Quentin Questin'

The duo argue back and forth for twenty minutes or so until the actual stall owner comes by and basically demands that Ori and Bats buy something. They do, if not because they were hungry then to let Cat keep her job.

The ramen, despite her best effort, was shit. Low-quality SCOP that was barely more appetising than kibble. Ori and Bats discussed potential Cyberware he could potentially look into when he suddenly received a call...

Quentin...?

Ori excuses himself from Bats and leans backwards, his eyes flashing as he accepts the call.

*Beep!*

"Quentin, what's up?" he asks as a screen of the Fixer pops up, showing him lounging on a luxurious couch, cigar in one hand and his other cupping the breast of some hot chick... Doing well for himself apparently.

"Ori! You doing good!?" Quentin happily asks.

"Just about, not as good as you apparently..."

The Fixer laughs, the girl at his side giggling too despite clearly having no idea what's happening... Her body gave up the development of her brain in favour of her breasts, presumably. "Yeah! Pretty good I'd say! But hey, I'm not someone to leave my buddy hanging, I've got a job for you!"

...

Ori wets his lips, "Er, tell me about it before I commit to anything. I've kinda got guys hunting my ass right now."

"Eh? Really? Would've thought everyone is too scared of you by now. You're really making a name for yourself y'know! Some acquaintances of mine occasionally ask if you're available!"

"Corpo...? You didn't tell 'em anything did you?" he questions, wondering if Quentin slipped at all. He already had Wakako on his ass, he didn't need anyone else.

"Obviously! But hey, anyway, let me give you a rundown of things, see if you want in..." he pauses and leans forwards, waving away his chick. "You heard street racing?"

"Er, no?"

"... Really? You don't watch the news of something?" Quentin shakes his head, "Whatever, basically people could together and race for a prize. You drive, you shoot each other, whoever wins get's a 'grand prize'."

"And you want me to get it... I'm not that good a driver you know." Ori mutters.

"Eh, driving doesn't matter if you kill every other racer. And no, I don't give a shit about the prize."

"Then what's in it for you?" Ori asks, slightly confused.

Quentin grins, "Bets. Some friends of mine need some cash quick, and this is about the best way to do it. They place bets on you, I pay off some of the other drivers to get you the win, you do what you do best, and everyone's happy... Except the losers, but hopefully they'll be dead by the end of it."

"What's the prize anyway? And how many people are competing... And where is this even being held?" Ori asks, still thoroughly confused about all of it.

"First place prize should be around fifty thousand Eddies, but a percentage of the bets gets added on top of it. Since my friends and I will be investing, that should boost it up to around seventy-five thousand, depending on the rates. As for how many? Not sure, there's a number of races and a shit ton of people that start, but by the time the finals come around, there's only a fraction of the racers left. For obvious reasons."

He holds up a device which displays a holographic map, "This is where the first race is being held."

"Wait, Santo Domingo...? They're having death races IN the city!?" Ori questions, completely baffled.

Quentin just shrugs, "Yeah, locals don't usually mind, and the organisers pay off the cops during. Only problem you might run into are the gangs, but they'll stay outta the way... No one wants to deal with fifty heavily armed, pissed-off racers."

...

Hm... He was going to reject Quentin's offer, but hearing how many Eddies are on the line makes it hard to pass up. With that he could buy Charlie her Cyberware as soon as he got paid, no more needing to pay to keep her alive, and no more worrying if he'd have enough to cover the hospital expenses... Fucking no insurance!

Still, he didn't think he had the car for the job. Sure, his current ride could take a beating, but compared to vehicles specifically designed for that kinda racing, he doubted it'd hold up. After all, he was sure some fucking retard would come along with a whole ass cannon strapped to his car... Or just a shit load of explosives.

"You got a car I can use? Mine's not really suited for it." he asks, wondering if he could 'permanently borrow' the car afterwards. Having two vehicles at his disposal was probably a good idea, come to think of it.

"Of course! Won't tell you what it is yet since we're still testing which'll be best for the job, but whatever gets picked should be enough." Quentin assures.

"Right... Any other rules I should know about?"

"Your team can have as many people as you want, but keeping it low is the standard. Less weight means faster wheels. You can't shoot anyone if you can't catch 'em anyway. Oh, and no outside action. You hire someone to fuck with the race and you're done, trust me, you don't wanna mess with the organisers, if they can pay off the NCPD and leave half a sub-district in rubble, they can deal with some cheaters."

"What about Netrunning? Anything about that?" he asks, thinking of Sasha. Hacking someone's Cyberware midrace and forcing them to crash into a building would probably be a good strategy.

"Planning on bringing Sasha then...? Good choice." Quentin smiles with a faint blush. "But yeah, if she's on your team she can do whatever. The race will have Netrunners of their own keeping an eye on things, so don't try to hire an external one... Actually, just don't cheat period. There'll be a lot riding on this, and if you lose, you'll piss off a loooot of people. Both of us will probably not last the next week if that happens." Quentin warns.

"Got it... I accept, by the way." Ori states.

"Haha! I knew I could count on you, Ori! I'll send you the detes later, you should probably brush up on your driving too. Anyway, my girl's sending me the eyes and I ain't missing out. Cya later!"

*Beep!*

Living his best life...