1. (Prologue) Cherry Bomb
A/N: Here’s where any information I wanna add later will be, totally not adding an author’s note selection because I saw Unknown3ntity do it...totally not.
Hey, so...disclaimer, Night City and Cyberpunk-all of that is CDPR and Talsonian Games’ stuff, so this is just a little fan project I wanted to write after getting inspired by Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. And yes, there will be nods to Cyberpunk 2077 and Edgerunners around every corner...you’ll see.
This story takes place one year after Cyberpunk 2077...2078, if you don’t know how to count.
The streets were silent....
Stenches of car exhaust and fumes always lingered in the busy city. A new stench was wafting through the air tonight...
Rust and copper.
Mangled corpses were everywhere.
Blood covered the ground...lakes upon lakes of crimson slime all over the ground, the walls...the other warehouses...
One Latino woman stood in the middle of the scene, her breath heavy and labored. Each whiff of air swayed her torso back and forth.
Bodies of the 6th Street gang were everywhere...I can tell you now, it would take weeks to find every piece of meat and chrome left of their bodies.
The woman begins to stand up straight, between exhaustion and the actual weight, the revolver in her hand felt like holding a cannonball.
On her way to drag her exhausted body out of the area, her dark sapphire irises begin to blaze a reddened orange.
"[Hey]" The cold voice of a woman echoes through her head.
“Did...did the...oh fuck...” The Latino’s knee buckles, breaths barely able to linger for more than three seconds before they get shoved out.
"[Cherry? Rose, you okay?]" The cold voice questions.
"[Yeah, just...need to catch my...catch my breath...holy sh...holy shit...I--I did--did the gig...the uh--6th...6th Street gonks...not here anymore]" The Latino woman plants herself in a pool of blood, staining her baggy, black camo pants.
The older woman’s voice hums in approval, ”[That’s good to hear...you’ll get your eddies soon, I’ll let you know if I get another gig for you...got something brewing already]" The cold voice mentions, a hint of confidence slipping off her tongue.
Rose lays on her back, watching flickering lights pirouette through the jet-black abyss in the sky. ”[Cool...cool]" She forces out a laugh.
"[...Hey, you oughta get out of there soon, seein’ 6th Street crews on the way, NCPD, too]" The cold voice warns, still sounding calm and collected.
“I know...Jesus...okay...okay, I’m up,” Rose grimaces and grunts back to her feet, completely staining her baggy, yellow jacket and black pants again. Clots bounce in her messy hair frazzled into a rosehip rose-flower-looking bun.
"[Bye]" The cold voice fades away.
Rose holds her forearm over her stomach, shuffling away from the warehouses and edging closer toward her black hypercar.
Her grunting and groans of her creaking body are nulled by the wails of a whirring siren surging down the street.
“SHIT, COPS,” Rose swings the door open, bouncing inside the driver’s seat.
The sirens run closer toward her, a wake-up call to any sleeping denizens.
The inside of the car is shrouded in darkness.
Rose swings the key, foot on the brake.
The windshields turn on, showing off the barren streets of Arroyo filling with gleams of blue and red.
Rose slams the door shut and speeds off, the zero-to-sixty on the car near instant-
“What you did to me, I know. Said what you had to say,” The radio kicks on at eardrum popping volume.
“TU PINCHE MADRE-” Rose cocks her head to it, nearly having a heart attack from the equivalent of a gunshot in her ear.
She groans, heavy guitars and drums putting a muffler on the sirens.
“What a thing of beauty, I know...will never fade away” The radio descants.
After she stops getting close to having heart palpitations, Rose finds herself humming the song while driving like she’s twelve beers in...at about one hundred miles an hour.
As you do.
All of the sirens fade into the void, out of sight, and out of mind...only for chatter to fill the space. Rent was paid, car has insurance, will was filled...so what else was there?
Rose closes her eyes for a moment, letting out a sigh.
What’s she forgetting?
Dinner?
No...
Ooh, that one new berserker model looked pretty nice-
Wait, no, we’re not thinking about that, focus...forgetting something...uhhh-
Her eyelids fly open after the car jerks for a moment but keeps on running.
...And there’s blood on the windshield and a dent in the hood now...uh-oh.
Rose raises her eyebrows, glancing back at the side mirror to watch a tuxedoed man writhing on the ground by a crosswalk.
The solo bites her lip, pulling her focus back on the road...Maybe she should-
“Ah, whatever,” She shrugs and keeps flying down the road, swinging her head to Samurai’s song.
The city soars past her from the windows, not even red lights can stop her from racing down the twisting roads.
Rose glances down at her clothes, noticing just how much blood is soaked into her stolen EMT jacket, even blood staining her cross necklace. “Shit...I hate laundry,” She grumbles, a frown pulling her lips down.
Her pupils begin to glow red. Instead of one hundred miles over the speed limit, she opts for fifty.
"[This is Jiang, what is it?]" A flat, male voice grumbles through her skull.
“Babe, hey, uh--I’m coming, I’m coming hard, bloody...lots of blood” Rose stares ahead at the road, continuing to drive toward Watson.
"[That’s called a period, honey]" The man sighs.
“You’ll see--soon...very soon...lots of blood” Rose whispers.
"[Why tell me? Should I tell Dante to go to bed?]" Jiang questions, voice perking up.
“She wants to be called Sera, c’mon. Plus, she’s a teen, she’s not gonna go to bed this early” Rose rolls her eyes, a small grin twisting on her face.
"[It’s 10]" Jiang retorts.
Rose sighs, “Yeah, she’ll hit the hay at like...I dunno-but she’s in high school now, you know how you’re a teen and wanna party until the sun rises, yeah?” She adjusts the rear-view mirror to use as a guideline to wipe the crimson oobleck off her face.
"[When I was a teen, I-]"
“Yeah, yeah, slums, blah, blah,” Rose rolls her eyes, not wanting to hear the story for a thousandth time. “I immigrated from Cuba at 13, sob stories, but do you really think she doesn’t wanna stay up late? Today’s Friday, anyway” Rose winks at herself in the mirror, fixing it back to look out for cars on her tail.
Jiang grumbles something inaudible before he sighs... ”[Why are you telling me there will be lots of blood and you’re coming?]"
“To start the washing machines, just give ’em a pep talk,” Rose decides to stop at a red light instead of rushing past it...for whatever reason.
Jiang sighs, ”[See you soon.]"
“Bye, hon, love you” Rose’s mouth twists into a smile.
Jiang hangs up, the bright orange fading from our solo’s eyes.
Rose lowers her head, gazing down at her lap. In her mind, only two seconds passed.
Two minutes later, a honk from the car behind causes the merc to cock her head up.
Rose glances at the rear-view mirror, she rolls the window down to flip the guy off.
The driver behind her speeds up beside her and rolls down the passenger side window, bearing a gorilla-fisted bird back at her.
Rose glances back at the road, thrusting her finger out of the car further.
The Black driver reveals his scarred face while flipping Rose off with a second hand, a massive, mechanical middle finger on his left hand the size of a TV remote.
Rose pokes her lip out and furrows her brows, flipping the guy off with her other hand.
The driver raises his hands higher, straining his fingers.
Rose pulls back into the car and scrounges around the inside, car slithering like a snake. She finds an empty can and hurls it out the window.
The can clanks against the truck before the driver scrounges through his own floorboards.
Rose watches a fucking wooden crate get hurled out of the opposing truck, pounding against her car.
Rose pokes her entire torso out of the car, “FUCK YOU,” She screams, holding both her middle fingers out of the car.
“FUCK YOU, TOO,” The driver shouts back.
“NO, FUCK YOU”
“FUCK YOU MORE,” The Black driver hurls a beer bottle at the hypercar.
“I WILL FUCK YOU, PULL THE FUCK OVER, FUCKTURD,” Rose-where the hell did she get a pair of pants?
“FUCKTURD, COME THE FUCK ON, FUCKNUGGET,” The driver-WHERE DID HE GET A SURFBOARD?
“FUCK YOU”
“FUCK YOU"
“FUCK YOU"
Before Rose starts climbing out of the window, she notices a turn creeping up ahead.
The truck driver takes a glance at the upcoming twist in the road.
Rose pops back down in her car, by the grace of god, she doesn’t crash the car after sliding around the roadway like’s soap on the treads
The Black driver from before almost crashes the truck in a ditch, but manages to keep driving along the road, his breath so heavy it can pick up on weight scales.
Rose slows down beside the driver again, “HEY, HEY, YOU” She yells out at the driver.
“THE HELL YOU WANT?” The driver hollers.
“WHAT’S YOUR NAME, NUNFUCKER?” Rose flicks her gaze between the driver and the road ahead
“MITCH” The driver shouts.
“FUCK YOU, MITCH,” Rose calls out.
The driver lets out a faint laugh, “WHAT’S YOUR NAME?” Mitch hollers, spit flying out of his mouth.
“CHERRY,” Rose introduces.
“FUCK YOU, CHERRY,” Mitch shouts.
Rose giggles, rolling the window back up.
Mitch bears a toothy grin until his eyes widen. The massive man examines her expensive car.
Rose speeds along the highway, now going at a steady one hundred twenty.
Her eyes glisten red, a curious look sprouting on her face.
"[Hello?]" Rose raises her eyebrows.
"[You mean Cherry Bomb? Nah, nah, you’re bullshit--hittin’, choom]" Mitch’s voice scoffs through her head.
"[What, you a fan?]" Rose smirks, glancing back at Mitch’s car in the rear-view mirror.
"[Really? I just flip-flipped off Cherry Bomb, seriously? Holy hell..hey, and why are--why are you covered in blood?]" Mitch winces.
"[It’s-uh-just-just-just a bad period]" Rose tries to joke, but the holo screws up any attempt at a joke.
"[Riiiiiiight, just a period, a’ight, I’ll see--well, it was nice talking--n to ya, choom]" Mitch’s gruff laughter rings through her skull.
“See ya” Rose’s eyes fade back to normal, twisting the radio up by a few notches...like it wasn’t loud enough
She groans when her song is immediately interrupted by a news report.
“Hello, citizens of Night City, I’m Arif Iqbal on WNS news, do you remember about one year ago, how Arasaka’s best supercomputer network, Mikoshi, had all of its data suddenly disappear?
“We’ve received word Arasaka is going to attempt to re-do this astronomical idea. Yorinobu Arasaka has claimed that not all data was wiped from Mikoshi during the ‘Lose Your Soul’ event.” The reporter explains in a crisp tone, almost joyful to be at his job, even...which honestly, I doubt, but props to him.
Rose rolls her eyes, she changes the station to Body Heat, only to be met by a continuation of the report.
“Could this be Arasaka’s last wind to try and recuperate after the terrorist attack by acclaimed solo, ‘V’ last year? Or could this simply be a hoax by the international company in an attempt to show its power?
“At any rate, the tensions between Militech and Arasaka are ever increasing with each passing day...not to instill worry within anyone, but this may lead to serious ci-” The reporter blabbers on and on and on.
Rose swings the volume knob down, “Jesus Christ, I don’t caaaaaaare” She groans, throwing her head back. “Fuck the news and fuck the government...” Her teenage years couldn’t help but resurface from the rock music.
The car speeds down the barren highway, Mitch’s white truck nowhere to be seen.
Rose stares ahead at the road, bouncing her leg.
After a while, Rose drives into her megabuilding complex parking garage, driving down the levels in search of a parking spot. Thanks to her luck, there’s a free spot next to a dune buggy...at the top of the garage.
Rose lets out a sigh of relief, getting ready to back into the spot-
A brown motorcycle peels into the parking spot, the driver covered in a brown coat and no helmet, showing off all sorts of implants in their head...namely two sets of glistening red, cybernetic eyes on their face.
“HEY, I WAS GONNA PARK THERE, SCOP-FOR-BRAINS” Rose sticks her head out of the window.
“GUESS YOU AIN’T GONNA NOW, HUH?” The woman cackles away to herself, getting off the bike and starting a stroll toward the garage ramp.
“Oh, you did not just fucking say that” Rose grinds her teeth together, putting her car in drive.
The implant-heavy chick still maniacally giggles, waving her arms around...for some reason, probably high off glitter-
Rose slams on the gas and rams into the chick, blasting the red-eyed woman into the wall and even making a bigger dent in the hood of the sleek car.
The woman vomits blood on the hood, creating a pool of slime waterfalling off the hood.
Rose presses on the gas harder, the tires screaming at the top of their lungs, “YOU STILL WANNA FUCKING PARK THERE, YOU MAELSTROM BITCH?” She screams.
The Malestromer’s spine doubles over, blood and saliva falling out of her mouth like a red Niagra Falls.
Rose stomps the brake, setting the car in park before swinging the door open.
The Maelstromer struggles to breathe between labored coughs.
Rose leaps out of the car, striding toward the chrome jock.
“Save...me” The goon hisses, gazing up at the sky.
Rose rips out her Overture revolver and blasts the chick’s brains out against the wall, not a hint of remorse in her oceanic eyes.
The Maelstromer goes limp, the red LED in their eyes fading.
Rose takes a deep breath, sheathing her gun, “Just...remember...what...the guru...said” She takes a full inhale through her chest. Now gusting all the wind out through her lips in a simple stream of air.
Her face twists into a smile, her jacket squishes against the leather of the Rayfield’s seat. The solo gently shuts the door...before berating the horn and cursing every English and Spanish swear she can muster.
(Just gonna spare you the details of her parking and everything and say she made it up the ramp and into the elevator that leads to the 7th floor)
“Hey, choomers, shroomers, and fumers, Mr. Whitey here!” One of the ads on the TVs inside the elevators opens.
“If they play that damn ad one more time...I’m gonna go psycho, Jesus fucking Christ...” Rose strokes her forehead, letting out a long and heavy sigh.
She leans against the side of the elevator, gazing out chainmail-like doors inside the elevator to watch the roads and other buildings fall underneath her.
The elevator door finally opens up.
Rose pushes herself off the wall, walking toward her apartment and past all the other doors.
To the few people still awake and sifting through the halls, they goggle at her, unblinking and maws glued to the ground.
Rose twists her mouth into a grin, continuing to strut down the hallway.
“Cherry Bomb...the fuck did ye do, lassie?” A Scottish man wearing heavy boots gapes.
“What? There something on my face?” Rose furrows her brows, glancing at the guy.
“Jus’--don’t get me involved, alright? Jesus Christ” The Scottish-sounding guy saunters back inside his apartment.
Rose giggles, feet bouncing up the stairs as a guide to the next row of apartments. Her gold cross necklace jangles to the steps. She drags her hand along the concrete railing, staining it with a line of crimson.
Eventually, Rose holds her hand out to the door, the scanner in her thumb buzzing.
The metal door slides open, showing off a shirtless, Korean man spread out on the round couch in the corner. Ebony hair runs down his shoulder, gaze locked on the ceiling.
There’s a kind of headset wrapped around the sides of his head, projecting a thin visor over his eyes, think of goggles like Cyclops had, but thinner: a braindance wreath.
“Hey, babe, I’m back” Rose smiles, stepping inside the apartment.
Jiang’s neck is arched back, brown eyes glued to the ceiling.
Rose rolls her eyes, sauntering toward the washing machines by the door.
The door slides shut behind her.
Jiang lets out a soft sigh, still gazing up at the ceiling.
“DA--SERA, HEY, CAN YOU COME HERE FOR A SEC?” Rose calls out, pulling her bright jacket off in the kitchen-like area.
A young woman with a-Jesus Christ, look at that jawline-a sharp jawline and a cut in her eyebrow steps inside from the tiny balcony.
And halfway through walking out, she pauses and goggles at our solo. At the sight, her mind is stuck on rebooting.
Rose stares back at the teen, stopping halfway through stripping her slimy jacket off.
The girl opens her mouth, hesitating twice... “Mom, do you need a ripper?” The teen raises her eyebrows, now covered by her spiked bangs leading to her wavy, rosehip ponytail, a neon streak of blue running through the ponytail to make it pop.
“...Nah, I’m good, just wanted to let you know I’m gonna take a shower and don’t use the washing machine until my clothes are dry...so just go back out to hanging out on the balcony” Rose twitches her head to the shower, letting out a grin.
Sera compresses her lips... “Mmmmmhm” The teen steps back onto the balcony, shutting the sliding door.
Rose begins stripping down, her bloody clothes splattering on the ground.
Jiang continues to stare at the ceiling, basking in the glory of his brain dance...heart pounding for some reason.
The teen leans against the side rail, watching the starry night sky of Night City.
The sky coated in a jet black...stars twinkling and shimmering to expose themselves.
The ball of rock in the sky...giving the sky an open smile from its beaming glow...
Sera stares at the moon, a smile washing across her face. She gazes back at the streets...the only soul she notices is a man pissing on another guy’s car tire.
Sera grimaces, gagging before she stares back up at the comfort of the darkness...it almost calls out to her... “Come here, Dante...come here...I’m waiting for you...and I’ll wait as long as I have to.”
Her face bends into a smile, unable to break her gaze from the eternal darkness...
“Hey, your mom’s naked,” Jiang pokes his head out from the balcony door.
Sera whips around- “DAAD, STOP,” She groans.
“Just saying,” Jiang defensively holds his hands up, shutting the door afterward.
Sera unleashes a bemoaning sigh before leaning back on the balcony.
The dancing skies still invite her to come inside it.
Sera’s irises flash a brilliant blue, bouncing her vision around whatever she’s looking at. The teen hangs her head, pushing out another guttural sigh.
Hm?
Her face turns to confusion when her eyes flicker, receiving a message from someone named “Sex1estBuuhBuuh.”
“Yo, u don’t know me, but Arasaka Tower, tmrw, like out at day or night, idc, just tomorrow, plz, Arasaka Tower, outside, Corpo Plaza” The message reads.
Sera attempts to respond by asking, “New phone, who dis” but the only notification she receives is:
“UNABLE TO SEND MESSAGE”
The teen’s head flicks in disbelief, scrunching her face up.
Rose huffs out a relieved sigh, staring up at the showerhead. When the cold water drips off her naked body, it gains a new, reddened hue.
“...I need to take a fucking vacation” She sighs, turning her head to the side and squeezing the reddened water out of her hair.
“Hey, uh...Rose,” Jiang speaks up in a low tone.
“Mm?” Rose glances over her shoulder at the bathroom divider, using bare hands to wipe herself down.
“I uh...cooked some eggrolls earlier...not the legitimate stuff, but...I thought you might be hungry when you got back and...yeah” Jiang mumbles, staring at the ground.
Rose’s eyebrows cock to the ceiling. The corners of her mouth curve upward, “Thanks, babe!” The solo beams.
Jiang clears his throat, “Dante--I mean Sera...Sera...she helped me make them...” He flattens his mouth, shifting his weight between his feet.
Rose exaggerates a gasp, “Really? My big, strong, independent boy actually let someone help him out for once? My god, what’s gotten into you?” She giggles, washing the small hairs underneath her armpits.
“...I’ll uh...just heat them back up, they’re probably cold by now” Jiang briskly walks off to the fridge.
Rose shakes her head with a smile, “Love you,” She glances back at Jiang, turning the shower off.
“...Maybe I should just...drop out...I dunno” Sera mutters to herself getting on her knees and resting her head on the guard rail.
She wipes under her eye, heavy makeup smothered on her thumb, a light purple bruise where she wiped the makeup off.
Sera stares at the makeup on her thumb, examining the dark makeup. She flicks the makeup off her hand, “...I’m not gonna let those bastards get the best of me, fuck them” She stands up, grinding her teeth together.
The door slides open behind her.
“Hey, you can come back in, I’m done” Rose knocks on the glass, now dressed in a tank top and jeans.
“Alright” Sera sighs, turning around.
Rose’s wide eyes lock on the bruise, “Hey--baby, are you okay? Did someone hurt you?” She opens the door up more, striding toward Sera and holding her hands out.
Sera pulls her head away, “Mom--no--stop--I’m fine--I’m-STOP” She swats Rose’s hands away.
Rose flinches back, “Are you sure? You-”
“MOM, I’M FINE” Sera slashes at the air, pushing past Rose to get back inside.
Rose’s hands fall to her sides, a sigh runs out of her lips.
“Dante, come here a minute” Jiang crosses his arms, leaning against the couch.
“I told you to stop calling me that” Sera cocks her head to Jiang, clenching her fists.
“That’s what your birth name was, now you don’t talk to your mother like that, do you understand me?” Jiang points at Sera, slanting his eyes.
Sera scoffs, dragging her gaze away from Jiang.
“Now apologize to her and go to bed, are we clear, young lady?” Jiang furrows his brows, his tone flat yet demanding.
Sera glares at Jiang, gritting her teeth. She sighs, pacing back toward Rose.
“...It’s okay...” Rose twists around, letting out a faint smile at Sera’s stomp.
The teen glances back at Jiang, a silent argument as to whether she still has to apologize.
Jiang gestures to Rose and crosses his arms again.
Sera closes her eyes, unable to look in the solo’s direction, “I’m...sorry” She mumbles, hands finicking together.
Rose creaks her head up and down, eyes locked on Sera’s socks.
There’s a silence...like the whole world shut down, the sound of a beetle could be heard crawling along the wall. Not a single one of them makes a move for what feels like three years.
The quietness is deafening...until the ring of the microwave screams out.
Rose steps inside, shutting the sliding door behind her.
Jiang nods at Sera, eyes trained on her.
Sera drags her gaze back in Jiang’s direction, primarily staring at his feet.
“Bed, now,” Jiang orders, pointing at the teen’s room.
Sera grumbles, stomping toward the only other room in the apartment.
“...Love you” Rose waves at Sera, a sad smile on her face.
“Whatever...” Sera opens her bedroom door, slamming it shut right after.
Rose flinches at the bang and drops her head. She sighs, “Are we...are we good parents?” She twists around to face Jiang. “Because...maybe we aren’t” The solo cups her face.
“Well...I’m certain we’re doing better than our parents...no?” Jiang’s mouth twitches into a half-smile.
“But...what if we aren’t?” Rose’s voice is brittle, riding on the edge of shattering.
Jiang pulls one foot in front of the other and hugs her, “...I-I don’t know, either” He mumbles.
Rose drops her hands, pressing her head into Jiang’s bare chest...her whole body feeling the warmth emanating off her love.
Sera sits on the edge of her bed, covering her face...water leaking between the cracks of her fingers, “Why--why am I like this? Why...why am I so...like this?” She speaks in a normal tone, not sounding like she’s crying at all.
Rose rests her palms against Jiang’s waist.
Jiang sways his legs back and forth...dancing with her to no music...
They rest in each other’s quiet embrace...love like an undying flame, burning like a candle in the woods...
Rose feels her stomach shiver from hunger, a subtle groaning running out of her gut.
“...Egg rolls are in the microwave...I’m going to sleep...” Jiang speaks in a soft tone, kissing Rose on the forehead before turning around-
Rose keeps a hold on his arm.
Jiang raises his eyebrows, twisting his torso back around to meet her hopeful gaze.
Rose wraps her arms around him, resting her head between his collar and jaw.
The line on Jiang’s mouth twists. He wraps his arms around her again.
“.....I don’t want Sera to end up like me...” Rose mumbles, words vibrating against Jiang’s skin.
“Why not? You’re amazing...you’ve even got fans in the merc community...I’d know because I’m your biggest,” Jiang grins, gliding his hand up and down her back at a slow pace.
Rose chuckles, her cheeks flushing to pink. Her glassy blues meet Jiang’s oak circles.
“Look at you, my little strawberry” Jiang caresses Rose’s cheek, a chuckle rumbling from his throat.
“Shut up” Rose rolls her eyes. She cups her face to hide her huge smile and reddening face.
“What, is my little ‘Red Pepper’ any better?” Jiang teases, beaming at this point.
“I will strangle you, I will put your head on a pike and strangle you” Rose’s drops her hands, she points at her lover in a threatening manner...except it comes off as an angry bunny due to her massive smile.
Jiang pets the back of her head... “I’m going to bed, goodnight.” He kisses her on the forehead one last time before unraveling his arms around her and pacing toward the bed integrated into the wall.
Rose watches him stroll the short distance, unable to break her gaze and un-curve the corners of her lips.
Her stomach grumbles in discomfort once more.
Rose glances back at her toned stomach before striding off toward the microwave. She pops it open to drag out her steamy, synthetic egg rolls.
After shutting the microwave, the solo plops down on the couch and takes a crisp munch into her first roll.
The crumbs from the golden outside crumble onto her chest.
Inside her mouth, the mixture of shredded cabbage and browned pork dance along her tongue.
Rose moans in joy, taking another large chomp out of the roll. Her teeth break the crust open with a crisp crack, even more textures of thin lettuce mixed with small chunks of juicy shrimp gliding along her tongue.
She spreads her lips apart, going for a finishing bite, the roll makes it halfway into her mouth when her eyes flicker reddish orange.
Rose groans, answering the holo call.
"[Hey, Rose, Sunset Motel, need you,]" The cold voice rummages through her skull.
Rose deflates, a sigh dragging out of her mouth, ”[Yeah-alright, got-got it]"
"[See you soon,]" The shrewd voice fades from her head.
Rose’s eyes fade back to their normal blues.
She tosses the piece of eggroll into her mouth, rising off the couch.
Rose pops open the washer and throws her bright yellow jacket on, the collar illuminating with blue light...a peculiar green logo on the back of it beginning to fade away from the wash.
The solo takes a final glance at Jiang resting in bed, she pops her gaze over to Sera’s room.
Rose lowers her head and slides the door open, taking a step out of her apartment...not at all ready for what’s about to happen...
