Tarot Reading! Meeting a Netrunner!

What up, It's me. Back again with another chapter.

I appreciate the support and here's the next chapter. 

Enjoy.

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As they made their way back to the shop, Misty offered him to sit down on one of her chairs and she did as well, dropping his bag on the floor.

Misty looked over to him.

"So, John. Got any plans for the day?" Misty asked.

John matched her gaze.

"Yeah, gotta meet my aunt. She was not happy that I was planning on being an edgerunner." John laughed to himself. Thanks to his new eyes, he can see the time, 11:32 am. 

He naturally knew where she lived along with David. 

Misty nodded. For his goal, he'd naturally be an edgerunner and could understand his relative's reaction.

"It'll be hard confronting that, but it's nice to know she cares." Misty smiled.

"Yeah, she checks in every so often, even though she's busy raising my cousin and putting him through school." John lays back and closes his eyes relaxing on the chair.

"Oh? You have a cousin?" Misty was interested in knowing more.

He nodded.

"David. He's studying at Arasaka Academy. My aunt works practically to death for a chance at him having a better life. I used to work at a restaurant until I decided that I wanted something more meaningful." John opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling.

"You've taken the first steps and that's what matters…also, you in uniform? That's something I'd like to see." Misty laughed at the image.

"I'll be sure to cosplay for you then." John teased as she giggled.

"What time are you meeting her?" Misty now sat sideways in the chair looking at him.

"At one, so I'll probably have to head out." John sighed before sitting up.

She looked down at that before perking up.

"Okay, I hope it goes well. Oh, would you like a tarot reading before you go?" Misty offered as she stood up and walked to the counter.

"Yeah, wonder what my future holds." John chuckled as he picked up his bag making his way over. He saw the holographic sign and saw it was 5 eddies.

She began shuffling the cards before handing them to me, "I'd like you to split the cards since personally touching them gives a stronger reading. In my experience, anyway. Make sure you're thinking about your past, present, and future."

"Sure." John split the deck before handing them back.

Misty then drew the first card.

The Magician

"You have talent and you recognize it which can allow you to reach your full potential and to not hold anything back, especially if you need to transform into something." Misty looks at him and he nods.

'Sounds about right. His game system and potential make things easier.' John thought before she pulled another card.

Strength

Misty nodded at this.

"This makes sense. You're certain in your decision-making. Completely committed to your purpose, and unshakeable resolve." She smiled at him.

"Wouldn't be me otherwise." John laughed. This thing's pretty accurate.

She draws another card.

The World

"This card signifies rebirth as an end to old ways and a beginning of a new journey. You did just commit to being an edgerunner." Misty nodded at this.

'Or something deeper like his old life ending and his new one in this world beginning.' John mused.

The final card.

The Chariot

She smiled with pure happiness at this one.

"This card symbolizes strong will and determination, encouraging you to stay on the path you've chosen." Misty was overjoyed at the reading and John was smiling too as he was now a believer in higher powers. Pretty hard not to with The Examiner and all.

"The divine giving me the green light is all the comfort I need." John laughed.

"Aww don't need mine?" She teased.

He leaned against the counter, "On second thought, I think yours beats the divine any day of the week." John shot back.

In a surprising move, she wraps her arms around him, or at least tried, from over the counter.

"You got this." She whispered softly.

John felt a jolt that coursed through his body.

'Woman, what are you doing to me?' He mused before he hugged her back. She melted into him for a few moments before both pulled away.

He sent her a hundred eddies.

"Hey, I was going to do it for free. I really wanted to do your tarot reading anyway." She tried arguing.

John just shook his head.

"What can I say, the service was immaculate. Later now, Misty?" He waved before walking to the exit.

"Bye, John. Call me!" Misty waved with a smile.

As he left the store, Misty slumped down with her arms crossed and her head buried in them.

'What are you doing to me, John?' Misty never felt this rush of emotions for a person before. It was exciting, captivating, and a little scary…

But she smiled.

-+=[BoG]=+-

John realized that he didn't have an NCART pass, but he was sure he could get one there. He suddenly got a message and looked with his vision.

It was Vik.

Viktor Vektor:

Hey, John. Come back in a week for a checkup so that everything is functioning properly. Also, gotta see your skills, so we'll do that then.

Take care.

He responded in kind.

John Wick:

Sounds good. See you then.

That slipped his mind as he was excited about his optics and cyberdeck, but he didn't mind the little wait. He can always use the equipment outside his apartment in the meantime. John would have to talk with Coach Fred about that though.

Now with that sorted out, he walked out and previously he made a note of the NCART transit station on his way over to Vik's, so he followed the icon.

When he got there, there were already people waiting, and the elevator arrived. Making his way inside, and ignoring the brief looks he got, the elevator went up.

As the elevator stopped, he made his way out and saw a machine that gave out cards, luckily no one was using it so he stepped up.

He had to jack in with his personal link, so he did so. There was a one-time payment of 100 eddies and a 0.25 eddie charge per stop, which was crazy, but what can you do?

Paying the fee, a card popped out and he grabbed it. Making his way over to the station, he saw a map of the lines and stops. The place where he's at is Line E.

Gloria and David's apartment was Megabuilding H4, so he'd need to stop at Alexander Street, and then get on to Line A to make it there. In total, it would cost 3.50 eddies for a roundtrip, which was far lower than he expected. It also charges him for getting on the NCART.

As he got to the gates, he slotted in his card and the holographic screen disappeared as he stepped through. It showed up again as he made his way passed.

He didn't know how long he had to wait, so he just sat down on a bench.

It showed up and he got on.

Nothing happened as he just took in the sights of the city and he was approaching Alexander Street.

He got off the NCART and passed through the holographic screen before walking down a hallway with some twists and turns.

Now he was at the Line A transit and had to insert his card again.

After another wait, he got on the metro. He passed the Sarasti & Republic stop and it wasn't until the Memorial Park station that he was shocked to see a familiar face.

Lucy.

She walked up and sat by him as there was no other seating looking at everyone and we made eye contact.

Her heart raced as she saw his face and numerous thoughts ran wild in her head.

'Did they find me? No, they'd just storm in and grabbed me, damn the casualties, but if not that, could it be?' Lucy naturally knows of Johnny Silverhand. She hated the corp to her very soul. When she got out of that hellish place she did her research. What Johnny did was unlike anyone has ever seen, forcing out Arasaka from Night City for fifty years. Sure, they came back right as rain, but who has done that before? 

Yeah, the methods were questionable at best and horrific to everyone you ask, but he stood against them. Something she has no courage to do herself. It's why she no longer uses her full name and hides right under their noses.

She had just finished picksocketing for the day and was heading home. Now she is face to face with someone who should be dead.

Her thoughts consumed her and now the eye contact became awkward.

John was exasperated at her reaction. 'She definitely recognizes my face. I have the #1 Arasaka hater's face.' He kept looking at her shocked face before deciding it was enough.

Time to break the ice.

"I know that I'm handsome, but there's no need to stare." He laughed.

'Even his voice is the same, but Johnny was not that huge.' She was even more sure. There was no definitive proof that Johnny died and like hell, she'd believe anything Arasaka says.

She didn't rise to the bait.

"Who are you?" She pressed.

'Ah, quite serious.' John wasn't surprised. She had this temperament before meeting David. He did not want to get tangled up in that right now, but she was staring at him with a ridiculous look on her face, so how could he resist?

"John, you?" He asked extending a hand.

She looks at it for a bit before shaking it.

"Lucy." She was now positive there was something going on, but not entirely sure. There had been poser gangs before modifying their faces to look like historical figures, but the voice? She didn't see any cyberware on his throat.

She quickly scanned him and broke through the mediocre at best ICE to look through his systems undetected.

'Nothing. No voice modifiers and full name John Wick. I also don't detect a credchip.' She was even more intrigued as she saw no signs of forging. Could it really be someone who looks and sounds like him? She wanted to know.

"What do you do for work?" Lucy lit up a cig.

"Starting out as an edgerunner, and you? Also, could I get one?" John asked and she didn't mind. He stuck it in his mouth and she lit it for him.

"Same, so you're green, huh? Got anything lined up?" She took a drag.

"Nah, haven't even met a fixer or done a job yet. Thinking of walking around Watson and find a scav den to start." He took a puff before exhaling.

She looked at him like he was crazy before she busted out laughing.

"Man, you're fucking psycho." She reigned in her laughter before taking another drag. "'Sure you'll survive?"

John grinned.

"You could say that I'm built different." He laughed at the reference.

She was about to respond before some rando pulled up to John and shoved a gun in his face.

"Hey, choom. Hand over your eddies!" The mugger shouted which attracted the train car full of people.

Lucy was annoyed that their conversation had been interrupted and was about to short-circuit him before John took another drag.

He looked over to his left where a woman was looking at them with fear.

"Can you believe this guy?" John laughed.

The mugger got angry and whipped around pointing the gun at the woman.

"Mind your damn business, bit–"

In the next second John pulled out his Unity from his belt and fired a shot through his skull and he collapsed.

Shouts of fear and panic as people ran to a different train car.

"Dumbass." He sighed before taking the robber's Unity and searched his chipsockets as he found a shard. "Nice."

Lucy was dumbfounded. It all happened so fast and naturally. Not something you'd see from a new edgerunner. Classic misdirection and fast execution.

She took a drag as her interest skyrocketed. Lucy didn't think he was lying to her, but she didn't really know.

"You sure you're new to edgerunning?" Doubt laced her voice.

John gave her a mysterious look.

"Perhaps it's in the blood." He laughed before stashing away the gun in his bag and pocketing the shard.

Now wasn't that a mindfuck and something Lucy didn't immediately suspect.

'Could he?' Lucy's heart raced at the implication and didn't even notice the stockpile of weapons in his bag.

John knew what he was doing. Would she say anything about the implication he dropped on her? Of course not. She's probably right behind Johnny in hating Arasaka.

Her thoughts changed as the next stop was approaching. Her stop.

Lucy bit her lip in frustration. If what she was thinking was true, then perhaps she found someone who understood. Could he know of his parentage or was that just a throwaway line that people say? It made sense that he did but probably didn't know that she had done deep research on Johnny. She also looked too young to know much about it, so he may have felt safe in sharing that.

She didn't know and her head hurt thinking about it. All she knew was that she wanted to see him again, to figure out who John really was.

And if what she suspected was true.

Then she wouldn't be alone anymore.

Taking a drag of her cigarette, her eyes glowed. "This is my stop. I sent my contact if you want a team up for that scav den. Later." She gave an excuse for him to call and left the train car.

John shook his head in amusement.

"Later, Lucy." He waved as she left.

He thought she would be a good friend to have especially if he could get her to join his future team to take on Arasaka. She would be a prime candidate for that. Lucy was scared of them, but perhaps if he could prove his competency, then she'd be confident in joining his crusade. Only time will tell.

Another puff and he looked down at the corpse.

'...perhaps I should move.'

-+=[BoG]=+-

Another chapter down!

Thanks for all the support!

I'll see you in the next one!

Later!