Mitsu likes my already prefered option, that's all the validation I need. Who are we to turn down the "walk your own path" option after just helping Mitsu have a character arc down that path? Not that I'm attached to the actual silver part of it, so styling it up sounds neat.
[X] [Cyberlimb] The Silverhand
--[X] Change the base of the arm to a metallic blue. Paint a higanbana on the palm and back of the hand, their stems entwining as they spiral down the length of the arm.
Yuuki already showed an affinity for blue with her maid attire. Add a bit of color to break things up on the most visible part of the arm and layer it all with some symbolism that I probably don't have to point out. Just that marking ourself as free doesn't mean we have to brave that freedom solo.
As for the flower trellis idea, probably best to talk about this now, does the appearance vote even extend to something that needs constant upkeep? Because so far we've grown some red spider lillies and sold all of nothing.
[X] [Cyberlimb] The Silverhand
--[X] Change the base of the arm to a metallic blue. Paint a higanbana on the palm and back of the hand, their stems entwining as they spiral down the length of the arm.
As said earlier, no reason to take the 6b when the Silverhand improves one of our important stats and we can afford to spend a bit more money.
[X] [Cyberlimb] The Silverhand
--[X] Change the base of the arm to a metallic blue. Paint a higanbana on the palm and back of the hand, their stems entwining as they spiral down the length of the arm.
[X] [Cyberlimb] The Silverhand
--[X] Change the base of the arm to a metallic blue. Paint a higanbana on the palm and back of the hand, their stems entwining as they spiral down the length of the arm.
[X] [Cyberlimb] The Silverhand
--[X] Change the base of the arm to a metallic blue. Paint a higanbana on the palm and back of the hand, their stems entwining as they spiral down the length of the arm.
That is such a great idea to make this arm "ours" and not look like a poser
"And this must be the Silverhand!" Mitsu declared, restraint barely keeping her from holding it up triumphantly like a war trophy. "A replica arm of an infamous rockerboy, now turned into commercial product! Hm, the quality is rather extraordinary I must say!"
"It is definitely," The Lycoris Netrunner instantly sympathized with a head nod. "I've already seen so many of my classmates go a little too metal, trying to chip in everything to deal with the stress and anxiety from the academic standards. Luckily as their implants were usually of the academia fashion, they couldn't do much, but there is a reason why EMP turrets are installed in libraries to stun possible outbursts."
You reflected that in fact, you did when you were a part of Lycoris. Being a Lycoris Second, you were augmented with more cyberware compared to the Thirds, but less than the extraordinarily rare Firsts.
"Just so long as you don't make them rocket fists," You joked with a laugh, remembering that discarded option. "Even that was just a bit too much for me."
"But imagine a punch of justice!" Your partner immediately whined. "That would be nova!"
"No harm in double checking." After a moment, Arisu shook her head. "They're clean, but they're filled with that typical 'anonymous data collection' junk. It obviously won't record your voice, but it'll record how much pressure and force is being applied at times. Probably stuff that could either useful research datapoints, or legal proof for revoking warranties."
This way I think about it, getting an Arasaka made Johnny Silverhand Replica really feels gaudy and vapid. It's like walking down the street with a banner touting "save the turtles" on one side and a giant British Petroleum branding on the back- except quite a bit worse - I can't exactly nail down what feels so abhorrent about it, but it feels sinister in some way. It's like something so unapologetically insane .. say: goldman sachs co-opting the occupy wallstreet movement to lobby for easing banking regulations.
And there's also the superficial aspect that I don't want want Yuuki walking around as a cheap cp2077 LARP character.
For her everyday, I'm not sure how well recieved it would be in her work as a flower shop owner, and the cyberpsychosis risk basically sends it over the edge for me- I subscribe to the rule that robotics meant for humans or human like sentiences should adhere to an organically "human" design, if only to ease any psychological blocks. Last chapter basically confirmed that such a phenomenon is still problematic in this universe as well.
(Decorative modifications Im guessing are basically tats, so that seems fine on this end)
[x] [Cyberlimb] The Model 6b.
-- [x] Stylized Flower trellis running up the arm, one of each type of flower you have grown or sold.
[X] [Cyberlimb] The Silverhand --[X] Change the base of the arm to a metallic blue. Paint a higanbana on the palm and back of the hand, their stems entwining as they spiral down the length of the arm.
[X] [Cyberlimb] The Model 6b.
--[X] Stylized Flower trellis running up the arm, one of each type of flower you have grown or sold.
-3200eb (16150 -3200 = 12,950eb)
The Arasaka MedTech nodded and stepped away, pulling a cable out of the access port of your new arm. "Looks like it was installed successfully, all connectors seem to be registering as intended," They droned and tapped at their tablet. "Please be aware though that you may feel phantom sensations and inexplicable itchiness while your body adjusts to the new limb. If there are any more severe experiences, I recommend immediately notifying us for further diagnosis and treatment in the event of an impending total system rejection."
You simply nodded along and experimented, feeling each and every one of your new steel digits twitch in turn. Your new left arm carefully lifted itself up and you went through some motions, balling up your hand into a fist and rotating the wrist about. It all felt so unnaturally smooth and fluid, without the restrictions that flesh and bone had imposed.
As if nailing that in, your hand suddenly wrenched at a near perpendicular angle in relation to the rest of your arm and you stared in shock. The MedTech clicked their tongue and seemingly made a note while you gently relaxed, marveling in the fact that you could pull some rather ridiculous feats now with a full chrome ball and socket. After a moment, the attending doctor seemed satisfied to depart with some final instructions. "You will remain under observation for the rest of the week to make sure the nerve connections hold under stress."
"You could just say that I'm stuck in here for a little while longer for post-op recovery," You mumbled and shrugged, relishing the return of feeling both arms move in motion with the gesture. Shortly after the Arasaka MedTech stepped out, your Lycoris Graduates quickly piled in with relieved looks. Your eyebrow arched up at the sight of Mitsu and Arisu taking seats while sealing the door behind them for privacy. "Were you two really waiting outside while they put my new arm on?"
"It was only a brief period!" Mitsu defended with a small blush. "Barely a half hour has passed, and already you are whole once more. Technology truly progresses at a steady rate."
"Calm down. It's more than likely that they've already done most of the preparation socket work while you were recovering from the initial injury," Arisu pointed out with a roll of the eyes. "It'd be a lot quicker and less painful that way. Speaking of which, how do you feel? Any discomfort?"
"A little, but mainly just because I don't feel as much as I used to," You admitted and experimentally pressed a finger against the artifical skin palm. There was a dull little bit of feedback where the real skin met with the fake, one that was carefully measured and calculated based on programmed sensors in the cyberware. It wasn't necessary an unpleasant feeling so much as it was mainly a foreign one. "It'll get some time getting used to. I'm so used to only my eyes being drastically different, but now this is rather interesting."
"You definitely get used to it." To prove her point, Arisu raised an arm and showed off how she could eject an inner compartment to reveal her cyberdeck. "Just keep doing your exercises and be open about if there's any issues with it. Most of the time, these issues could even just be small calibrations that better let your body adapt and adopt it as a new piece of you. I think by the end of the third month, I was fully adapted and barely even thought of it."
"Tragically, I am unable to sympathize or understand the struggle." Your partner gently reached back to lightly tap the attachment to her spine. "This was a rather major installation that I had to take in stride, or else resign myself to months of rehabilitation. So I had to learn quickly, or accept regression.'
"Getting your entire back ripped out tends to do that," You dryly concluded and sighed. Lycoris...definitely had been a bit more intense with cyberware, almost to the point of cruelty. But at the same time, they had some of the best MedTechs on hand to make sure that very few, if any of us died on the tables. A sort of weird dichotomy between treating us as soldiers but also vital assets they can ill afford to lose.
While you lost yourself in your thoughts for a moment, Mitsu leaned in and finally noticed the slight tint in the RealSkinn covering your new arm. "Oh, whatever is this?" She questioned aloud, reaching out to prod at dull brown patches that were dyed into the artificial covering. "A tattoo?"
"The beginnings of one. I asked and they inked a little bit of the arm before attaching it on." You eyed the design, a faint crisscross pattern meant to resemble that of a trellis. "It's not that hard to do at home, so I'll be adding to it as I grow more flowers."
Arisu let out an amused bark at your reveal. "Really? More flowers? You really like them a lot!" She teased before rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Hm, but if I could suggest something, maybe you should look into getting some subdermal ECM ink."
"Subdermal ECM ink?" You repeated and the Netrunner nodded energetically.
"It's an anti-hack cyberware that you line the inner bits of your skin with, or what passes for it. The implant notably glows a little when active, which is nearly all the time, and I hear that it's then popular to tattoo the area to make the entire thing pop out."
"Oho, that sounds rather intriguing!" Mitsu added, a finger tracing over the very rough ink splotches. "It would illuminate the darkness as well, no? Imagine, bringing forth neon light to where it does not shine!"
"Maybe if I get some, I'll share some with you," You told your partner who pumped her fist eagerly, perhaps looking forward to it. "It might be a little while though, I don't know when I'll take a look around the markets, or if they'll even have it in stock."
"Rush not, tis only a matter of want, not need!" She paused, before throwing in her own promise. "I shall look for it in my own time as well if I do not find myself busy around the city. Or perhaps busy helping to attend to the shophouse if nothing else."
Arisu choked at those words and her head swiveled between the two of you. "Wait, are you actually employing Mitsu at your place?" She threw up her hands in shock and you had to admit, you too were a bit surprised at that casual mention. Then you recalled that conversation from the other day and realized that she had been absolutely serious about you becoming her Fixer!
Which apparently meant joining your staff at Kagoshima Fragrance. Huh, your first employee, you supposed, instead of Hinata who you had interviewed recently. Though unlike him, it was clear Mitsu was definitely more than interested in whatever gigs or jobs you picked up and tossed her way. In fact, that might be your primary way of tasking her to money-making activities, with whatever cafe sales she made on the side just covering her basic wages. You'd have to get it all sorted out later when you finally opened up your businesses, both legitimate and illegitimate, but it meant she was less of a constant drain like Hinata and instead mainly was paid in her cut of whatever gigs you had going.
You could work with that.
For her part, Mitsu's chest puffed up proudly and she basically preened under the attention. "But of course I shall become a trusted warrior and confident for Yuuki!" She boldly declared and her eyes glowed. "Behold, witness the care I give to her children!"
"Children?!" Arisu shrieked. "What-?!"
"Yes, my beautiful flowers," You told with a snicker and watched the range of delicious emotion that cycled over the Netrunner's face. Then you focused on the pictures your partner had sent over, taking them in with a hum.
(Tend to Gardens: 86 +5 (Mitsu) = 91)
You were incredibly pleased to see that she had seemingly taken your instructions from last week to heart, keeping the soil for the Lycoris Radiata at an appropriate moisture level. That was the critical part especially as the weather grew warmer and you smiled at the beaming Lycoris Samurai. "I think that they'll be ready by next month at this rate, and they should hopefully bloom beautifully with your help. Thank you."
"Tis a joy to watch new life sprout, especially that sown by your hands!"
"I swear, I'm going to install a Mitsu-translation program in my head at this rate," Arisu groaned and placed her face in her hands. "I have an easier time understanding emoticon text than my fellow sister in arms."
"Emoticon text?" Both you and Mitsu chimed at the same time and the Arasaka Academy student huffed.
"That and Eleet are quite common to encounter when you're jacked in." She paused, then coughed. "Ah, speaking of which, I hope you don't mind me doing some runs at your place. You might not have powerful computers, but it's enough for me to just dock in and spend some time hanging around the digital web, albeit at a higher compressed rate that I'm used to."
You blinked and recalled something. "Is that where you've been advertising word of Kaori opening sometime soon?" You eagerly asked and Arisu pursed her lips.
(Advertise Word: 96 +10 (Arisu) = 106)
"I'll admit, there was some difficulty starting out, not many people seemed to take me seriously. Then suddenly, over the last few days, I've actually noticed a rather new attitude." She looked at the sealed ward door before leaning in with a low whisper. "Word got out about your little job, and there's even some action shots of you two in action floating around!"
Chills ran down your spine and Mitsu's eyes widened. "How-?"
"I think, judging from the angle they had to be footage captured from the house that you were protecting. Thing is, they managed to edit the video masterfully to make it seem like you two were definitely the heroes of the situation." Arisu leaned back into a more comfortable position with a grin. "There's not even anybody really supporting EGO Security, not when they always had that shady gray reputation. But to see two young women charge out of cover and stop heavy weapons from being deployed? Absolute preem story, and that means there's a lot of people now interested in how you're opening up a cafe now."
You scratched the back of your neck awkwardly. "That's...going to be different," You admitted with a sigh. "I really hadn't intended on other stuff I do getting out there. It also makes me worried if EGO comes back in retaliation."
"They won't, not unless they really want to get into a pissing war with Arasaka since you were in their employ at the time. Not that's their style anyway, they just don't care unless there's eddies to make from flatlining you," She pointed out and Mitsu chimed in with her own declaration.
"And should they come for us, then we shall put them to the blade together!"
That surprisingly reassured you a considerable bit and you relaxed. "Then I guess that if it makes Kaori someplace that could be safe for these other people, then it's fine, especially if they decide to have a visit." Thinking about it, it could also help drive people in need of protection or security to me to setup gig opportunities! So it's not so bad after all. But there was still a lingering question, though you felt like you already had an answer. "The ones who uploaded and spread the videos, what was their name?"
"Some online handle with the name 'Pauper.' I actually chatted with them and had a real riot about our runner names!" Arisu chuckled and shook her head. "A little off-putting, but somebody who claims to be on your side of things, hence why they edited the footage so."
Pauper again, from the Secondborn Ronin. Your eyes slid over to the gifted tablet on the side table and wondered if they really were on your side, or if it was all just a facade. Perhaps they were genuine, but that made you all the more curious about just what sort of favor you had accidentally done for them in saving the Arasaka VIP. Perhaps that was something to bargain for or trade, from one Fixer to another.
You grabbed at the private tablet now and began to boot it up, planning out your next moves while Arisu and Mitsu decided to engage in some casual chitchat at the bedside. You brought up the employee files and hummed, trying to decide if you wanted to spend your remaining time interviewing another candidate, or if you wanted to finalize the paperwork now and hire Hinata on now. He obviously wouldn't be getting paid until you finally opened Kagoshima Fragrance for real, but maybe some early onboarding wouldn't hurt.
Then again, you did have some time to perhaps reach out to another candidate and ask about them. Maybe even one who could be interested in your side Fixer business instead of being very clearly against getting involved. Mitsu was nice, but in case you weren't there, maybe having some backup for her was a good idea. She'd protest she could handle herself, but just to be sure, you considered your options.
[ ] [Interview] Setup a call and interview another possible candidate to join the cafe staff.
-[ ] The student, Osaka Hatate
-[ ] The Vendetta, Futai Erika
[ ] [Employee] Go ahead and finalize the paperwork to hire a new employee for your cafe.
-[ ] The unemployed, Morales Hinata
Your new left arm carefully lifted itself up and you went through some motions, balling up your hand into a fist and rotating the wrist about. It all felt so unnaturally smooth and fluid, without the restrictions that flesh and bone had imposed.
"A little, but mainly just because I don't feel as much as I used to," You admitted and experimentally pressed a finger against the artifical skin palm. There was a dull little bit of feedback where the real skin met with the fake, one that was carefully measured and calculated based on programmed sensors in the cyberware. It wasn't necessary an unpleasant feeling so much as it was mainly a foreign one.
"Getting your entire back ripped out tends to do that," You dryly concluded and sighed. Lycoris...definitely had been a bit more intense with cyberware, almost to the point of cruelty. But at the same time, they had some of the best MedTechs on hand to make sure that very few, if any of us died on the tables. A sort of weird dichotomy between treating us as soldiers but also vital assets they can ill afford to lose.
"Subdermal ECM ink?" You repeated and the Netrunner nodded energetically.
"It's an anti-hack cyberware that you line the inner bits of your skin with, or what passes for it. The implant notably glows a little when active, which is nearly all the time, and I hear that it's then popular to tattoo the area to make the entire thing pop out."
Which apparently meant joining your staff at Kagoshima Fragrance. Huh, your first employee, you supposed, instead of Hinata who you had interviewed recently.
For her part, Mitsu's chest puffed up proudly and she basically preened under the attention. "But of course I shall become a trusted warrior and confident for Yuuki!" She boldly declared and her eyes glowed. "Behold, witness the care I give to her children!"
"I swear, I'm going to install a Mitsu-translation program in my head at this rate," Arisu groaned and placed her face in her hands. "I have an easier time understanding emoticon text than my fellow sister in arms."
[ ] [Interview] Setup a call and interview another possible candidate to join the cafe staff.
-[ ] The student, Osaka Hatate
-[ ] The Vendetta, Futai Erika
[ ] [Employee] Go ahead and finalize the paperwork to hire a new employee for your cafe.
-[ ] The unemployed, Morales Hinata
[X] [Interview] Setup a call and interview another possible candidate to join the cafe staff.
-[X] The Vendetta, Futai Erika
We might as well check this out. We might have gotten sidetracked by the EGO operation, but there's still that plot thread dangling. Though, I'm curious how Mitsu having her arc is going to influence how she might interact with a member of the Vendetta once it comes to that. Well, that's probably not until after the interview, if at all.
Arisu choked at those words and her head swiveled between the two of you. "Wait, are you actually employing Mitsu at your place?" She threw up her hands in shock and you had to admit, you too were a bit surprised at that casual mention.
For her part, Mitsu's chest puffed up proudly and she basically preened under the attention. "But of course I shall become a trusted warrior and confident for Yuuki!" She boldly declared and her eyes glowed. "Behold, witness the care I give to her children!"
Just wait until Arisu learns that passing the flower test means Yuuki thinks they're ready for adopting... which given some of the plans she has for Kagoshima Fragrance might only be a half joke. Just look at these heroic young girls. First they risk themself to save lives and now they're opening an orphanage.
Okay, I think the comedy beats this chapter have me spinning a bit. (Really, all that's missing is Mitsu bragging about having taken good care off the flowers only to reveal she actually rolled a crit failure, but I'm more than happy to see the flowers doing well.) More seriously, Pauper has coming in clutch a lot recently. We'll see how the PR move ends up playing out, but if nothing else, Mitsu might enjoy the fame.
[X] [Interview] Setup a call and interview another possible candidate to join the cafe staff.
-[X] The Vendetta, Futai Erika
Yeah, she wanted to talk to us, better get that done. It doesn't mean that we will hire her, although having more "muscles" for our fixer side-gig could be useful while Morales take care of the kitchen
