"No way it's as exaggerated as you make it sound," Sasha said, her neko-like face flushing with embarrassment. Honestly, she hadn't thought that deeply about it.
"I just hope Night City has fewer people who've gone through what I have," the girl said earnestly. She wasn't the type to get all fired up and impulsive when things happened.
From her usual way of doing things, she was more the type to plan everything out carefully, keeping things steady and under control before making a move. The only reason she'd ended up in a dangerous situation was because of an unexpected twist she hadn't seen coming. Otherwise, she definitely would've slipped away before the guards showed up.
"If you ever need help, you know where to find me," Riku said with a grin, bumping fists with Sasha. He genuinely admired people like her.
"Don't worry, I'll pay you for it," Sasha replied with a laugh, her eyes crinkling into crescents. The way she said it almost made it sound like some shady deal.
"Are they close?" Lucy asked V, stubbing out her cigarette as she watched the Devil and the dark-haired girl chatting and laughing.
"Tch, of course," V replied, clicking her tongue. "They just went through some life-or-death stuff together." How was she supposed to explain it? They'd all just met not long ago, but the experiences they'd shared were pretty intense.
"Life-or-death, huh?" Lucy gave V a curious look, mulling over the phrase.
"Looks like you're gonna get compared to her," Lucy said, picking up on it instantly. Despite her young age, she was sharp as a tack.
After escaping from Arasaka's secret research facility, Lucy had been to plenty of places, only recently settling in Night City.
"We're gonna hold you to the standards of a genius, kid," Jack Welles chimed in bluntly. He actually knew another hacker, T-Bug, who was pretty skilled too. If Sasha was ever too busy, he could always hit up T-Bug—though she might not bother with small jobs.
Hackers like T-Bug and Kiwee were seasoned pros who could afford to be picky about their gigs. They usually worked solo, like lone wolves, and didn't join long-term cyberpunk crews, only teaming up for the occasional job.
For example, Mann's crew usually worked with Sasha for regular missions. Only for high-stakes, high-reward jobs would Kiwee join in. Once hackers made a name for themselves, they'd often take jobs on their own, even if they had a regular cyberpunk squad.
Sasha was like that too. If she wasn't, she wouldn't have crossed paths with Riku, V, and Jack Welles in the first place. It was pretty normal— skilled hackers never lacked for work, while the less talented ones? Well, they'd get their brains fried sooner or later.
"I don't mind," Lucy replied curtly, but her tone carried confidence in her skills.
"That's the spirit! Young people need that kind of fire," Riku said, giving Lucy a thumbs-up. He had faith in the "data-mining girl's" skills—Arasaka's eye for talent was something you could trust.
Lucy was a genius hacker handpicked by Arasaka, raised in their secret facilities and used to dig up valuable data from the old Net. She nodded at Riku, feeling his trust and support.
Even though this Devil seemed tight with Mann's crew hacker, he didn't seem to have any issues with her. Lucy was the type to keep her thoughts to herself, saying far less than she felt. With her femme fatale looks and icy, don't-come-near-me vibe, her heart was actually more delicate and pure than anyone might guess.
"Oh, by the way, I might be leaving Night City for a few days. Just letting you guys know," Riku said, nodding to Lucy before turning to V and Jack Welles with the news.
"Where to? Trouble? Need backup?" V asked, her expression puzzled. Hadn't Riku just arrived in Night City? He'd barely settled into his new place, and now he had to leave?
Jack Welles looked over with concern too. If Riku needed help, he'd grab his twin golden "bad girls" and roll out without hesitation.
"No worries, just a small thing," Riku said with a wink. Honestly, he was touched by their street-code loyalty—the kind of ride-or-die attitude that'd have someone pull a katana for you without a second thought.
"If anything comes up, hit us up," V said, her voice tinged with worry. Riku's background was, without a doubt, the most complicated among them.
She exchanged a glance with Jack Welles, both of them sharing the same concern. Whatever Riku was dealing with, it wasn't simple.
Old Vic had dropped hints to V and Jack about Riku's background. It made sense—Vic had known them longer, so it was only natural he'd give them a heads-up about a troublemaker like Riku out of loyalty.
"Just make sure you eat my share of the ramen so it doesn't go to waste," Riku said with a cheeky grin, noticing V's worried look.
V immediately flushed, flipping him the bird. "Goddamn it, you make it sound like I'm mooching off your food!" she snapped, though she had been eating his share the past couple of days—to avoid wasting eddies, of course.
"That's more like it! You two were looking at me like you were ready to attend my funeral. Talk about bad luck," Riku said, laughing heartily. He knew V and Jack had misunderstood what he was up to, but he wasn't about to explain.
Old Vic's overactive imagination had done him a favor. Riku could just blame his quirks on some shady company's bio-experiments. As for which company to pin it on, he hadn't decided yet. Maybe a biotech corp? Then again, it wouldn't even be framing them—those biotech bastards were actually messing with super-soldier experiments.
"I'm heading out. You guys carry on," Riku said after a couple more jokes, standing to leave.
"Don't you dare die, or else…" V squinted, leaving the threat unfinished, but Riku just rolled his eyes, getting the message.
With a wave and a quick goodbye, he strolled out of Afterlife Bar.
"What's he up to?" Lucy asked, her expression confused. She'd been listening quietly, not quite following the cryptic exchange.
"Can't tell you yet," V said, exchanging a glance with Jack Welles. They were in agreement—Riku's business wasn't something to blab about. Lucy would need to earn their trust first.
"Uh…" Lucy trailed off, thoughtful. So, this Devil guy had his own share of secrets, huh?