Neon Cogs: Chapter 3 (Patreon)

As soon Hiro started dragging her away, everyone in the group started to make excuses to get away. She knew damn well what they were doing and she appreciated it despite how heavy handed they were being. Kiwi was the first to break away from them.

“If anyone needs me, I’ll be at the bar. Later.” The flapper said as she sauntered off to get herself a drink. With how many people were drinking at the bar, Rebecca had a feeling that the drinks were free. Still, she wouldn’t go anywhere near that bar with the dark brooding figure of the boogeyman there.

“Ummm… uh, wait. Hey Dorio, is that who I think it is?” Maine floundered a bit as he scrambled for an excuse before his eyes spotted someone in the room. She turned to where he was looking and found a full borg currently escorting a white haired beauty sporting a wide brimmed hat. She was giving the borg looks as she glanced at her wrist watch from time to time.

“Well I’ll be damned. Hey Bee, we're just going to say hi to an old friend of ours.” Dorio excused herself and Maine as the couple headed for the fullborg. The tin man looked as happy as a fullborg could be with how he seemed to loosen up as her crew’s leader greeted him loudly.

“Ahriman you son of a bitch, I thought you were dead! Haven't seen you since the war."  Maine shouted as he and the borg shook hands before bumping chest. The woman with the other man was not happy and if Rebecca had to guess, Dorio and Maine just clam jammed the hell out of her.

“That was the plan.” Ahriman casually replied as he, Maine, and Dorio started to chat, much to the displeasure of the rich girl Ahriman was with.

Even Falco was in on the fun after he missed everything else by arriving last. The lonesome cowboy tipped his hat to her as he walked off to a nearby balcony. He really didn’t look like the type to socialize in these types of things anyway and he only came for the food.

“So, that just leaves the two of us huh?” Hiro said as they watched the others do their things. They might not be the best crew out there but they were still her crew damn it and she’ll still love them even if they were being gonks about things.

“Nah, it’s fine. Those guy’s been bugging me ever since your little broadcast stunt mister big shot.” She replied as she gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. He took it in good nature as he smiled with her. Keeping hold of her hand, he led her through the crowd.

“Sorry about the short notice. Should have probably picked you up as well but things have been hectic to say the least…” Hiro apologized as they walked past the various movers and celebrities that called Night City their home. It was a colorful ensemble of different styles and personalities, each trying to be the center of attention as they dined and drank the night away.

“Nah it's cool Hiro. At least I got to have a friend make me a new dress.” She replied with a grin. She paid handsomely for it and seeing how it caught Hiro’s eyes made it all worth it. He was still a boy after all and her charms could still work on him. She caught him sneaking glances at her and boy did it stroke her bruised ego.

“She’s certainly talented. I think she’ll appreciate having higher paying clientele after the news network picks up who made your dress… Becca?” He replied before trailing off as she choked and realized she just made a horrible mistake. She slapped her forehead with the palm of her hands and let out a groan.

“God fucking damn… she’s going to kill me.” She cursed herself for forgetting the one thing she should have done down below at the red carpet. It was the one thing she could have done aside from paying her friend twice her rate and she somehow forgot it.

“Wait, why?” Hiro asked as he tilted his head at her.

“I shrugged off all the reporters trying to talk to me?” She replied with a pained smile making Hiro wince. She sagged and deflated when the realization hit home. She could have given her friend a much needed advertisement for her work if she was a little more friendly with the blood sucking parasites called paparazzis.

“Ohhhh.” Hiro replied before he reached out and gave her a pat on the head. She would have snapped normally but she felt too ashamed right now for letting her friend down. “Don’t worry Becca. You know, I think some fashion reporters are already on the case trying to find your mysterious tailor.” He then added.

She let out a sigh of relief as before letting out a laugh. “Oh thank fuck. I thought I would have to hide from her whenever I visit Lizzie’s.” she replied as she wiped an imaginary sweat from her forehead. Those journo’s were often worse and more cut-throat than informants in many ways. They’d definitely be on the case in trying to figure out who made her dress.

“Hiro? There you are!” A young woman’s voice then called out, making Hiro turn towards them. She peered out from behind Hiro to see who dared interrupt. Pushing past the crowd of people was a short haired Japanese woman wearing a sharp looking suit. She didn’t look a day older than 30 but in spite of that, and the lack of the foreign features Hiro sported, the resemblance she had to Hiro was unmistakable.

“Sorry Auntie Michiko. I just wanted to greet Rebecca. Rebecca, Aunt Michiko. Aunt Michiko, Rebecca.” Hiro introduced Rebecca to another Arasaka. She felt like this was going to be the norm from here on out, but she was an edgerunner. She just had to roll with the punches as they came her way.

Putting on her best smile, she extended her hand to the woman. “Yo! Glad to meet you. Name’s Rebecca but my friends call me Becca.” She introduced herself. She suddenly felt a bit nervous when Hiro’s aunt eyed her up and down but she relaxed as the other woman broke out into a smile and shook her hand.

“So, you must be this Becca that Hiro kept talking about.” The woman replied, making Hiro sputter out and turn red in embarrassment. “I can see why he couldn’t stop thinking about you.

You definitely have some moxie.” she then said, making Rebecca snort out in amusement.

“Auntie!” Hiro cried out in embarrassment which Rebecca couldn’t help but cackle at with how red faced he was. Seeing him on the receiving end of the teasing was cathartic in a good way.

“Now now, you know all too well what was going to happen when you brought her to me. After all, it’s not every day I get to meet my favorite nephew’s special ‘friend’.” Michiko then said and it was now Rebecca’s turn to blush. Hiro tried to reply but he just stuttered away and averted from her gaze and that of his aunt. He was obvious as hell but hearing it from his aunt was something else.

“Yes, you just took off all of a sudden for a ‘friend’.” Michiko teasingly said as she watched both of them squirm under her gaze. “Here I thought there was an emergency in your lab but it seems that it’s a different kind of emergency.” Hiro’s aunt chuckled as she ruffled the boy's hair who only got redder. She was definitely his aunt as she was just as much of a tease as Hiro was, if not even more so.

“Oh hey! Are those tempura I see at the buffet table?” Hiro mechanically replied as he pointed at the table on the other end of the room. “Why don’t I go grab some! Becca, take care of my aunt for now will you?” he said as he ran away with his ears burning from the weapon grade teasing they just received. She couldn’t blame him but now… now she was all alone with his Aunt.

“We’ll be at my table, ok?” Michiko called out before she shook her head in wry amusement. “This has been the most expressive I've seen him in ages around another person, you know that?” She then said as she turned towards her. Rebecca raised a brow at that revelation. Hiro? Not expressive? Well, wasn’t that an oxymoron.

“Oh? He’s quite animated last time I checked. I’d know since I’ve been on the receiving end of his teasing.” She replied to Michiko. Pouting, her thoughts soon drifted to that gonk. Hiro wore his heart on his sleeve and it was easy for her to read his mood. It’s what makes it so jarring to interact with him. He was just so honest at times her instincts were telling her that she must be lying.

“Believe me. Last time I saw him this hopeful, a girl broke his fragile heart. After that, he started wearing masks to hide it away. I wonder what he saw in you that made him open up?” Michiko replied as she gestured for her to follow her.

“Maybe because I’m not a bitch.” Rebecca fired back. She did not take kindly to that backhanded comment. Michiko's smile turned to a genuine grin as she let out a laugh.

“Hah, here I thought you were merely a whore.” Michiko then said.

“This whore has more class than the girls in this party.” Rebecca snorted as she took a glance at the dance floor. All the fake laughter as girls hung on to every word of their partner. It was frankly disgusting with how much they debased themselves. She’d rather be in Lizzie’s bar right now because at least there, people were a bit more genuine about things.

Michiko gave her an approving nod as they finally got to table away from all the party goers. “He is weak to strong women.”

“He has good taste then.” Rebecca couldn’t help but answer.

Away from the crowd, Rebecca would soon find herself seated with another mover inside the Arasaka’s power structure. Some would kill for a chance to talk to them but for Rebecca, this was just some private girl talk. Peeling away all the glitz and glamor of their name, Rebecca would still see them as what they were, humans just like everyone else.

“He wears his heart on his sleeves. It’s hard to see him keeping his emotions in check.” Rebecca commented as she sat down and leaned against her seat.

Michiko merely smiled as she grabbed a flute of sparkling liquid from one of those weird servants with their choppy and mechanical movement. For a brief second, she thought they were human but a casual observation showed they were merely robots. Strangely, Michiko seemed to give them a look she couldn’t quite decipher. Before she could think about it any further, the other woman handed her a drink which she happily accepted. “Oh you can be surprised by how proficient he can be at that. One moment he can be smiling and laughing with you, the next thing you know he has his butcher all over you.” The older woman said.

Mulling over Michiko’s word, Rebecca stared ahead and watched as Hiro had to stop and socialize with people. She let her feelings go for once and actually looked and observed. For the first time, she got to see a side that Hiro had kept from her. As he kept getting blocked on his way back with people calling for his attention, she couldn’t help but feel a bit shocked at how he could easily pick up a mask. A smile here, a genuine sounding laugh at a crappy joke, and a cheerful greeting yet her eyes could see the truth in his eyes. No matter how good his mask was, he still couldn’t hide what was beneath.

“Yeah, I might not truly know him yet… but I choose to trust him. He’s a well meaning gonk underneath that infuriating smile of his and he has yet to show me otherwise.” Rebecca answered as a soft smile spread across her face. It might just be the boy's charms but she’d take the risk. What’s an edgerunner’s life without some pain after all.

“Has anyone told you just how brutally honest you can be?” Michiko asked amusedly.

“Got a problem with that?” Rebecca asked with a smug smile on her face. She’s been told that once or twice before and she takes it as a compliment. Life’s too short for being an obtuse ass.

“No. I actually like it. It’s a breath of fresh air from the snake pit above.” Michiko replied, making Rebecca give her a look of surprise. She was caught off guard with the venom that Michiko had. Michiko merely rolled her eyes at her looks as she added, “Oh don’t give me that look. You know well enough from the rumors alone. Let me give you a hint. Take what you imagine and crank it all the way up to eleven. I had to shield Hiro from all those snakes when he was first brought to his grandfather.” Michiko grimaced as she downed her entire flute of alcohol. “My bastard of an uncle wouldn’t even protect his own son.” She then said as she glared at a particular direction.

“Wait, I thought you were his aunt?” Rebecca said in surprise. She thought Michiko was a bit older with the way she talked and how Hiro treated her but she was wrong.

“Oh that. He keeps calling me auntie as a way to tease me about my age. He’s a little shit like that but I basically raised him as my own.” Michiko replied with a self deprecating smile.

“Well, at least I know why he’s a little shit.” Rebecca smiled with her, making Michiko chuckle.

“You know Rebecca, since you’ve been so honest with me, let me be honest with you.” Michiko replied as she set down her glass and looked at her. The way the amusement melted away to be replaced with such a serious look would have made any other girl flinch away but not her. Rebecca liked to think she was made of sterner stuff. “I don’t really like you and I think you’ll be a bad influence on Hiro but I can’t stop him. He’s old enough to make his own decisions, experience love and heartbreaks and live the life he wants.” The older woman admitted. There was no bullshit, just two girls being honest with each other.

Rebecca stared back, unflinching, refusing to back down from Michiko’s challenge. What was Hiro truly to her? Will he just fling or something else. She still wasn’t quite sure yet but one thing for certain, whatever it is, she’ll be the best damn girl to ever do so for Hiro.“Maybe I’ll just have to be the best damn input then.” She replied. Maybe it was spite or maybe it was pride but no one can look down on her.

“Now, wasn’t that easy? At least now you’re no longer just honest to me.” Michiko replied as a smug smile spread across her face. Rebecca’s brow twitched as she flipped her the bird before she reached for her forehead to massage the growing headache she had. Truly, Corpo’s had a nasty habit of fucking with people, even if it’s light hearted fun and teasing.

Michiko laughed as she slowly set her glass beside her. Glancing at Rebecca, the older woman then warned her “I just have to warn you that this would be no fairy tale. Whatever notion you have of an easy life, throw that all away at the window because you will be ruffling some feathers. The whole family has been talking when our little Hiro fell in love again. Do you know how long our grandfather’s been trying to play matchmaker? He will not be happy.”

Rebecca snorted as she gave toast to that. It’s not like anyone had any love for the Emperor as even his own blood seemed to hate him. Before she could reply, Michiko’s eyes lit up before she turned her head away. “Excuse me for a second, my assistant’s calling. Sasha? What seems to be the problem?” She replied as she got up and walked away from the seat.

Hiro would then come back with plates on hand stacked with food aplenty. He was frowning abit but he kept his frustration hidden with a smile. “Hey, sorry about that. Some people couldn’t take the hint that I was a bit busy. Anything I missed?” He apologized as he let out a nervous chuckle.

Rebecca smiled back as she shook her head and waved off his concerns. “Nothing much. Just had some girl on girl talk with your aunt. She’s talking to her assistant by the way.” She replied as she gestured towards the other woman who was looking more and more concerned as she talked to the other person in the line.

The woman let out a string of curse as she ended the call. Walking back to them, Michiko excused herself from the party “Hiro, I'll have to go. There’s a situation over at Danger Gal. Some girl found a rogue netrunner and let’s just say this particular runner is not happy being found.”

With the way Hiro sucked in his breath and how he shook his head in dismay, she had a good idea what happened and it smelled of a scrambled egg head. “Do you need Adam or?” Hiro offered.

Michiko’s eyes widened as she frantically waved her hand in front of her. “Oh no no no, nothing of that sort. I think we can handle this. I’m really sorry Hiro but I have to go.” She said before walking off the exit. Before she left, Rebecca swore she heard her whisper something along the lines of, “Fucking Hanako.”

The two were left on their own and thankfully, none of the other vultures that stalked Hiro from earlier dared come their way. She could now finally have some time with Hiro on his lonesome and maybe actually make a move. First things first, she needed to taste what he brought with him.

“This is some of the best cricket tempura I had. Didn’t know they grew tails though. Are these some river crickets?” Rebecca asked as she chewed on the Tempura. It was pure meat with little to no kibble extenders. The lack of shell was always amazing as she could just chew away until she hit the tail. This must have been one of those super crickets she'd been hearing about.

Hiro snorted and almost choked on his drink as he laughed at that. She pouted but kept eating as it simply was too good to pass up. Shaking his head, he then said  “Nah, they’re not crickets but shrimps. Still, I’ve heard that crickets taste like shrimp so I couldn't blame you for mistaking that.”

“Wait no shit?” She said in surprise as she lifted up another shrimp and inspected it before gobbling it all up. Without the head, she didn’t notice it was the real deal. Focusing on just the shrimp, she quickly ate through the remaining ones before quickly jabbing her fork on Hiro’s pile

“Yeah-! Hey! Those are mine!” Hiro shouted as he lifted up his plate but not before she could get another one for herself!

“Hah, you snooze, you lose.” She teased him as she happily munched away at the tasty crustacean. She downed it with the glass of bubbly alcohol Michiko gave her. Fine food and better booze lifted up her spirits like no other.

Hiro pouted to which she started laughing until both of them laughed together. Away from the people, she finds spending time with him extremely entertaining. She couldn’t get enough of him at times with that dangerous smile of his. That smile however would fade away and be replaced with a hollow one as one of the human servers came to their seat.

“Excuse me Hiro-sama, a gentleman from the Militech Company wants to talk to you.” The woman stated as she bowed her head low. Rebecca could practically hear the groans of frustration Hiro had inside his head as he started frowning once more.

All these interruptions were getting to Rebecca and she just couldn’t take it anymore. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe she was genuinely upset with how people here couldn’t seem to treat this as a simple party but one thing clear, they would keep getting interrupted no matter what. “You know what, enough of this. Hey Hiro, let’s get out of here!” She shouted as she sat up. Some people were staring at them now, but she did not care one bit.

“Wait, why? I thought you were having a good time? The dance hasn’t started yet as well.“ Hiro replied as he looked at her with confusion. Yes, the food and company were nice but everything else sucked. This was more of a meeting with a celebratory air to mask it than a real one.

“And you're not, you gonk. You’ve been frowning ever since you came back from the buffet table and these people won’t stop till they have a bit of your time. The problem is that there’s hundreds of them and only one of you.” She said in turn as she reached for his hand and started dragging him away.

“But it’s just a few seconds…” He protested but he didn't resist as he stood up and followed after her. She stomped ahead and headed for the door, passing by the surprised Militech corpo who only gaped as he was ignored.  

“No buts. Let’s just go.” She replied. She wanted to take a breather away from the place even if only for a little bit.

“Where though?” He then asked as they were about to ascend the stairs. That stopped her dead in her tracks. She really didn’t know where to go but her mind was clear on what she wanted and what would be good for either of them.

“Anywhere but here. I’m not really vibing with this place. It makes my trigger finger itchy.” She replied as she shook her head. The black gun given to her suddenly felt a lot heavier while it was strapped to her thighs.

Hiro hummed for a bit before perking up with a smile as he asked her. “Well, I did promise to get you out on a date. Hey Becca, wanna go out for a ride?”.

That caught her attention instantly as she gestured for him to keep going “I’m interested…what’s the deets?”

Hiro’s smile turned to a grin as he replied “Well, I have an idea where we might have some fun but first, we need to borrow a certain car!” It was now Rebecca’s turn to be dragged along as she was dragged to a towering black figure sitting in the bar.

“Hey Adam! I need to borrow your car.” Hiro shouted, making Rebecca and everyone nearby choke. Kiwi in particular gagged and would have spat all over the bartender if it wasn’t for her chrome. The netrunner gave Hiro and Rebecca a look before she slowly got off her seat and slid down as if she was going to take cover.

Adam slowly turned towards Hiro and Rebecca and gave them the flattest and most unamused look he could give and for a full borg that was saying something, he really showed his displeasure as he kept staring at them. Hiro was unfazed as he simply stared back at the man. Adam narrowed his eyes as he asked “Why?”

“Me and Becca are going out on a sunday drive by out in Pacifica.” Hiro casually replied. The borg let out a sigh and rolled his eyes before he reached for his back and pulled out a key which he promptly gave to Hiro.

“... If I don’t see any blood, I swear.” The borg replied with a shake of his head as he turned back to enjoy his bottle of vodka and jar of pickles.

With keys in hand, he led her up the stairs. He was certainly in better spirits now as they practically ran away from the party. “Let’s go! We’ll need more weapons for this trip.” He excitedly replied and she could only whoop out joyfully. Things were certainly getting spicier tonight.