"Us? Just some ladies' talk. You're not planning to butt in too, are you, Mr. Client?"
Kiwi's slightly husky voice came through her mask, the modulated timbre giving it a mechanical edge.
"I'll pass—and it's Lin Mo, Miss Kiwi."
Lin Mo's lips curled in a faint smile. He lifted his hand: two elegant, refined bottles gleamed there.
"Aren't you bored out here? How about we go in, have a few sips, and hash out the mission details?" he suggested with a grin.
"Fine," Kiwi replied coolly with a nod.
Lin Mo stepped into the private room first, Kiwi and Lucy following.
Their entrance drew everyone's attention at once. Most eyes, however, lingered on Lucy, curiosity and mixed feelings flickering in their gazes.
Lin Mo's arrival had been expected; Kiwi could've just run into him outside. But this white-haired woman—most had met her once at best—and she wasn't in the original plan, so her presence raised questions.
The lively room fell utterly silent for a beat—until Maine's booming voice shattered the quiet.
"'Bout time you showed up, Lin Mo. Any idea how long we've been waiting? Should've come late myself and made you wait."
Despite the bluster, his grin gave him away—he was in a good mood.
"Yeah, yeah—get over here and drink with big sis to apologize, Little Lin Mo!" Rebecca chimed in.
Jackie stood, slung an arm over Lin Mo's shoulders, and neatly took the two bottles. The sleek silver-gray glass, studded with tiny crystals, caught the club lights and threw rainbow sparkles across the room.
"Holy—Blue Drunk Champagne, Diamond Edition. You're bleeding cash here, Lin Mo. Popping it now?" Jackie whistled, genuinely impressed.
At that, everyone's attention swung to the bottles. The topic in the room flipped on a dime.
Even Maine closed his mouth and stared at the champagne.
Nice save. Jackie's got a delicate touch, Lin Mo thought, grateful. Jackie didn't seem to notice, though. He set the bottles gently on the glass table, his expression theatrically mysterious—hooking every gaze in the room.
"Blue what now? Diamond what? It's just booze," Maine grunted.
Lin Mo only smiled and looked to Jackie, curious how he'd explain. He dropped onto a four-seater couch; with Jackie and David, three spots were taken. The only place left was at Lin Mo's side, by the armrest.
Lucy glanced around. She'd been about to sit with Kiwi, but saw Kiwi perch on the couch's armrest, detached as ever. With few friendly faces here, sitting near someone she knew seemed safest.
Just as she moved to take the armrest beside Lin Mo, another white-haired woman slipped in and claimed the spot first. Feigning curiosity, the newcomer leaned in to study the bottle in Jackie's hand, elbow on knee, cheek in palm—so close her shoulder brushed Lin Mo's.
Lucy frowned; a faint, inexplicable hostility rolled off the woman. Irritating—but that wasn't the seat she wanted anyway. She let it go and settled onto the other armrest.
Jackie took the cue:
"Blue Drunk Champagne. At Lizzie's—no, in all of Night City—it's top-shelf. The Diamond Edition? That's the emperor of wine."
"Emperor, huh? It's still just alcohol. Is it gonna make me shoot straighter?" Rebecca scoffed.
"That's your problem—no taste. I'm telling you, one bottle could match your whole crew's fee for a job. Believe it?" Jackie chuckled.
Eyes widened around the room—everyone's but Lin Mo's and David's.
Lin Mo already knew the price. David had no sense of fees; "expensive" was all he had.
The rest knew Maine's Afterlife-level crew didn't leave the bar for anything under five figures—split six ways, no less.
"How much exactly?" Maine asked, eyeing the bottle like a dream cyberware piece.
Jackie opened his mouth—but Lin Mo lifted a hand.
"Doesn't matter. Wine's made to be drunk. No price changes the fact it's just food. I kept you waiting too long—this is my apology," he said, still smiling.
"Hell, if we knew you'd bring this, we'd have waited longer," Maine laughed, rapping the table. "C'mon, Jackie—let me taste what 'ridiculously expensive' is like."
Shot glasses clinked onto the table. Jackie popped a cork; rich fragrance bloomed through the room. Carefully, almost reverently, he poured, trying not to spill a drop.
Lin Mo kept smiling. Bringing the bottles had been calculated. He'd had to rush straight from class—and swing by to pick up Lucy. The Caliburn had done its job.
Also: no time to let them drink themselves stupid. He knew how many here loved their booze. Two ludicrously pricey bottles doubled as a peace offering and a throttle—once they'd had that, everything else would feel like a waste by comparison.
Win-win-win.
The others didn't see the strings. After a few rounds, the exquisite bottles sat empty.
"Tastes… kinda like regular stuff? No—better, yeah," Maine said, smacking his lips.
"You don't get it," Falco said from the corner, the old lush in him coming out. "It's rich. Not that cheap industrial synth-swill. This is handcrafted—the mouthfeel's unique."
"Alright, alright—less small talk," Lin Mo cut in gently. "You all know why we're here. I've already sent the plan details as an attachment. In a bit, the fixer will dial in. If you have questions, ask now."
He'd sent the full plan at dawn—save time, save breath.
"No problem, Little Lin Mo. We're infiltrating Arasaka Waterfront, right? The thought of crossing Arasaka's got me pumped!" Rebecca beamed.
Maine, the responsible leader, thought longer and harder. He met Lin Mo's eyes.
"You sure about this? We're only a diversion if it blows, sure—but it's Arasaka. Don't rush this."
"Relax. I'm sure. And the cleanup? Regina's people will handle it. You know me," Lin Mo said, confidence steady.
Maine nodded and let it drop.
"I do have a question. Why bring her in as your on-site netrunner?"
This time it was Sasha. Brows knit, she didn't look at Lucy—she stared straight at Lin Mo.
She wasn't the only one puzzled; glances flicked from Lin Mo to Lucy across the room. Even Kiwi found it odd—Lucy had talent, but experience wasn't the same thing. Sasha had earned her way into the Afterlife circle; she'd seen jobs like this.
By any logic, Sasha was the better pick.
But Lin Mo had earned trust. And he himself was going in—he wouldn't gamble blindly with his life. So they held their tongues.
Just like the sim, Lin Mo thought. She'd object. He wasn't surprised.
"As for that arrangement, I'd rather you didn't push it. Tonight's result will speak for itself. Trust my call—and trust Lucy."
All eyes shifted to him—then to Lucy. Lin Mo turned to her and said sincerely:
"Miss Lucy, I chose you because I trust your skills. If tonight goes well and you're willing—you're in the team, officially."
Lucy's lips quirked into a small smile. Under the scrutiny, she didn't flinch—she tilted her head, calm and teasing.
"Oh? If you trust me that much, boss… why've you had me doing that job? Hard to take you at your word."
Right. Sending her to scavenge landfills… that kind of came back to bite.
Lin Mo paused, a touch embarrassed. Without the sim's promising outcome with Lucy, he wouldn't have thought to bring her on this op.
Sensing it, Lucy chuckled, silver lashes dipping, voice light.
"Alright, I won't tease. Things were rocky at first, but after working for you a while—I trust your character. You're a good boss. I'll accept."
He was a good boss. Sure, he'd had her digging through dumps for some mysterious freezer—but he'd also given her drones with the newest combat suites: safer, better eyes, good pay.
In Night City, she knew full well: it might not look glamorous, but even corp dogs would quit for a gig like that.
And seeing so many top edgerunners here put faith in a kid? Time to adjust her bias—he had presence.
"Since Lucy's agreed, I hope you'll all give her your trust. Sasha, any objections?"
"No—" Sasha murmured, sounding like a scolded cat.
"Good. Then let's bring in the fixer and hear her piece."
Lin Mo didn't waste time. He pulled a small deck module and slotted it into the table port.
The room's mics and cams handed over to a distant operator. As for the bar's reaction—Lin Mo wasn't worried. He'd cleared it with the Mox; they trusted Regina's principles.
A beat later, Regina connected and spoke at once:
"Test, test—can you hear me, Lin Mo?"
"Loud and clear, Ms. Regina. You should be seeing everyone in the room."
"I do… and I'll admit, you know a lot of people, Lin Mo," Regina said, surprised.
Her feed showed a large private room crammed with a dozen bodies. She hadn't expected Lin Mo to gather this many.
But good—more bodies meant he was taking it dead serious. So would she.
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