TB’s Journal – March 1st, 2097
Woke up at Tag’s place, still feeling the buzz from last night. Time to get things in order. First task of the day: smooth things over with JJ at the agency. Took a bit of sweet talk, but I managed to wrangle the situation. Got all the girls back to civilization, the limo intact, and no lawsuits on the horizon—for now.
Next, I let Evie know I’d be back in Ironview soon. She’s got that way of making things feel a little too comfortable. Still, it’s nice to have something normal in the chaos.
Then it was time to get to the Black Wolf. Black’s been quiet, but today he dropped some final intel. He also introduced me to Eclipse—a decker with a bit of infamy. Nothing too impressive, but I guess she’s extra Matrix support for the run. Mr. Green, the club’s ork bouncer, escorted Eclipse back to Tag’s place to get things moving.
I hopped on my bike, heading back to Ironview. Missed most of the rain, which was lucky, and did some more digging into Evie’s life. Nothing too crazy, just sifting through her public stuff—basic life checks. On the way home, I spotted three Chrome Vulture gangers snooping around the parking garage. Chased them out—no looters welcome on my turf.
The evening turned into the "girlfriend experience" with Evie. We dressed up and hit Mr. Chow’s, the Asian fusion spot nearby. Had a great time, but the mood was cut a bit when a Red Blade ganger rolled in to collect protection money. That’s Ironview, though, so no surprises there.
Near the end of the night, just when things were winding down, the local street shaman, "Voodoo," wandered into the restaurant. Guy looks like a total hobo, always has that rusty exhaust pipe he calls a staff. Mr. Chow gave him a box of scraps without a word, like it was a regular thing. Strange as hell, but no one batted an eye. Guess that’s just how it goes around here.
Back at Evie’s, we had another drink, then capped the night off with the rest of the girlfriend experience. In the morning, I woke up to a message from her—she filmed the whole thing. Said it was a tease, but also to show that it was consensual. In 2097, I guess that’s just how things work. Strange times, but at least she’s got a sense of humor.
TB’s Journal – March 2nd, 2097
Woke up at Evie’s place—again. It’s becoming a bit of a habit, but I’m not complaining. She made breakfast, which wasn’t bad, and after that, I just had to walk across the hall to get back to my own place. Easy life. Spent some time working out, then dove into the Matrix for a while—technomancing my way through the usual channels.
After I got my work done, I dressed up, and so did Evie. We were definitely overdressed, but that was part of the fun. We took a cab to the Ironview Community Festival. Once we got there, it was clear we were turning some heads, but hey, we’re allowed to enjoy ourselves.
Voodoo was outside, of course. He was offering people advice—more like cryptic mumblings about “secrets whispered by the spirits.” I’m sure some people eat that up, but to me, it’s just noise. Still, the guy’s always lurking around these things.
The festival itself was pretty well done for Ironview. Local vendors had set up a buffet, and the vibe inside the community center wasn’t bad. I ran into a few familiar faces. Sylvia McKay, the local rep, was working the room like usual, shaking hands and pretending everything’s perfect. Then there was Bones Malone, showing up with some Howlers to "support the community." Could’ve gone sideways, but things stayed civil.
Highlight of the day had to be seeing Sergei "Serj" Volkov again—the troll model. He’s got a fancy place nearby, which is rare for this part of town. After some meet-and-greet stuff, he invited a bunch of us to an after-party at his place. The dude’s down to earth, even with his troll-sized presence, and people love him around here.
The party carried on late, and I’m still soaking up the vibe of being back in Ironview. This place keeps surprising me—feels like home, even when it shouldn’t.
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