#razedeities

" you want me to thank you for doing the job you were hired to do? "

she speaks the words around a splatter of crimson, carnage at their feet. most of their enemies had fallen at her behest, by her hand. coming out of a blind spot, one had slipped by her radar and ran at her. in the seconds that had passed between being pummeled into the dirt and standing back up, the problem had been dealt with. by him.                               & now he wanted her to grovel at his feet for doing the bare minimum? ophelia both envied and despised him for his insouciance; she imagines how different her life would be if she didn't always insist on working herself RAW to the wills of the authorities that be. a dead stare follows her query, and silence, which is filled only by the unabating beeping of a nearby car alarm.

"Bakeneko? Really? Don't tell me you're superstitious. For one thing, the poor creature has a normal sized tail. Could be maneki neko instead; come to warn of us snakes." A grin accompanies the soft snort she let's out. Then the taste of iron hits her tongue as a small coughing fit takes hold. When it's over she lays back, the cool concrete feeling soothing on her skin. "To be honest, I don't think Night City would be the choice haunt for yokai. Too much of shithole, even for them."

‘ where's your sense of adventure ? ’ — zee ( @razedeities ) ; via the boys (season 1) starters

mara flashes a rueful smile, with the sink of her shoulder turned over from the screen of her laptop in a sort of test. one she would argue was of him, if it wasn't for an understanding of zee's rather convincing nature by now. but a more honest counterpart lies in her ability to withhold ; often far too malleable to another's whim for a person so avidly concerned about her own rankings.

❝ we could be adventurous here ? ❞ the suggestion is all she has to refute him, knowing how badly she needs this. a false sense of security that the walls of their dorm provide, where the threat of the consequences for dodging curfew remains null. she can't afford any public missteps that could knock her down.

"What's that look for?" The question comes out a tad slurred as her feet carry her haphazardly down the street, the rising rays of dawn sunshine kissing the sky. Whether the slur is from the lack of sleep or the whiskey is debatable. Or both. Picking a fight with Tyger Claws hadn't been a viable solution for her insomnia nor had the booze. "You've got something snarky to say, I can tell. May as well spit it out."

It hadn't quite been the warmest welcome, yet it wasn't the worst she could have received. She's still in one piece, so far. In the back of her mind she knows she's the wasp in the beehive — an intruder that could be snuffed out at the drop of a hat. But she needs to speak with Brigitte, and if this is the way, she'll suck it up.

That's not the most forefront worry in her mind. No, she's watching him tap away at the keyboard. "So uh...you gonna tell me what you're searching for?" V looks from where her arm is splayed on the desk and where her personal link is jacked in up to his face as if attempting to read his expression. A bust, of course. Guy could probably be a world class poker player with a resting expression like that. He's kinda cute though. Shit don't think about that!

Fingers twitch restlessly. She knows her skills; knows she did a well enough job that just about no one should be able to get any real information from her link. However, if there was anyone that held the possible capability of bypassing the glacier of ICE and security measures along with deciphering the fake info she had implemented, it would be the Voodoo Boys.

@razedeities

"Obviously." She mutters under her breath. It takes effort for her not to roll her eyes. Yet V has to hand it to him, at least he's unwavering in his beliefs; no matter how old fashioned or, in her opinion, foolish, his so-called principles are. For the briefest flit of a millisecond, she has to wonder if her dedication to her own are or would be so unwavering. Did she even have any now or ever? "Those very principles could be the nail in your coffin."

Eyes dart from the road to the rear view mirror when she hears Johnny let out a dramatic groan. She can't tell whether is because of Takemura or her taste in music. The former more than likely. The bastard has had long enough to acquaint himself with her quirks and if not, tough shit.

V starts to speak again, though pauses when a car pulls out in front of her, causing her to nearly slam on the breaks. A string of curses in her mother tongue slip easily from her lips. Fist punches the horn before middle finger is held up in a fruitless effort to express the flicker of road rage. A few deep breaths brings her blood pressure down.

"Hypothetical question. What's the plan if all of this goes to hell? If it comes down to principles and survival, you gonna let Arasaka flatline us, no questions asked? Not that I'm trying to speak it into existence."

@razedeities ☆ Johnny

"I'm not! I swear!" An absolute lie. It's obvious from the slight quakes that run down her body as well as how her hand shakes so bad she has to pause before continuing with her eyeliner. Him telling her not to also spurns her on even more, if that were at all possible.

Through the reflection of the mirror she had watch him interact (or attempt to) with their her precious, beloved Nibbles. Reaching out, muttering to the adorable creature. It was endearing; dare she even say cute. And oddly enough the feline almost seems to acknowledge his prescence. Cats can see what isn't there, she had heard once. Superstitious bullshit mainly about spirits and demons --- bullshit really.

"Don't get your fucking panties in a twist. Geez." Minako mutters, smile wiped off her face and composure (resting bitch face some would say) back in place. Her attention focuses back on applying makeup to her face. As if it makes any difference. But it's a routine --- a last ditch for some semblance of normalcy. "Surely your ego isn't that fragile."

Pot meet kettle. She's one to talk in terms of delicate pride. It's one of the things they seem to share.