Valarie stood looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, attempting to subdue the rage mounting inside her. Her skin shimmered from the cool water that she had just splashed on her own face in an attempt to clear her mind. Since there was no getting rid of such resentment, she instead tried to decide what was the most appropriate target to direct her distaste towards. The first option was obvious. That prick who had decided to steal her moniker, the very one who was getting all friendly with Jackie back in the bar over a drink. Valarie knew nothing about him except this nickname and yet, it was enough to place him on her bad side.

At the very least, he did seem willing to negotiate, after they were done discussing the job. The idea of the gig brought with it a fresh wave of loathing. Valaire knew that this was a part of Jackie's humor. Working a job with both 'V' one and 'V' two was exactly the type of thing to get a laugh out of the big dumb gonk. It was a tempting notion to head for the Afterlife's exit and spare him the satisfaction of getting his punchline. Were she acting on emotion alone, then Valarie would have done just that.

But that wouldn't be fair. Jackie had set this whole gig up and if he arrived at the meeting down an operator, it would be a stain on his rep that would be difficult to remove. Valarie was pissed, but not so much as to ruin Jackie's whole career. So, a new plan was hatched. Listen to the job, play nice, hash things out with the poser, and then tell Jackie he'll need to find some other gonk to run this gig with.

Valarie sighed and ran a hand through her crimson colored hair, staring back at her own eyes in the mirror as they suddenly began to glow bright blue. She was getting a call, and the interface mounted into her optics indicated it was coming from T-Bug. Valarie accepted it with a thought and walked over to the paper towel dispenser to start drying her face.

"What's up, Bug?"

Valaire tried to hide her emotions from her voice, but there was little point as the netrunner soon revealed.

"Jackie said you stormed off and the meeting is set to go off soon. What's up with that? Not like you to get emotional."

Valarie bit back the urge to make a snide remark about T-Bug's own emotional withdrawal. She was a hell of a skilled netrunner but her social skills left something to be desired.

"Did you know about the other merc Jackie found for this op? This gonk calls himself…"

"V, yeah I know him."

Valarie paused her pacing in the bathroom and scoffed, mouth hanging open in utter disbelief.

"Wait you too!? And you didn't think to say anything."

T-Bug sighed, looking disinterestedly at her own holoscreen instead of maintaining eye contact with Valarie through the call.

"It's not any of my business. Only now, you're making it my business, because my eddies are on the line."

V crossed her arms over her chest, frowning.

"Oh yeah? How's that?"

T-Bug shook her head and finally looked back towards her camera so that Valarie could make out she was indeed being sincere. Valarie already had a lot of respect for T-Bug from the professionalism she displayed, and being subject to that serious glare did help to curve some of the emotions threatening to overtake her.

"Because, you have skill V. I wouldn't be talking to you right now if you didn't and I sure as hell wouldn't be part of your outfit. I don't know all the details about his gig, but from what Jackie said, I wouldn't want anybody else but you in the driver's seat."

Valarie blinked in surprise as she listened to the admittedly rousing speech. She didn't know that T-Bug's opinion of her was that high. The jury was still out on whether she was just saying all of that to motivate her to get back out there, but either way Valarie couldn't deny she felt better for having heard it.

"Wow uh…thanks T."

"You can thank me by listening to what the gig is and giving me your honest read on it. No petty bullshit, just feel it out. If you jump ship then so will I…"

Before she could say anything else, a beeping sound played on both ends of the call. Without exiting her chat with T-Bug, Valarie pulled up a screen on her interface which showcased a newly created group chat containing Valarie, T-Bug, Jackie, and an unknown number that she could only assume was the imposter V.

Contact is here. Meetin up in private booth 4. Get here chica!

V sighed as she saw the text come in and closed the chat.

"Alright…guess that's my cue. You're gonna be dialed in right?"

Valarie was hopeful about the netrunner's answer, as even though T-Bug clearly trusted her judgment, she would feel better about having the hacker present. Even if it was just digitally. Thankfully, the woman administered a brisk nod.

"Of course. You got my ears. See you on the other side."

"Later."

V ended the call and faced the exit to the bathroom. She had to admit to herself that none of that went as expected. Valarie was suspicious that T-Bug wasn't even capable of any praise beyond the polite 'good work' that usually came at the end of a gig. Now, Valarie has seen a new side of her, and at the same time, felt herself bolstered.

Exiting the bathroom, she hurried over towards the booth that Jackie had indicated. While they weren't as private as the soundproof suites offered to the Afterlife's most respected client's, these booths were isolated enough to discuss most matters. Valarie found both men waiting for her along with a newcomer, a blue haired woman of stark beauty that Valarie could already tell had enraptured both Jackie and the other V. She sighed inwardly. T-Bug was right, they really did need her here. Clearly the men at the table already weren't thinking with the heads they should be.

The woman smiled and nodded politely to Valarie as she slid into the booth, Eveyln folding her cybernetic hands over one another. Her fingers captured even the low light of the Afterlife, causing a pretty reflection that just proved to Valarie this chick was expensive. Both in the chrome she was equipped with, and likely the price she put on herself to give some lucky gonk the night of their life.

Valarie was familiar with the type. Working with Araska, she'd been to enough corp parties to become familiar with every kind of joytoy on the market. From the cheap street workers all the way up to the escorts that, unlike other sex workers, folks actually paid to be seen with. This chick definitely gave Valarie the impression she belonged to the latter category, and that worried her already. Those types didn't let themselves get swept up in the grime or the eddies of their profession. They were clever. Dangerously so.

"Ah, are you our last arrival? I was told I'd be meeting three here."

Her voice was just as alluring as her appearance. Valarie looked to Jackie, expecting him to take control but he still seemed lost looking into the contact's eyes. Valarie stomped on his foot under the table, causing the big man to jump up in pain while she answered for him.

"That's right, gang's all here. So let's talk business."

The woman gave a soft smile while Valarie strived to keep things on track.

"Well, I'd love to get introductions first. Just so I know who it is I'm hiring. My name is Eveyln Parker. I'm a doll, self employed at the moment. Jackie I already had the pleasure of sharing a drink with, and the rest of you…?"

Valarie didn't waste a second, waiting for Evelyn to finish just so she could jump in first.

"I'm V."

The poser shot her a glare, his cheeks slightly flushed as he realized the sore spot she just put him in. Valarie decided not to smirk, recalling T-Bug's wish to keep things professional, but inside she reveled in the small victory. The other man swallowed back his anger.

"Vincent. Most people call me V."

Evelyn chuckled, moving a metal hand to cover her lips while Valarie flicked her eyes to look under the table to see Vincent's hand balled into a fist. Evelyn looked at them both, maintaining her casual smile.

"V and V? Well, I hope that doesn't get confusing on a job. Speaking of which, shall we discuss that? How much have you told them Jackie?"

Hearing his name spoken aloud finally was enough to fully draw Jackie into the conversation.

"Nothing chica, just like you asked. They're ready to hear your end."

Jackie sounded sincere, and of course he was. He hadn't told Valarie a thing and she imagined that Vincent was similarly left in the dark. That was one of Jackie's greatest strengths, and weaknesses. The big man was honest to a fault. He didn't betray, and he didn't deceive. Eveyln wouldn't know all that if they truly had just met over a drink but she seemed to take his words at face value. Reaching beside her, Evelyn dug into her purse and slid over a small piece of plastic. On it was a familiar emblem with a skull wearing a doll-like wig. The symbol of the Mox.

"I'm here on behalf of a former associate in the Mox. They're the ones bankrolling this gig. I'll give you the rundown and you can ask me whatever you like afterwards."

Valarie nodded her head and scanned the symbol with her optics. All along the surface of the plastic coin, there was a series of 1s and 0s carved in that, when processed by Valarie's internal systems, gave a unique digital signature proving it had been created by a Mox runner. Valarie gave a subtle nod to Jackie before looking back to Eveyln to hear the full plan. The blue haired beauty cleared her throat before explaining.

"My Mox associate has uncovered that an unsavory ripperdoc by the name of Fingers has been extracting chrome from the dolls that he puts under for surgery, and selling it to some nomad clan out in the badlands. The Mox have had their eye on his operation for a while, but he's been careful to take dolls not under their protection. But they've had enough waiting.

The Mox can't move in an official capacity since they don't wanna upset the nomads they're working with, so they've decided to go third-party. Your gig has two parts. Grab Fingers, make him call him his Nomad pals for a meet, and then take a vid of why the meet was going down. Then just give me Fingers and the vid, and you'll get your hard earned eddies."

Valaire listened to the whole op pesnively. Working for the Mox was fine with her. At least she knew they had the cash to actually get this job off the ground. It was the nomad angle that rubbed her the wrong way. Before she could ask it aloud though, Vincent beat her to the punch to clarify it for the group.

"Lemme guess. Mox plans to hand the tape over to whatever Nomad clan they run with to give them the excuse to fuck them up and take their turf. If the other clans get cagey, they'll have the vid to prove they were doing it to preserve the rep of all the clans."

Vincent's history was carried with his words, and Valarie resented just how logical he sounded. Maybe Jackie didn't just arrange this whole thing as a gag. Vincent's experience could genuinely prove useful. Eveyln rewarded him with a sly wink.

"I can't say for certain what they'll do since it's not my place, but I won't say that you're wrong. But in my eyes, you'll be doing this whole city a service and not just the clans or the Mox. It'll be community service, with a nice fat paycheck at the end."

The way Eveyln said it almost made it seem too good to be true. Still, Valarie didn't want to overstep her position. This was Jackie's gig after all. She looked at him carefully, waiting for him to catch her gaze. It took a few moments but he eventually did look at her and right away, sensed something was on her mind.

"Something you wanna say, chica?"

Valaire nodded her thanks and turned back to Eveyln.

"Just one thing. I'll need to know where this guy Fingers is operating out of before I sign on for anything. I'll need to patch in and run a few routines to make sure his security drops before we grab him."

Valarie chose to omit that she also wanted to make sure this info was legitimate in the first place. She'd patch in T-Bug and let her rip through Hand's private firewalls so that when the smash and grab time came, they wouldn't have any turrets trying to take their heads off or panic rooms sealing them out. But before all that could even begin, Valarie would scan through his system to see if he really was the creep Eveyln was making him out to be. Not that she cared all that much, eddies were eddies, but Valarie hated being played. It was an easy way to end up in someone else's crosshairs.

Eveyln nodded her head and reached into her purse again to produce a small data chip.

"Here. This has everything you need on it. A recap of what I just said, the address, and what number to call when it's done. Assuming you're up for this?"

Eveyln initially eyed Valarie with the question although shifted her attention to Jamie, their supposed leader. And lucky for her the big man was all smiles as he slammed his hand down over the chip before sliding it back over to himself so that he could safely tuck it away into his pocket.

"You got yourself a contract. How about a drink, eh? To celebrate…?"

Valarie wanted to remind Jackie that he had recently started going steady with Misty, who might not appreciate him sharing drinks with other women. But that wasn't her concern, not when she still had another issue to take care of.

"Hmm…why not? I could use a nightcap before I'm off for the evening."

Eveyln moved to stand while Valarie shot Jamie a look.

"You two can get on ahead. I wanna have a talk with Vincent for a sec."

Valaire made sure to add emphasis on the nomad's name, another petty dig but one that proved effective as she felt him glaring. Valarie's own lips remained curved into a smirk as Jamie let off a nervous laugh, finally aware of the tension that had clearly developed between the two mercs. Still, he was the one who had just made the offer to Evelyn so he scooted past Valarie with apprehension written all across his face.

"Alright ah…you two come find me when you're done. I'll be at the bar."

Jamie shot one last worried back as he stepped away with Eveyln to head off to the bar. But both Valaire and Vincent had the sense to keep their mouths closed until Eveyln was out of earshot before the former nomad finally broke the tense silence.

"Just so you know, I've cut fuckers who have given me less headache than you have tonight. So why don't you tell me what the hell your problem is."

Vincent spoke through gritted teeth and Valarie could see in his eyes that he wasn't just talking a big game. This guy was dangerous but Valarie also wasn't the type to back down either.

"I already told you. You're using my name. V. That's what I go by which means, it's off the table. Pick something else, I don't care what. Just don't go ruining my rep."

He scoffed, kicking back in his seat and shaking his head with a spiteful grin. The sheer pride in his expression brought a spike of annoyance in Valarie's gut before he continued.

"Rep? What rep? An hour ago I didn't even know you existed. You think you're Silverhand or something? Your third rate chrome is worth more than whatever reputation you think you got."

Valaire fought hard to resist slamming her fist down on the table at such blatant disrespect. But she recalled how close she had come to pissing off the security before, and used that to keep her head cool. Swallowing back any foul returns, she shook her head and looked Vincent in his pretty boy eyes.

"Honestly, I couldn't give a flying fuck what you think about me. I'm making a name for myself. So one way or another, we're settling this."

Valaire tried her best to speak calmly, and in doing so, noticed a certain glint in the eyes of the man across from her. For a moment, it looked like it might have been admiration. Perhaps owing to the fact that she hadn't backed down to his threats. And in doing so, he seemed to calm as well, if only a little. He grumbled as he leaned back in, arms resting on the table.

"Alright. But I'll tell you right now, if you think I'm paying you to keep this name you can walk your skinny ass out that door and forget it."

Valarie shook her head and crossed her arms.

"I have no plans on giving it up, and I wasn't planning on slinging eddies either. Or lead, if it can be helped."

For a moment Valarie studied him and considered what she knew. Aside from his looks, which she was still regretfully acknowledging, she had little to go off of. Jackie had described him as aggressive but, in spite of his attitude, he didn't strike Valarie as a meathead. He knew when to bark and when to bite. But nomad blood ran through his veins, and she hoped that meant that he was the action seeking type. Which would be the opportunity she was looking for.

"Here's what I'm thinking. We fight for it…"

Vincent opened his mouth to cut her off but she raised her hand to stop him so she could continue.

"...in a ring. I've got a gym by me. MMA style, no implants except for whatever doesn't switch off."

Once again he seemed impressed by her proposal, folding his hands over one another on the table. He looked ready to shoot down her plan but when nothing appeared in his mind he begrudgingly nodded his head.

"Yeah alright. But we don't waste time on this. Tomorrow morning, 9 AM. You give me the address, I'll be there."

That was perfectly fine for Valarie. The sooner they sorted this out the better. She issued him back a curt nod, finally standing up from the booth.

"I got your number from Jackie's text. I'll send it over."

Valarie walked off before he could say anything in return. As far as she was concerned, this night was over. She wanted to get home, climb into the shower, and get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be an important day.