\+/ Tales From Night City \+/ Chapter 11 - Out on a limb
\+/ PRESENT \+/
The flick of Brian's lighter is heard on the front steps of Nicholas' apartment complex. Car horns, booming music, kids and adults screaming fill the space. Brian psychologically numbed to the chaotic nature of his environment takes a heavy drag of his smoke. The heavy booted footsteps of the woman in black thump down the stairs behind him as she exits onto the porch. The sound of her steps causes Brian to glance back at her. While doing this, Brian watches the woman in black remove her black leather facemask for the first time.
His instinctual thought reaction: "Shes beautiful." The rays of the sun hit her skin illuminating her face in a light Brian has yet to see her in revealing a deep scar along the side of her neck and jawline. To Brian, the scar compliments whom he's grown to understand her to be. Instinctually, he can't help it... his curiosity peaks before quickly checking himself. The woman not paying attention to Brian at all lowers her mask in one hand and runs her fingers through her long black hair with the other.
Clearly rattled by the interaction with Nicholas the woman stares down in deep thought. She grabs one of her cigarettes before looking for her lighter. Before shes able to start really looking, Brian lights her smoke for her. She glances at him before looking back down, taking a drag and putting her hand on her forehead. The two of them share a silence for a bit smoking. The woman begins to speak but glances up to see Brian promptly walking away up the street at a steady pace. Surprised, she flicks her cig and follows after him up the sidewalk matching his speed.
"Where are you going?"
"Home."
Brian responds
"Wha- You know 6th street right? This is your neighborhood."
"Trust me, barely at all." Brian says continuing to walk at a steady pace occasionally glancing back.
"Well listen, I don't know these people.. I... i don't know Arroy-"
"Not interested." Brian raises his voice dismissively
"I need your help." She proclaims
Brian quickly stops and turns around as her momentum trying to catch up to him puts her right in his face as he looks her deep in her eyes.
"I CAN'T!" He says forcefully through his teeth before turning back around and continuing to walk away leaving her standing there.
"Y'know.. your record wasn't completely spotted. Not hard to piece together when you think about it a bit." Brian ignores her and continues walking.
"THIS WHERE YOU WANTED TO END UP?" She yells cracking her gruff, feminine voice, getting him to stop in his tracks. He hears the tone and emotion in her voice in a way he never has before without any interference from her mask. She continues while slowly walking towards him. "Look.. I see where you were.. and I see where you are now.. I just don't understand why..? Its almost like.. you put yourself here.. even though this isn't where you wanted to be."
Brian turns around to face her standing right in front of him. Looking at her directly makes him glance away almost as if its hard for him to do. "I don't even know you.."
She lowers her eyebrows and responds. "You think tha-"
"And what about YOU hm..? You got the spec on me but let me take a couple guesses." Brian cuts her off as he locks in, looking directly at her face to face speaking in a raised tone but quietly so only the two of them can hear.
"Car chase through Arroyo, shootouts, body count, collateral damage, and for what? You don't even have what you were after.. AND!-" Brian stops abruptly to look over his shoulder to see if anyone's listening to them before looking back at her and checking his tone. "And you don't know where it is.."
As the frustration increases, his voice lowers. Brian pauses before shifting subject and squinting his eyes.."And where the fuck did you get that Sandy hm? Who do you have up your ass trying to rip that out of your back these days..? tch.. as capable as you are.." Brian looks the woman up and down before stepping in and leaning toward her. "You're lost." The woman looking at him looks down and away before Brian continues in a now lighter tone while turning and walking away.
"Go get your chooms to help you.. you've got your lead."
"What chooms..?" The woman replies cracking her voice. Brian instinctually turns back around toward her hearing the slight distress in it. She continues.
"You think i'd be fucking around in Arroyo if I had reliable help..?"
Brian at a loss for words takes a deep breath before looking down.
"I'm... my name's Zaunya."