Kapitel 52: Stalkering

A week passed since Max's death yet things didn't seem to have changed much... While Max's absence was dearly noted, Ori continued to attend gigs with Six as a two-man team, sometimes doing small jobs for the Mox with Rebecca to repay the 'debt' they owed...

Honestly, it was less of actualy debt and more of a collaboration. They were still getting paid after all, and it wasn't like Susie was sending them on suicide runs or anything. The gigs mainly consisted of odd jobs around Kabuki, patrolling the borders of the Mox's turf, checking on bars and clubs under the Mox's protection, and occasionally providing extra security whenever a known name decided to visit Lizzie's Bar.

A considerable departure from what Ori had been doing with Max and Six, he'd not gotten into a fight since, not unless you count getting his ass beat in a fistfight against a couple unruly bar patrons... Yeah, Six had started giving him basic hand-to-hand combat lessons after that... Ori was half tempted to buy one of those 'Introduction to Fighting' BD's that taught you martial arts. Maybe when he had more time and Eddies.

On another note, his upgrades via the nanites had continued, his lungs had been upgraded and he was now looking at enhancing his skeletal structure, after that would be his tendons and ligaments, then muscles themselves. As much as he wanted to just skip everything and get 'gains', having muscles too powerful for his bones and ligaments would cause him to literally tear himself apart... Definitely not something he wanted to experience.

*Beep-Beep*

Ori crooks a brow from the couch he was laying in, "If it's Quentin again I swear I'ma-..." he mutters before noticing who it was. The Corpo had been calling him on a semi-regular basis to hire him into a security team. Seems like he trusted Ori far more than anyone else after that incident with Sasha... Not that he was complaining, it probably paid well... But he wasn't gonna lower himself to working for them, his past experience aside, what they'd been doing with Charlie Rice was despicable... Monstrous...

He shakes his head and focuses on the call.

[Receiving Call: Judy Álvarez...]

Finally! He'd been waiting for this call for days now, he and Bats had sold off all the Cyberware and asked Judy to arrange a meeting at the Afterlife. The lines for it were long, of course, which is probably why it took so long, but late is better than never.

"Yo, Judy, good news I hope?" he questions eagerly as the holocall opens up.

"Yeah! Very good news! I've got you a meeting with 'Miss Afterlife' herself! Rogue Amendiares!" she excitedly states.

"Really!? No shot? You aren't lying to me are you!?"

"'Course not! I wouldn't lie about something like this Ori! You better be free tomorrow morning otherwise I'll dropkick you across Kabuki! You have no idea what a pain in the ass it was getting this far!" she remarks while folding her arms.

"And you have my 'eternal' respect for that, really you have no idea how much this means to me." he says with gratitude. He'd originally tried to get Bats to organise the meet, but they quickly realised how underqualified the Ripperdoc was for it. It lacked any connections, any proof of his identity, hell, most didn't even think 'Bats' was his real name...

Thankfully Judy had been all too eager to help, really, if that girl wasn't into women he might've fallen in love with her... Even then, he admitted to himself he was conflicted...

"No problem Ori, I'd do this for anyone that asked, let alone you. Let's just hope your sis is alright once we find her." she smiles but pauses, "I do have a request for you though... If you'd hear it?"

Ori nods, "I'm all ears."

"I need you to tail a friend of my home... She works as a joytoy, yeah, I'm not happy with it either but she's got to make a living somehow." she sighs, "Apparently she's been receiving requests from someone she blocked a week ago, something about him asking to marry her..."

"Must've been good at her job." Ori jokes, getting a small glare from Judy. He gives a mock cough into his fist, "Please, continue..."

...

"These requests have increased from one a day, to two, to five... Yesterday night she received thirty. That creep's probably gonna blow anytime soon, and I'd like to have someone I trust be there when he does... Can you do that for me?"

Ori crooks a brow, "Wouldn't the Mox be better suited for this? I'm not exactly the best merc around either." he admits, knowing his limits.

She scoffs, "You know how it is, Mox can't spare anyone for something as 'small' as this... Can you do it?"

He nods, "Yeah, just gimme the time and place and I'll be there."

"Thanks a lot! I'll send you the detes."

"Got it."

[Call End]

Ori lights up a cig and blows some smoke up into the air, "Looks like I've got a date for tonight." he grins to himself, "Hey Bats! We've got a meeting at the Afterlife set!"

"REALLY!?"

"Fuck yeah we do!"

-----------------------------

Later that night Ori leant against a lampost overlooking an alleyway where his target was stood. Hazel, a cute-looking joytoy with short brown hair and a tight latex dress that barely ended below her upper thigh.

He could see why she was being stalked, that girl had an ass that didn't quit, and boobs that despite being so large seemingly defied gravity... Was there a Cyberware that made your tits perkier maybe?

She was idle waiting on the corner with a cig in hand, posing sensually to the men and women who walked past, attempting to goad them into hiring her. Thankfully for Ori, it seemed she was having a slow night. At least he wouldn't have to wait outside her hotel room while she was getting reamed or something...

Finally, giving into the chill air and lack of 'customers', she lets out a sigh and begins making her home, prompting Ori to follow. He flicks his cig away, but just as he starts moving he notices someone who had the same idea... A relatively handsome Mexican man with short-cut hair and a trimmed beard, as if he'd seen a barber. Had he dressed himself up to meet his 'wife'...?

Whatever.

"Time to move."