Making Connections
He didn't quite expect to meet the girl from the bar again, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless; more so that she actually remembered him. "Peach Boy?" He asked, amused at the nickname given to him. That was certainly a new one.
"Hey, it's not everyday that someone gives you a goddamn peach while you're bar hopping," She replied, flashing him a teasing grin as she grabbed her meal.
"Oh yeah, that thing," He replied, chuckling ruefully at the memory. Of all the things his drunken self could have said or given her, he had to give her a peach. He could have blown his cover then and there but, from the looks of it, he'd instead made quite the impression. Still, he'd caused her problems and the amount she gave was just a bit too much. "But I can't take this payment. It should be the opposite really! I should be the one paying you!" He insisted as he refunded her payment.
As the cash was sent back, The girl gave him an amused look before asking, "Really? You really want to play this game?" Then leaned on the table, smirking up at him, "I don't know how you city folks do it, but that fruit gave me some breathing room in this here city, mister, so you better take those eddies or I'll be shoving them up where the sun don't shine." Once more, he received the payment, and with added interest.
Crossing his arms, he remained firm, rebuffing her once more as he fired back, "Well someone has to owe someone else, it ain't right otherwise." To which she nodded. Staring at her, it seemed that they had come to an impasse. She wouldn't back down while he couldn't let that debt go unpaid.
Neither of them were going to budge on the matter, so he needed a compromise and he might've just had something in mind. "Now, tell you what, how about we talk this out over a proper meal and see where it goes," He suggested before pointing at the clock, "It's already a quarter past one anyways, and I haven't eaten lunch," Leaning forward, he then added as he extended a hand for her, "And this seems like a good time for that."
The girl's eyes widened for a bit before she chuckled as he grabbed the offered hand and shook it. "You city boys sure are weird, but that sounds like a good idea," She replied.
Despite the protests from some of his customers, he closed the shop temporarily. Hey, he was looking to sell food at a cheap price, but that didn't mean he was going to sacrifice his own health for it. He needed a break, and it was just a coincidence he also needed that time to talk to someone.
"Want some fries with that?" He asked her as he offered her as he sat down beside her. He'd just remembered that he still had some fries left in the fridge. A quick fry in the carnita's fat and he got himself some tasty sides. Unhealthy, yes. Delicious? Definitely.
The cowgirl took one look at it before shrugging as she offered her plate, "Hey, why the hell not?" He made sure to give her enough, about half of what he'd made. Dishes like these were meant to be shared. Still, it made him wonder; why did food get better that way?
Was it because one had less so that they appreciated it more while it lasted, or was it human empathy at work as the experience they had with the meal was shared, enhancing it to untold heights? Either way, he liked it that way. It certainly made every meal with someone else much more special.
Taking a bite out of the crispy side dish, she let out a moan. "Now I see why you offered fries," The girl replied as a dopey, satisfied smile stretched across her face. "It's almost like it's the real thing," She chuckled.
He snorted, amused at how she hadn't yet realized just what she was eating. If this was how she reacted to just salted fries, she'd love it even more once he added flavored powder on them. Though, poutine sounded nice with the gravy and cheese curds.
Shifting on his seat, he tried to make himself comfortable. The metal bench wasn't as good as the cushions of a proper stool, but it would do. Together, they sat there, watching the people of the city pass by the shop. Some customers still lingered, waiting for him to finish his break, but he ignored them as he focused on what was happening there and then.
"About that night," He started, rubbing the back of his head as he laid down his plate on his lap, "I'm really sorry about Rebecca. She got a bit too much to drink and, well… you know what happened next," He then said, letting out a pained chuckle at the memory. Rebecca almost drew her gun at the girl and things could have gotten ugly, but she didn't need to know that…
Still, she just laughed it off as she replied, "Nah, it's cool. It wasn't really that bad! Just some girls having fun in the bar, that's all," Shaking her head, she then said, "Besides, It ain't my first rodeo having to deal with a girl protecting what's hers."
He chuckled as he shook his head. Sometimes, Rebecca could just be so passionate about things that she actually got violent, but that was what made her love her. "Yeah, she's not afraid to let speak her mind," He added, smiling softly at that. Rebecca could just sweep him off his feet and he could do nothing about it, but that was ok.
"I do suggest holding her back on the drinks," She replied as she brought the lip of the bottle against her mouth, "I swear, people really should lay off on the martinis or whatever fancy shots they get."
"More like she should have taken it easy with the drinks," He corrected, letting out a wry smile as he recounted, "She was chugging that bottle of whisky like it was water." He needed to ask her if her liver had some chrome because that did not look healthy
"She what?" She asked as she turned to him, mouth agape in disbelief. He couldn't blame her. It was a wonder she could drink that much.
"And several more," He nodded as he reached down to munch on the fries still left on his plate, "I probably should have stopped her, but she looked like she was having fun and it turned out well enough," He said before he held up his hands, "Well, at least until that incident."
The girl chuckled as she finished her plate, "I say let bygones be bygones." Leaning back, she took another sip before commenting, "Man, now I know why my old man loves this stuff. He used to wax poetic about the nectar of the gods or something and cursed how the green plague took all the good ingredients."
"They never got back on their feet after all the corporate wars," he told her. Who knew that it wasn't going to be PepsiCo that would deal the killing blow but rather NiCola, the young up and comer that would dethrone the king. "Lucky that I got the formula so I can make them whenever I want!" he lied. He didn't really have it, but what's a few white lies to make someone smile.
"Say, what'll it take for you to supply my tribe this… Coke," She replied as she gazed down on the now empty bottle. "I still hate the name," She noted, earning a laugh out of him.
"It's what it's called," He replied before asking, "And you're a nomad? Huh, knew you were from out of town, but not that far out of town. Part of the Aldecaldo's?" It wasn't that hard to find an Aldecaldo in the big city. They went wherever they were needed and the big city never ran out of jobs.
"Nah, more of a Jode, but my mother was an Aldecaldo; part of the Branwen's, or so I heard, so you can say that I'm technically also Aldecado," She answered with a grin. Looking her up and down, only now did he realize that her gear wasn't just for show. She really was a girl from the lone star state.
"Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while," he commented as he stroked his chin. The Jodes really weren't all that famous around these parts. It was the Aldecaldo's and the Wraith's that hogged all the attention, but he had to remember that those two were just a small part of the Seven Nations. The Jodes were one such nation, one that could be found mostly on the southern part of the states, "As for the coke… it'll be a pain to have it shipped all the way down south, but I'll supply you on a few conditions."
"Shoot," She replied as she set her bottle aside.
"Help me in the shop for a day and I'll make sure to stock up a vending machine with my drink, how's that sound?" He offered, though omitting the fact that he'd be setting the prices on the vending machine to rock bottom… or that he still had to find a vending machine.
"No shit?" She replied, eyes wide as she looked back at him.
He stared right back at her and replied, "I want you to give a good long look at that line and tell me that they're not going to rip me apart if I don't come back this instant." The people in the line were getting a bit antsy and he spied a few people with spider-like eyes. He really should have invested a bit on security but eh, he'd deal with that when it comes up in the future.
"And it's just a day anyways, I'll have to find a proper cashier moving on forward but, for now, I see a nomad in need of work. You can even keep the tips in the tip jar," he added. The girl seemed like she was a bit strapped for cash from what she'd said. If a single fruit was a godsend, then a small job was quite an offer and, from the look in her eyes, he'd gotten a good bead on her.
Offering her his hands once more, he then asked, "So, is that a deal?"
The girl took a deep breath before letting out a sigh as she smiled back at him. Grabbing his hands, she shook it hard as she replied, "My pa used to say that you're never going to find someone with a good heart in the city, but you do prove him wrong," grinning, she then said, "I'd be a fool to say no to that mister."
"Hey, it ain't gonna cost me to help a friend in need," He replied as he got up and motioned for her to follow. "Well, what are you waiting for? The line ain't gonna get shorter!"
They didn't need to be told twice as they followed him closely. That day, Coke and Carnita's flowed freely in the streets of Night City, though he did note that the Cola was a bit more popular.
Thinking about it, the Coke branding was up for grabs as Nicola hadn't really used any of it on their branding… he could just grab the trademark if he could find the right person.
So there he was, cooking while Yang manned the register. He made the food while she made sure to keep the rowdy crowd from getting any ideas. Things would have been great if it wasn't for a certain group coming to crash the party.
"Uh, Chef, you might want to take a look outside," She called out, making him turn just in time to see some of his customers flee at the sight of the gaudiest, flashiest car he ever had the pleasure of seeing roll just down the road.
He felt his heart hammer against his chest as the door opened and out came a well dressed man with a slick back graying hair, a well kept beard, and cold hard eyes. Accompanying him was a man much like him but younger and flashier with his bespoke red shirt and leather vest.
"Oh fuck," he whispered, cursing the day. He knew who these two were, "Yang, it might be best if you take your break a bit early cause it seems like Don Orto came to visit my humble shop."
A/N:
I know its a game limitation but it's a damn shame we only have 2 nomad factions in game. The Seven Nations really showed just how weak and ineffective governments were back in the bad old days. Things really got bad that being a nomad was a viable form of living. It's not as bad as they were now if current events/lore/show/game has shown us so that's good.
Anyways, I'd like to thank
@vyor once more for making this possible. Praise be vyor cause he always reminds me to go that fuck to sleep. Now if you want to support me or want to read some fic chapters in advance, consider dropping by either
Patreon or
Ko-Fi. Without my patreons, I wouldn't have been able to write this.
. Now if you want to support me or want to read some fic chapters in advance, consider dropping by either 
