the figure came closer, she felt rage boil up, almost choking on fiery rage. She snapped her eyes toward whoever was approaching.
Her anger caught in her throat when she saw V standing there, giving her a gentle smile. "Well… Don't worry. I promise I won't do anything to get you into trouble. But, uh… I hope to see you again?" V tilted her head slightly to the side, giving an almost innocent look toward the braindance editor.
Silence. She noticed as her anger rapidly dissolved. She was overcome with a tidal wave of calmness. Fighting she no longer wanted to do. Confusion now something she'd struggled with.
Judy looked away momentarily. What… just… happened? Her voice still caught in her throat. She took a deep breath. She believed V - her gut told her to. When it came to people making promises to Judy, she never believed them. No one kept their promises in Night City. However, V was different and she wasn't quite sure why. She slowly let out her breath.
She looked at V with a small smile, "Hmm. Depends." V suddenly raised an eyebrow, "Depends…? Depends on what?" Judy's smile grew a bit more as she looked downwards, kicking her foot against the heel of the other, "On whether you come alone, or with a tag-along..." she looked up at V, wiggling her eyebrows with a mocking tone, "... like a netrunner." V chuckled and waved her hands in front of Judy, "No 'runners. I promise." Judy rolled her eyes and laughed, returning to her editing. "Well, see ya, Judy." V said, turning around, heading back towards Evelyn.
Judy pulled her editor wreath off and sat it on her desk. Who was she kidding - she wouldn't be able to focus on editing right now. Not after everything that just happened. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a recount of the past few hours.
"Hey, Jude - you ok?"
Her eyes opened. She looked over and saw Evelyn leaning against the doorframe. The techie gave a small nod.
Her friend walked over, pulling a chair up. "So, what do you think about everything?"
Judy shrugged her shoulders, "We're all dead." Evelyn laughed as she sat down, "I'm serious. Give me more than that. What do you think about everything?" Judy sighed, "Frankly - I'm scared Evie. What if something goes wrong? What if you get hurt? What will we do?"
Evelyn opened up her purse and pulled out a cigarette. She offered one to Judy - she had quit smoking a long time ago, but once and a while, if something really messed with her head, Judy would take a few drags. She accepted and Evelyn lit both cigarettes.
"Jude, the reason I hired this group was to ensure that if there were any casualties, you and I would be safe. We have to let the professionals do their job - they know the risks. Judy, I need you to trust me. Have faith in me. I promise everything will work out. You know I always keep a few cards up my sleeve."
Judy nodded and thought about Evelyn's words. For as long as Judy had known her, that woman always had a spare ace up her sleeve. "Good. Cuz if things go tits-up, I'll make sure to flatline you before anyone else gets the chance."
Evelyn laughed. She finished off her cigarette and stood up, "Well girl. It's late. I need to head out. I've got a lot of things I need to prepare. You promise you'll be okay?" Judy nodded, "You know me, Ev. Keep me locked up in the basement all day outta harm's way. I think I'm relatively safe."
Evelyn headed back toward the door. She stopped at the doorframe and looked back at Judy, who was now blankly staring at her computer screen. "Hey... Judes?" "Hmmm?" Judy looked over at Evelyn. "In the future, if we ever need to hire another merc… Try not to fall for them so easily. Or at least try n' hide it better. You looked like a complete gonk."
Judy's face immediately flushed, "W-What?" She crossed her arms and looked away, "Dunno what you're talkin' about." "Mmmm… Well, regardless. I think she's a good one. Could tell within the first few minutes talk'n to her. Plus, a huge upgrade from your last output. I even offered her future employment if she wanted - said she'd think about it." Evelyn turned back around and walked out.
Judy looked back at her screen - almost 3:30AM. She was tired. It had been a long day and she'd been working for 13 hours straight. Too much shit happened for her to suss through all of it in her head. She stood up, brushing off a few ashes off her overalls. She grabbed her BD wreath and wore it around her neck. She had a miniature studio at home where she frequently brought back braindances from Lizzie's to work on. Need a drink.
Judy walked through the club's double doors, humming to the tune of the song currently playing over the speakers. She noticed the club was unusually quiet. Things didn't usually die down until right before closing, at around 5:30AM.
She looked over toward the bar. Stopping dead in her tracks, she recognized the white shirt, black pants, and black sneakers. V was sitting alone at the bar, playing with a glass of whatever clear liquid she was drinking. Mateo was standing nearby cleaning the bar counter. He had noticed Judy and gave her a small wave. Judy looked over at him. He motioned his head toward V and then arched his eyebrow toward the Techie. She responded by raising up the same eyebrow.
She approached the bar and sat down on the barstool to the merc's left. The mercenary looked troubled, deep in thought. "Hey Mateo. La Perle Des Alpes, please." Judy looked over at V who hadn't noticed the techie sit down.
"Hey… V? You doin' alright?" Judy watched the merc quickly shoot her gaze upward, her eyes bouncing around to see who spoke. Then the merc looked toward her left, raising both eyebrows in surprise as she saw Judy. "Oh. H-Hi Judy. When did you sit down? I didn't even notice."
Judy chuckled at V as she watched Mateo pop off the top of her drink, then slid it across the counter to her. "Gracias," Judy said as she lifted the bottle in the air, tipping it toward Mateo who nodded and walked away to restock the liquor shelves. Judy took a swig from the bottle before placing it down, "Not long. I was heading out for the night and saw you sitting over here… by yourself... Kinda pathetic really…" Judy gave V a teasing smile.
"Well, ya know... Getting flatlined twice and returning to life twice in one night - not many can brag about such things. Earns ya mad cred. People were buyin' me drinks left and right once word got out. 'V, the unflatlineable Merc'. You must have juuuust missed them all, cooped up snug-as-a-bug in your little basement." Judy laughed. Got us a jokester here. Suddenly a wave of guilt took over as she thought about what the merc had said.
"Yeah… about that… I think I owe you an apology. Maybe a flatliner BD wasn't the best thing to start you off with. Y'know, most mercs we've worked with act like cocky, booster addicted gonks with their heads up their asses. Think'n they're untouchable. Gotta knock 'em off their high horses in order to even work with them…"
"I'm not like most mercs." Judy's voice trailed off as V looked at her. She felt her cheeks flush, "Heh, guess we'll see about that'' "Can I, uhm... Buy you another round...?" Judy blinked a few times and chuckled. A jokester who's sorta cute.
"Well, I work here, so my drinks are free…. But since you offered... Sure, I guess you can buy me a drink."
V scrunched her eyebrows and then laughed, waving at Mateo. "Can we get another bottle of whatever she's drinkin'?" Mateo nodded and grabbed a new bottle for Judy.
Judy bit a small portion of her bottom lip as she watched V walk outside. She continued watching, all the way up until the front doors fully closed.
"Aaaaaahuuuuh..."
As she heard Candy's voice purr behind her, Judy immediately stopped biting her lip, the hairs on her neck standing up. She slowly turned around to see the purple-haired mox leaning over the counter.
Kandee was learning so far over the counter, Judy was surprised she hadn't fallen off. The mox's chin was resting on both hands as her hips wiggled with excitement. "Sooooooooooooo…. Whaaaat was thaaaaat?" Kandaay cooed mockingly.
Judy rolled her eyes and began walking past the counter, back into the club, "Don't know what you're talkin' about."
"Mmmmhhhmmmm... told'ja that one'd be ya future output."
Goosebumps trickled down her arms as she froze in the doorway. Wait…. That's who she texted me about?!
