blood // water

"Looks like a pretty good drop. You sure about this?"

V was so accustomed to Johnny glitching out and reappearing elsewhere that she didn't even acknowledge it when he reappeared next to her once she was on the roof. The roof itself was suspect - boards and steel groaning under her feet as she crouched down by the hole itself. She pressed her tongue to the back of her teeth, silent for a moment as her eyes scan what she could see from where she stood. She does, however, laugh lightly at Johnny's question. "No," she replied, tone amused. She's drawing her ( his ) gun once more, making sure it was loaded and ready, before bracing herself and jumping into the building. Her landing was less than graceful, highlighted by a grunted "shit" as her knees hit the ground. Her free hand catches herself from falling completely, but the bruises that was blossom on her knees by morning would remind her how much of a bad idea this had been. She gives herself a moment to recover before slowly drawing herself back up to stand, a twitch at the corner of her lips as the pain of cracking her knees against the floor washed over her; eyes now scanning the surroundings for the best route to try.

"Look. I was a shitty friend in the past but because of you, I''ve got a second chance. I sure as fuck ain't gonna abandon you."

V grunts, scrubbing a hand over his face as Johnny continued to speak. There's a huff deep in his throat, jaw taut as he's shaking his head before Johnny even finishes talking. But, he does let the other finish before he speaks, even if he looks ready to interject at any moment. "I know that-" V replied, trying to relax his jaw so that he didn't grit his teeth. He groans, eyes finding a spot on the bartop as his hands flex and unflex as he tries to articulate what was in his head. He was a fucking mess, and he knew it. "Look, Johnny - I don't know what fucking comes next. I don't know where to go, what to do. How to fix any of this shit, yea? With you in my head, there was always something next to do. A finish line to run towards. We've crossed that line, and it's behind us, and I don't know what do now. And I don't wanna drag you down with me if all it does is lead to a dead end. Imma keep walkin' it, cause no - I ain't fucking givin' up, but I don't know what's down there. If anything."

"All right, careful. We'll go through the alley gate to get to the street easier." Thus began to slow process of Vik walking Johnny out of the clinic and up the stairs, attempting to get him out toward where Delamain could find them.

V lets Vik and Johnny get a few paces ahead of her before she starts walking. It's not like she was going to be able to keep pace with them, anyway. At the very least, it's not like her legs were quite as out of practice as Johnny's -- she could get herself to Delamain, it would just take a minute. Her eyes follow the ripperdoc and former rocker for a moment as they make it to the gate, finally making her way after them. She takes her time, as impatient as she is to get home ( she'd rather take it slower than end up face down on the clinic floor ), using the wall and furniture for support before she was following the two out of the gate and into the alley. The stairs were rough, slower than she was before, but mercifully she didn't slip or fall. She can hear the tires of Delamain nearby, relief in her bones that the sentient cab was always prompt.

"But, let's hope you still like it once it's done. Ain't the usual screamin' Samurai shit, so guess I've got that on my side already. Johnny would probably hate it, too. Fuck 'im. He used to like some of the most god awful slop, so I sometimes don't know why I give a shit about his opinion." Because he was your best friend, you idiot.

"That he does - " V agreed with a grunt, shaking his head ever so slightly. "Couldn't even brush my teeth without Johnny bitchin' in my ear about something or another." But, god damn did V miss him. Losing Johnny was like having a hole carved out of the center of him, left empty and void. Albeit, he wasn't here to talk about himself or his problems. It was Kerry he was worried about. He's frowning, but the action was gone just as quickly as it came. He let his eyes linger on the guitar for a moment - over Kerry's fingers, skilled and learned from years of practice. He hums, adverting his eyes after a few moments. "His personality was definitely an acquired taste," he replies, moving his gaze back up to Kerry's. "I'm sure I'll like it once it's done. You'll play it for me before you release it, right? I gotta be the first to hear it."

“ not many know it, and god help you if you let the secret slip, but i'm a great listener ... well, i can look like a great listener, and sometimes that's all one really needs ; silence and a blank expression staring back. ”

She's laughing softly under her breath, scratching at a spot on her forehead as she shakes her head slightly. Heavy is the head that wears the crown - sure, most people in Night City now knew her name after Smasher and Arasaka Tower, but what cost -? She'd lost Jackie. She'd lost Johnny - and, she wasn't even sure what she felt about it. Loss? Relief? It was like losing a limb, almost, losing Johnny - but, whether or not the limb was diseased or not remained to be seen. It was complicated, and she wasn't quite ready to dissect that. "Not really my thing," she finally replies, her eyes canting back to Rogue from where she had focused them on the table in front of her. "Talkin' about my feelings, that is. More of the let 'em simmer 'till I explode type, y'know?" She had been, since she was young. It had been a long time since anyone really cared enough to listen to her problems, anyway. Sure, Jackie did. ( But Jackie was gone, she reminds herself with a deep pang in her chest. ) And Misty - but, V wasn't always up for listening to everything about her life be picked apart into stereotypes.

he snapped out of his staring. he is well aware humans do not like it when another makes an eye contact. regulus turned to his book but then again what was on the stranger’s computer intrigued yet concerned him. “ may i ask what is that you are researching?” regulus spoke. these human eyes cannot see very far, though there was some lettering on that webpage that made him feel a little uneasy. regulus got up, he got his bag which housed the glowing blue cube. he scooted next to the stranger.  was this even alright to do? he was unsure. his two legs wobbled.

Almost involuntarily, there was a bark of a laugh that came from the man as the stranger moved seats to sit beside him to try and look at what V had open on his laptop. Thankfully, V knew better than to do anything stupid in public, so he had nothing on his screen to hide. But, it was the principal of the matter - "Bold one, ain't ya?" V asked with a small raise of his brow. He shakes his head with another amused huff before gesturing to the monitor with a hand. "Computer parts for a client. I build PCs."

sitting down in a cafe, regulus had a drink and he looked out of the window. he was silent for a minute, he then glared at the stranger sitting across from him. he then turned his gaze away. “ sorry, i did not mean to stare at you for long..” he speaks softly. regulus taps his fingers on the table, then he focuses on what he was reading.

He could almost feel the eyes on him - it takes him a few minutes to actually acknowledge it, gaze on the laptop screen in front of him. But, eventually, hazel gaze flickers up from his screen to the man across the long table that seemed to almost be studying him. There's a frown that twitched at the corner of his lips, especially as the other at least seemed self aware that he was STARING. V shifts a little where he sat, laying down his cooling cup of coffee - he didn't like scrutiny, made him feel uncomfortable, like he was sat under a microscope. "Yeah, I wouldn't make that much of a habit. People don't much like being ogled at."

“ are you ... feeling something you'd like to talk about? ” she would ask, an attempt to reach out and offer some form of comfort ── though coming from a woman who had, for many years, been a stranger to the act of providing a comforting presence in any way, an uncharacteristic level of self-doubt was present in ordinarily resolute tone.

There was a laugh that left her lungs when Rogue spoke, and she wasn't sure if she was laughing at herself or not. Because it was the absurdity of the fact that Rogue was asking that - that Rogue was asking if there was anything she wanted to talk about; offering an olive branch of allowing V to open up to her. ( If not, then who? ) She was silent for a long moment, soothing the pad of her finger over the condensation on the glass as something to distract both her mind and her hands. "C'mon, Rogue, don't give me that look," she mused, tipping her head to the side a little bit before shaking her head and taking a long sip of her drink to allow herself to feel the burn all the way down to her stomach before laying the glass down on the table nearby. "Do I wanna talk about it? No. Do you wanna hear about it? Also, no."

The song, as bare bones as it was, did have some similarities with his other work. It was hard to get the full scope from a song still so bare bones, but it was clear that there was still that passion behind it. It wasn't bullshit, he was a sing made for himself far more than anyone else.

V situated himself more so on the couch when Kerry seemed to be willing to humor him and play him one of his new songs - leaning against the arm of the couch as he tucked one leg under himself. He reached for his drink once more, taking a few small sips before Kerry was settling himself back down on the couch and messing with the guitar. Honestly, V didn't know too much about guitars - other than what he learned through osmosis with Johnny. As a kid, a few guys in his pack played guitar. Albeit, back then, it wasn't a hobby V was encouraged to learn. His mother did teach him piano, but he hadn't even touched one in years and wasn't even sure if he could still play it. He watches Kerry tune it slightly, humming a bit as he tips his head and lets himself listen. He allows the music to linger, watching both Kerry's face and his fingers as he played. Once he was sure that Kerry was done, that was when he finally spoke, "That's the kinda shit I'd listen to - but, then again, Johnny kinda shit on my music taste cause I don't like that screaming shit, so what do I know? People who are worth a damn will chase the passion, not just the image."