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My Thrill	By : PumpkinHat Category: +S through Z > Shadowrun RPG Views: 1158 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Shadowrun setting or fandom and I make no money off this story. All characters belong to their creators and I have expressed permission for their use.

Chapter List
- 1-The Choice
- 2-Like Minds, Like Circuits
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- 2
It had been a dull day. Boring. Lazy. Uneventful. But, at least the danger was long over. It had been over a week since shit had hit the fan, but they received no cause for worry. Julian had gladly left Roland's apartment and sought the solitude of his own space. This had been...awkward for him, considering the last encounter he had with the man. Thankfully, nothing was said about it directly. The three of them were tense, so maybe that had a lot to do with it.

As soon as he was free to leave, he did. Roland still didn't like it, but well...Julian felt he could not stand it any longer. Granted, he did not feel much better once he returned to his apartment and sank into the sofa, but at least he had time to think.

Only then did he realized that he didn't want to.

He popped a few kernels of popcorn in his mouth, chewing idly as he stared at the digital windows of the web. He was watching the various forums and sites, but nothing was sinking in through the thick coat of thoughts that wrapped around his attention span.

A date.

A real date, he said.

Well, good for him, thought the elf. He crunched another kernel of popcorn and flipped through a few more pages of idle e-garbage that people called blogs.

Some chick named Samantha. A woman.

I ain't happy
I'm feelin' glad

He chuckled and shook his head as he took another bite. Really, who was that guy kidding? Then again, it would explain the refusal the elf had received a week earlier. But, Julian wouldn't believe that. He couldn't, not after seeing those eyes staring back at him with the same welling of desire. It would not have been the first time, however, that the elf had convinced a straight man that he could be gay for just one night. No, maybe Roland wasn't gay...but he didn't say 'no' because of that.

I've got sunshine
In a bag

Then, why?

Julian continued to tear into the bag of popcorn, no longer aware of his perusal through memes and the like. Usually, on days of sheer boredom he would often entertain himself by logging into these pages and trolling to incite the frustrations of the general masses. They never had good arguments, and the ones that did always fell for it. They were usually first to start it. It was cheap entertainment and he could flaunt his intelligence without much risk for retribution. After all, you couldn't hack a technomancer. The matrix was Julian's playground.

[i]I'm useless
but not for long[/i]

Today might have been one of those days, but he just didn't have anything vaguely menacing to say to strangers. Nor did he had the incentive to come up with witty retorts for arguments that were already present. This wasn't like him at all.

[i]The future
Is comin' on.

It's comin' on[/i]

He sighed. Something had to be done. And, dammit, if everyone else was going out to have a good time then he would, too.

He pushed off of the couch and grabbed his jacket. He needed a drink and possibly company, whether he really wanted that or not. Maybe Sarissa would cheer him up. Aside from Roland and Gamma, she was the closest thing to a friend he had.
The atmosphere pulsed with vibrations of sound and the room was a vast expanse of motion and color. Rave lights, heavy volume, breaths of hazy smoke, and the scent of synthahol were among the highest sensations. No one could afford the real stuff, true alcohol, these days. The people that did were ridiculous and never came down from their high offices and pent houses. These were Julian's people. People who knew how to live without the fancy trappings. People of all kinds, races, and demeanor. They all milled about the club now, all of them so different from one another. But, they could all certainly agree that they were having a good time.

Even Julian felt his spirits lift as he strolled into the familiar bar, Infinity. He managed an easy smile. It was early, only seven in the evening, so the crowd was exceptionally light.

The bouncer recognized him and had waved him past with a nod. He always liked the bouncers here. Quite a few times they had come to his rescue and quite a few times they had to haul him out to the streetside. But, these guys did it with class. They didn't talk shit and they didn't kick you when you were down. They did their job.

Jules could appreciate that.

Now that he found himself in the midst of the music, he felt almost at home. Nearly as much so as strolling through the realm of the matrix. And at least this place drowned out the noise in his head, the songs that he always heard playing in the back of his mind.

He made his way to the bar, sparing a short greeting to the regulars that attempted to gain his attention. It was hard not to be popular in a place you usually hang around. Plus, Jules could dance. He could dance well, and people remembered him for it.

Finally, he reached the other side of the crowd. It wasn't busy, but it still took some time. He slumped onto the bar stool with a sigh, watching the bartender rummaging for something beneath the counter.

He smiled vaguely, "Hey, Sarissa."

The female elf's ear perked. She recognized that voice, but those words were foreign to its sound. That voice usually said something like "Hey, giiirl!" "Can I get a drink, sexy?" Or, the usual, "Hey, baby, nice ass!"

She stood up, turning to Julian and raising a thin eyebrow. Her voice rolled with hesitation, as if walking on unsteady ground, "...hey?"

Julian did not appear to notice his friend's inquisitive gaze. He traced unseen lines on the bartop with his fingertip, "Could I get a mojito? I know it's still early, but I've been cravin' one."

She noted the mild attempt to mask the troubles, but she was a bartender. It was practically part of the job description to recognize when someone was feeling down. Whether you wanted to be or not, the bartender was often the brick wall that most drunkards spilled their guts to. Only, this brick wall could nod and say "I see" or "that's too bad."

However, Julian was a friend, so he deserved a little more than the usual predetermined script spared for strangers. She prepared the drink and slide it his way, leaning on the bartop with a subdued smile, "What's up? You haven't been around in over a week. Everything alright?"

Jules nodded, "Yeah, just been a long week, ya know?"

"Ran into trouble?"

"A little. You know how it is."

"Sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

She pursed her lips and dropped her gaze to the polished surface of the bar between them, "You don't seem yourself, that's all. I haven't seen you this down in a long time."

Julian smirked, setting his drink down after a very small sip, "Just lots of hell."

Sarissa drummed her fingers on the table for a moment, searching his face for what he was hiding. Then she looked him over again, "Where's Tack?"

The elf shrugged, "I think he's still at a friend's house. He's been fond of harassing Roland for some reason. The last time I've seen him was in his kitchen on top of the fridge."

"It's not like Tack to take a liking to anyone."

Jules laughed, "I think he's just plotting some way to further irritate the poor guy. Tack doesn't like anyone, you know that."

"Maybe he does, but just has a bizarre way of showing it."

"I doubt that," he said as he took another drink, "Maybe...but, I think he's just a little bastard that likes to cause trouble. A lot like me really."

Sarissa looked Jules over in thought. Yes, Tack was a lot like him. They both liked to cause trouble and were both quite entertaining to be around. Julian never claimed to be a saint and he always said the same for Tack.

But, she knew the both well enough to know something deeper than the cynical, jovial smartass that others typically experienced. Granted, he was still an ass and he still enjoyed causing trouble. But, she knew he was capable of genuinely liking someone.

He just had a bizarre way of showing it.

*****

It was still early, but it was not a gentlemanly thing for a first date to last until too late. Roland arrived home, smirking to himself. It would not have been gentlemanly, that is, if he had really gone on a date. It was a ridiculous idea, to be sure, but he was tired of being strung along. He was tired of being teased, physically and emotionally, by that elf. So, he decided to play that game right back with this little scheme. He knew it probably wasn't the best of ideas and it was juvenile, but he had to make it clear that he would not be the one sitting around waiting until Julian made up his mind.

He stood in the living room and sighed. It was such a quiet place without Gamma around...and Julian. He meandered to the kitchen where he still had dirty dishes from dinner time. He had decided to cook something for himself that evening. It turned out fairly well despite the fact that he hadn't had to cook for himself in so long. Gamma took care of that, since she was there so often. Her own place was awful, so he never minded that she slept on the couch. Plus, she seemed to enjoy that couch and was quite attached. It was a wonder that she wasn't there now.

He set to the task of arranging them in the dishwasher, eyes gazing off in thought. Roland did not find himself in an enjoyable state of mind. He was feeling even more alone now than usual, which he had not thought possible. He never minded it before...but having friends spoil him with their presence had reminded him of just how nice it was to be around like minded people.

He shut the washer door and switched it on, his lips pursed and his eyes distant. He was usually very honest with himself, but sometimes he wished he wasn't. Right now, he knew what was on his mind and, right now, he knew who he was thinking about.

The elf's eyes flashed mischievously, various witty retorts running through his mind as he vividly heard that distinctive voice in the silence of the kitchen.

Yes, he knew full well why he chose to go ahead with his 'date'. Maybe, it would get Julian's attention. Roland wouldn't wait for him to make up his mind. He refused to. And, he wouldn't risk wasting his time unless it was genuine. He wanted to believe that the elf had it in him, somewhere behind that mask of cynicism, to give it a chance. But, he wasn't betting on it. More than likely, Jules would get bored of it.

After all, Roland was only human.

He sighed once again and pushed open the door to his bedroom, not yet ready for sleep but it would be nice to get ready for the evening. It wasn't as if he was expecting company.

He paused, looking at his bed to find a strange sight. The small, cyan and purple droid that favored cat-like qualities laid curled up in the middle of his mattress.

Why was Tack 'sleeping' on his bed?

Well, robots did not exactly sleep. Not normally. But...then again, Tack was never normal.

Roland looked Tack over a moment, his mouth tilting and playing between a pout and a scowl. It's eyes were not glowing as brightly as they usually did and it's tail slowly twitched at the end as if it was dreaming.

He shook his head, amused, and continued on to the bathroom. It really was the strangest robot he'd ever seen. As unpredictable as Julian himself, that was certain. Tack had even surprised him that day. Before he left for his trip to town, the little imp was toying with a magnet that had fallen of the fridge.

He could have sworn that Jules would have taken Tack with him, but it seems that the droid wanted to linger and make trouble. He half thought that the elf had left it on purpose just to make things difficult for his date that night. It would be like him, wouldn't it? Julian had been giving him hell about it, but would he really want to sabotage it like that?

It turned out, that no, he didn't.

When it came time to start dinner, the droid was no where to be found. He looked everywhere when he could spare the time, fearing that it would turn up and tear something apart. But, he had not seen Tack the entire evening.

He was more than relieved by that, but now as he looked at the droid, doing what he supposed was running it's 'sleep' program, he could not help the smile that graced his lips. He strode over to the bedside and looked down at the droid, shaking his head, "You're not such a bad little guy after all, are you?"

He reached down to pet the robot and scratched it behind its pointed ear. Tack's speakers crackled in what could be called a purr, and its head turned. Its eyes flickered a moment, as if its sight were adjusting, then its head recoiled. Tack gave a shrill, whirring hiss and vaulted off the bed, disappearing out the door and into the house.

Roland chuckled quietly, "Whatever you say."

******

Featured song this time is "Clint Eastwood" by Gorillaz. :3 Thanks all, for reading. I know these are really short, but sometimes it's better that way in my opinion. I don't want to be too long winded, as per my custom.
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My Thrill