White Tiger Gift
"Well, this is some preeeeem stuff" I said out loud as I looked at the high-tech temperature controlled military grade box.
A morning jog had turned into an unexpected windfall for me when I came across a crashed Militech transport with 3 dead guards and a whole heap of dead Savs. The last surviving guard managed to hack the last 2 robbers and overheat one and short circuit the other before she unloaded her clip into both of them before she herself fell unconscious. I made sure the way was clear before tiptoeing to the wreck, grabbing eddies and equipment from the fallen Scav's, better it went to me instead of their vile, vile chooms.
A white metal box soon caught my attention. It was shiny, new, and it was powered on if the high-res display was any indication. My mind went into overdrive as I remembered where I had seen this before, it looked like the one that Jackie and V popped open at the start of their adventure! Well, the Nomad path at least.
There was a good chance I just gotten myself a very valuable lizard or at worst, an exotic pet! I quickly grabbed the box covered it with a jacket from one of the dead Scav's, then I called the NCPD and ambulance for the last guard. I didn't want the Scav's to get here first and for the guard to be left at their mercy, I ducked into the bus stop across the street and waited. The scene soon attracted more people who also began calling for help, I let my free hand drift closer to my gun just in case either way.
Fortunately, the bus hit my stop as soon as the sirens started blaring through the area. I hopped on as a NCPD cruiser pulled into the scene, the bus soon turned a corner cutting my view off as I detached the tracking module on the box and tossed it out the window.
A quick jump onto multiple buses and a mad dash home in my Quadra brought me to my current situation.
The box was clearly high tech if the glowing lines and multitude of information screens plastered on its top were any indication. Glowing lines always meant cutting edge tech after all…
"I'm not really keen on getting a lizard pet, I can probably fence it for a good amount of eddies though" I mused aloud as my hand slowly depressed the open switch on the box. I had already disabled any tracking programs and ripped out it's satnav board just to be safe while I was on the bus.
A sterile beep indicated that the box was opening. Soon an unnecessarily intricate and automated folding sequence parted the container from the middle, a cloud of cryogenic vapor emanated from it ominously.
I steeled myself as I peered into the box, remembering that the lizard had startled V by quickly climbing up their arm. I was glad I worse a long-sleeved shirt today, I had found lizards very creepy and icky and I didn't know if I still had the phobia.
When nothing darted out quickly, I tilted my head over to peer at what was inside, perhaps it was an egg instead.
"Oh, that's different" I whispered out loud.
I thought it was a stuffed animal at first, but that unfeasible idea went out the window when I saw the stomach expanding with each breath it took. The namesake of my family's gang was now in front of me, well the baby version. The colorful coat was striped orange and black.
As I took in its plush form I almost missed when the fluffy ears on its head started twitching, I realized that I would soon have an awake and live tiger cub in my room.
"Fuck! Outta the way! You fat gonk!" Hiromi shouted as she streaked past a red light, almost clipping some fatty who gingerly walked across the walkway.
"Fucking hell, stay home if you got a broken leg moron" She vented to herself despite the fact that the object of her unjustified road rage was 300 meters behind her already.
She had to rush; Motoko didn't just ask for help like this. She was getting out of the shower when she got the message.
"Hiromi! I need your help. It's… personal but serious. I don't want to tell you over comms, can you please come over today if you can? Also, don't tell Ichi and the gang too if you can help it!"
If Motoko, who didn't call for help clearing out a Scav den suddenly asked for help she would make damn sure to answer. She threw on her newest clothes and threw out the ones she already wore twice, and grabbed her katana before racing to the garage and tearing off on her bike.
She was tempted to call Ichi, next to Motoko he was the one who was… dependable and could actually give logical directions at times.
She halted that plan when she rolled up to the megabuilding, there were no dead bodies… she couldn't hear the sound of gunshots either.
Going up the stairs she noticed that everyone coming from the elevator seemed normal, no one was in a rush or running so that boded well.
"Okay, I don't think she killed anyone" Hiromi whispered to herself and she clambered into the elevator, ignoring the worrying looks from the other occupants close enough to hear her.
After the short and awkward elevator ride, she carefully made her way to the apartment of her best choom. She tiptoed down the semi-clean hallway until she was standing beside the very familiar door. She tapped the intercom and pressed her body against the wall next to it just in-case the personal matter turned out to be more serious, standing in front of the door was asking to be shot.
"Hiromi! Come in quick! it's open!" Motoko's familiar and surprising frazzled voice shot out from the tinny speaker.
Hiromi darted into the apartment quickly, her sword already brandished as she looked around for her choom
"Motoko, what's wrong! Are you okay?!" She shouted into the empty living space.
"I'm in my room Hiromi! Come quick!"
"Fuck Motoko, is this personal as in actually 'personal' stuff?" Hiromi relaxed as tension faded from her body, she walked toward the room and opened the door.
"Like, there's nothing to be embarr- What the FUCK?!"
"Stay in the box! Noooo don't jump, fuck! Go back to sleep!" Motoko pleaded as Hiromi just stared as she watched her best choom try to give commands to a very real tiger cub that currently was more interested in batting at her hands than actually doing what she was asking.
"Hiromi, help!" Her best choom said urgently.
"How? How can I possibly help with this! Why would you think I could?!" Hiromi didn't know the first thing about animals, she had seen them in Arasaka's zoo a few years back and had a stuffed sea-otter plushie from the gift shop that she had hidden away in her room but that was the extent of her hands on experience. Other than the occasional and rare cat there were no other animals in Night City to interact with unless you counted the roaches and vermin.
"Fuck, I don't know! I didn't know who else to call!" Motoko shot back, she had her hands fanned out and was slowly pushing them towards the opening of the box to cut off any attempt by the cub to get out.
"Fuck fuck fuckkkk! Gimme, gimme a few minutes!" Hiromi threw off her jacket and jumped on Motoko's computer.
How to put a baby tiger to sleep
I was glad I called Hiromi, even if her help meant that she had to look it up online. I could focus on getting this very awake and apparently playful tiger cub to stay in its box.
"Grrrarr!" It squeaked out as its tiny fluffy paw smacked into my palm as it tried to push it away to climb out, I couldn't help but smile. It was so cute!
Hiromi had raced over to Westbrook to grab some milk, apparently fresh milk was something that only the wealthy had ready access to, I heard the door open again and soon my choom appeared with 2 bags of bottled milk.
"600 eddies for this shit, this thing has expensive taste!" Hiromi complained as she opened one bag and retrieved a bottle with a rubber nipple on it and twisted the top off, she then cracked open the metal cap of the glass milk bottle before looking around the counter.
"Motoko, where's your stove at?" Hiromi asked as she opened the cupboard.
"Check the bottom one" I replied, grinning as the adorable tiger cub gave a very intimating squeal as his pudgy paw smacked into my palm once more, this was fun!
*Patty Cake skill Level-up!*
Wait, what the fuc-
"Found it!" My choom replied as she tipped half the milk from the bottle into a small pot and turned on the portable induction stove. She kept it on for about 3 minutes before dipping her finger into it and deciding it was the right temperature. She then turned off the stove and drained the milk into the bottle before fastening on the top with the rubber nipple.
"Alright, most of what I've read said that they would typically go to sleep once you feed it warm milk" Hiromi tells me as she hands the bottle to me.
"Uhhh, I can't hold it and feed it at the same time" I say as I pass it back to her.
"Wait, you want me to feed it?!" Hiromi squeaks out.
"Or you can hold it while I feed it" I replied, I was fine with either to be honest.
"I-I've never held an animal before…" Hiromi trailed off, almost looking embarrassed to admit her lack of experience in something I had once considered normal in a different life.
"That's fine, just hold the bottle up to his mouth once I grab the back of his neck" I said as I gently pushed the cub's inquisitive head back towards his box, his paws had found purchase at the edge of the container as it observed both of us and I knew it would try to climb out soon.
"Grawwww!" The cub gave its best roar and hunkered back inside the case as I reached around to gently grab it by the back of its neck, I hoped that it would trigger the scruffing effect I've seen in cats before.
"Greeeahh!" It didn't
"Okay, okay! Just relax buddy" I said as I maneuvered my other hand to grab the bottom of its muzzle as the cub started squirming in my grip.
"Hiromi! Push the bottle towards its mouth" I said once I managed to gently pry open the mouth of the now very unhappy tiger cub.
"Fuck! Hold still you little son of a-" Hiromi started swearing as the cub squirmed and twisted its head to avoid the bottle. I firmed up my grip some more.
"Got it!" I heard her yell in triumph as the nipple disappeared behind the teeth of the suddenly very still tiger cub.
Sccchlop… Sccchlop.. Sccchlop! Sccchlop!
The cub had stopped fighting me and was now arching its neck upward toward Hiromi as it sucked the bottle fiercely.
I no longer had to hold the front of its muzzle and was content to simply stroke its back as the little tiger fed. Content whimpers and high-pitched growls soon accompanied the loud sucking noises.
Hiromi was silent, just staring with her eyes wide and her hand shaking as she fed the first animal she's ever interacted with. Soon her hand joined mine in gently rubbing the back of the hungry tiger cub.
"…This is the cutest thing I've ever seen" She mumbled out, still captivated by the sight in front of her.
"Yeah, it really is" I admitted as well, I didn't have many happy memories in this new life of mine but I knew for certainty that I would remember this moment with a fondness and joy that my other experiences in this world lacked. I reveled in the escape and etched this scene in the stone of my inner mind. The world melted away and only the satisfied high-pitched growls and sucking sounds were in focus, the sounds of traffic outside faded like a dimming audio layer as Hiromi and I continued feeding this very hungry and adorable tiger cub.
"Go get a small cage, large enough to fit a cat or some shit and meet me at Motoko's!" Ichi stared at the message in no small amount of confusion.
He had texted Hiromi for more details but she had basically transferred 1000 eddies and told him to
"Just fucking find something".
He only knew one place that sold cages and it was a store that he had hoped to never go into.
B3DZ3MNT
The seedy sign glittered in the afternoon dusk; they must have changed their name as it was a bit different than he remembered but it still looked just as seedy. He twisted around and checked that no one he knew was in the general area before he headed into this den of perversions.
"Hello sir"
"HAA-Hello!" Ichi's scream turned into a high-pitched greeting as he nearly jumped at the sudden voice, he whirled to the right to look at the speaker.
She reminded him of one of those corpo goons, immaculate form fitting beige skirt-suit with black high heels that weren't too high but just enough to be classy and sexy. Blonde hair tied into an intricate bun with not a single strand out of place and shimmering fair skin that was probably a high-grade synth graft, black stockings covering long toned legs with intricate patterns on it. A wide smile with sparkling teeth and bright green eyes caught his attention too, she was… very very pretty and was smiling at him. The childish part of him wanted to wave timidly but Ichi steeled himself, he had a job and she was also… older than him so he knew he had no chance.
"Welcome to Bedazzzlement, how can I be of assistance" The woman said as she gave him a slight bow, she finished her introduction with a very disarming smile that made him notice her ruby red lipstick. She had a slightly angular jawline her eyes were upturned; she was much more than pretty in actuality. Her accent was very pronounced, she sounded like those women from those Bames Jond spy-thriller braindances. The place wasn't what he expected either, white sterile walls and clean floors. He could almost think this was a showroom if the mannequins in what was clearly bondage gear didn't dismiss him of that notion. They could dress it up however much they wanted; he knew what this place was.
"Y-Yes, I'm looking to buy… something" Ichi kicked himself mentally for stuttering but his effort to focus hit a wall when he realized that he would have to tell this woman that he wanted to purchase a cage that was most likely designed with sexual acts in mind despite him being pretty sure it wasn't going to be used for that. Knowing Motoko, it was probably for something violent…
"Of course, what would you have in mind?" The pretty sales woman said as she took out a digital tape measure and let it rest in her right hand.
"I would like… I would like-e…" Ichi gulped and averted his eyes for a second after he started stuttering.
"Please, take your time." That ever patient smile she had was comforting and intimidating for some reason.
"I want to bu-uy a cage" Ichi replied, his voice dropping to a mumble at the end.
"I'm terribly sorry, I missed that last part" The saleslady said with an understanding tone as she moved closer to him.
"A cage! I want to buy a cage!" Ichi said with a bit of alarm as he felt his back hit the wall when he backpedalled unconsciously, flinching as her face suddenly came very close to his.
"Very interesting… quite in vogue this year, I take it you've been paying close attention to the Mugatu fall collection?" She said in an excited tone as she leaned forward more and he had to try very hard to not look down her top.
"Y-Yes?" Ichi replied, sweating as his eyes refused to obey his brain.
"Wonderful! We actually anticipated this and have several styles of crinolines from smaller fashion houses. The Mugatu collection kicked off a new trend." The saleswoman told him as she seemingly ignored his wandering eyes, she gently moved him towards the corner of the store with a yellow square etched on the floor.
"Please stand still while I measure you." She instructed him as she grabbed his waist and looped the fibreoptic tape around his middle.
Ichi couldn't help but flush as this very excited and pretty woman touched him lightly around his sides and legs, he gave a little start as she measured the inside of his right leg.
"Couldn't you just sell me one without measuring me or do a quick scan?" He said in a flustered tone, trying not to look down her cleavage again as she bent down to measure his left leg.
"A cage must be fitted properly; don't worry we are almost… done!" She replied as she twisted up and gave him a bright smile before tucking her tape measure away and standing up and looking at him with one hand folded under her breasts and the other curled around her chin.
"For you… I think NEXIMI's new carbon-fiber laminated cage would fit your form better, it has a projected plastic screen weave on top that has colour gradient and video option as an overlay. Additionally, the carbon fibre hoops are adjustable for their spacing, so you can make it as narrow or as voluminous as you wish." The saleswoman said with a nod as she started walking towards the back of the store.
"Please wait here, I'll be right back." She told him, the clack of her high heels fading after she disappeared behind a black door.
"…The fuck? Video overlay?" Ichi mumbled to himself, more confused as to what she was talking about. He eyed the front door for a minute and considered leaving before he made a fool of himself in front of her.
"You're in luck, I have one in silver/black it will look good on you" The voice of the attractive saleswoman snapped him out of his musings. She popped out from the black door with a bundle that turned out to be a medium sized box in her arm, the carbon-fiber texture and neon accents along with the illuminated NEXIMI logo gave the impression it was very preem.
"Uhh I-I'll take it! How much" Ichi wanted to smash his head into the wall at his sudden and reoccurring stutter.
"Normally it would be around 1200 eurodollars, but…." The saleswoman trailed off as she stared at him with a considering look that made him very self-conscious.
"…. Perhaps you might be willing to do some brief modeling for us in exchange for a generous discount?" She smiled at him brightly as she held out the box to him.
"Umm, I don't know if that's…" Ichi started and then trailed off as she kept looking at him with her bright eyes and expectant expression.
…Maybe coming back here wouldn't be so bad. That is, if she were here! No, wait! This place was a sex shop! There was no way he wanted to return here! …. Maybe the modeling was with her though?
"Well, would that be alright?" She asked, stepping closer to him with a coy expression on her face.
"Y-Yes! Sure! I think that I do some modeling with yo- for you!" Ichi replied quickly before flushing at his slip.
"Wonderful! Let me ring you up!" She said with a bright smile and pushed the box into his hands. Her eyes flashed blue and he received the receipt from her on his agent. $500 eddies for this now, that was a really good discount.
He processed the payment and she nodded before handing him a business vid-card, the store name on it with a video of several attractive models with next to nothing on them played in the background of it.
"That's my name by the way" She pointed one red immaculate fingernail at the bottom of the card.
"Vivian Vannier" She read out, twisting the last name in a way that told him it was probably foreign.
"My name is Ichi" He offered with a bit of glumness; he was kicking himself mentally for getting into a potentially sticky situation.
"Come in tomorrow, Ichi. I'll send you the details later tonight" Vivian told him with a wink as she walked him to the store front.
"Yeah, I'll… let you know" Ichi said as the automatic door slid open.
"Thank you for choosing Bedazzzlement, I'll see you soon" Her bow was short but he reciprocated it and darted into the street when the doors slid closed.
He walked across the road to the other side and let out a deep sigh. This was supposed to be simple and he had gotten tangled up in some mess because of a fucking cage and a pretty face… okay, a very very pretty face.
"What type of messed up cage is this?" He pondered out loud with a whisper as he looked at the elegantly decorated metal box and it's illuminated etchings and logos.
Well, whatever it was he would just give it to Hiromi. It was probably some popout cage type of thing for some weird sex freak. He really wasn't looking forward to finding out why she needed it. He took a few steps and froze as the neon sign for the store beside him caught his eye.
BDSM-BSMT– Now located across from our previous location
His eyes widened rapidly at the sign and he whipped around to stare at the store he was just in.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Ichi said in panic as he opened the box and groaned as he realized that he just bought the completely wrong thing.
"The fuck have you been?!" I heard Hiromi say/shout as I continued petting the now sleeping tiger cub. The bottle of milk did the trick and soon after it was yawning with its eyes drooping, it had finally tuckered out after 5 minutes. It continued to snore lightly as I ran my hands through its plush coat.
Ichi stomped in with a scowl on his face, he had a cage that looked to be made of chicken wire. It was barely able to fit in through the door and was half the height of it as well, it looked cheap too. I thought Hiromi gave him some eddies to spend but I guess it wasn't enough for anything good.
"I don't want to talk about it" He grumbled out as he tossed an expensive looking box onto the couch before pulling the rest of the cage into the room.
"That's what you bought?! I gave you 1000 eddies for this shit?!" Hiromi pointed to the cheap looking cage that looked to be made out coat-hanger wire in disbelief.
"It's all I could find!" Ichi shouted back, flushing in what I was guess in anger. "I asked them if they had anything smaller and they told me to come into a backroom where all the 'un-regulated' stuff is. I said no and settled for this"
"Oh, for fucks sake…." Hiromi groaned as she palmed her forehead.
"Guys, lets just calm down for a bit. We don't want… it to wake up" I told them pointing to the napping tiger cub.
"What the fuck…..?" Ichi gasped out as he saw what was sleeping on my couch. "Motoko, where did you get that?"
"Short story is from that box" I told him pointing towards the high-tech storage box that I still hadn't figured out how to use again to store the cub.
"Long story is that I took this box from a Militech convoy that was ambushed by the Scav's, they both kinda took each other out and I just swiped it before anyone else could" I continued, watching Ichi as he moved over the fancy tiger-storage box. He clearly knew more about it than me since he pressed in a panel I didn't even think would budge and a plastic card popped out from the top.
"I… I can't read this, it's not English. Maybe…. Thai?" Ichi said showing me and Hiromi the card.
"Gimme that!" Hiromi demanded none to nicely, snatching the card from his lax grip. Her eyes scanning the card before she furrowed her brow.
"It's Hindi, I think I can translate it. Let me just download the package" She stated before plopping on the couch, the tiger cub didn't even notice. It just continued to snore away peacefully even when Hiromi started petting it unconsciously.
"That's Indian right? Oh damn…" Ichi's eyes widen as he looked at the sleeping little apex predator. I turned to ask him what the issue was but Hiromi started speaking
"A gift to celebrate our fruitful venture together! Best Regards, Vijay Varsi – VP of Darra Polytechnic – Global Small Arms Division" Hiromi spoke slowly, each word taking a second or so before she continued to the next one. When she finished, she flipped the card over and peered at was on the other side.
"Holy shit Motoko! You have an authentic wild tiger!" Ichi whirled on me in a hushed whisper.
"Yeah? You already saw it when you just came in, remember?" I was a little confused why he was suddenly so excited again.
"I thought it was one those types from Texas! The ones that all the drug lords and gang bosses get!" Ichi said as he grabbed a chair and sat on it.
"….Texas has tigers?" I asked in confusion, that just seemed… wrong.
"Yeah, but they're pretty scrawny and don't really look that fearsome" Ichi continued. "They also cost around 100,000 eddies!"
"Oh…"
"Fucking right!? This one here?" He jabbed a finger at the snoozing little tiger cub. "These ones go for a million eddies at least! One of the Tiger Claw higher ups wanted to get one for his daughter last year but India kills anyone trying to take them, same with the ones from the Soviet Union and the few left in China."
"…Damn, that's a lot. Too much for us to fence safely" I said biting my bottom lip slightly.
"Actually, that a really good point." Ichi's excitement quickly vanished as he realized that I might have something too hot to sell. "Who would even buy this guy… or is it a girl?"
"It's a he, actually" Hiromi stated as she flicked the card back onto the Darra box. "His name is Virata"
"That's like Hindist right?" Ichi asked as he leaned over and lightly poked the sleeping cub
"You mean Hindu? Then yes, it is" Hiromi rolled her eyes at his very bad mispronunciation.
"Hiromi, any idea where we can sell it to?" I asked her as I folded my arms under my breasts and peered at the sleeping cub. Contemplating if my decision to screw over the Scav's was worth this oncoming hassle.
"Fuck, no I don't" Hiromi said in exasperation as she flopped on the couch. "If I contact my parents then Arasaka will want to know where they got it from as these little guys are fitted with a genetic tracker. They reallllly wouldn't want to have a minor international incident mar their relationship with a major country and the first question they would ask my parents is where they got it from"
"Oh, that's not good" I frowned and sat down beside her.
"Wait? Why can't they just say they found it and like give it back to India or Darra to gain some cred with them?" Ichi asked in confusion, he was petting the sleeping cub now.
"If they say that they 'found it' then Militech is just going to accuse them of attacking their convoy. We know that's not true, Militech knows that not true, and Arasaka certainly knows that's not true either. But, Militech would rather lie about it to damage Arasaka's standing just a bit even if they have to scrub all recordings and witnesses for something as minor as this" Hiromi groaned as she buried her face in her hands.
"Fucking corps" Ichi bit out as he leaned back on the couch and stared at the ceiling.
"grrahh…"
We all turned our heads at the low growl and my eyes widen as the little tiger cub shook its head and started blinking its eyes, it let out a yawn that was probably the cutest thing I've ever seen before I started to panic slightly.
"Fuck, the cage! Open the cage, Ichi!" I told him as I darted towards the couch and grabbed the cub around the midriff, his slightly pudgy tummy was so soft! I lifted him gently as he started squirming in my grasp and moved towards the opening that Ichi was holding open. I plonked him down gingerly and withdrew my hands from the opening right before Ichi shut the front of it.
"Alright, at least we can keep it in one place" I nodded at Ichi and gave him a fist bump and he offered it back with a smirk.
"Ummm, guys? I don't think this will work" Hiromi pointed towards the cage. Ichi and I turned towards it, the cub was batting at it but I saw what she was concerned about, the gaps in the wire were only slightly smaller than the width of the cub.
"Maybe it won't fit throu-" Ichi started saying until he stopped altogether when the cub poked its head through one gap and wiggled its body completely through. That fuzzy fur was deceptive in making it look larger than it really was…
"Greeaah!" The cub gave a cry as I darted forwards and grabbed it gently around the middle, lifting it up. The last thing I need was it running around the apartment. My fingers sank in the fur and I took another moment to appreciate how plush and warm it felt, it was so fluffy!
"Graaah! Rahhh!" It squeaked out and flailed its pudgy legs, it was so cute that I almost giggled until I realized a glaring issue.
"Ummm… where do I put it now" I looked around holding the fuzzy tiger out in both hands as I scanned the room, there wasn't even a box to plop it in.
"Fuck! Why the hell did you buy this shitty cage?!" Hiromi rounded on a flinching Ichi who threw his hands up in defense.
"I already told you! That's the only one I could find!" Ichi backed away from the shorter girl as she became more animated in her hand gestures… and volume.
"I gave you 1000 eddies and you bring me this garbage?! What's in this fucking box then?! Did you buy some stupid shit?!" Hiromi yelled, the tiger cub in my arms growling and squirming more at the loud noise.
"W-wait, that's nothing!" Ichi stuttered and my suspicion meter started rising. Hiromi's must have too as she grabbed the box and ripped the carbon fibre top off it.
"What is this shit? What did you waste my money on Ichi!?" Hiromi growled in a much more menacing manner than the tiger cub ever did. I patted the little guy with my hand as its fur began standing up on end, it went very still and was looking straight at the girl making the scary animal noises as she berated Ichi.
"I told you, it's noth-" Ichi made to grab the box but Hiromi upended it on the floor, the black mass in it suddenly exploded out like a inflatable balloon. Something like a mini tipi with its tip cropped off now sat on my floor.
"The hell is this? A dress? You bought a fucking dress?" Hiromi's incredulous stare was almost mirrored by mine until I realized this might be useful. I edged towards the… dress.
"Wait, I think this might do the trick" I lowered my hands through the opening and gently placed the whimpering cub in the… dress.
The cub started bumping its head against the sides of it but the ringed hoops that made up the frame were too small for it to stick its cute head through, but there was almost no weight to it as the makeshift cage was being moved easily as the little tiger tested the limits of its new prison. I moved the chair to wedge it between the wall and that solved the problem.
"Okay, that actually worked" I said in relief. Hiromi was still giving Ichi a dirty look but relented at my shrug.
"Uh, fine! We still need to figure out what to do about it though" Hiromi said in a frustrated tone as she sat back down on the couch.
The front door opened and Jun walked in, horrid burrito in one hand as he opened his mouth and took a bite of that culinary crime. He paused as he realized that it wasn't just me in the room. Still in the middle of chewing, he took one look at the cage on the floor and the tiger cub in the dress/tipi and looked back at me.
"Mofufo… wat dif ou du?" I could only stare in disgust as flecks of burrito peppered the floor as Jun forgot the most basic of manners.
"Finish chewing!"
It took about 15 minutes of explaining; we spent the first 5 shouting over each other until Hiromi hushed us and laid the main points out in a clear and concise manner. We had to heat up another bottle of milk as the tiger cub needed to be fed and this time Jun did it! I also had the immense joy of recording his reaction when the cub peed on him before he ran to the bathroom with it, my smile quickly vanished when I realized I would have to clean up the mess on the floor. After I had wiped and sterilized the small puddle Jun returned back with a different shirt and a very cranky and wet cub that was swaddled in a towel.
"We can bring it to Fujimura-sama, it would help him gain favor with Katsuragi-sama and keep you out the sights of Militech" Jun told me as he pet the sleeping and now dry tiger on his lap, it had fallen asleep once we finished feeding it.
I opened my mouth to protest until I realized that it wasn't a bad idea. Hiromi jumped in before I could formulate a response.
"For a good price I'd imagine?" She said, arching her eyebrow at Jun.
"I don't know…" Jun said with a hint of embarrassment. "You would have to negotiate with him about that"
"Fine, it's a good plan Motoko. It's your call" Hiromi told me as she took her turn in petting the tiger.
"Fineeee" I said with some reluctance, I didn't really want to build a rapport with Fujimura. I joined in petting the tiger and some of the stress eased out from me.
"Excellent, let us know when we can meet up with him Jun" Hiromi said as she stood up. "Gotta run Motoko! Send me the detes tomorrow!" She gave me a hug and gave Ichi a light smack behind his head as she made her way to the door earning her a half-hearted swat from him.
"Uhh, I'll be busy in the morning so let me know if you'd like me to come as well" Ichi said somewhat evasively. "Later Motoko, Jun!" He was out the door a few seconds later.
It was just me, Jun, and the tiger. Both of us lightly petting the sleeping cub.
"You know… this is the first animal I've ever touched" Jun said as he ran a finger through the plush fur.
"Hiromi and Ichi said the same thing" I told him, saddened at the thought that something I did normally was now regarded as an act reserved for the rich.
"This is nice, thank you Motoko" He whispered looking at the cub.
"Still looks more fearsome than that goofy tattoo you have" I giggled at him as I gave him a hug.
"It's not goofy!" He whispered quickly, taking mind to not awaken the cub.
"Sureeee" I giggled and dodged his hand swatting at my head as I twirled around and skipped off to the bathroom for a quick shower. I would have to put the cub back it its tipi as well. I was looking forward to a nice long sleep, today had been exhausting.
I didn't get as much sleep as I wanted, having to wake up and feed the cub intermittently throughout the night. Jun ducked out for a call after he took a shower and it was my turn to use the bathroom, after my morning ritual and a nice shower I checked in on my tiger cub. It was still snoozing away in the tipi; I had dropped a plastic ball in for it to play with after washing it again when it had fouled the floor. If the milk didn't put it to sleep then playtime would.
"Fujimura-sama says we can meet with him at 09:00" Jun said as he returned, breakfast burrito in one hand. Ewww…
"I'll send Hiromi the detes along with Malcolm and Ichi" I told him as I poured a bit of the milk in the fridge into a glass. It had been so long since I had milk, the cold and familiar taste was refreshing and nostalgic at the same time. I wish I had a plate of chocolate chip cookies until I realized the ones I were used to now probably cost over a hundred eddies.
I frowned at this line of thinking and moved on from it, sending texts to my friends and getting three replies at the same time. Malcolm was the most eager, having missed out on seeing the tiger cub yesterday. The hour passed by quickly as I got dressed and ready. I put on my boots and made my way back to the main room and heard the front door sliding open. Hiromi and Malcolm making their way in.
"Yo Motoko! Let me see it, where's the tiger!" Malcolm exclaimed in an excited voice, looking around in anticipation.
"It's still sleeping, so don't wake it" I told him, pointing to the tipi that held the cub. "We'll need to feed it if it wakes up again You wake it, you feed it."
"Nova" He whispered as he leaned over the tipi to peer in. It never got old seeing how people reacted to the tiger, always fascinated and awed by it. I spied Hiromi sitting on the couch and joined her.
"Where's Ichi?" I asked, sliding next to her.
"That's what we were trying to figure out, the gonk didn't ev- wait… he just sent me a message" Hiromi eyes flashed blue as her frown smoothed out.
"…He said he'll be here in 10 mins, had to take care of business?" Her tone becoming a question at the end. I was just as confused as her, what business did he have in the morning?
"It's so soft" Malcolm whispered, his arm was sticking down the tipi and stroking the fur of the cub.
"You wake it, you feed it" I told him once more, getting a nod in response. He still kept doing it and I couldn't really stop him; it would be like taking candy from a kid if his expression was anything to go by.
The minutes passed quickly as Hiromi shared a few clips and pictures she had recorded the day before, the little cub in all of them. I heard the door open again just as I was cooing over a particularly cute vid of the tiger stumbling as it hit the edge of my fake carpet.
I almost drew my Lexington at the figure that walked through the door.
"Wait! It's me! It's me!" The…. Wraith? cried out, holding his hands in the air. I was about to shoot him anyway until he took off his helmet/bite guard thing.
"Ichi? What the fuck are you wearing man?!" Malcolm voiced the question that me and Hiromi were trying to get out.
"Why the fuck do you look like a Wraith…. Who also moonlights as a stripper?" Hiromi shout trailed off as she took in the very bright and gaudy colour of his very crop top vest.
He was dressed like a combination of a Wraith or a Mad Max villain if they really liked bright pink. He had what appeared to be an uninflated pink life-vest that covered half his chest, orange baggy pants and pink boots along with very useless metal shoulder/arm guards that completed this assault on the eyes.
"I don't want to talk about it" Ichi groaned out as he walked over to the end of the couch and plopped on it.
"What's that on your cheek?" I asked pointing at a red smear on his lower right jaw.
"N-nothing!" He squeaked out, rubbing his hand on his cheek furiously. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion and could see Hiromi doing that same.
"So…. What's with the Wraith stripper outfit?" Hiromi asked bluntly, crossing her arms under her breasts.
"Hey, fuck you! I don't look like a Wraith!" Ichi bit back in a defensive tone.
"That's the part you have a problem with?" Malcolm said incredulously.
"I'm not a stripper!"
"Ichi, what were you busy with in the morning?" I asked, remembering the message that Hiromi sent.
"I had a-a g-gig, yeah a gig!" The stuttering did nothing to convince me it wasn't a lie.
"Realllly? A gig? What was it?" Hiromi was of the same mind as me, stretching out that first word so much it was clear she didn't believe him either.
"Forget it, it wasn't important. Just some eddies on the side." Ichi's tone was flustered and he quickly turned to look at Malcolm. "Hey-y, you see the tiger yet? Fucking preem right!"
"Gonna be honest bro, it's not the strangest thing I've seen today" Malcolm was still staring at the bright pink clothing that Ichi was wearing.
"Graaahhh…."
My eyes darted towards the tipi and could see the cub start shaking its head as it blinked sleepily, it yawned and then stretched its legs before plodding towards the wall of the tipi and batting at it, its fuzzy paws just large enough to slip through the gaps.
"Annnd you woke it up" I told Ichi and Malcolm with a frown on my face. Both of them giving me an apologetic look as I rolled my eyes and went to heat up some milk.
"Everyone ready?" Jun asked walking into the main room. His gaze stopped at Ichi and I was glad that he took off the helmet, Jun's hand was balled into a fist and I knew he had just stopped himself from darting over and giving my friend a punch that probably would have killed him.
"Ichi? What are you wearing?" Jun's asking the question that we all had a few seconds ago before shaking his head and continuing. "Forget it, you can't see Fujimura-sama dressed like a stripper, I'll grab some of my old clothes"
He gestured with his head for Ichi to follow him and walked back into his room.
"For fucks sake! I am not a strip-" The voice faded when the door slid closed.
"Grrrr-aah!"
The cute little growl had me turning to the cage/tipi, the little tiger cub looking straight at me as it tried pushing the walls of its prison with both front paws, standing up in the effort. Hiromi walked over to it and crouched down, reaching in and pulling out the plastic ball.
"Hi Virata! Go chase the ball!" Me and Malcolm stared at the cutesy voice she was suddenly doing as she bounced the ball around the floor of the tipi. She was giggling as she watched the tiger cub bat and roll the plastic sphere around. Our silence must have tipped her off, she caught us looking at her from the corner of her eyes.
"Ek!-Ummm, milk! W-we need to feed it!" She stammered, looking away and hiding her red face from us.
"Oh right! Malcolm, feed it!" I told him as reluctantly tore my eyes from my embarrassed BFF. I opened the fridge and grabbed the last bottle of milk.
"I don't know how to do it?" He sounded more regretful than apprehensive.
"Don't worry, you just put the nipple in it's mouth while I hold it" I talked as I cracked open the seal and poured the milk into the small pot on my induction stove. I couldn't help but be happy as Malcolm smiled at me, excited at the chance to feed a live animal. Hiromi continued to giggle in the background.
I had to admit, it was nice watching Malcolm feed the hungry cub, he was so giddy and full of wonder that I knew he would cherish this moment for a long time. Ichi and Jun had come back and I had to hold back my laughter as the only clothes that fit Ichi were apparently an old, but well-kept long-sleeved shirt that was still a size too large for him. What really made me laugh was the anime-style cartoon monkey graphic proudly painted on the chest area, it was holding a katana and dressed like a samurai as it glared menacingly to the side, the words "Furious George" written over the top of it in a bush-stroke meant to emulate Japanese calligraphy.
Hiromi didn't have the same restraint and just snickered at him alongside Malcolm. I turned away so he wouldn't see me laugh at him because I was nice! …I was also busy plonking the now sleeping cub into the box I had originally awoken it from, the locks were disengaged but I kept the top ajar so it could get some fresh air.
Ichi seemed like he was about to tear the shirt off before Jun started pushing us towards the door.
"Our ride is here, lets go"
We made our way down to the garage and I spied a familiar figure leaning against a painted Villefort Columbus, it was bright red with neon accents that clearly denoted which gang it belonged to.
"Akari" Jun said to her as we approached. She was decked with a different pair of legs this time, looked more human. The ruby red Japanese styled stockings were designed to make them more alluring and had succeeded if Ichi and Malcolm's quickly averted eyes were any indication. They had more sense than to gawk at a gang member of higher rank, especially one who had more chrome in one limb than they did their entire body.
Akari had taken to wearing even lower cut tops than I had remembered. She did have a really nice black jacket on, well it would be nice if the Tyger Claw emblem glowing on the back wasn't there. The red tank top contrasted nicely with it and was slightly straining against her expensive and full breasts, she was also faintly bent towards us in a way that made her plunging neckline impossible to miss.
"Thank you for picking us up" Jun told her with a smile, his eyes never leaving her face.
The slightly incredulous expression on Akari's face almost made me laugh, but I felt kinda bad for her. She had put in a lot of work to get his attention but my brother was so dense that he wouldn't understand that she was interested in him even if she grabbed him by the ears and shoved his face into her valuable cleavage.
"No… problem" Akari's voice was chilly. She tilted her head and folded her hands under her breasts, frowning slightly as she noticed that everyone but Jun had taken note of her actions. He simply nodded at her and open the door for me.
I gave her a pitying look which she scowled at before giving a huff and storming to the driver seat, rood!
I got comfortable with the box on my lap as the gang piled in. Akari put her hands on the wheels and I spied her signature long-ass sharp-as-fuck nails retract to a more functional length, that was fucking cool!
I was broken from my admiration as I jolted forward, a sharp reverse had me glad I had put my seatbelt on as the others bounced their foreheads into the seat in front of them. Jun hit the dashboard and was rubbing his face from the smack. Akari gave him a little smirk and switched back to drive and soon we were off, the screech of rubber announcing our departure.
"We're here kids!" Akari called out to us with a grin as we pulled up to the dojo apartments, the ride had only taken us 20 minutes or so.
"Funny" Hiromi snipped at her as she clambered out of her seat, grabbing the edge of the door to pull herself out as Akari gave her a wry grin. Ichi and Malcom weren't far behind, I waited until they cleared out before exiting with my cargo.
"Greeahh!"
"Fuck, it's awake" I popped the lip open more and a furry head poked out, squeaking at me for food… probably.
"What the fuck!" Akari was staring at the tiger cub in shock, her mouth slightly open before she turned to Jun.
"What the fuck?" The question was repeated.
"It's for Fujimara-sama, for him to present to Katsuragi-sama as a gift" Jun told Akari as she inched towards the box and bent down to look closer, giving me a view that Ichi and Malcolm would probably get killed for if they saw it.
"Fuck, it's real." She exclaimed, pushing her hair back behind her ear as she crouched down further to peer at the squeaking cub more closely.
"…You wanna feed it, Akari?" I asked her, seeing that same look of awe and curiosity that all my chooms had given me the day before reflected on her face. I might not get along with her as well as the others but Jun trusted her and she was becoming a familiar face in my life.
"F-Feed, wait-t me-e?" She drew back sharply and even I took a moment to admire the… physics of her chrome, how the fuck did plastic move like that?!
She was looking as lost as I've ever seen her. It was kinda fun seeing her nervous and unsure as her eyes darted between me and the tiger cub rapidly.
"Yeah, give her the bottle Hiromi." I told my choom as I set the box down on the floor of the van and lifted the little cub out of it, his little legs wriggling about until I settled him on my lap as I plopped on the floor edge of the Villefort and dangled my feet out the side.
Hiromi pulled a bottle from her purse and flipped it around for the other woman to take. Akari still looked shocked but she slowly leaned forward and plucked it from her hands gingerly.
"How do I…?" She trailed off looking at the bottle, I reached out slowly and guided her very stiff hand closer to the box. Virata now knew what the bottle meant and his eyes were locked onto it, his back arching as he stretched out to get to it faster.
"He knows you want to feed him, just push it towards him and… there!"
Sccchlop! Sccchlop! Sccchlop!
The sounds of sucking filled the air and Akari gazed wide eyed at the cub she was feeding, her other hand coming up to slowly stroke its fur as the little tiger filled its belly.
"It's so soft." She whispered. Her metal fingers running over its orange and black mane delicately, caressing the animal gently as she angled the bottle to get the rest of the milk towards the end to flow down.
"Cute, right?" I said, moving her free hand towards its head so she could touch its ears and give it a nice scritch under the chin.
"Cute." She repeated. Her hands rubbing the back of the cub now.
"This is the first animal I've ever… touched." Akari said quietly.
Fuck, I should have had Jun hold the tiger while she fed it! This was the most vulnerable I've ever seen her and it was being wasted on me; it wasn't too late!
"Jun! Ah, can you hold him? I need to use the… bathroom!" I flushed at my lie and his response made it worse.
"Really Motoko? Some things never change…" He said moving towards me quickly as he shook his head.
I resisted the urge to kick him and carefully deposited the feeding cub in his arms, it cried out as contact was lost with the bottle until Akari pushed the nipple back in its mouth. She leaned up right against Jun, much closer than she had been with me. Her chest pressed against his forearm as her expression became less awe and amazement and instead, sultrier and coy.
I resisted the urge to giggle as I could literally see the single neuron in Jun's brain activating as his eyes went wider and he glanced at her chest pressed up against his arm and looked away quickly. It was probably the first time he had registered that Akari wasn't one of the "guys" and was actually a woman. Man… I felt bad for her.
Akari's expression went dangerously stiff as Jun sat on the floor edge of the van like I had done before, clearly to get some space. A narrowing of her eyes clued me in that she would try something and I was right. She plonked herself right in his lap! Jun's face went crimson but could do nothing but hold the tiger cub close to his chest as Akari pressed herself closer to him, using the pretext of feeing it to rest her head on his shoulder.
"Didn't you have to go take a leak?" Malcolm asked me.
"Shhhsh!" I waved him off before turning to Hiromi.
"You recording this?" I asked her with a grin.
"Yeep." She was fighting to stop herself from laughing.
"You guys are mean." Ichi said with a sigh.
"Shut it, George!" That was Hiromi.
"…Mean"
After 5 minutes of watching Jun crash and reboot after finally realising that his workmate was a woman and that she was coming on to him, the show was over. Akari sauntered over to me and dropped the empty bottle in my hands with a wink before walking over to the entrance of the dojo apartments, Jun was placing the droopy tiger cub back in the box before picking the container up gingerly and walking over to us.
"Sooo, have fun Jun-niiii?" I teased him with a giggle.
He frowned at me before shifting the container to one hand and flicking my forehead with other, rood!
"Awk!" I didn't squawk…. I simply exclaimed out loud in a high-pitched cry.
"Don't tease your older brother." he said sagely.
"You do it to me all the time!" I pointed at him accusingly.
"I'm allowed to, I'm your older brother." He was nodding like he was saying some deep meaningful shit or something, it made me want to kick him.
"Anyway, Akari is always looking for ways to tease me. I should have known she was up to something with that outfit, she'll have to try harder next time!" Jun exclaimed with conviction, standing straight and looking forward like he had made some great revelation.
We all just stared at him. I'm pretty sure my mouth was open, Hiromi's was too. Ichi was looking at Jun with wide eyes as he shook his head and Malcolm just facepalmed in both his hands.
"What? What's wrong with all of you?" Jun made his way to the door. "Come on, I will not be shamed for being late."
"Seems like you two have more in common thank you think, huh?" Malcolm said to me in a teasing voice as he walked beside me watching my big oaf of a brother go in to the apartment lobby.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hands on my hips as I turned to him. Hiromi was also in the same pose, ha! We were synergized!
"….Nothing, nothing at all." He said, looking at me and Hiromi and then staring off into the distance like he was experiencing some deep buried war flash back behind that blank gaze of his.
"Lets just go in." Furious George Ichi said diplomatically, gesturing towards the entrance. "We don't want to be late."
"Fine, lets go Hiromi!" I said, grabbing her arm and running up the stairs as she squawked behind me. Boys were so stupid!
It was an awkward ride up the elevator that was only made better with Akari shooting Jun the most mischievous look she could muster. She looked like the cat that caught the canary, if canaries still existed here.
A chime echoed and the doors parted quickly. Akari started to saunter out first before Jun shifted the box to one hand and tapped her on the shoulder.
"You always find new ways to tease me, you won't catch me unaware again" Jun grinned at her and then fucking gave her shoulder a light punch before walking out and leaving her flummoxed.
"What? What the hell does that even mean?" She said aloud, she looked completely puzzled.
"…I'm sorry, he's really dumb." I came up beside her and couldn't help but give her a piteous look. Her confusion melted slowly as she started understanding.
"…Wait" She said, her eyes widening and darting towards Jun figure walking away.
"The fuck, how?!" She hissed at my stupid brother's form; he was too far away to hear her.
"Arrrh!" She actually stomped her foot, her chrome must have been good because the elevator shook. She gave it no mind and stalked out with a thunderous expression on her face as we tepidly trailed after her.
We caught up to Jun right outside of Fujimara's office, his smile dimming when he saw Akari's not so happy face.
"What?" My dear brother asked, putting his foot in his mouth.
"Shut up, open the fucking door" Akari snarled, pushing past him wrenching doors apart, I thought she would slam them open but she had the awareness to slow the movement down so it looked like a quick opening instead.
When we entered the office of Fujimara he was already pacing around, the bright blue optics told me he was talking on his internal agent. He nodded at us and pressed a button on his desk and put his call on speaker.
"Ah yes, they have just arrived Katsuragi-sama." He said aloud, gesturing towards us with one hand.
"I see an incubation box in their hands, is it in there." The familiar voice of Katsuragi echoed from the speakers. I took that has my signal to take Virata out of his box.
Jun put the incubation container on the floor and popped open the top fully, then I reached in with both hands and grabbed the furry snoozing tiger around the middle and lifted him out. He started fidgeting and squirming as his nap time was interrupted. Fujimara reached out and I let him grab it around the middle and lift him from my hands.
"Oh yes! It's very young!" Katsuragi's excited voice chimed in as Fujimara raised the tiger cub up high to get a better look. I had to keep from giggling as it really reminded me of the scene from the Lion King, but the closest thing to a monkey in this situation was Ichi…
"GRRRREAHHHH!"
The tiger cub was now very awake, squirming and squealing quite vigorously. A high-pitched voice and cute voice echoed through the speaker but I couldn't understand any of it. Fuck, I really should learn Japanese…
"Please put it down, my daughter wants to see it move!" Katsuragi said a moment later. Ah, that must be the daughter Jun mentioned. She sounded very young.
Fujimara obliged him and plonked the cub onto the very expensive carpet, wincing slightly when he saw its claws making light furrows in the material. The cub seemed more interested in the texture of the carpet before it started sniffing and walking towards the table. High pitched giggles emanated from the speakers making my mouth twitch upwards.
"What is its name?" Katsuragi asked between the giggles.
Fujimara looked towards me sharply and I leaned over and whispered.
"Virata"
"The name is Vitara, Katsuragi-sama." He said shooing me away after messing up the name, rude!
"Very fierce! Ratara!" Fujimara said confidently in his incorrectness.
I opened my mouth to correct both of them but Fujimara made a sushing motion and Ichi came up beside me and tugged on my sleeve, he was shaking his head. Welp, guess the poor cub would have to live with its name being mangled.
Ichi's act of coming beside me had put himself in view of Fujimara, I heard the high-pitched voice of Katsuragi's daughter saying something excitedly.
"Oh, yes. Your monkey man has good taste, my daughter also likes that anime! She has the same shirt!" Ichi looked mortified at his now unofficial moniker as we giggled around him.
"I'll have to put Kasumi-chan to bed soon, thank you for this wonderful gift Fujimara" I could hear him getting up.
"You are very welcome; will you be coming next week to retrieve it?" Fujimara paced next to his table, frowning when he noticed the cub gnawing on one of the legs.
"Unfortunately, I cannot, I have been delayed by an internal matter here in Tokyo. I will be arriving in 3 months time; we will discuss the details later. Sayonara, Fujimara" The speakers stopped projecting and Fujimara's eyes stopped glowing blue, the call had ended.
"He was extremely excited to hear you had found a wild cub for him." Fujimara sighed and turned to us.
"He's been trying for months to get one for his daughter, he was going to reach out to a breeder in Texas but your discovery came at a most fortuitous time" He walked back towards his expensive table and sat in comfy looking leather chair.
"Here is your compensation, I've made sure it was most generous" His eyes flashed gold and I saw Hiromi's do the same.
"I have no issues with this amount, we accept" She was in her business mode now.
"Excellent. Akari, you will be taking care of it until Katsuragi-sama arrives" The borgs composed expression vanished as she opened her mouth to protest before looking at us and closing it. She had more tact than to argue with her superior in front of company.
"You'll need this" Hiromi took out the almost empty milk bottle and handed it to the totally not sulking Akari. Virata or Ratara now, saw the bottle and plodded over to her quickly. Pawing at her legs and squeaking at her. The corners of her lips perking up as a smile bloomed on her face.
"It needs fresh milk, not the synthetic kind either. In six weeks, it will need fresh meat as well, same rules apply. It needs to have a good amount of fat content in it as well." Hiromi started listing off the dietary needs as Fujimara's face turned stiff.
"Fresh…?" He looked confused.
"Correct, fresh. They need goat milk in particular and it needs to be around 10-20% of their body weight per day" Hiromi instructed, Fujimara looked more haggard as she continued.
"I see" He rested his face in his hand and was pinching the bridge of his nose.
"After six weeks you'll need to start feeding fresh meat" Fujimara jerked up and stared at Hiromi.
"Fresh meat? It cannot be lab grown?" His question had a note of incredulity.
"They need the fat content and it helps their teeth develop as well" Hiromi shook her head.
"How… how much did you spend to feed it" He asked as he stared blankly at his desk.
"We spent 600 eddies for these two days, I calculate it will cost around… 2k per day by the months end" Hiromi said slowly. My eyes goggled and I noticed Ichi and Malcolm doing the same, Akari just winced as she bounced the tiger cub in her lap as it fed from the bottle and Jun looked conflicted.
"I see, thank you for this… wonderful… gift. I would like to be left alone now" Fujimara intertwined his fingers over each other and leaned his head against his hands.
Jun quickly ushered us out, Akari following us with the tiger cub yawning on her shoulder, which did make me giggle and make her give me a flat stare before she rolled her eyes.
"With the way you were going I wouldn't be surprised if you said it needed Grade 1 Imperial Sake next" Akari directed at Hiromi, shifting slightly as the cub tuckered itself out and started snoozing on her shoulder.
"I didn't think he would have to hold on to it for that long" Hiromi shrugged.
"Anyway, it wouldn't do well to not have him properly informed of how to take care of it. He paid a lot of money for this little guy" She finished off by poking the cub lightly in his soft belly.
"Yeah, well I think he preferred ignorance but it wouldn't do for Katsuragi-sama to arrive and have his gift half starved" Akari said dryly.
"We have put him in a difficult position" Jun stated, he was looking at the ground in contemplation.
"No shit, I think he's starting to hate doing deals with us" I said with a wry laugh.
"He does keep getting the short end of the stick most of the time…" Ichi said warily.
"Blame Hiromi" I told him, pointing to said girl and making her yelp.
"H-Hey! I'm just doing my job!" Her face was flushed and she raised her nose and turned away with a humph.
"I gotta find a good spot to put this guy away" Akari shifted the sleeping cub carefully and held it securely in one hand before using her other hand to lift its droopy paw up and give us a wave.
"Bye kiddos!"
Fuck, even I had to admit that was really cute.
"Later Jun" Akari winked at him dryly before shifting the sleeping cub on her shoulder, she reached into her jacket and tossed the shard for the Villefort at him and he caught it automatically. She gave me a smile before trotting off, her footsteps fading as she turned a corner in the dojo.
I turned to Jun and sniggered when I saw a light dusting of red on his cheeks.
"Lateer ~ Junnn" I teased in that bratty way that all sisters could.
It seemed like Jun would try to flick me on the forehead again but I was ready to dodge. When it seemed like he was gearing up to he suddenly looked around and seemed to realize where he was before straightening up and tucking the shard in his pocket before looking down at me.
"Motoko, you are being very immature"
He shook his fucking head at me! I squawked in outrage. This coming from the burrito goblin! The person who thought it was a good idea to have it for all three meals of the day!
"You take that back!" I wanted to take back what I said as soon as the words left my mouth because I sounded like a little kid. I could see Jun's lips curling up in delight.
"You have some growing up to do, imouto" He was looking so smug that I had to fight the urge to hit him.
"I'm mature! Right guys, tell him!" I turned to my chooms for backup.
Ichi was looking at a mural in what appeared to be deep concentration, but I could see his eyes shifting towards quickly me before darting back. Malcolm was pretending that he just gotten a call on his agent and excused himself as he talked to no one. Hiromi just turned away and was staring at the wall, I was confused until I saw her shoulders shaking… in supressed laughter.
"You'll get there eventually Motoko" Jun said smugly, his mood brightened when no one came to my defense.
"No! You are the childish one!" I pointed at him fiercely before blanching when I realize how juvenile my action and words were.
"Don't worry Motoko, there's plenty of time for you to grow" Jun laughed at me and walked down the hallway.
"No! Tell him guys!" I whirled on my best chooms acquaintances, hoping that one would still come to my defense.
"It's getting late Motoko, lets call it a day" Ichi came up beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder, his placating tone coupled with his stupid shirt having the opposite effect.
"Yeah, lets go home Motoko!" Malcolm chirped, his attempt at changing the subject very transparent.
"Motoko …. We made a lot of eddies!" Hiromi told me with a plastic smile, it would have worked better if I couldn't see her still fighting the urge to laugh.
"Motoko, lets go! Don't forget to use the bathroom before you get in the car!" Jun poked his head around the corner as my anger came to the forefront.
"RAHHH!" That wasn't the tiger, that was me screaming as I chased my stupid brother.
"Well, fuck. How did this happen?" I said out loud as I looked at the high-tech temperature controlled military grade box…. Again
A month had passed since I had come across the tiger cub and it seemed that lightning had struck twice. A quick ramen run had turned into a game of duck and cover as the a Techtronika convoy was ambushed by some 6th Street thugs, the guards for the convoy were outnumbered but their gear hit like a fucking truck. They had shredded 2 dozen gangbangers before an emp grenade took them and their attackers out. The plaza was empty as everyone had run away once the shooting had started. Sooo… once again, I made my way through the mess of bodies and grabbed the prize.
The white metal box looked different, it was more rigid with less decoration and had intense red Russian writing plastered across it.
I double tapped any 6th Street goons still breathing, free XP! The box was certainly heavier than the last one, I dragged it over to my Quadra before calling the NCPD and drove for 2 blocks before ducking into an alley. I snapped off the tracking module and threw it in a nearby garbage container and took the long way home.
40 minutes later and I was back in my apartment, going through the same situation I had a month ago like I was scrolling a BD.
The chunky box had fewer screens but like the Darra one before it had a nice big button on the top that I could guess with a good amount of confidence would open the box once pressed.
"Looks like you're getting a buddy Virat-Ratara" I said aloud as my hand slowly depressed the open switch on the box.
For the second time in a month a sterile beep echoed in the room and a much more practical opening sequence took place, the panel on top slid open. The familiar cloud of cryogenic vapor wafting from it ominously once more.
"Maybe it's a girl this time, lets se-AIEEE!"
I leaned over to take a look when a mass of fur almost smacked me in the face, with a girlish squeal I toppled backwards before scrambling to my feet. My Burya was in my hand reflexively and raised towards the box as I took in what had awoken from it.
I thought it was a stuffed animal at first, it looked too perfect to be real. Its little paws very gently resting on the edge of the box as it peered at me. The little ears twitching as it gave me a heart melting look.
"…Oh fuck"
After a nice hot morning shower Hiromi was applying her makeup; it had been a month since their recent windfall. 900k of eddies! Motoko taking 500k and then giving her and Ichi 145k was pretty generous of her considering she did most of it not all of the work in getting the cub. Heck, she even gave Malcolm 100k and he didn't do anything!
Her agent started flashing, she was getting a call from… Motoko? She let her voice mail answer it as she started applying her eyeliner.
"Hiromi, fuck! I did it again. Do you know anything about bears? Noooo, don't climb that!" She could hear what she guessed was the bear whimpering in the background.
"Hiromi! You there?!"
Maybe it would be best to stay in today. Yes, that's what she would do. She was busy with… school. Yes, that sounded right. It seemed like a good day to study.
A/N
I don't know why I made this so long or why I had the urge to write it.