Chapter 23

It took a few hours, but I walked out of the shop wearing a new Leotard, and a bag with a few spares. It had also cost me way less than the first one. So that was nice. Rather than head directly home I decided to look around, maybe stop at a cafe or something to eat something different.

I didn’t want to turn into Jun and his Vendor Burrito aficionado status. The thought stopped me cold for a moment before I let it go.

I would always worry about Jun, but all I could do is keep moving forward.

I ended up stopping at a nice little cafe and eating a quiet lunch. The many Mox in the area were… Different. Thankfully despite being asian, no one bothered me since I wasn’t exactly looking like a normal Tyger Claw.

So, I got to people watch all the Mox that were everywhere in the area.

Pastel and neon. Weird combo, but I could respect it. The Mox were… Interesting. On one hand they were still sort of at the point in a gang’s life where the original idea to actually make things better was still active. But at the same time it was starting to die off. Greed changed everything.

Instead of helping people like the Mox had been founded on, they were now shifting to helping the Mox and no one else.

Funny how that goes. Soon it would shift more and the Mox would be like 6th St. Using force to keep their income stream safe and active.

I finished up my lunch and left the little cafe, walking down the street just sort of taking in the sights of the area. Even here though it was tense. Mox were heavily armed. People were scurrying around for the most part. Shops all had extra security either in guards, or equipment.

Everyone was afraid of the gangs right now. Tyger Claws were being aggressive as Strom poked them with a stick, and it was having a knock on effect. Tyger Claws being angry and hyper aggressive meant Mox were running into trouble, which was cutting off Mox areas from other gangs.

Most of the other gangs wouldn’t admit it, but it was making getting BD’s that the Mox sold difficult, and so that was causing tension everywhere.

Crazy to think that basically lack of porn was causing an issue throughout the city, but there you go. Night City folks.

I was walking down through a small park area when I heard it.

A cry of pain, the sound of flesh being struck, and angry voices. I felt myself tense, a stream of instincts all coming out to play as I lowered myself down to better control my center of gravity and crept along.

My boots became absolutely silent on the concrete path.

Thankfully it wasn’t anything serious. I turned around a bush on the path and frowned as I saw a bunch of teenagers. Three boys all standing around a fourth who was on the ground.

And bruised and beaten up.

“Trying to fuck us over again, huh Nox?” One of the boys said as he kicked the figure on the ground. “I think I’ll just take what BD’s you have instead. Teach you a lesson, yeah?”

The boy on the ground groaned and curled up around a backpack.

I sighed, a teenage brawl? A sale of BD’s gone wrong? Well I didn’t see any guns, or knives. So I was pretty uninterested…

But it would be the right thing to do wouldn’t it? To help out the guy on the ground… I considered it. I didn’t really think of myself as a hero. I was kinda too selfish for that. But I had been doing a lot of murder, even if they all deserved it.

Saving someone in trouble would be a good act.

My shoulders slumped.

“Alright I think that’s enough of that!” I called out as I came around the corner. The three boys still standing all startled for half a second before looking between each other and me incredulously.

“Who the hell is this?”

“Never seen her before, you Ian?”

“Nope. Hey fuck off.” One of them called out throwing me a middle finger.

I looked the three boys over. “No. Don’t know what’s going on, but I’m interfering. Head off, I think you’ve beaten the kid enough for today.”

“Maybe I haven’t choom. Why don’t you fuck off, before we take you over to those bushes and play XBD?”

My nose crinkled. Disgusting. Just for that. I wasn’t gonna let them walk away.

I sighed as I adjusted my gloves a bit ensuring they were tight, stretching my neck a bit to make sure I was limbered up.

And then while the three gonks were all trying to square up and act like tough guys. I simply moved.

Unfortunately this was Night City. Teenagers knew how to fight here more often than not. They startled at my sudden aggression but didn’t run, instead they attacked.

I wasn’t able to throw the first punch.

Stupid long boy arms. But I had a few levels in Street Brawling. Blocking a punch was nothing fancy. I took the hit on my forearms and ducked in, a right jab into his gut caused him to burst into a wheeze as he folded over.

Wow, did this kid not know how to take a punch?

I barely got my arm up in time to block a punch from my right. My eyes caught where he was looking, the accuracy of my Kiroshis making it child’s play to lift a leg and catch his kick on my shin.

The third guy was quicker than I thought. He didn’t go for a punch, instead he grabbed my left arm in a harsh grip, since I was already on one foot he managed to move me pretty easily, almost throwing me to the ground, but I kept my feet by grabbing his wrist that was holding me.

Then to my surprise I squeezed, and with a twist of my hand was able to rip his hand off my arm. Since I had him now, I pulled tugging him into a knee that I slammed into his stomach.

Turning to fight kick boy I didn’t quite manage to dodge a punch.

I winced as his blow slammed not into me, but into the Burya holstered under my jacket.

Ow!

I wheezed a bit as he just punched a hunk of metal into my chest, but he was getting the worse off. As he was staggering back cradling his hand.

“Time out.” I managed to wheeze as I waved him off reaching up under my jacket and wincing.

He punched the Burya into my tit!

Ow!

“I think you just broke my hand!” He whined as he bent over his clutching his wrist “Let… Let’s call it done?” He asked after a minute of painful breathing as he struggled not to make too much noise.

I had bent over the little stone wall that surrounded the park. Clutching my chest as it throbbed in pain. “Deal. Take your Chooms and get lost.” I waved him off as I breathed, and after a few moments the three boys turned tail and ran.

Ow! Sure Cold Blood could make me not feel it, but c’mon going all cold for a couple of kids seemed so pointless! But still… Ow!

“Hey you alive?” I asked once the three were gone as I walked over to the beaten boy.

Huh. Beaten Mox boy. That was definitely their colors.

“I’ll… Live.” He muttered as he looked me over from a single eye, the other one already swollen shut. At some point he had stopped curling up and moved into a sitting position with his back resting against the stone wall.

“Good.” I muttered, turning to walk away. I was so done here. Time to go check my bruised tit in my car.

Even with the alerts for Street Brawling I hadn’t exactly been looking around for a fist fight.

Also my tit hurt.

“W-wait!” The teen gasped out as He sort of fumbled to stand. I turned and sort of stared at him helpless to even get up and sighed. “I owe you one, let me thank you!” He begged as he rose up it was obvious he was weak but he managed to get to his feet, as he did he gasped as his bag was held wrong.

Everything inside fell to the ground in a torrent.

Condoms?!?

No wait. Those were BD’s. They were in condom wrapping because someone had a sense of humor.

“F-fuck.” He muttered, bending down into the dirt and stuffing them back into his bag.

I watched for a minute before I finally decided to speak up. “You should just leave them, I think you need to get to a Ripper or something first.”

“No! I can-can’t. Any of the BD’s I lose, I’ll have to pay for!” He gasped out as he was struggling to find them all.

I sighed and with a single glance of my scanner I had them all. Three of them were hidden under a bush, but after a moment and a confirmation from my scanner we had them all.

“Damn…Are those Kiroshis? That’s preem ware.” He muttered, having noticed me looking around and scanning the ground.

“Thanks.” I stood up having grabbed the last of the BD’s and wiped my pants. I had just turned when I had a hand grab at my wrist.

“H-hey! Wait! Hold on, Umm I owe you one! I’m gonna go to Lizzie’s to get checked out, you should come, I’m sure I can get you a reward for saving me.”

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“I don’t really need a reward, thanks though.” I offered but the boy wasn’t letting me walk away.

“C-Cmon even if you won’t accept a reward, you really saved me, come by the bar, I can introduce you to Mateo, cheap drinks?”

“I don’t drink.” I refused, waving my hands but again he wasn’t taking no for an answer.

“Then at least come with, let everyone know who helped out a Mox. We don’t forget people who did us a favor.” He begged.

I was going to refuse again, but just as I was about to say it, he sort of limped and almost tripped.

“Fuck.” He cursed wincing at his ankle which I noticed with a glance was swelling up.

“Looks sprained… C’mon. I’ll give you a ride at least. My car isn’t far.” I muttered. This is what I get for being the hero. A bruised tit, and having to do more work.

He looked up, his face flashing into a smile… Which wasn’t the best to look at with all the swelling. “Yes! Hey I’m Nox the Mox.” He… Introduced himself.

“Nox the Mox?” I asked as I felt my face flattening into a deadpan.

“Yep! I’m a seller, a good one, a catchy name means people remember you when they want something. Trust me, it sounds a bit weird, but my name alone has got me a ton of business!” He practically chirped as he limped along until I helped stabilize him.

“Motoko. I don’t run with a gang, so I guess I’m Motoko the Merc.”

“Oh? A merc? I guess that explains the moves and the chrome.” He said adding a little karate chops to his words.

“Yeah, something like that.” I muttered as we turned a corner and came up to my car. I could feel the moment he noticed it as he sorta pulled away a bit.

“U-um, nice car. I might want to just walk…” I chuckled a little at his response because I really needed to get my ride painted.

“Don’t worry I’m not a Wraith, despite what my ride says. I had a job that took me out to the Badlands. It turned into a bit of a mess but I flatlined the previous owner, and now I have his ride… I really need to get it painted.”

“Right.. Okay sure.” He muttered, sounding a little suspicious, but I shrugged and helped him into the car as I went around.

With a flick of my mind I switched to map mode and made up a path to Lizzie’s Bar.

“So, a Merc huh? What’s that like?”

“Pay goes from good to complete shit usually depending on how much someone shoots you.” I told him truthfully as I pulled out to the street and started driving to the bar. “What’s a BD salesman like?”

“It’s good eddies when I have a buyer, but it’s just enny’s most of the time. Nothing like Merc work.”

“Trust me merc stuff can be fun, but it also has moments where you do a lot of work or get in dangerous situations and get paid close to nothing.” I said, remembering a certain job with a group of teenage gangers.

That had been a bit of a mess.

Thankfully the bar wasn’t far, and I didn’t have to share more than a few more bits about jobs I had done before I pulled slowly into the parking lot of Lizzie’s Bar.

Of course pulling up in a very obviously painted ride drew attention. I could see the bouncer Rita, if I remembered her name right, go from relaxing at the door to carrying her baseball bat with a vengeance.