Chapter 98: Coda (II)

"Audiences of Night City, good afternoon! Our first guest today is the 'Last Liberator' and Chairman of the Elijah Church—the esteemed Father Kolfer!"

"Ever praise my Lord, glorify the Heavenly Father!" A middle-aged man with a golden cross embedded in his brow, dressed as a clergyman, bowed politely to the camera, chanting devoutly.

In the dim bedroom, only the TV screen and a single ember glowed as the only sources of light.

"Huh…" Exhaling a faint wisp of smoke, she let it dance a solitary waltz in the air, leaving behind a slow-fading ring.

"V… turn the sound down a bit…" Someone beside her mumbled, rolled over, and buried their head under the pillow.

V smiled, placed the cigarette on the ashtray on the nightstand, and yanked the thick blanket off Gil.

"V!" An indignant shout came as expected.

V had anticipated this—she covered her ears and shrugged.

"Get up already—it's already afternoon."

"Connard," Gil muttered a curse, rubbing his bleary eyes.

"Here, warm water." V picked up a cup of lukewarm water from the nightstand and pressed it into Gil's still-dazed hands.

Gil glanced at her, sighed, and took a small sip from the cup.

"So what happened? Is this your place?" Gil shoved the empty cup back into V's hands, rubbing his messy purple hair in frustration, "Did we really go that far?"

"Pfft…" V hadn't expected Gil to spit out such a blunt phrase—her hand jerked, nearly dropping the cigarette she'd just picked up onto the floor.

"What are you thinking?" She laughed, unable to suppress it, "Last night we got out of the car, you saw I was down, and you offered to come over to my place for a few drinks and leave—never thought you'd end up passed out…"

"Impossible! I've got a BTC liver implant—I practically can't get drunk…" Gil exclaimed dramatically, looking utterly unconvinced.

"Ha…" V grinned triumphantly, sat up on the bed, and walked barefoot to a cabinet not far from the bed. As if showing off, she slowly opened the door, "Ta-da! These are all my long-collected treasures!"

"'Life Water' Poland Distilled Vodka, American Golden Malt Liquor, Scottish Distilled Whisky, Grenada Rum, Balkan Vodka… I *!" As a professional bartender, Gil automatically recited the names of the spirits, "Holy shit, V! You're storing explosives at home!"

"These are all precious pure extracts…" V carefully closed the cabinet door again, "Last night you grabbed a bottle without a word and tried to drink it—I barely stopped you…"

"No wonder my tongue and stomach felt like they were on fire…" Gil rubbed his belly, looking relieved yet shaken.

"Hungry? I ordered takeout." V sat on the beanbag chair beside the bed, toes curled.

"I didn't notice before… your place is ridiculously luxurious…" Now at ease, Gil finally took a good look around V's bedroom.

"Got some family allowance, plus I've made a name for myself at Arasaka lately—so I gave the place a proper upgrade."

"So nice…" Gil thought of his own cramped three-and-a-half-ping room and sighed softly, "You've got to come to the bar every day from now on—I'm going to bleed you dry!"

"Alright, alright…" V noticed Gil's slightly dimmed expression and quickly changed the subject, "See the TV? Today's got a big funeral."

"Who's the big shot?"

Bad moods came fast and left fast.

Gil quickly pulled himself together and asked without any trace of unease.

"They finally did something decent…" V pointed at the TV screen, "NCPD headquarters, together with Night Corp and several other giants, held a Public Funeral Ceremony for those who died in the 'Event 118' and 'Event 120'…"

"At the Church?" Gil glanced at the priest calmly answering the host's questions on screen and guessed.

"Yes—the largest Church in Night City…" As V spoke, the TV cut precisely to footage of the Church's interior.

The massive Gothic-style Church stood alone in the wilderness beyond the city, like a giant from ancient times, steadfastly honoring its age-old vow, silently watching the rise and fall of all things.

"Looks pretty intimidating…" Gil wrinkled her nose—she had no faith, so the grand architecture inspired no awe, "Look at the audience inside the Church… except for the few family members in the front rows, everyone else's faces are identical—blank, indifferent."

The camera slowly swept across the seated congregation; V stared at the screen and unexpectedly recognized a few familiar faces.

"Huh? How are they here?"

"Who?"

"Oh… my friends."

Perhaps because of their striking appearances, the camera—hunting for clicks—lingered on their seats a few extra seconds.

V seized the chance, pointing at the handsome man and beautiful woman on screen, "There—my friends. The silver-haired girl is Hitata Castedei, the blue-eyed man is Yahweh… and the other one I don't know—probably another friend of theirs."

"Castedei? Sounds like a French surname…" Gil pondered for a few seconds, but the faint impression in his mind slipped away.

"You two would probably get along great…" V snuffed out her cigarette and smiled, "Next time I'll bring them all to the bar—give you some business."

"Even though I'm not the boss, I still owe you big time…" Gil stuck out her tongue at V, half-grumbling.

"Check the time—looks like the ceremony's ending…" V glanced at the wall clock, "How about tonight? Better to act now than wait—let me call them right away."

"You really plan to bring them to the bar? I didn't even plan to work today…" Gil frowned, sinking into laziness, "Why not take the day off? Invite them over to your place, or take them out to eat—you treat."

"Oho, didn't know you had such a homemaker vibe… too bad you're not a she…" V clucked sympathetically, feigning regret.

"Fun fact: ninety percent of people who say 'I'm not a she' are 100% she."

"Really?"

"Of course…" Gil stretched lazily, tiptoed off the bed.

"Listen—I'm not a she!" V, watching Gil inch closer, pulled her neck back, whispering—but her confidence had waned.

"Wanna wrestle?" Gil reached out with her wicked hands and lunged at V, who lay sprawled in the chair.

"Get off!" V laughed and shoved her foot lightly against Gil's belly, keeping her at bay.

As they laughed and tumbled in play, the unwatched TV screen suddenly changed in an unexpected way.