Digital Higanbana (Lycoris Recoil x Cyberpunk Quest)

"...that being said, do you have any questions for me?" You politely asked with a smile. "After all, this interview does go both ways- me getting to know a prospective employee, you getting to know a possible new workplace."

"Hah, just you asking that probably ranks you already higher than most managers I've worked under before!" Hinata remarked through the call. "No, I think I'm pretty good on the deets so far. Gotta say, I really think it's nova that you're going for a flower cafe theme, and if you provide the uniforms, then that's preem in my books. Ah, actually, just one thing if you don't me prodding a little."

"Please, ask away."

"Er, you're not going to drag me into any of that weird...Edgerunner crap, you know?" He warily asked, calling back to why this was a digital interview. "I'm sorry but I really like my two fleshy arms and I ain't going to chip it up. So if you've got anything of that, please, leave me the fuck out. I've got fish that I definitely want to see when I come home everyday."

"I see. I'll definitely keep that in mind," You promised with a nod. "If that's all, then please look forward to my decision sometime soon. Likely after I finally get some new chrome."

"Looking forward to it and I hope you're back on your feet soon enough!" With a little wave, the call disconnected and you leaned back in the medical bed with a satisfied sigh. Your first ever interview had gone well, and you now reviewed the notes you'd been jotting down on a little text document via your opticware.

Morales Hinata was a veritable veteran of the service industry, owing to the rather tragic fact that he had to first start taking up jobs while he was still a secondary school student. He had struggled juggling the two aspects of his life but somehow managed to pull through with a barely passing grade and siblings he managed to help send off to college when they qualified for scholarships. Unfortunately, he hadn't met such criteria and was thus rather stuck in life.

But yet he didn't let that drag him down and managed to carve out a little bubble for himself in the city through working in the service industry. If he really decided to, you were sure Hinata could probably find some nice customer service job in Tokyo or something higher up, but he liked Kagoshima far too much to try to move out. He did hint that had you not appeared, he maybe would have reconsidered that line of thinking and started prepping to move out. He didn't have faith that anybody but you in the area could handle his rather lax and easygoing attitude to the job. His boundaries and his experience were a complete bundle, through and through.

It meant that you could only lean on him for the public front of Kagoshima Fragrance, and could really not pull him into the other Fixer aspect. You supposed that was fine, if just a bit disappointing. But not everybody was willing to work with the darker aspects of the city, even if there was a mix of eddies and street cred to gain from it. You recalled how you yourself wanted to help provide guidance to individuals in need of such direction, hence why you had chosen to get involved.

Even now, you reflected on how much more active and focused you were despite being stuck in a medical ward now. Maybe it was your biases from previous incidents coloring your perception, but compared to the first time when you felt nothing but pointless despair, this was certainly not just sitting around and bemoaning life. No, you were focused on trying to make sure your new business was going to be the very best it could be when it finally opened up while keeping an eye on the city's happenings via the tablet provided by Pauper.

It was a definite far cry from feeling like just a failed child soldier. All that could make this better perhaps would be a little nice vase by your bedside, with a flower perhaps grown by your own hands providing a lovely fragrance-

Your thoughts were suddenly interrupted with a notification of an incoming call in your vision. You blinked at the ID and immediately accepted with a concerned look. "Mitsu? Everything okay?"

"I am indeed. You need not worry," She responded and it was quickly verified when the video connection was established. You let out a relieved sigh and shifted, slightly mindful of your missing left arm. "How do you fare? Sick of eating corporate fare yet?" Your partner softly teased and you laughed.

"It is a little bit too dense for me, so I'm really looking to getting out of here. How are you doing? Oh, did you manage to pick up Arisu?" You pretended to lean around, as if you could see her over the shoulder. "Please pass on my well-wishes to her."

"I shall." Then she hesitated, a clear conflict in her eyes. You said nothing, letting Mitsu fight her own pride to discuss whatever had been bothering her. "...Yuuki, I...that is, me and Arisu, we have tracked down he who had harmed you so. Who had claimed a piece of your body from you." You couldn't see it, but you could imagine her hand balling up into a fist in anger of that thought.

You considered your next few words carefully. "I see. But it sounds like you've got something on your mind."

"Because it's so much more complicated than what I had originally envisioned," Your partner somberly told, clearly frustrated. "I had always seen myself a hero of justice. That had been what I told myself on those patrols, when we eliminated any that posed a threat to the order of Kyoto. We were heroes, I had thought, and it would come so simply to me when we graduated.

"But now, without a voice in head giving me orders on who to slay, I find myself doubting my own choices. My own judgment." She swallowed and her head dipped down. "I had gone after your attacker in thinking it would be so simple, but in the process, have I not sown greater evil along the way? Or is it all righteous in the name of honor, for both me and you?"

"Ah. It really is so different out there," You sighed and closed your eyes. This was...difficult, and you felt like staying in bed like a slug was absolutely not appropriate for the moment. You gently pulled back the blankets and stood on your own feet, speaking all the while. "It's one thing to be told you're doing the right thing, but now that we're adults, we don't have that guidance anymore. Not as long as we don't want a leash back on us."

"One that we slip on willingly at least," She mumbled and noticed your movement with some concern. "Should you not be resting?"

"My legs are going to start withering away if I don't get the blood flowing now and then. But I'll keep it brief." True to your words, it was only a few strides to the side of the sealed door that led in and out the medical ward. You blandly realized that there wasn't a chair nearby to drag, then decided the ground was good enough to sit on, leaning your back against the block of steel that separated you from the rest of the building. "I'm curious though. Did you dig up anything on the who nearly flatlined me?"

Mitsu flinched slightly at your wording, but nodded and wordlessly forwarded a personnel file you were quite sure she wasn't supposed to be able to access. But you focused on the history of the individual themselves, wanting to know more about the one who nearly punched your ticket. It wasn't like you could go back and ask about the other ones who had nearly done so, making this a rather interesting exercise.

The individual in question was a man who seemingly only knew how to fight to live. His personal history made brief mention that he had been orphaned early in life, his entire family unfortunately losing everything in life due to a religious cult they had given themselves into. He drifted on the streets and eventually learned, rather straightforwardly, that might was how one could find a name for themselves in this world. From there, he was scouted by EGO Security and the rest was a history of being one of their more reliable operatives. Not necessarily the best, but the one who at least could be trusted to decide to shoot first, get paid later, and never ask the questions afterwards.

You let out a rueful chuckle. "Huh. This guy's actually almost like us when we were younger."

"So you noticed the similarities too," Mitsu soberly observed. "Were he a she and a few decades younger, Lycoris would be overjoyed to have the model soldier. One that even doesn't ask questions."

"But as we know now, it's good to have those questions sometimes," You finished with a shake of the head. You dismissed the file with a blink and hummed thoughtfully, your gaze drifting to your schoolbag resting on your bedside table. "So then. What are you going to do?"

"I wanted to ask you-"

"Stop that." The words came out a bit harsher than you anticipated and you winced, quickly adding, "Stop trying to follow orders from a chain of command we don't have anymore. We're our own people now, and we can live our own lives unlike Mister EGO over here. He won't even have a life outside killing others, and I know that you're better than that. You can be, if you want," You ended gently, tensing up for a moment in anticipation for Mitsu's response.

There was a long moment of silence when your partner tried to formulate an answer, one that had you glancing again at your equipment. Well, it wasn't like you needed two hands to use a gun…

[ ] [Mitsu] "If you think I can be better, then...I think I need to show so by leaving him behind. Let him wander his paths and us ours- they intersect only a mere once, and if they cross again, then that is life. Let us measure then who has truly lived in comparison."

[ ] [Mitsu] "Being better...it means that we have to show appropriate retribution, but nothing more. Chrome for chrome. Let's settle it, then be done with it all, regardless if he walks away or not. That's true justice."

[ ] [Mitsu] "When we strike...it really is for the better. It makes the world a better place if we decide it so. People like him, they cheapen life into eddies. We can't let that stand. We need to show that if you wield the gun, you must be prepared to die by the blade, that taking a life should never be so cold."

[ ] [Yuuki] Sit there and let Mitsu handle it.

[ ] [Yuuki] Grab your bag and join your partner.

- Choosing appropriate retribution (the second option) means looking for an honorable duel to settle things. Choosing valuing life (the third option) means taking the threat seriously and looking to end him as practically as possible (drawing him out to snipe).
- Yuuki's choice will decide whose POV you want to go through for the final showdown here if applicable.
- I did not know the background at all until the time came for me to toss die at it. Make of it what you will.

"If you think I can be better, then…" She hesitated through the call before lowering her head. "...then I think I need to show so by leaving him behind." Her hand was visibly clenching, clearly at conflict within herself, not sure if this was the right choice at all.

But it was one she made by herself, and for that, you wanted to respect it above everything. Maybe you disagreed, maybe you agreed. Either way, you still spoke up in an understanding and patient tone. "We're not following orders anymore. We can live for ourselves now."

"You're right. Let him wander his paths and us ours- they intersect only a mere once, and if they cross again, then that is life. Let us measure then who has truly lived in comparison." Mitsu paused, her eyes flicking to you on the call screen. "Is that...acceptable? That this slight goes forgiven."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still upset about losing an arm, but I think it'd be even worst if I lost you too. It's fine if he walks away so long as you do as well," You declared with a head nod before resting it against the wall. "That's all I care about in the end. Forget about vengeance or any of that, at least not unless we get paid to do so. Then that's just a job benefit."

"Hah," Your partner snorted through the call and seemingly leaned her head back as well. "So the moment there's a bounty, I've free leave to go after him. An acceptable arrangement, I would say."

"At that point, it's a gig and I'm getting involved. After all, I'm your Fixer now," You lightly teased with a smile and held out your fingers, like wanting to grasp her hand. "I have to become rather meddlesome and pay you to do annoying jobs."

"Haha!" Now it was a full laugh, cheer finally restored to her face. "If you insist, then I'll guard you on the job, for the right cut."

"I wouldn't have it any other way once I get out of here." Your hands grasped the empty air and unknowingly, on the opposite of the wall, your partner mimicked the expression where she sat resting in the hallway outside the medical ward.


You cast a critical eye on the pictures of your garden and nodded, sending a little thumbs-up emoticon to Mitsu who was diligently caring for them in your absence. You had chosen to stay in the medical ward just a little bit longer to make sure you healed up properly, though you were fairly sure you were well-enough to be discharged already. The missing arm would be annoying, but you did know how to reload a pistol with your teeth if need be.

An assault rifle though, that would be more annoying, along with whatever other goodies Mitsu had been mentioning she had acquired. You blinked, then sheepishly added 'operating a coffee machine' to the list. It spoke volumes how you still immediately gravitated to combat practicality over daily necessities and living. Maybe that was why people usually didn't leave until they got new chrome.

Of course, that was when the door to your room slid open and Security Chief Azumi showed up with a small nod of the head. She notably didn't step through until you waved her through, her shoulders slightly relaxing the moment she was inside and the door sealed shut behind. "Good morning. How are you doing?"

"Well enough." You amicably told and discretely turned off the tablet Pauper had provided. "Is it finally time?"

"Aye, I finally managed to sit down with my bosses and ferret out an answer from their lips." She scowled. "It really didn't have to be that annoying, they just had to tell me what we could offer you. Maybe it was just a power play to make me approach them. Bah."

"Must be rough in Arasaka," You bluntly told and Azumi coughed.

"Well, it's just the life I chose." She then gave you a curious look, eye lingering on the schoolbag at your side. "When your partner returned the Barrett-Arasaka 20mm rifle without any signs of wear and tear on the barrel, I was a bit surprised. Just a little bit disappointed as well, I was going to pay top eddie if you could record a BD of what that little puppy would do on a body. But I suppose that she's made up her mind about stepping away from the mess."

"It's for the better that we just walk away from spilling more blood when it's not going to do anything but cause more trouble," You explained with a sigh. "It's frustrating, but I think that Mitsu has become better by making a clear-headed choice instead of acting on instinct."

"Like the instinct to immediately purchase the biggest anti-cyberpsycho weapon we could offer to blow the brains out of somebody who hurt somebody she cared about," Azumi dryly remarked with a raised eyebrow. "You sure you two aren't input and output?"

You blinked and frowned. "I've heard that term before, but what does that mean?"

Azumi cackled and shook her head. "Oh, I'll let you two figure that out yourself, it's more fun that way." In-between her snickering, she withdrew a small datapad from her jacket and handed it over. "Anyway, here's what the suits and I managed to work out could go missing from the backroom stocks that nobody would miss, and nobody would care if you walked out wearing. As mentioned before, don't worry about the surgery costs, I'm footing that bill entirely. Only thing you need to do is cover the purchase. Oh, speaking of which."

Her eyes lit up and you nearly gasped to at see the numbers in your bank account finally rising. "It's been a long while coming, but here's your first paycheck from Shinohara Security. I hope that despite everything, you're still open to working with us to keep the streets safe," She firmly told when you beheld your first ever payment.

+1200eb (14950 +1200 = 16,150 eb)

You opened your mouth in shock and Azumi firmly interrupted. "Don't give me any of that 'it's too much' bullshit. You earned those eddies, go and blow it on whatever's nova these days."

"...thanks," You weakly said, not used to now being paid for services rendered. You shook your head and had to remind yourself that this money would definitely be going to whatever new chrome you decided to purchase and install as a replacement left arm. You activated the datapad now, taking a look at your options.

(Arasaka Stock: 23 +10 (Shinohara Security) = 33)

With every tap of the finger, your brow drew closer and closer together until you let out a disappointed sigh. "Just generic corpo cyberware, huh?" You drawled and Azumi winced.

"Unfortunately so, sorry. Apparently even though you literally lost an arm in service, HR decided to play the 'just a contractor' card and so my hands are tied unless you actually sign up with us." The woman let out some very colorful language for what she thought about upper management. "I've wiggled a few interesting options in there as well, but if none of them appeal to you, I understand if you just want to walk away."

"Give me a moment, let me think," You sighed and went through the options again, narrowing them down to what you found particularly worth considering.

The first, the Model 6b, was definitely the most boring option of the lot, being just a regular cyberarm replacement with all the necessary functionality such as data access ports and cords. It would be closest to what you had before, including the part where it looked almost like real blood and flesh. The option surprisingly wasn't the cheapest, pricing in at a hefty 3200eb.

You had to remind yourself that surgery fees, especially by professional Arasaka MedTechs could easily double the price if Azumi hadn't already volunteered to cover those. It still was a bitter bite and you gritted your teeth to check the other possibilities.

The next option, the Comet Z, was one that fully discarded the notion of regular human appearance and instead went for going maximum chrome, maximum functionality. You could even see the circuits and wriing behind a plastic covering, leading all the way up to a detachable hand of all things that could be swapped for different purposes, the included option being advertised to a hand that could shoot out on a cable to latch onto things a distance away. You could see the versatility of the option, but it definitely would be slightly unnerving to others along with a hefty price tag of 3800eb.

The last option that caught your eye was one that had you looking up to Azumi with a deadpan expression. "Really?" You asked with an incredulous expression and the corporate groaned, raising her arms and quoting an infamous individual who had apparently been inspiration for this replica model.

"'Mindless fucking consumerism wins again.' Seriously, it sells, and Arasaka rolls with the cash from it. Who would've thought."

You were definitely sure that had to be a Samurai quote from somewhere and idly wondered if you could text Momiji to see if she knew where. But either way, it definitely was, well, the preem option of the entire lot. Even if it certainly wasn't the original, the silver chrome arm was notorious in appearance alone, definitely adding to people's first impression of you. But it definitely came at a real preem price and you had to remind yourself that Arasaka was certainly drying away the tears of the Night City Holocaust if they sold these at an exorbitant 5000 eb each.

But it certainly had all the functionality of a regular cyberlimb and it was, well, nova as all hell. The question was if you wanted to spend the eddies on it now. You considered the three options and made your choice.

[ ] [Cyberlimb] The Model 6b, the straightforward option. Effects: None (3200eb)

[ ] [Cyberlimb] The Comet Z, the versatile option. Effects: -1 Empathy. Variety hand grapple options. (3800eb)

[ ] [Cyberlimb] The Silverhand, the rebel option. Effects: +1 Empathy. (5000eb)

[ ] [Cyberlimb] None, you'll walk out today and find a new RipperDoc to carve you up.

- For those who don't know, Silverhand's arm was indeed Arasaka-made. You can make out the logo he purposefully scratched off. Now that he's a rebel rocker legend, what better way for Arasaka to subtly insult his memory than by turning it into a consumer fad?
- It is possible to modify your cyberware down the line if you're curious, but you really do need expertise in that or find some cyberware that can slot in. It likely won't happen for a while unless you purposefully go looking.