Old friends [TTRPG bluebooking]
"I still need to be sure that your muscle is fine. I know you don't like it, but…"
Minz winced at the sight of the massage gun. He hated it with passion. It made him feel vulnerable. However, he always tried to remind himself that Max would never hurt him on purpose. Unlike his bastard father, who ended up feeding worms a long, long time ago.
"I don't think you need that; Star did a stellar job…" Minz tried bargaining.
"Oh, she sure did! You lucky bastard got the best doc out there, eh? But I am sure she will support my idea of giving this point a good ol' massage, my boy… And by the way!"
Max put a big container on the table and removed the lid. The divine aroma of an organic grilled turkey filled the trainer room. Minz genuinely missed the good organic menu; it was the only thing that felt much worse than what he had at his previous job.
"Wow! Where did you get it? I haven't eaten such stuff for ages! Well, minus nomads' hospitality. They have wonderful food too. But… uh, there's too much rice for my liking. I don't feel like overeating carbs."
"… I don't remember you being a picky eater, Al. You almost hurt my feelings. Almost."
Minz shivered, hearing the voice behind him. Only a few chosen people in this city could still call him "Al." It was a dead name. But he gladly forgave this to the man that sat near him, smiling and beaming with positivity, as he always did.
"Boss." Minz smiled back, not even noticing that Max started this hell of a massage. "The courtesy of yours, I presume?" He nodded at the container with the food.
"A "thanks" from some of the guys and girls. That… Reaper thing — it was you and yours who took it down, right? Some workers had vulnerable relatives, so knowing that this particular nightmare is over put their minds at ease. And truth be told, I am damn proud of you. I am sorry that I doubted your abilities. Some part of me wishes that you had never departed from our cozy little hive, but then I question myself… Do caged birds truly sing, or are they actually crying out for help?"
"I thought I insulted you by reaching out to that fixer. But I thought you would never let me go if I decided to approach you by myself."
"And you were right. You were the one of the most popular guys, and I had a hard time cancelling the bookings and explaining to the clientele that you are gone and you are not coming back, even for them. Not to mention how hard it was to find someone new. I don't use the term "replacement," because you are one of a kind. However, newbies are doing great, so we are fine. We moved on as well as you did; however, Martin and Marthe miss you dearly."
"Believe me, I miss them too. I questioned myself every single day if this was worth it, you know… ouch! Max, that's enough, I guess?" Minz hissed at the painful sensation spreading across his torso.
"Keep talkin', I'm not done here yet."
"Got injured?" Boss nodded at the machine gun.
"Yeah, a douchebag with a katana was head over heels about me, but in a different way." Minz scoffed. "Got a torn muscle, but I have a really great doc on my team, so nothing to worry about."
"Well, it seems like in the end freedom is worth it. However, if you ever want to come back…"
Minz shook his head and showed his left arm. Thin, barely noticeable lines gave up the cyberwear.
"Ah. A pity. But it's also a statement, I suppose. I get this. Still, I am happy to offer the place of the bodyguard if you ever decide to get some stability in life. But until then—take flight, bird of prey. Any other developments I am not aware of, Al?" He chuckled.
"First of all, I would be grateful if you quit calling me by my dead name. I am known as Minz now; I want to keep it this way."
"Very well. I trade it for you quitting calling me "boss." For you, I am Ditto."
"You have a deal, Ditto. Now, where were we… ah, developments. I am in a committed relationship."
Ditto gave him a surprised look.
"And who is this lucky person, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Oh, a local psychiatrist. We had a rather turbulent start, to be honest…"
"Hah, I saw that, Ditto. Minz beat the everloving shit out of the poor guy. And you fucked after? Was he okay with his broken ribs?"
"Max! Do your freaking job with that torture machine!" Minz huffed, but his outburst was more playful than serious. "But your summary is accurate; this I admit. And no, I haven't broken his ribs. Furthermore, I know damn well how to fuck bruised guys; I had men with certain preferences back then."
Ditto burst out in laughter, seemingly amused by the story.
"Holy moly! Only a psychiatrist could tolerate your bullshit for so long. I had so many troubles keeping your anger issues at bay. I still don't understand how you mix the most gentle and caring service top personality with that vicious, aggressive punk side. But, if it works for you and your partner — great, happy for you!"
"Life is difficult, but good. But I always remember my time at your cozy little nest with gratitude. I enjoyed my time there; however, I felt a desire to pursue something more meaningful than merely conforming to others' expectations for money. I did it for Wolf; he's fine now. He's a damn good techie, and he has some interest in netrunning. But he will manage that by himself now. I am glad to hear that everything is fine for you. Ethical sex work business is a rare thing."
Ditto patted Minz's shoulder and got up.
"I was visiting to see both Max and you. Now I need to get back to my busy hive. Before I depart, I have a question and a piece of advice for you. I will start with the latter. Eat your freaking carbs, you dumb fuck. Nobody wants your scrub board of abs, okay? However, an adequate diet will greatly enhance your performance. I know you are on borrowed time. I was aware of everything back then. My docs did the best they could for you with the resources we had at that time, but the damage was nearly impossible to negate completely. This leads me to my question… do you need help with that chip acquisition? I have many connections, as you understand."
Minz frowned at the advice and raised his eyebrows at the question.
"How do you know about the chip?"
"Your brother is a brilliant young man, Minz. He has started learning basic netrunning, and my private contact information leak wasn't caused by a system bug, as I know now. So I couldn't even get angry at him. I like people with natural talents, and your little Wolle was worth every single eurodollar I put into his education. But I want to hear your answer now. I offer this as a friend, not as someone who wants something in return."
Minz thought he knew the answer. In fact, he didn't. Stakes may get higher; they absolutely will. And he needs to be as good as he possibly can for his crew. However, Ditto wasn't the man who could offer something just out of the kindness of his heart. He was fair with his trade offers, but they were still trades. Not gifts.
But he couldn't make him wait for the answer much longer.