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The second time she saw the officer was a good two weeks or so after the incident. V walked up to a stall, adjusting her aviators as she took a seat. She absentmindedly pointed at a pastry and coffee on the menu beneath the glass as she hummed into her comms.
"Alright, well I dropped it off now so it should get to you in just a bit," V said.
"Good, I'm sure the client will be happy to hear it. Contract closed," Wakako replied before promptly hanging up.
Flicking the her cigarette ashes off the side, V brought it to her lips and took a long drag just as the figure sitting behind her shifted to face her.
"Look what the cat dragged in," he spoke.
Glancing at him briefly, she grinned and exhaled her smoke away from him before speaking. "Officer Ward, fancy meetin' you here. You on a case?"
"Was just headin' back. You on a job?" he motioned to her.
"Just finished up myself," she replied, then looked at the man who ran the kiosk as he brought over a pastry and a cup of coffee for her. She glanced at River again before sliding the pastry over to him. "Here, you take this. On me as... thanks, I guess."
"What for?" he puzzled.
"For not leavin' me behind that time. Not every cop woulda done that," she told him, taking a long drag out of her smoke.
"What, you mean after I shot you?" River smirked, "I guess I felt sorry for you, leaving you like that."
V tried—and failed—to suppress her grin, pulling her plate back to her, "Fuck you, I'm keepin' this."
River chuckled and turned to the man, his eyes lighting up momentarily. "Add those to my bill."
"You didn't have to do that," V replied, raising a brow.
"I know," he told her. Once his coffee was ready, he took it and stepped off from the stall. "Good seeing ya, V. You stay outta trouble. If you can."
V thought about replying in kind, but watching him walk away sparked a sense of curiosity in her. He didn't seem very by-the-book for a cop that seemed to want to make Night City a better place. She couldn't tell what was worse in this place; a cop that didn't care or... a cop like him.
Then her eyes dropped to his ass. She smirked. "Ward!" She called, and he stopped to look back at her. "Next time you want to buy a girl a drink, maybe ask her out first."
He watched her for a good handful of seconds, then smiled, snapping a finger-gun at her. "I'll keep that in mind."
He turned around again, heading for a big red truck that was parked nearby. Her eyes were glued to him until he was finally out of sight. She wasn't sure what to make of the man, wasn't entirely sure what he made of her. All she knew was that he seemed kind—and that was dangerous.
—
A week after that, she met Jackie. A spitfire of a man, as live and wild as her. After they got thrown into the mix together, right with a bit of cop trouble, it seemed as though they were going to become fast friends. Sure, they were trying to steal the same car for different reasons, but all that was behind them now. A broken nose or two was enough to settle differences, it seemed.
With that friendship seemed to come a whole lot more adventure, particularly starting nearly a couple of weeks later when both V and Jackie found themselves in a whole lot of trouble. A client had wanted them to retrieve a device that he had claimed was his, but it was nothing more than a sugarcoated klep job that understated the security measures. V was quick on her feet, easily climbing fences, hopping buildings and descending down fire escapes. Jackie was good at that too, but he wasn't as fast as her.
She did not take that into account when she managed to jump over a secure fence while Jackie got caught. Peeking from behind a large dumpster, V managed to see just enough to know that NCPD had nabbed him. He made brief eye-contact with her, mouthing for her to go, to run.
Fuck that.
It took a while, but V had finally managed to track down the precinct that Jackie had been taken to. She wondered whether it was a good idea to go to him or not, but thankfully he called her as his one phone-call. That gave her enough of a cover to walk right through the front doors.
Except they wouldn't let her see him. They wouldn't even let her get him out of there, and it was only a matter of time before they'd toss her in there too for insisting. However, something clicked in her mind, a lightbulb went off and she retreated from the front desk, stepping right outside.
He did say to call if she needed something.
Her comms rang out once, then again, and partway the third ring, the call clicked and went through. "This is Ward," he spoke.
"Uh, hey..." Great start. "You the man that shot me after I saved his life?" V asked with a hint of humor, but more to get to the point. Still, she cursed at herself, knowing there were about a million other ways she could have done this better.
"Aaand you need a favor," River replied through a smile. "Big one, sounds like."
"Yeah, um..." V took a breath, glancing at the precinct behind her and then walking over to the railing that separated the sidewalk from the street. She leaned against it and sighed heavily.
"V? What's going on?" He asked her, voice laced with concern.
"Look, I... I was on a job with someone, but there was a misunderstanding about the details and he got caught—arrested, actually, and... I need your help."
River now sounded a lot more serious, his voice lower than she'd heard from him. "You askin' me to bust someone outta jail?"
"I know... how it sounds. It's not like that, I—" she paused, hands clenched around the metal bar as she cursed below her breath. Cop offers her a favor and first thing she does is sound exactly like the street thug he thought she was. "It's complicated, can you just come? I'll explain everything in person. Please, he shouldn't be in there, this is all just a big fuck up."
There was a long pause and a heavy sigh on his end, one that sparked a bit of hope. "Where are you?"
"Kabuki."
"Stay there, I'm on my way—just to listen," he clarified.
"Thanks, River." V swallowed the lump in her throat, leaning heavily against the railing and letting out a deep sigh.
She had never had to trust a cop for anything before, let alone with something like this. V really hoped that she had made the right choice in calling him, and more than that, she hoped he meant it when he offered to help. Jackie was in there because of her, he was in there because she wasn't there to help him get away. She got away and left him behind. She had to try every alternative.
—
V had paced up and down that sidewalk the entire time she waited, her stomach in knots. She hoped that they hadn't done anything to Jackie in there, that he was alright during the wait. The second River's truck pulled up, she stood up straight and stood still. River looked around him as he left the vehicle, glancing up and down the street and once at the doorway to the station. He walked up to her—close—and rested an arm against the railing.
"Alright. Lay it on me," he said, now watching the street.
"A client had a job for us. Said we had to return a stolen device that belonged to him. The whole thing was doomed to fail to begin with. He never told us the datapad wasn't his, that it was full of data that would heavily incriminate his rival—I... forget I told you that," she turned, joining him in leaning against the railing as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Point is, he undersold just how heavy security was gonna be and made us out to be petty thieves. We ran, but my partner, Jackie, he got nabbed for attempting to klep valuable property, when that wasn't even exactly what we were out to do."
V took a breath, her mind trying to word everything else while she waited to see what River would say. He seemed to be taking in everything she told him so far, calculating it silently.
"River, he's a good man. Alright? Heywood blood, born and bred, just like me, just does what he needs to to survive in this city. He doesn't deserve to be in there, they're just... It's a late night and they're bored, they wouldn't even let me see him..."
River turned his attention to her, then straightened his back, gesturing over to her. "I'll help, but on one condition." Her eyes were fixated on him. "You give me everything you got on that client of yours."
V's eyes grew wide as panic set in. Her brows furrowed and she took a step closer. "You want me to narc on a client?" she hissed. "River, this is my job, discretion matters most, they... they'll never hire me again if I do this!"
"And this job of yours," his 'ganic eye narrowed. "You ever assassinate anyone?"
"Sometimes we're told to zero gangoons or people with a lotta blood on their hands, sure. Usually scop-eating dirtbags."
"And the thievery?"
"Usually from people who can afford high-level security or won't miss what we grab. Or people who grabbed it first," V explained, then folded her arms. "Look, if you're not gonna help, just tell me and go. You don't have to keep... Jerking me around," V frowned, the last few words being a little quieter than she intended. She was just at a loss, not knowing what her next step would have been if this did not work.
Mama Welles would have torn her a new one, that's for sure.
Next to her, she could hear River shift his weight, feet shuffling sharply against stone. Then, another defeated sigh as he began walking away from her. "Wait here," he told her, heading into the station.
She could have sworn that her heart was bound to burst through her chest, or perhaps her nerves would cause her insides to turn to mush before that could happen. The wait was killing her, but she could see River striking up a conversation on his way in. Losing sight on him, she turned and began her pacing anew.
It took a solid twenty minutes or so before the front doors opened again, with more than one set of footprints sounding out. V turned to see River descending the few steps in front of the door, followed by the hulking figure of her friend, grinning brightly at her.
"Chica!" He called out to her, immediately closing the distance.
V sighed heavily in relief, immediately taking him in for a hug once he reached her. "I was fucking worried for you, Mano."
"Ai, not you too. I'm gonna get an earful from mama the second she hears about this," he shook his head, pulling away.
V then punched him hard in the arm. "Next time, we don't take a job unless we know everything."
Jackie muttered a few words under his breath, something Spanish, something about her knuckles being too sharp. She chose to ignore them, seeing him nudge his head toward River. "Hey, uh... Thanks for getting me out."
"Nah, you should thank her," he replied, gesturing to V. "She's the one who called."
Jackie faced her with a look that showed his understanding, his appreciation. He clapped her shoulder with his hand and held it there for a moment. He did not need to state his appreciation. She knew. He then spoke, voice low and quiet, "You good here?" She knew he meant with River and gave him a reassuring nod. "See you tomorrow?" He asked.
"Dinner at mama's, wouldn't miss it," she replied.
He smiled at her, then saluted at River, before walking off with certain purpose. V then caught River staring at her, his arms folded. "River, I won't forget this."
"Don’t mention it. But we shouldn't talk about it here. Got your ride?" He asked, stepping away as though he was already headed off.
"I was going to take a cab," V replied, pointing toward the street.
"No need, let's take my truck. I'll get you where you need to be."
The favors just kept on stacking.
—
An awkward, heavy silence had grown between them during the ride, or maybe it was just V that shifted in her seat more times than she could count. River was not saying anything, was not even sparing a glance—granted, he was driving, but there was no reasoning with V's anxious mind. He simply drove to downtown Watson as she'd asked.
Somewhere along the way, she finally decided to say something, unable to bear the silence. "I, um... I owe you a lot for what you did."
"How about," he began, focusing on a turn, "we don't owe each other anything?"
Well, she was stumped. She fiddled with her fingers, eyes darting to a hangnail that she suddenly found so interesting. V wasn't entirely sure what to do with that. "It still meant a lot to me."
"It's like you said, they were bored. I just went in and told them it'd be more paperwork into the night and that I was sure they'd want to go home earlier rather than later." As they stopped at a red light, River glanced at her. "I don't get the impression that you're used to people lookin' out for you."
"I got people lookin' out for me," she corrected. "But I don't get used to it. Night city doesn't let you. One day, everyone you know will either be gone from this place or be eaten up by it. Can't depend on anyone but yourself."
"That's a lonely way to live," he replied grimly, continuing the drive
"I don't expect you to understand, Officer," V sighed, looking out the window.
"Never said I didn't."
Another pause ensued between them, and looking outside the window, V realized they were getting close to her apartment. She wondered what he meant by his words. Never in her time in the streets had she ever relied on a badge to help her with anything—not that she met many that were willing to offer. V did wonder, though, why he helped her. He had asked for something in return, she refused, and yet he still helped.
It made her wonder while they turned the corner, reaching the street just over from her apartment. She opened her mouth to tell him to stop, drop her off here, but she suddenly had a different idea. "So, about that coffee you offered once. That offer still standing?”
Driving carefully along the more crowded streets, he threw a glance at her briefly, pursing his lips. “Maybe. Why?”
“I know a place we can get some preem decaf at this hour,” she shrugged, hands tapping at her thighs idly.
River hummed in thought, tapping his fingers against the wheel for a few seconds, and then he asked, "This place serve any grub?"
V smiled.