Evelyn's entrance was always a show. She strolled in draped in a fur coat, with lingerie underneath — enough to make Jackie's eyes go wide.
"Hey, Ev." Judy called from inside.
"If the Mox girls hadn't pinged me, I wouldn't have known you were out." Evelyn said, her tone sharp — definitely not in a good mood.
"Those girls still can't keep their mouths shut, huh?" Judy shrugged, "Relax. I was just cruising around with V."
"Ah. V." Evelyn gave a brief nod and headed straight for the kitchen, "I'll have a word with him."
"Judy, who's…?" Jackie muttered, his brain struggling to keep up.
Wasn't he just here for some Eastern cooking? When did this turn into a sit-down with Judy and Evelyn?
Judy was one thing, but Evelyn Parker wasn't exactly 'no big deal'.
"It's alright, Jack." Judy said lightly.
In the kitchen, Vash was slicing vegetables when Evelyn appeared in the doorway.
She pulled a cigarette from her clutch, lit it, and took a slow drag, "V. We need to talk."
"Go ahead." Vash said without looking up.
"Judy's new experimental braindance… it should be just about ready, right?"
Vash's knife kept moving, "You know how braindance work too. You're the one who's picky about the details."
Evelyn exhaled smoke through her nose, "To be fair, I didn't shortchange you for the repair job, did I?"
"Mm. Twenty thousand eddies is a nice number." Vash admitted. Then his voice cooled, "But, Evelyn — say what you mean. Don't dance around it."
Evelyn's eyes narrowed, "Why did you take Judy out?"
So that was it.
Vash kept slicing some chilli pepper, "Ask Judy yourself."
"V." Evelyn said, each word measured, "Judy is my person. Understand? Don't get ideas. Or your life in Night City won't stay so peaceful."
Coming from someone with status and eddies, that kind of warning usually carried weight.
It didn't move Vash an inch.
He set another slice aside and spoke calmly, "Today's the completion day for Island of Doom. Judy wanted to celebrate, so we went to Little China. There was gang trouble, the NCPD rolled in, and I suggested we come to my place and try some real Eastern food — homemade."
He finally glanced up at her.
"If I had plans for Judy, do you think your Mox sisters would've known exactly where we were?"
Evelyn stared at him for a long moment.
She'd sat across from every kind of predator Night City produced — corporate suits, upstart gang bosses, high-end assassins, and hardened edgerunners. She'd learned how to read people fast.
But Vash felt… different. Mysterious. Dangerous in a quiet way. She couldn't dig up much about him, and he never exposed a soft spot.
And the most irritating part?… Judy actually got along with him.
"So…" Vash said, returning to his prep, "You done? If you are, grab a plate and help serve."
"What?" Evelyn's hand paused mid-drag.
Did this man always switch gears like that?
"You came to eat, didn't you?" Vash said, "So lend a hand."
Before she could protest, he set a plate of cut vegetables into her arms like it was the most natural thing in the world.
As she carried it out, Evelyn felt oddly off-balance.
Hadn't she come here to draw a line? How did it turn into kitchen duty?
"Ev, you're so helpful." Judy teased.
Evelyn set the plate on the table. Noticing Jackie, she smoothed her expression back into its usual composed mask, "When you're a guest in someone's home, you help. That's basic etiquette."
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The Eastern dish Vash made was simple — but legendary: a full-on Sichuan hot pot.
One pot to rule them all. One pot for everything.
It wasn't some delicate, plated thing meant to impress with elegance. Hot pot was what you chose when you had a whole table to feed — everyone ate at their own pace, grabbed what they wanted, and nobody had to pretend they were "too refined" for a second round.
Meat, mushrooms, tofu, and greens went in raw and came out scalding hot, slick with chili oil. The heat and spice had a way of prying people open — laughing, swearing, reaching across the table for sauce, and starting arguments over who got the last slice.
In Night City, where meals were usually rushed, transactional, or eaten alone under neon and advertisements, a bubbling pot that forced people to sit together felt almost rebellious.
If Judy wanted to celebrate — and Evelyn had shown up bristling with suspicion — then hot pot was the perfect answer: loud, warm, and impossible to stay tense around for long.
The four of them gathered around a table with an induction cooker and a pot set on top. Crimson broth rolled and bubbled, releasing a spicy fragrance that hit like a punch and made mouths water.
And with Vash's 〈Perfect Culinary Skill〉 backing him up, it was basically unfair.
"Alright." Vash said, gesturing at the pot, "Let's see if this beats anything you've had in Little China."
"Choomba, that smells insane." Jackie said, already reaching for the meat.
He grabbed a slice, swished it through the broth for a few seconds like Vash told him, dipped it into sauce, and shoved it into his mouth.
"Holy shit, V! This is fucking delicious!"
Compared to Jackie's bulldozer approach, Judy and Evelyn ate with more restraint. They cooked vegetables and tofu first, waited until they were just right, then took careful bites.
Their eyes lit up anyway.
"V, with skills like this, you'd never starve even if you quit the merc life." Judy said, genuinely impressed.
Evelyn nodded, conceding the point, "Lizzie's would pay you a decent salary."
Vash only smiled, "It's a rare treat. So eat."
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T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
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That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)