Alex barely had time to even look over at her before a bullet flew past his head. Ducking under the counter as at least three more bullets slammed into the wood he was hiding behind, he shouted out-
"Oi! You can't ask for shit then shoot the owner!"
Thankfully, the bullets actually did stop as he cautiously peeked over the counter, only to see her squinting her eyes at him, two guns still smoking a bit as the barrels looked right down at him.
"Can't handle a little attitude, huh?" She lowers the guns, stepping closer and leaning against the counter, eye to eye with the still somewhat hiding Alex. "You ain't even got any Chrome on ya?" She notes, gum smacking between her teeth.
Even if he didn't remember Cyberpunk Edgerunners, her outfit would have immediately reminded him. In just an oversized jacket with nothing but a bra and panties on underneath, the little gremlin in front of him couldn't be more recognizable.
"Sorry, can't say I do, Becca-"
Click.
The gun is swiftly pressed against his forehead, Rebecca frowning.
"We ain't chooms, gonk." She evenly states. "You wanna flatline?"
"Not particularly." He says back, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice. "Uh, interested in anything?" He tries to change the topic.
Unsuccessfully.
"You some sorta Night Market?" She continues talking, ignoring him. "The hell'd you set up shop in my spot, bro?"
"Can safely say, I didn't choose the spot." He honestly states, looking into her neon green irises, red outlining it. "Sorry if I took your place, really."
She hums, chewing her gum slower now, contemplating his words. After a tense pause, she lowers the gun with a sharp sigh.
"Lucky I'm feelin' nova today," she mutters, flashing him a grin that doesn't reach her eyes. "Otherwise, I'd be redecoratin' this dump with your insides."
"Appreciate it." He sighs, thankful to not have a gun in his face. "Well, if you see anything you like, let me know."
She ignores him, walking to a shelf and looking at some weapon modifications. They looked more advanced than anything he'd seen, but she barely gave them a second glance.
He definitely saw her pocket some gum, but he wasn't about to say anything.
"Y'know, this kinda setup could get you in deep shit if a corpo walks in." She casually called out, pointing out some different Daemons on the shelf, right next to different Cyberdecks.
"Isn't netrunning a thing most people do?" He asks, genuinely a bit curious.
She snorts at the question. "Any gonk can plug into the Net. But you fuck up once—" She mimes shooting herself in the head. "Corpo assassin bitch pays you a visit."
"Even if it's just a simple search on google?"
"Ain't no runner worth their chrome usin' kiddie searches like that," she snaps. "These Daemons? Not your run-of-the-mill shit. This is the kind that gets you bagged or burned fast."
'Good to know.'
"Well, don't worry about it," he waves off her concerns. "This shop isn't somewhere you can access easily, I'm sure no corpo can get in."
Not without being let in at least.
"Whatever." She deadpans, rolling her eyes. She pulls a shotgun off the shelf, examining it pretty closely.
"So, you interested in anything?" Alex asks again. "Because you don't seem like you actually want anything."
"Oh, I'm sorry—" She slams the shotgun back onto the shelf, metal clattering. "Am I interruptin' somethin' here? 'Cause it seems like you're the fuckin' gonk who set up shop at my relaxin' spot! My bad for bein' a bit fuckin' irked!"
"Ok, ok." He raises his hands in surrender, hoping to calm her down. "Sorry, really! What can I do to make it right?"
He immediately realized that that's what she wanted as he spots the gleam of victory in her eyes and shark-like smirk.
Mainly the smirk.
"I got an idea." She basically confirmed, snatching a few different attachments off the wall. "How 'bout I take some of this shit for myself and you look the other way?" She states, already snatching more off the wall.
'...was she just acting uninterested?'
Played like a fiddle.
'I have to stop giving away leverage like candy.'
While she snatched up basically anything she could hold, he leaned against the counter and watched. What else could he do? He wasn't messing with her if he could help it.
Plus, the view was great. He should get 'robbed' more often.
"Hmm, think I'm real nova now." She looks over at him, smirk on her face. "Preciate the donation choom, but just so we're clear-"
Leaning forward, somehow the sheer amount of stuff she's grabbed not getting in the way, she stares directly into his eyes.
"You better fuckin' delta before I see you again, Crystal?" She 'asks' him.
"Crystal." He gives her a thumbs up with a weak smirk, very aware she was trigger happy enough to just murder him on the spot.
"Good." She nods, turning to leave the store. She stops at the doorway, turning back for a second. "If I see ya again, you're gettin' fuckin' zeroed." She leaves immediately, letting him sit down on the chair behind his counter, putting his head down on it.
"Fuuuuuuuuuuck."
That was definitely the most stressful situation so far. Even Ubel wasn't as bad. Sure, she was also a psychopath that could have killed him if she wanted, but he knew that she wouldn't. She isn't a trigger-happy little gremlin of a girl that can change her entire mood on a dime.
Plus, the shop decided to put the entrance right where she typically relaxes? He was set up for failure from the beginning! If she had just come in because it was an interesting store, or something drew her in, completely different story. He could have maybe made some jokes, had a little banter, maybe some fun!
Nope, he was trying his best not to actually lose his head that entire interaction.
"Ugh." He goes limp against the counter, closing his eyes. "I need a break."