Another disclaimer, any political implications or critique toward any states or other institutions are not my intention. This is fiction, an alternate universe. Please don’t rip up my ass because I’m asking ‘What if?’.

Actually, don’t go ripping up anybody’s ass please. Without asking for consent first :)

Enjoy!

#----------------

JACKIE: Hey V, you up?

The sound of softly chirping birds drifted through the small bedroom. Through the open window the sound of the main street two blocks down blanketed the room with a constant humm of tires on pavement. The sounds of the city enter, distant AV traffic and police sirens, where a testament to the liveliness of Night City. Clothes lay strewn over the floor of the small bedroom, trailing halfway into the bed that dominated most of the space. A blanket covered in checked patterns of greens and yellows was drawn halfway up V’s naked chest. He was sleeping with his head directly on the bedsheet, his pillow having been stolen by the lovely blonde next to him.

JACKIE: Come on V, don’t tell me you’re still asleep.

Slowly, V stirred. With his eyes still closed, he smiled at the bird sounds. He cracked an eye open. Turning on his side, he saw a beautifully feathered parakeet with a blue and black coat standing on the bedsheet next to his head. The bird gave a soft trill and waddled a few steps closer. Still sleepy, V extended a hand to gently brush the birds feathers. His hand slipped right through the hologram, causing the bird to fizzle and glitch. He frowned. …Oh, right. Cyberpunk. The small parrot cutely tilted his head and squawked, the sound coming from an entirely different direction than its beak. Now that he looked closer, there wasn’t much detail to the bird and it was glowing slightly.

JACKIE: Hey, we have a job from Padré tonight, don’t leave a choom hangin’!

V sighed as he saw Jackies message. He glanced up to the cylindrical holoprojector hanging on the ceiling over the bed. It had taken him a while to try and vet the thing of any spyware and complementary free advertisements, but he finally managed to make it usable yesterday. I’m glad I found a package for making birds. He sighed. I miss my little buddies. A digital clock was hovering below the projector. It read 1:48. Judging by the light streaming in from the open window, 1:48 pm. Need to switch it from 12 to 24 hours. V groaned a sigh.

V: I’m up. Gig’s at 7, right?

He took a deep breath and stretched, taking care to no wake his companion.

JACKIE: Heh, sleeping beauty’s finally awake. Had a fun night with Zoe?

V glanced over to the blonde next to him with a smile. Zoe’s hair was splayed all over the pillow and she had pulled the blanket up to her chin in a bone crushing hug. I should gift her a large plushie, don’t want to wake up being caught in that vice grip, he thought with a chuckle, hmm, or maybe I do…? Her head was framed in the sunlight falling through the window, adding an ethereal glow to her dark gold hair. V smiled. He really did have a fun night. Yeah. I like having a dick more. Being gifted with the typical ‘memories from another life’ gave him the right to have preferences. Developing a proper opinion on which genders pleasure was better wasn’t difficult, there were braindances for everything after all. Want to know how morning wood feels? Want to experience menstruation cramps? Your average BD flipper would maybe look at you weirdly, but they don’t have the right to judge you with all the other scrolls they sell. Still, seeing both perspectives of playing with boobs, or sucking dick, doesn’t equate to real experience. Living and dreaming are two different things after all, and normal, everyday life can rail you a lot harder and deeper than you might enjoy. V had proper experience. One life as Vincent and one life as Ariana. And I prefer being Vincent.

He smirked, but his mirth quickly faded and he sighed. Both lives are shit though… Ariana’s life had been a tale of suppression and betrayed hope, V’s life was a tale of suppression and passive aimlessness. Ariana had the chance at an education that allowed her to recognise the stifling shackles of tradition, V was born into the shackles of corporate employment, his future limitless and for his parents to steer. Ariana hated her body, hated how it dictated what she could do and who she was, envied her little brother whom was granted all the freedom and fun he wanted. In contrast, V was never granted the chance to learn to hate or love himself, corporate schooling doing its best to rid their future employees of any defining character traits, rebuilding and carefully grooming their future staff in mind and body. He hated how he had little choice in deciding who he was, hated how his corporate upbringing decided who Vincent was and is. In both lives, a slave to my surroundings. Different, yet so similar. It wasn’t really a surprise that he didn’t have an identity crisis when a second set of memories was dumped into his mind. Was he Ariana and had taken over V’s body, memories included? Or was he V, gifted with memories of another life? Identity was of little importance when they meshed so well together, two sides of the same coin. No need to agonize over who he now was, who dominated whom, or who’s life experience was more important. Acceptance came easy for both parts, after years of drifting at the whim of others. It helped that both V and Ariana where at turning points in their lives. His was sudden unemployment and brutal withdrawal from his corporate sponsored cyberwear, hers was death.

V sighed again and tossed the blanket off to the side. Zoe stirred, but didn’t wake, her death grip on the blanket strengthening as she curled up a bit. He made his way to the small bathroom down the narrow hallway, the sound of bare feet against the plastic flooring joining the ambient sounds as he ambled through the Welles’ family home. He didn’t bother searching for his underwear, Mama Welles would already be manning the Coyote and Jackie was out and about. Otherwise he would be waiting at the door with a shit eating grin, not sending messages. Still, it was time he found himself a hole of his own instead of bunking in the Welles’ house, he wouldn’t always be so lucky to be home alone when streaking. Good ‘ol Jackie… A small smile graced his lips, thinking about his new-old friend. He was so similar to Ariana’s brother. The same large eyes, the same bulky build, the clumsy childishness that he never truly left behind, the way he protected him from his pursuers from Arasaka in the same way Ariana’s brother had rebuffed suitors twice her age. But he was also very different, never just looking at V, but always searching deeper, truly listening, wanting to understand. So unlike her brother that never realized the depths of self-loathing and jealousy hiding just below her skin.

V stepped into the cramped bathroom. A toilet, a shower, a sink and some storage space for towels and toiletries filled up the small space. There was no window, only a vent near the ceiling made sure that the all to common olfactory traces of bowel adventures caused by chemically engineered food would be whisked away. V leaned against the sink. His face stared back at him through the mirror. Blue eyes with EMP threading running over them vertically, which then turning to outline his sharp cheekbones, before rising to his temples and over his ears, vanishing in his short, cropped hair. Default V… It was weird to recognize himself as a character from a game that Ariana had once played. His life was so much more than just needless backstory for an invented character, purposefully kept bland for the players immersion. I mean, sure, I’m bland with no defining character traits, but for very different reasons than ‘immersion’. You didn’t get to have a character and be the right-hand man of an Arasaka big-wig. The big-wig was the character. You were just a henchman.

He ran a hand through the short beard framing his jaw and chin. When Ariana had first joined him, trimming his beard had been both routine and novel. Ariana certainly made him appreciate it more though. She had never seen her own father be anything but clean shaven and he was also blessed with hair that blended well with his skin colour. She distinctly remembered touching her fathers cheek one evening, when she was a small child. Sandpaper had been tame in comparison, his invisible five-o-clock shadow could rend flesh from bone at the slightest touch. That evening she had learned to never stroke her father’s cheek against the grain of his facial hair. Not that she ever got to touch his face ever again. V’s beard was silky smooth in comparison, a pleasure to caress. He kept running his hand through the soft facial fur. It was just so…

JACKIE: Listen, I need you to pass a message to Leona.

V dropped his hand from his beard and groaned a sigh. It’s always about the Leona these days… He was torn about what to think of his old colleague. V and Ariana were similar in so many ways, one mind, one body and all that, but on Barbara they were torn. Ariana admired her. A powerful woman forging her own destiny through adversity, something she herself had failed at miserably, choosing instead to hide from the weight of the world in the deep recesses of her room. Ariana couldn’t help but compare herself to Barbara, wondering how the woman would have fared in her place. Would she have had the courage to leave the safety of her parent’s house and forge her own happiness in another country when things became stifling? Or would she have chosen to fight for the rights she was raised with, fight for the world she grew up in, and probably die in prison from a head injury after being violently arrested? V, on the other hand, dreaded Barbara. She was an orphan of the corporate wars, her previous employment and career unknown. She had simply appeared in NC with her daughter one day, having spent some time with nomads. Investigations into her past turned up nothing, she might as well have emerged from a desert mirage. Her knowledge in biology pointed toward her being some sort of corporate scientist, but when she entered Arasaka as an operative, she turned out to be much more skilled in intelligence work than a simple scientist had any right to be, taking to it like a fish to water. It hadn’t been a problem when she started, many jobs and lives had been lost and many more used the time of upheaval after the corporate wars, where the winners ravenously incorporated and devoured their lesser competitors. Many had used the chance to begin anew with a clean slate, but when Barbara rose through the ranks, her past became a concern. Did V like that she eventually worked her way up to be his go to solution to most problems? No, not at all, and Jenkins agreed with him, but Lisa studying at Arasaka Academy went a long way towards alleviating their worries. The girl made for good collateral, but Jenkins had V prepare some contingencies anyway, incase Barbara turned out to be a plant, and information security was always a top priority whenever the competent unknown was involved. Actually, that didn’t make her any different from all the other agents. There where contingencies for all of them, incase they were compromised or plants. Never trusting anything, always jumping at shadows, constantly plagued by doubts, that was his life at Arasaka Counter Intelligence and Barbara just pushed all of the wrong buttons. Incredible competence overshadowing an enigma that threatened to overturn everything.

Exploring his mixed feelings, V idly wondered how long it would take until he could no longer distinguish which thought was influenced by Ariana and which by V. The distinction was a weird mental exercise, one he hoped would fade with time. He sighed deeply and hung his head. He dreaded contacting Barbara, but if Jackie needed him… V frowned. Can’t run, can’t hide, huh...

V: You need her as backup for something? She still owes you for the rescue, doesn’t she?

He lamented that, even after he finally escaped the predetermined path set by his parents, he couldn’t fully escape Arasaka. For the first time in his life he had the chance to choose what he wanted to do, but he had a feeling that Barbara would hound him for far longer. At least he didn’t have to worry about having a kill squad sent after him, unlike her. V’s parents at least made sure of that, in exchange for him never stepping foot into the corporate world again and taking any sensitive information to his grave. Even if he failed to personally further their influence and cost them their connection to Jenkins, ‘taking him out of the picture’ was still a favour they could sell to Abernathy, something his parents could leverage and perhaps their last mercy for being family. He was condemned to forever wallow in mediocrity and could never return to New York and his parents, not that he wanted to, but in exchange he was free.

JACKIE: Na, she doesn’t owe me anything, all I did was stand guard. The silencer was plenty.

V turned to sit on the toilet. Something he always did in both lives and not something any half of him was considered changing. Sure, he could stand and prove his aim, but why would he stand if he could sit? The toilet was spotless and he didn’t want to be the one to mar its immaculate appearance. Which, of course, would never happen to me. No way I wouldn’t hit a bowl this large. He slumped. …Ah, who am I kidding. Maybe Barb was right. Without a smart-link I can’t hit shit…

JACKIE: No, a little birdy told me some cono put out a bounty on the nina. Sounds like some debt collection, but that’s borg scop. Can you ping the Leona and warn them?

V snorted. Yeah that is borg scop. You didn’t get to have debts with Barbara and, by extension, Lisa. He himself had sent her to ‘settle debts’ more than once, there was no way in hell that she would ever be caught being the debtor. No, this reeks. Is this from Arasaka? Or is this from the TC, trying to reclaim Lisa? The girl had been kept in a weird place for a doll, hidden away deep underground. A normal Joytoy was much cheaper to keep around than a computer controlled meat puppet. Perhaps the Tyger Claws had plans that they interrupted, plans they didn’t want to give up on. Reflexively, the corpo in him wanted to bring Lisa in for questioning in hopes to cast light on the TC’s goals. All the other witnesses were dead after all. V nearly hurled in anger, disgusted with himself for considering that. I am NOT fucking asking her what happened while she was down there! Urgh… fuck, old habits die hard. He massaged the frown on his forehead. Corporate upbringing had warped him and he would now have to redefine who he was. Having Ariana dumped into his head helped to put a different perspective on things. At least he wasn’t irredeemable. He did worry for the girl and the trouble that kept chasing her, but then V once again remembered when he first laid eyes on Barbara’s kid. A small frame clad in shadows, wreathed in towering hate and rage, her laughter telling a tale of mad despair, declaring the burning desire to thrash and ravage and destroy and… V shuddered. Yeah no, she got herself out of that hellhole and she’s got Barbara as backup. No flimsy bounty is gonna keep her down.

He sighed once he finished his business, a pleasurable shiver running up his spine. The vent wouldn’t be necessary, but nonetheless appreciated.

His first impression of Lisa was so different from when she bawled her eyes out once she woke in Vik’s clinic, and far removed from the calm and composed young woman they met at Lizzy’s. She seemed to have put the whole ordeal behind her disturbingly quickly, something that made Jackie pay close attention to her, perhaps sensing that things weren’t as simple as they seemed. V wasn’t as perceptive, but if Lisa could pretend she was fine, she would be able to be fine, eventually. She did wring the neck of that poor kid at Lizzy’s rather thoroughly though, but maybe that was normal for her, V wouldn’t judge.

V: Alright, yeah, I’ll pass the message. You got more deets?

V returned to the sink and started trimming his beard, plucking his eyebrows and just taking care of himself in general in a routine that was ingrained into him from a young age. Jackie sent him the details of the bounty. V couldn’t help but let out a small whistle.

V: How did you score yourself info from Regina? That’s pretty nova.

Jackie leaving the Valentinos and still living in Heywood was an outlier. Usually he would be chased out, but Mama Welles’ reputation meant that Jackie leaving was seen as more of a phase, just some late teenage rebellion. Hearing Jackie spread his wings beyond his neighbourhood and make connections to fixers other then Padre made V feel proud.

JACKIE: Well, one thing led to another, really. Just some dumb luck, y’know, listening to birdies and all that.

V paused his grooming. Is he… evading the question? His corporate instincts flared again, smelling secrets that he needed to uncover, before… No, stop it. That time is over. He reigned in his paranoia. He wasn’t in Arasaka anymore and Jackie was his friend. Trust wasn’t worthless, contrary to what he was taught during most of his life.

V: I’ll tell Barb.

JACKIE: Thanks V. Ah, and if she needs a place to loose heat, tell her we have another guest room, eh?

V sighed. Living with Barbara and Lisa under one roof was a daunting thought, although Mama Welles would probably be delighted by Lisa. He wasn’t so sure about Barbara though. I wonder how that meeting would go though. One tough woman meeting another, a meeting of lions. Maybe they would tear into each other, one mountain can’t have two tigers after all, or maybe they would quickly become friends, mothers worrying for their children that just couldn’t stay out of trouble. His eyes grew distant as he lost himself in memories again. Ariana had accompanied her mother when she met with her friends once, the distressed parents worrying endlessly over the future of their children because of the political upheaval at the time. Her parents’ generation had been lost to the woes of foreign interference and rebellion, and now, with foreign interference weakening, Ariana’s generation would be lost to ideology and internal strife. Ariana had been 16 at the time, years of education becoming worthless as the political landscape changed over night. Later, when she was approaching her 30’s, things still hadn’t gotten better. She had recognized that the people high up were more interested in maintaining the status quo than anything else. Always. Even when the foreigners had pushed their ideals of equality and education onto her people, truly uplifting them had never been the goal. Otherwise the authorities they had built over years would not have bent over and capitulated so easily. Capitalist proselytization was what she eventually came to call it. Build them up in your image but keep them dependant. Ariana’s last memory was of her family desperately trying to have a happy family outing at a restaurant. After the interior strife had settled down a bit, dissent had once again reared its ugly head. Ariana’s generation, now grown into young adults, were married and began taking charge. Women more courageous than Ariana were having families now, and educated as they were, they began influencing things, bit by bit. The man may be the head of the family, but the wife is the neck, and she can turn the head whichever way she wants to. The news loved to broadcast the heated discussions between conservatist hardliners and the more moderate younger generation until the media got neutered by laws and restrictions. Eventually, they focused on international news, the recent nuking of Germany, the rebellions in Asia, the catastrophic wildfires in Australia, the circus that was the US elections, every tidbit was used to glorify their own oppressive government. The worlds leaders were growing old and the next generation wanted to take charge, greatly rocking the feeble boat that was global politics, but something similar could never happen in their fabulous and definitely stable country. Well, whatever change was about to happen, Ariana’s family wouldn’t be witness to it. The stupid bald teenager with the futuristic looking explosive vest made sure of that. The whole restaurant was probably gone.

V scoffed. He had a very special place in his heart for such useless madness. If he ever found his way back from the dead he would tell the world all about those 72 virgins he encountered in the afterlife and how the suicider was one of them. He lifted his hands to rub the scowl off of his face and sighed. Why would I even think of returning to that world. I have nothing waiting for me there. No family, no future, no friends, only Ariana’s birds who had probably starved in their cages by now, since nobody could feed them. No, Cyberpunk 2077 is better, even if it is a fucking corporate dystopia. Public institutions may be rotten to the core and the corporations may rule the world, but in a twisted sense, the American dream still lived on. A bottom feeder would never rise to be among the top one percent, but everybody was free to carve out a corner for themselves, build oneself a place to stay and fester in. So long as you followed the rules set by those too far above you, you were free to be the protagonist of your own little story and fight with your equals in petty squabbles.

It was a freedom that Ariana had dearly wished for, the freedom to develop herself, to explore and grow, to experience the world, but tradition demanded she must not. Tradition denied her agency over her own fate. At least her parents agreed that tradition had little to no space in their house. Ariana’s dreams remained unbroken in exchange for wasting away in an apartment sized cage. Whenever it wasn’t disabled she would explore the internet, searching for stories of fantastic worlds to loose herself in, playing games all day and reading novels or watching anime all night. Fan made or original, it mattered little to her, so long as she could forget who she was, fully immersing herself. She became Naruto as he chased after his self declared best friend, became Akatsuki as she chose Shiroe as her lord in Log Horizon, happily became the villainess that would change her fated death multiple times in many different stories, found a kindred soul in Lucy while binging Edgerunners, and made sure to murder the Voodoo Boys in every playthrough of V’s story.

Were most of Ariana’s memories useless? Yes, but V didn’t mind. The way she had retreated from the world was something he had wanted to do for a long time, a vice he didn’t know he needed until now. He didn’t care that there was a possible future where he would die and revive, only to slowly die again. A future where his best friend Jackie would die following his dreams. He didn’t care that Ariana’s game knowledge was of little to no help to him. Sure it would be useful to know certain characters before actually interacting with them, know of some people and their likely locations, but there weren’t any hidden items or quest he could take advantage of, and those that did exist, like the deck of Bartmoss, really weren’t worth the trouble. No, V didn’t benefit from Ariana’s memories in any tangible way, but Ariana instilled in him a catharsis he had sorely needed, having spent years dreaming and lazing around. She hadn’t been playing the cp2077 for the story, it was the controlled anarchy that she found appealing, a world were flipping the game board was always an option and the laws of the jungle applied. Their future was bleak in both of their worlds, but here, they had options. Here, Ariana desperately wanted to finally spread her wings, wanted to leave her mark on the world, however small it may turn out to be. With Ariana’s memories, V felt like he had speedrun depression, the overwhelming relief of Ariana finally not being herself anymore, of finally escaping the confines of tradition and her body, would never fail to move V to tears. Tears that were like a long awaited rain on the dry and cracked land that was his own hopes and dreams.

V leaned on the sink with a sigh. He was stalling. Come on, V. Just get it over with. Not like Barbara will eat you. He chuckled mirthlessly. He sent her a message.

V: Hey, Barbara. Just a heads-up, I was told there’s a bounty out for Lisa. Something about one thousand for info, two for vanishing. Its from Regina, they’re looking for her in Northside.

V clenched his hands on the sinks rim. A few tense seconds passed. He could still hear the fake birds softly chirping, and the sound of the city drifted through the hallway from the open window of his room. He released the breath he was holding. What was I expecting? That she would instantly answer? He could hear quiet yawning from the bedroom. It appeared Zoe was awake. V went back to wander his own mind. He thought back to the netrunner and the Sandy they had met in the basement during Lisa’s rescue. What are the chances that that was Lucy and David? Pretty high, right? But shouldn’t the plot of Edgerunners be practically over at this point? I couldn’t have missed Adam Smasher wrecking part of the tower, right? I’ll have to ask around, maybe the show finale happened after I was fired… Ariana was rather excited, but also worried. Meeting Lucy would be nice, if she hadn’t already skipped town and left earth. V was humming in thought. Actually, Lisa was a student at Arasaka Academy, right? I wonder if she knows David… Barbara answered.

BARBARA: Yeah, I know. Thanks.

V froze for a moment, until he rolled his eyes and smiled. Of course she already knows. Would be weird if she didn’t know, really. The niggling in the back of his mind was back. If she already knew, what else did she know? How much information, how many secrets was she privy to that could catch V off guard? He had to… V shook his head and stopped that line of thought. Not ‘Saka anymore. He could hear Zoe ambling her way toward the bathroom, probably wanting to wash the sleep out of her eyes. He turned on the faucet and splashed his face.

BARBARA: Is this supposed to be some sort of blackmail? You want to cash in or something?

A cold shiver ran down V's spine. He felt like he was a hairs breath away from accidentally touching a dragons reverse scale.

V: What, for 1k? You think I'm that strapped for eddies? Barb, I know what you got as a paycheck in Saka, and we were still underpaying you. No, this isn't blackmail. Its a friendly headsup for old times sake.

V held his breath. God, don't let her missunderstand. Jackie, if the Specter comes after me because you wanted to help Lisa I'm so gonna haunt your ass...

BARBARA: You wouldn’t know who put it up?

He breathed out in relief and slumped a bit. Fuck, nothing like a brush with death in the morning to wake you up... He took another breath to steady himself. Who put the bounty up, huh? Maybe she doesn’t know everything. But then again Barbara wasn’t part of ‘Saka anymore either, loosing access to a host of information networks and contacts.

V: No, just that it’s a job from Regina Jones. And you know how it is with a fixer and her clients.

Zoe shuffled into the bathroom and hugged V from behind, her natural chest pressing against his back as she snaked her arms around him. The slightly taller woman put her head on his shoulder. “Here you are…”, she mumbled. V could see her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes had fallen shut. He smiled and leaned his head back to rest it against hers.

BARBARA: They keep the deets in their pants and wallets, yeah I know.

V snorted. “…Mhhhh?” Zoe tilted her head, her chin still on his shoulder, cracking open a sleepy eye. “Just a message from a friend.” He smiled at her through the mirror. V could see her roll her eyes through closed eyelids. “Did Jackie tease you again?”, she grumbled. V huffed humorously. “Just a bit.” Zoe puckered her lips and sighed. “Pfff, nosey boy… He should bring Daniela along if he feels left out.” V chuckled. "But I don't want to share?" Zoe rolled her closed eyes. "What, afraid that big, bulky Jackie would take away your place at the bottom?" They chuckled and V once again rested his head against hers.

BARBARA: Well, let me return the heads-up. Zoe Cobs. Used to be a deniable person for Arasaka under a false flag. Still might be. Thought you would want to know.

V froze. A pit formed in his stomach and his hands started trembling. No, that can't be, right...? He had mostly gotten over the shakes from the requisitioning of his corporate sponsored biomon by now, his body once again having formed its own equilibrium without the hormone balancer. Sometimes though, especially when he got an adrenaline rush, things would get unsteady. He glanced at Zoe’s closed eyes in the mirror. Her soft round face betrayed nothing, a perfect mask of sleepiness. An ice cold shiver ran down V’s spine. Is she sent to keep watch on me? There was no way V could've kept track of every single asset, mole and double agent ACI had had. There had simply been too many, and the turnover rate between burning old contacts and gaining new ones was... well, some didn't last a week before 'vanishing'. Is she really...? Thinking back, their first meeting had been too easy. Sitting at a bar, Zoe coming up with a friend and sitting beside him, Zoe’s friend walking off, leaving her to awkwardly sit beside V until they struck up some small talk. It had just been a few days but everything just fell into place after that. As if it was planned and I was just strung along. His corporate instincts were blaring again. So… all of it… is just one big lie? Her arms were still wrapped around him, gently holding herself upright. He felt her even breathing against his shoulder, almost as if she had fallen asleep mid-hug. Her arms felt constricting, holding him down, a hitherto unseen shackle revealed, throwing his mind into chaos. Stop! I’m NOT in Arasaka anymore! He had to stop his paranoia again. He saw Zoe crack open an eye and look at him in concern, probably noticing his agitation. He slowly took a deep breath and released it. Think V! Barb said deniable person under a false flag. So Zoe has zero connection to ‘Saka and has no idea whom she is actually providing info to. Assuming Barbara wasn’t wrong and assuming he was part of an assignment. Possible, but V might as well make plans just in case. Who would want to… oh. Mom and dad. Of course. He sighed. If his parents did sell the favour of ‘taking him out of the picture’, they would want some eyes on him. God dammit. First they setup my whole life, send me on a mission to NC to further their influence and once I’m finally free they still manage to set me up with a girlfriend. Talk about estranged helicopter parents… Zoe could still be working for somebody else, maybe even fucking Abernathy, but in that case, he would already be dead. Why keep a close eye on him if waking up first with a knife would alleviate any worries?

V sighed again and frowned. Zoe closed her eye and reaffirmed her grip on him, now that he had calmed down. So, assuming the worst, my budding love life is a lie. Or at least just convenient. Combine work and pleasure and all that… He tapped a finger against the sink. Convenient, huh… He let out a long sigh. Fuck it. There is no try, might as well. Time to live for myself.

V: I can work with that. Thanks.

He turned the faucet to a dribble and wet his hands. Raising his hands with more force than necessary, he splashed water on his face again, accidentally making sure a few drops would miss. “Eep!” Zoe recoiled when the ice-cold droplets hit her face.

BARBARA: I’m sure you can.

Zoe broke away from the hug, wiping the offending liquid from her face. V half turned towards her. “Oh, sorry…”, he said, trying to keep a smirk off his face. His eyes roamed over her naked form, drinking in her sculpted curves with a heated gaze, before darting back to her face. Zoe narrowed her sleepy eyes at him in suspicion and grumbled. “Hmmmm…”

V: Do I want to know how you knew I was with her?

He dried off his hands and face and turned toward the blond. “Hmm, just an accident, huh?”, she said with suspicion. “Really, just an accident.”, V said with fake innocence. They eyed each other for a bit, their staring contest ending with V being unable to stop himself from smirking.

BARBARA: Didn’t take you for a bird person. I approve.

V blanked. What…? The holoprojector! He clenched his teeth and rolled his head while growling in anger. He wound his fists, needing to lash out, but he held himself back and only weakly hit a fist against the wall next to the mirror. She bugged the fucking projector, didn’t she. How?! He groaned in defeat.

V: Enjoy the fucking show?

BARBARA: Want me to write you a review? I like keeping tabs on things.

V: Goddammit Barbara.

“What’s wrong?”, Zoe asked with worry, sleep quickly fading from her. V sighed. “Got some even nosier friends than Jackie it seems.”, he said in a dry tone, frustration clear on his face. How long will it take to get rid of her bug… I was already tinkering most of yesterday! He sighed, resigned. I don’t want to get rid of the whole thing… The birds are really nice… One of the few happy things in Ariana’s life had been her birds and V found that birds were indeed very nice companions, even if his only exposure was the fake holograms. He’s only ever seen seagulls and pigeons. The holograms were a pathetic imitation to what Ariana remembered, but they whet his appetite. Nature in general was hard to come by in the city. Maybe getting himself, and caring for, some actual ornamental birds would be a nice goal. Maybe even make a living out of breeding them. Dreams are meant to be grand after all. There had to be some rich people with enough money and time to buy such luxuries, or maybe he could kick off a new trend for more affluent. Probably should just pull the plug on the projector when I do anything sensitive… If she planted the bug once she’ll do it again.

V: So, now its my turn to ask. What do you want. Just gonna leave that blackmail hanging over me? It’s rather worthless now.

If they were still employed by Arasaka, this could ruin him. If he was married or something. He wasn’t, but he didn’t doubt Barbara could somehow twist the footage of his carnal encounter, that she had undoubtedly taken, into some sort of leverage.

BARBARA: Na, I got more than enough juicy bits on you already.

V’s heart skipped a beat.

BARBARA: Don’t worry, most of it is just fancy gossip at this point.

Boy, wasn’t that a loaded piece of info. Fuuuucking heeell… V groaned another sigh and tiredly massaged his eyes, his ocular chrome rubbing against the back of his eye sockets. Most of it, huh…  There had been many dirty operations during his time under Jenkins and many more clandestine and delicate situations he had been directly involved in. Whatever Barbara knew, V would now be agonising endlessly in worry. She really is going to hound me for a long time…

V: Great. Just great.

BARBARA: Oh, don’t beat yourself up over it. I still owe you for Lisa’s rescue, but that is that and this is this. It’s insurance.

V sighed and hung his head in defeat. At least she won’t come for my head until I cash in that favor, huh… So long as I don’t bring trouble to her door.

Zoe embraced V again, placing her chin on his downcast head, an easy feat for the tall woman. V returned the hug. “Nosier than Jackie, mh? Do you happen to only have naughty friends, V?”. He shuffled his head, so his temple rested on her shoulder and sighed, resolving himself. Fuck it. There is no try, might as well. New start and all that, nothing I can do about it anyway… He forced himself to bask in Zoe’s warm embrace for a moment, instead of feeling the cold and calculated grip of a woman sent to spy on him. Fuck it, huh. I should make that my new motto. He leaned back and looked into her eyes. Her playfully raised eyebrow and teasing tone was infectious. It would take him a while to get over his paranoia, looking a gift horse in the mouth had practically been his job for most of his life, but it was time he learned how to trust. For now, the depth of Zoe’s green eyes held secrets he would have to discover on his own, secrets that he had to prove himself worth knowing. Perhaps someday we’ll only keep surprises a secret… He wanted to let himself hope and dream. It was knew to him, but was definitely something he enjoyed doing. “I have only naughty friends, you say…” V leaned back his head and made a show out of eyeing his companion suspiciously, carefully studying her through narrowed eyes. Zoe smirked and wriggled her eyebrows. “Hhhmmmmmm…” A light smile returned to his face.

#------------------------

CHARLES: Hanna, please take a break from deep diving, you haven’t had any proper food in days.

HANNA: I’m fine, dad. I’m eating well enough, and I’ve finished the work for the academy.

CHARLES: That’s not why we’re worried, honey…

OLIVIA: Hanna, your search for your friend is not sustainable, you’ve burned through three defenders already trying to get surveillance footage. Your tenacity is admirable, but there surely is a better use of your time.

HANNA: Why do you care?! I’m fulfilling all of my obligations, right? What more do you want from me?!

HANNA: Let me search for the one friend I have! I’m sure you’re happy with all the netrunning experience I’m gathering.

OLIVIA: I did not raise my daughter to be this weak minded, obsessing over a single person. I can’t believe you are dancing to whatever tune this Rahul plays you.

HANNA: Fuck you! What do you know?! At least he wants me to be happy! All you ever wanted me to be is your puppet!

CHARLES: Hanna, we only ever want you to be successful…

HANNA: I AM successful! I’m doing plenty of work for Arasaka with Rahul! Why do you not want me to find my friend!

OLIVIA: Stop this foolishness. Rahul is just using you, can’t you see? He will toss you aside once you have no more use.

HANNA: He would never! How many good netrunners do you think he knows?! At least he is helping me find Lisa! You don’t even care!

CHARLES: Honey, maybe Rahul has an agenda for helping you?

HANNA: If you have nothing to say, I have more footage to sift through.

CHARLES: Honey, please…

CHARLES: Look, if I find you a better way to track down Lisa, will you stop working with Rahul?

HANNA: …do you have a way to find her?

CHARLES: Yes, honey, there is something we can try. I’ll get permission and once I have it we can talk about details over dinner sometime, alright?

HANNA: …alright.

CHARLES: And honey, don’t tire yourself out. Lisa was a brilliant student, she has reappeared once before, she will draw attention again and we will find out what happened, alright? No need to be too anxious.

HANNA: Thanks dad.

OLIVIA: Oh my foolish child. I will ask your brother if he can offer some support, perhaps he knows of something.

HANNA: I don’t want that assholes help.

OLIVIA: He’s a connection, a resource to exploit. You don’t have to like it to use it.

HANNA: Whatever you say, mom.

#------------------------

Turbo’s was a small diner placed between Megabuilding H8 and the street that bordered Del Coronado Bay. Just a small parking lot, an offshoot of the Megabuildings parking area really, protected from the sound of the street and bay by a low one-story diner-shaped building and some vending machines, the areas for cars and foot traffic demarcated by a low curb and the occasional railing. Leaning back on one such railing, David looked up towards Megabuilding H8. He had half expected Lucy to be the first one here since she lived in the building, but it turned out the schedule of the Night City Area Rapid Transit meant that he was the first to arrive to their little pre-gig meetup. He could have annoyed Lucy for a bit instead of standing out in the wind and afternoon sun, but things had turned out very differently from what he remembered from the Edgerunner show. He sighed as he thought back to when things had diverged for the first time. Everything was fucked right at the start, wasn’t it?

The car crash had violently jostled David’s memory, making him question who he was and what was real. Finding himself flung out of the front window and impacting hard on the asphalt of the highway, his first thought was ‘I told you, mom, seatbelts are useless...'. Gloria had always insisted on putting them on, being an EMT and all that. Hers had worked as intended, but their Thorton Galena was old. What use was his seatbelt, if it happily followed him wherever inertia demanded he go? The ripped out piece of vehicular security was lying on the asphalt not far from him. He groaned as he turned on his back, the world turning around him and his body aching. He had barely recognized his mom as she leaned over him in panic. He had woken from his daze lying on a rippers table. The sturdy dark-skinned ripper was looking over some readouts and talking with his mom. The clinic was brightly lit and clean, everything was neat and tidy. He was still hurting all over, but that didn’t prevent him from seeing his mom sway and pass out. The ripper barely managed to catch her before she cracked her skull on the swept concrete floor.

In the end, David was left with only some scrapes and a light concussion and Gloria was in a coma because of intercranial haemorrhages. Panic had gripped him when the ripper told him that her condition had stabilised, but he wasn’t sure when she would wake. New memories of another David gave him an unsettling feeling of deja-vu, told him exactly what would happen tomorrow. Her condition would deteriorate suddenly, and he would be left an orphan. These new memories were disorienting and disturbing, but he didn’t have the capacity to think about the how and who and where and why. All he could do was wait and worry, anxiety gnawing on his sanity. The next day came and went. There was no change. Gloria stayed in a coma. Perhaps the ripper she had chosen was simply better than the low-end surgeon he remembered bringing his mom to. He cried in relief. Gloria was alive. His mom would live. He didn’t dare wish for more.

On the second day, the ripper tossed him and his comatose mother out. “Sorry kid, your mom’s a great woman and she paid me so we’re square, but this isn’t a hotel.” His calm, deep voice brokered no argument. At least it wasn’t far to their home, the ripper had setup shop in the megabuilding they lived in. He was a relatively recent addition to the building, so David wasn’t too familiar with him yet. He was allowed to borrow the rippers trolley for a bit to transfer his mother. The rent for their apartment in Megabuilding H4 was paid, but the end of the month was fast approaching. It had all been a blur from there. Finding the Sandevistan that he knew existed, getting it chipped and immediately going on the hunt for a fixer using another life’s memories for some quick eddies to pay for rent. He never went back to Arasaka Academy, returning the queries asking for the reason for his absence with a simple summary of his new situation and his desire to quit the learning institution on short notice. They acquiesced his request with token sympathy, probably glad the filthy street kid had finally given up, and reminded him to pay for the damages his recent use of outdated hardware had caused in their system. Which was bullshit, there hadn’t been any ‘damage’, but that just meant he had to grind even harder. He still sold XBD’s here and there, but leveraging his sandy as a runner and delivery boy was more efficient most of the time. The medication for his comatose mother wasn’t expensive and she was safe for now, in her bed back in their apartment, but he couldn’t search for a way to heal her without getting Arasaka and the rent payments off of his back. One thing after the other. The critical things first. His memories of another life led him to Muamar Reyes, also known as El Capitan, the go to fixer for Santo Domingo. Technically, Padre would have been closer, but David didn’t like that the old priest was so close to the Valentinos. El Capitan showed himself sympathetic and gave him work as a delivery boy so he could keep himself from bankruptcy. The odd jobs and klepping the cred chips from any praying mantis other gangs might send into the area on the side turned out to be decent pocket change. Stealing from drug-peddling pedos as a side job? He almost felt like a part time hero whenever he brought the stolen cred chips to the captain for chopping. Mantis stalks the chicada, unaware of the oriole, yada yada. David cringed a bit when he remembered that particular proverb. The other David in his memories was a bit of a weeb.

He had gotten into a rhythm after a while and was finally able to start unpacking those new memories, when the main cast of Edgerunners came knocking. Ha, Maine cast. One day he came home to find Maine, Dorio and Lucy stand over the bed of his mother. They had tracked down Gloria, looking for the promised Sandevistan. One thing led to another and he started working with them. The pay increased and things once again fell into a rut. The best part? Arasaka had zero interest in him. He didn’t flaunt his sandy around, his apparent high capacity for chrome and potential as a beta tester for new hardware going unnoticed by the corporation, circumventing the whole plot of Edgerunners. Perhaps they would do the sensible thing and refine their prototype some more, or they would find some other poor sod to ‘willingly’ be a test subject.

Eventually he began to truly sort everything out. His new work options, new connections, rent and medication payments, working through having memories of another life, eventually he managed to get a handle on things, no longer playing by ear but starting to plan. His memories of another David were of an easy life, it turned out. One lived in mediocrity, but a happy one nonetheless. The simple life of an office worker doing 9-to-5’s, with the occasional overtime, using his money to go skiing or mountain climbing in his free time. Office-David’s newest vice had been gaming and anime. He had extensively consumed any media with any relation to ‘Attack On Titan’, but he occasionally dabbled into other franchises as well, including ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’. No difficult obligations, no oppressive work environments, affordable healthcare, the Kanada in his memories seemed like heaven compared to Night City. Sure, Office-David’s world was going to shit, but that wasn’t anything new really. New technology, made by exploring breakthroughs in spintronics, had been making waves in civilian and especially military applications, America had lost the 2nd trade war with China, bankrupting the USA and costing millions of jobs, causing fear of communism to once again make headlines, and Russia had finally decided to go nuclear on the world, with Germany being first in line, at about the same time as new terrorist cells were making their debut in the middle east. A parody and nightmare scenario for sure, the world going from a slow cook by climate change to full on societal and nuclear self-combustion. Still rather tame in comparison to what Cyberpunk-David remembered from his history classes though.

But none of that had any real impact on Office-David’s life. He still went about his 9-to-5, spending time with his ageing mother on the weekend. What was a simple man to do otherwise? It was the job of politicians to worry about the world and Office-David wasn’t a politician. His largest worry was his mother hounding her single child about finally siring some offspring. His father had died of lung cancer when he was young, and now he was already 24 and ‘time ain’t stand’n still for nobady, son. When’m’a gonna get to cuddle m’sweet grandshildren, mh? Get to it, boy, A’m closin’ in on 50, I ain’t waitin’ foreever y‘know’. But what David truly despised was how easily such a happy, simple life was cut short. Presumably. Office-David had been driving into the mountains near Kluane Lake with his mother for a weekend of hiking, when, with a bright flash, everything simply ended. David wondered extensively about what happened. He didn’t remember dyeing or anything similar, no afterlife and no conversation with a whimsical god, or ROB, or whatever. What had ended the life of such a simple happy office worker? What could have produced such a bright light in the middle of nowhere? Some sort of secret experimental facility having an accident? Or was Office-David still alive and the bright light was simply the end of what he was allowed to see? Whatever the case, he had already benefited from the unexpected gift of memories, besides the obvious meta-knowledge. Office-David was very good at prioritising.

David was torn out of his musings when a sleek red-and-white Brennan Apollo rolled into the small parking lot in front of Turbo’s diner. The motorcycle didn’t quite sound right, being a bit overtuned, a consequence of Rebecca letting her brother tinker on her bike. Rebecca brought it to a stop in front of David, who pushed off from the railing. “Now get off you stupid idiot! And don’t try getting yourself an in with the waitress, I’ve had enough of your shit for one day!”, Rebecca chased her brother off of the seat behind her. Pilar got up with an annoyed scowl. “God damnit, I don’t need you crawling up my ass! I already told you its not my fault that you’re tiny!” He dodged a punch from his sister “Hey!”, “The fuck are you on about, huh?! Who’s the stupid horny piece of shit here! Get a handle on your dick or I’ll blow it off for you!” Pilar smirked. “Blow it off for me, would you?” Rebecca reached toward the back of her bike into one of the side bags, pulled out a shotgun, a bulky Carnage, and cocked it, her face contorted in anger, daring her brother to say one more word. Pilar swiftly slinked off toward the diner. “Alright alright! Get off my case already!” David watched him enter the diner and give Rebecca the finger with his shiny gold, long-fingered hands before the door closed behind him.

Rebecca clicked her tongue. “Tch. Asshole.” She repacked her shotgun and huffed, sitting on her motorcycle with crossed arms and a frown. David was awkwardly standing there with his hands in his jacket’s pockets. “Uh, hi…”, he said. Rebecca huffed again. “Hi David.” He turned to look towards the diner before looking back at the short young woman. “Uh, did… did something happen?” She was silent for a moment, before pursing her lips and sighing. “Pilar tried getting laid with someone new at the gym and she dragged me into it when she told him to fuck off.” She swung herself off her bike and shrugged her oversized jacket back into position. “…Okay? Doesn’t sound too unusual?” Rebecca stopped before him, staring into his face with a hard expression. “Get your twerp some clothes before working on the next one, creep.”, she said, imitating somebody. David took a moment to process that, then had to stop himself from snorting. The look Rebecca gave him made him think that she would reveal just how much heat she could pack into her oversized jacket if he did. “Mh, uh, damn. That’s… that’s some spunk there.” He worked his jaw, trying to mask the hint of a smile. Rebecca scoffed. She crossed her arms and turned away. "Stupid doll on a treadmill…” The anger in her voice faded and she grew quiet. Her face was drawn into a frown.

Pilar came out of the diner, his right hand shoving a wrap filled with kibble into his face. “Hi-ah, that hits the spot.”, he sighed and rested his elbows against the railing. A fresh palm print, the angry red a stark contrast on his sun starved skin, decorated his face. Rebecca launched into another tirade. “Fuck, Pilar! Five minutes! Can you go five minutes without hitting on something!” The long-armed man grinned. “What can I say, Becca, I’m a natural! Gotta do what I gotta do!” Rebecca turned around in exasperation, tossing up her arms. “Fuck he’s hopeless!” David traded glances with Pilar. The techie wriggled his eyebrows at him, unable to wink with his monovision, and smirked, before he took another mouthful from his wrap. The palmprint had suspiciously long fingers, almost as long as his own. He slapped himself, didn’t he? David suppressed a grin.

“What did Pilar do this time.”, a bored, monotone voice asked him. David looked over to see Lucy stride up over the parking lot towards them. “Oh, uh, somebody mistook Becca for Pilars kid.” He glanced back toward the siblings as Lucy joined their little circle around the railing and Rebecca’s bike. Rebecca was giving her brother a proper dressing down and said brother was arguing back while making sure his face was stuffed, getting spit and kibble everywhere, being gross just for the sake of riling up his little sister. Lucy crossed her arms and huffed in amusement. “That’s a good one.” Of course, Rebecca heard that. “Bitch what did you say?!” Lucy turned her head up and sideways, closing her eyes. “You heard me.” Rebecca pointed at her brother. “Bitch! You think he can even have kids?! His stud probably circs just as often as his tech does! No way he can knock anybody up!”, “Hey!”, Pilar cut in, swallowing the bit of kibble in his mouth, “My tech works perfectly fine!”, ignoring the slight to his manhood, or perhaps counting it amongst his tech creations. “Oh, yes. Perfectly fine.”, Lucy drawled. She started counting with her fingers. “Except that time with the corpse trading for info, when your bug started screeching.”, “Oh, right. How did you get a listening device to be so loud anyway?”, David interjected. Lucy continued, lifting another finger. “Or when your terminal broke while we were under fire in that carwash.”, David cut in again. “Ah, Kiwi was rather pissed that time. Made hacking the door…”, Lucy interrupted him, lifting another finger. “Or when a Ronin came after you, because you messed up his favourite Nue while modding it.” This time, Pilar jumped in. “Hey, that gonk should have been happy with what he got! Wanna know how many eddies he offered me for that job?!”, Lucy was unimpressed. Another finger went up. “Or when we went hound-tipping with one of your decks and pissed of the NCPD.”, “Oh, yeah, the cops chased us for hours.”, David interjected. “Damit, I told you the hound-tipping was user error! User! Error! How can somebody fail at putting a simple plug into a pig-bot with super speed!” Pilar wildly gestured with the stump of his wrap in Davids direction. The girls also focused on him, Lucy's eyebrows slightly raised and the corners of her mouth perking up slightly, Rebecca sporting a toothy grin. David sputtered as he defended himself from the definitely baseless accusation. “Dude, I’m telling you, I turned that plug over three times and it still didn’t fit! Where did you get the parts for that deck anyway? You get some sort of chinese USB-knockoff or somethin’?”

The banter continued until eventually the whole team had assembled. Kiwi had driven her Arch into the parking lot after a few minutes, making a point of not getting dragged into the siblings’ arguments, instead choosing to chat with Lucy, probably about some netrunner gossip. Dorio’s heavily modified Chevillon Emperor pulled up last, the hard-ass woman stepping out of her car, together with her input. “The Maine man is here!” Dorio rolled her eyes in amusement at Maine’s boisterous announcement of their arrival. “Finally! We’ve been waiting forever! Let’s get this shit going already!”, Rebecca huffed as she made her way over to her motorcycle. She swung herself on the bike, her feet only just barely touching the ground. Had the bike’s suspension not been modified so it could lower, the small woman wouldn’t be able to use the two wheeled vehicle. Kind of like a camel that sits down while being mounted. David smirked at the thought. “Get on, David! You’re riding with me!” David looked up, only half surprised. “What?! Where am I gonna ride then, huh?!”, Pilar complained. Rebecca pointed angrily at her brother. “I don’t care! I’ve had enough of your shit, find somebody else to babysit your chromed ass!” Pilar grumbled, but made his way over toward Dorio’s ride, together with Kiwi and Lucy. Kiwi’s motorcycle drove off with auto drive, she had probably engineered herself a parking space in the megabuilding’s garage. David swung himself on the back of Rebecca’s bike.

Rebecca revved the two-wheeler and slid the screeching back wheel to the side until they were parallel with the curb. In David’s scramble to find someplace to hold onto, he wrapped his arms around the woman in front of him. He sighed. “You know I could help with the backing up, right?”, “Shut up! Don’t call me short!”, Rebecca snapped back. Every time…, he lamented. It was familiar banter, Rebecca insisting that he rides with her and then refusing the help of his longer legs in backing up the vehicle, choosing to drift out of their parked position instead. At least she didn’t complain about where his hands ended up in his surprised scramble. David sighed and resettled his grip on her midriff, as Rebecca revved the engine again. Soon they were on their way, following behind Dorio’s pseudo-tank. “How’s Gloria doin’?”, Rebecca asked over the headwind. The streets were filled with mild but hasty traffic, their little convoy smoothly moving with the flow. “…No change.”, David answered. They drove along in silence for a while. David sighed. “But after this gig I should have enough to have some experts look her over. Y’know, an actual brain surgeon.” Getting good medical attention technically wasn’t hard, if you could pay for it. Most good service was locked behind a subscription to Trauma Team International that cost an arm and a leg, most of your liver and a kidney or two. The NC Med Center was decent enough, but except for some specialized equipment, they didn’t have anything a trusted ripper didn’t have access to. The dark irony of his mother working at the Med Center but neither she nor him being entitled to their services wasn’t lost on David. He thought back to his mom peacefully laying in her bed, an IV drip plugged into her neck, atrophy claiming more of her body day by day. The note on the shard he left on her bedside table, incase she woke up, grew in size with every day. He had put a radio there too, so she had something to listen to. Most of his evenings he spent telling her about his day, making conversation with himself, talking about what he had eaten, what Rebecca and Pilar had been arguing about today, or other inane things. David hoped she wasn’t conscious and trapped in her own body, bored out of her mind. Priorities, he had to remind himself. Maine pulled them into a group call. [Alright ladies! Ready to rip up a ‘Saka transport?] One thing after another.

#-------------------------

Before you go, here's an idea for a new description. Let me know if you think there are too many spoilers or the like.

Lisa used to be top of her class at Arasaka Academy and her mom used to be an Operative at Arasaka Counter Intelligence. Until corporate politics bust down the figurative door, 'Saka Counter Intel gets purged, and Lisa gets nabbed by Scavs. Two weeks in hell later, she wakes up with a hole in her memories, but her head full of new chrome and a 'reincarnated' voice. With tech-enhanced shizophrenia, her mom being hunted by Arasaka, and her new status as a dropout from the Academy, Lisa will have to somehow fill the fractures in her mind and reassemble the shards of her life into something new. Because if life force-feeds you lemons, make sure to burn down life's house in revenge. With the lemons.

Tell me what you think or vote in the poll :)

 

Fun fact: Pre-phantom liberty, if you rocked up to Placide with a legendary cyberdeck to infiltrate the Grand Imperial Mall, he will still say ‘This Hardware is shit.’ Fuck the Voodoo Boys. Can't tell you if that's still in the game after the DLC...

So this chapter is me poking fun at some isekai tropes, namely the genderbend/girls-love and the miserable-office-worker-dies-from-overwork tropes. Am I outing myself for something when I say I run into genderbend/girls-love and harem isekai’s way to often? It’s the algorithms fault! They’re everywhere, I swear! It can get rather annoying when a perfectly good story with plenty of intrigue gets porn tacked onto it.

Also, I'm more proud of the character interactions than of the whole isekai backstorys. They feel rather forced, but I couldn't really think of better segue into them. Let me know what you think.

Anyway, have a good one :)