Creeping Feelings. Cyberware Installed!

What up, back again.

Here we go with another chapter.

I'll also be updating my schedule.

New uploads will be at 4:30 pm UTC-7.

Enjoy!

-+=[BoG]=+-

Misty felt her heartbeat elevate and butterflies in her stomach as she heard him speak. It wasn't just the words, but also the raw conviction behind them. He believed it and she could feel it. Her face felt hot and noticed the distance between them had shortened. She hadn't felt this way before, but she liked it.

"That's a great idea to have, John, and for it to be inspired by...One Piece you called it? Perhaps I should give it a try." Misty smiled and his warm energy felt nice and didn't back up out of embarrassment.

John sighed in disappointment.

"I got my books as a gift and I'm not even sure where to get the latest volumes if there are any new ones." He was likely never going to know the ending which was a shame.

"Ah, maybe we could read it together? It sounds like an interesting read." Misty felt very comfortable with him, whether that was his openness, conviction, or his positive energy, she didn't know. Maybe a combination.

"I'd like that." John smiled as having people read peak fiction and being able to talk about it would be nice. He wasn't ignorant of how she was looking at him and her blushes, but whether a relationship would bloom or not wasn't his priority. If things happen, they happen. He likes her personality, but what's the rush? Friends, real friends, are priceless in this city. So even if nothing comes of it, he doesn't mind at all. 

Misty then changed the subject and her eyes turned blue.

"I sent my contact info to you. Whenever you want to stop by and read, but what did you come in here for? Doubt it was just to talk to little ol' me." Misty asks with a smile.

"While I like talking to the beautiful and spiritual woman, I did want to see if Vik was available." John didn't hesitate to speak his mind and get to why he was there.

Misty gave a charming smile as the close proximity certainly made her face hotter before she schooled herself and got to business.

"Flattery aside, Vik is available for the next few hours. How'd you hear of him?" She asked as she tapped the desk with her nails.

"Best ripperdoc in Night City. Boxing legend. Take your pick. Looking to get some work done." John explained as Misty hummed in response.

"Alright, getting anything crazy?" Misty was curious.

John laughed before shaking his head.

"Don't worry, plan on keeping this natural for quite a bit. Just some optics and a cyberdeck." John patted his stomach.

Misty giggled before pointing to the back of her shop.

"Just head on through the back and down the steps. I'll let Vik know. Don't be a stranger, John." Misty waved as John followed her directions.

"No way. Feels like a start to a beautiful friendship. Chemistry as they call it. Later, Misty. Expect a call later." John opened the door and headed out as he heard her call out to him.

"I'll hold you to that." Misty's voice echoes and he shakes his head in amusement.

He was feeling pretty good now. Was it wrong trying to put the moves on Misty? Definitely if she and Jackie were a thing, but he knew that Misty would've set the boundaries if that was the case. Now is it wrong to do that knowing that they'd eventually get together? Maybe. That's assuming that it even gets to that point. He'll do as he pleases in the meantime.

Walking down the steps, he waited at the door as there was a camera.

'Hmm, don't remember if that was in the game or not.' John mused as he heard a click and a voice.

"It's open." Vik's voice sounded through the camera.

He opened the door and the gated door opened automatically.

Vik is sitting on his stool watching a boxing match but stops watching as he notices John walking in.

The ripper's eyebrows raise as he takes in the newcomer's face.

"Well, you sure look familiar. Got some previous work done to look like the long-departed rockerboy?" Vik asked.

John's lip twitched in amusement.

"Unfortunately, this is all-natural." John laughed a bit.

Vik didn't pry.

"Certainly won't make your life easier. Anyway, Misty said you heard of my old boxing days?" Vik asked as he moved over to his operating chair. "Take a seat here." He adjusted the chair so that it would accommodate his larger stature.

"Yeah, I do a little boxing myself. Even if it's only in a training shard." John sat on the chair removed his hat and set his duffel bag down.

"Training shard, huh? Quite the piece of tech you got for yourself. Not quite the same as realspace." Vik commented as he got his console up and running.

"Don't got much of a choice. I'm looking for a gym, though." John added as he sighed.

"I might be able to recommend you one, but I've gotta see your skills first. Can't stake my rep on an unknown factor. Anyway, personal link? Gonna do a quick sweep of your interface and see if there's any problems." Vik handed him a cord.

John plugged in as the system fired up.

After a few minutes, Vik spun back to look at him.

"Everything looks good. What were you looking to get? There's a catalog you can access of what I currently got." Vik asked.

"Just some optics and a cyberdeck," John responded.

"Got it, what's your budget looking like?" Vik spun back to look at his stock awaiting an answer.

"About 60k give or take." John wanted to at least have some money to fall back on. Not blow it all and be pressured to start making eddies to afford rent.

Vik hummed as he was looking at options in that price range, "It's a bit pricey, but I did manage to get my hands on some Kiroshis. It'd be 20k. For the cyberdeck, take a look at the catalog for something you'd want. I adjusted the listing for something within your budget." Vik got up to get the optics.

'Kiroshis? That'd be pretty sick. They're the best in terms of optics.' John didn't hesitate to get them and accessed the catalog as the screen in front of him changed. Luckily it was touch-based and he could just scroll.

He took a look at all the options before settling on one.

Tetratronic Rippler Mk. 3 | E$25,000

9 RAM units | 6 Quickhack slots | 7 Buffer size

Altogether it would cost 45k along with whatever installation would cost.

Vik came back with the optics in hand. "Find anything?"

"Yeah, Tetratronic Rippler Mk. 3. Oh, and how much would installation cost?" John asked.

"I won't be a stickler. 2,500 for everything. Misty spoke kindly of you, so you're good in my books." Vik responded as he got the optics ready.

That seems cheap.

"Thanks, Vik. I appreciate it." John was thankful. He knew it was a good idea to come here.

"Don't mention it. Just don't get yourself killed and we'll call it even. With a face like that, I feel like that's a big ask." Vik laughed a bit.

"Got it. With an arm like mine, I won't go down easy." John and Vik share a laugh.

"Uh-huh, I'll be the judge of that." Vik humorously replied before getting down to business, "Alright, since this is your first time getting optics, I'll need to put you under to install it. So, it'll be lights out for a bit and we'll see how you feel before implanting the Rippler."

John was thankful that he didn't need to be awake for it unlike V. Getting his eyes taken out, even if he was completely numb would be awful. Maybe not so much if he already had cyberoptics, but with his fleshy eyes? Not a chance.

"Work your magic, Vik." John relaxed and took a deep breath.

"Alright, John. See you in a bit." Vik injected him with something.

John lost consciousness.

-+=[BoG]=+-

Misty kept replaying the conversation in her head. It was one hell of a first impression as it wasn't leaving her mind. She already wanted to speak to him and get to know him. Does he have family? What are his hobbies? She felt enraptured by his energy.

After a while, her curiosity couldn't be stopped, and headed down to Vik's clinic.

Vik noticed her arrival.

"What can I do for ya, Misty? Got John right here." Vik didn't even look up as he worked.

"Just curious and had nothing better to do." Misty had a feeling she wouldn't see anyone other than John walking into her store today.

"Hmm, enamored are ya?" Vik sly commented.

"Don't say it like that. He's quite different from most people I've met in the city." Misty was glad he couldn't see her right now.

"Yeah, feel bad that he has the face that he has. Puts a target on his back." Vik sighed.

Misty was confused. She quite liked his face.

"What's wrong with his face?" She wondered.

"Ah, guess you wouldn't know. They practically banned all information about him from being spread. Including his face, it seems. His looks are practically identical to Johnny Silverhand and I didn't detect any facial modification work done on him. Wouldn't be surprised if he's his descendant." Vik dropped that bomb.

While Misty never knew Johnny's face, he certainly heard his name and stories. Her face formed into sadness.

"I wouldn't be surprised either." She recalled back to their conversation as it was somewhat similar to Johnny's rhetoric and actions. Misty only hoped that history didn't repeat itself.

His light didn't deserve to be extinguished. 

She wanted to bathe in it for as long as she could.

Does she have feelings for him? 

Misty was afraid of the answer.

-+=[BoG]=+-

An hour later, John felt his senses return to him as he awoke.

He opened his eyes and the whole world felt different. His vision was insanely clear and sharp. Everything looked so much more clear.

The first thing he saw was Misty sitting near the table and her beauty was even more magnified with his enhanced vision.

"Did I die and go to heaven? Because I see an angel in front of me, Vik." John used an age-old classic. Was it cringey? Probably, but he didn't care. It was the perfect time to use it.

Misty, caught up by her own feelings and thoughts from earlier, blushed brightly.

Vik snorted.

"Really, John? I should be compensated for hearing that." Vik joked.

"It felt right." John smiled at Misty and she stood up next to him.

"How are you feeling," Misty asked with a hand on his shoulder.

'Oh?' John wasn't expecting such closeness as he was just setting the mood lighter, but he wasn't complaining.

"Good, eyes feel great." John patted her hand before looking at Vik.

"If you lovebirds are done, I do have to get into the more technical aspects of the Kiroshis." Vik didn't hesitate to tease them both.

"Ha-ha, Vik." Misty sarcastically responded but squeezed John's shoulder before sitting back down.

'She's definitely feeling some type of way about me.' John smiled to himself. It felt good. "Alright, lay it on me, Vik."

"Since this is your first time getting optics, I'll list the features from the bottom up. First is switching between vision types such as Infrared and night vision. A targeting scope that can tag people and read out speed or lock on to them if you have a smart link. Protects against sunlight and bright lights. You'd never need sunglasses again. Digital camera that can take pictures and store into your neural interface. Microscopic vision for fingerprints and such. There is also a scanner that allows you to scan objects and people. This is helpful for netrunners to upload quickhacks.

"You can also video call those in your contacts and text too. The Kiroshis have all this and enhanced the quality beyond its competitors. It also has a lens-disruptor; cameras will only see a blur as your face, but the rest of your body will be completely visible." Vik explained fully of its features.

'Damn, didn't know optics did all that.' John felt excited. "Got it, thanks, Vik."

"Ah, and I uploaded the NCPD database so you can see what they have on the targets you scan," Vik added and John nodded although he was disappointed he didn't say the line.

"So I can see the ne'er-do-wells ne'er-did well?" Fine, he'll do it himself. 

Misty giggled at the joke.

Even Vik cracked a smile.

"Exactly." Vik nodded. "Alright, do you see any glitches or errors in your vision? Any pain or nausea?"

"Nah, all good here," John responded.

"Good. Now we'll start on the cyberdeck. I'll need to you lay on your stomach." Vik got himself ready with his tools and cyberware.

John rolled over not before making another remark.

"Remember my eyes are up here, Misty." John pointed at his now cyberoptics.

She played along.

"No promises, John." Misty gave a teasing smile.

"I'm going to gag. Lights out again, John." Vik remarked.

John's vision was gone once again.

-+=[BoG]=+-

"You've got it bad, Misty." Vik was honestly surprised.

Misty knew there was no reason to shy away from it anymore. She knew how she felt.

"What can I say, Vik? He has a type of energy that draws me in. You can't say you don't notice it either." Misty pointed out.

"Yeah, he's definitely got that charm about it. Haven't seen someone like him in a long time. Can't help but root for him." Vik got to work.

Misty couldn't agree more.

-+=[BoG]=+-

Another hour went by before John slowly opened his eyes.

"Hey, Vik. Did I die be–"

"Don't even, John." Vik sighed in exasperation.

"Alright, alright. I get it." John laughed before he turned himself back around.

Misty giggled a bit from her chair.

"Anything feels off, John. Dizziness, nausea, pain, or blurred vision?" Vik asked.

"Same as before, all good here." He felt completely fine as if he never went under the knife.

Vik ran another scan and noticed nothing was off.

"Seems you got some tolerance for cyberware, usually someone in that seat would be feeling some side effects. That doesn't mean you can just chip in anything you want. Tolerant doesn't equal immune." Vik warned as he definitely wanted to get that point across.

"Got it, Vik. I won't act stupid. I'll be coming here from now on anyway, so you can tell me what's too much." John smiled at the man and the ripper visibly relaxed with relief.

"Good. Then take this," He hands John what looked to be a MaxDoc, "Two puffs now and another two in an hour. Just because you aren't feeling anything doesn't mean we don't gotta be careful."

He took the two puffs and sent over the money he owed Vik.

"Now onto the cyberdeck, your Kiroshis' scanner is linked so you'd be able to upload quickhacks and it's also connected with your personal link for data terminals. I ain't a netrunner, so that's all I got for ya." Vik explains as the man in the chair nods.

"Thanks a lot, Vik." John was thankful as he grabbed his hat and bag.

"Any time, John. Now go show the world what you're made of." Vik waved him off as he got back to his boxing match.

Misty got up and put a hand on his arm.

"Come on, I'll go walk you out." Misty walked ahead of him.

John followed before noticing something.

'Is she swaying her hips more, or am I just imagining it.' 

He enjoyed the view nonetheless.

-+=[BoG]=+-

Things are moving fast, but Misty doesn't play around. She's open and won't hide how she feels.

For those wondering, no they aren't going to be going at it any time soon. She is attracted to the soul and would naturally want to get to know him thoroughly. Teasing is just a way of building a closer bond and trust. That's all there is to say about it.

I appreciate the support as always and I'll see y'all in the next chapter.

Later!