Mercer stretched lazily, clocking out early since everything that needed arranging had been taken care of. Only after stepping outside did he notice that it was already dark.
Just as he walked out, he spotted a bonfire blazing not far away, with Panam laughing and chatting with Lucy and the others.
Mitch was belting out a rather off-key American country song while strumming his guitar, and Scorpion sat quietly beside him as usual.
Besides them, Cassidy was chatting with a somewhat scruffy-looking middle-aged man. Spotting Mercer, Cassidy waved him over.
"Mercer, come here. This is Saul, the current leader of the Aldecaldos in Night City."
Mercer smiled and walked over. Saul didn't dismiss him due to his youth but instead stood up warmly and extended a hand for a firm handshake.
"Saul, I've heard a lot about you. I'm Alex Mercer," Mercer said politely.
"Ha! Cassidy was just telling me about your adventures on the road. Mercer, no need for formalitie, sit. We Aldecaldos don't stand on ceremony."
At this moment, Saul still seemed ambitious and full of vigor, laughing heartily as he pulled Mercer down to sit. There was none of the desperation or melancholy he'd shown in the game when driven to seek refuge with Biotechnica.
"I've heard about your friends' situation. Don't worry, the Aldecaldos won't let a bunch of kids take on dangerous tasks. Those who want to stay can stay. Folks with hacking skills like yours are exactly the kind of talent our family lacks right now."
"I heard you've got business in the city tomorrow? Need a couple of bodyguards?" Saul added, "Night City isn't a safe place, Mercer. It's more complicated and dangerous than the wilds."
"Thanks, but Panam will be enough. I'm not planning to go anywhere risky tomorrow, just getting some cyberware installed and meeting a few people."
As he spoke, Mercer glanced over at Cassidy. "Might need to use your bank account and our savings tomorrow."
"No problem, use it as you need. We grabbed plenty of cash from those bandits on the road. Plus, all the weapons and gear we brought back sold today around the camp, scraped together, it's about forty thousand eddies."
Cassidy agreed without hesitation.
"Right, I'll need a fair bit for now, new clothes, some equipment. As for the agreed share-out, let's hold off a little longer, till I offload the cyberware." Mercer paused, then added, "When the time comes, you'll each take ten thousand."
"Mercer..." Daichi started to refuse, but Mercer cut him off with a wave.
"You've got no income in the camp for now, and even though I took down most of the targets, hauling all that stuff alone would've worn me out. Consider it hardship pay, just take it. Ten thousand eddies might seem like a lot now, but it won't last. You're here now; can't just freeload. Use it as startup funds, then figure out what work you'll take on here."
He spoke with such blunt generosity that it left no room for argument, then rubbed his head and said, "Alright, enough of these bothersome matters. A bonfire party should have the atmosphere of a bonfire party."
Saul smiled, turning to Daichi and Leon, and said gently:
"Don't refuse a friend's kindness. When they need it, just give your all, that's one of the nomad's creeds."
"Mhm, remember that. From now on, you'll be following his lead," Mercer quipped, then lay back without a care.
Above, the stars shone brightly; nearby, the crackling bonfire snapped and popped. Squinting, he breathed in the evening breeze of the wilderness, no strange odors, just the scent of dust.
Mitch resumed playing, this time humming a little tune, and soon everyone slipped back into the earlier relaxed and carefree mood.
Some chatted, others drank, and no one deliberately sought out Mercer to talk, or perhaps they intentionally let him savor this comfortable feeling.
Mercer yawned, slowly closed his eyes, and before long, soft snores escaped him.
Lucy stopped her conversation with Kyoko and simply turned to gaze at his sleeping profile.
It was her action that made the others realize Mercer had fallen asleep, and the bonfire area grew quiet.
"Seems like the kid's exhausted," Panam said, though her eyes held a hint of admiration, since she'd just heard from Cassidy and Kyoko about the troubles they'd faced along the way.
In Panam's view, for a fourteen-year-old kid like Mercer to bring this whole group all the way here was rather impressive.
From a nomad's perspective, this kid had the makings of a good clan leader, ambitious, goal-oriented, able to take care of those around him, and, importantly, he respected everyone's freedom of choice.
Not bad-looking either, just a pity he's so young...What am I thinking?
Panam jolted, feeling a bit perverse.
"Alright, you've all traveled a long way. It's time to rest early," Saul suggested, and everyone readily agreed.
"Wake him up or cover him with a blanket. Though winters here aren't cold, sleeping through the night in the breeze could still give him a chill," Saul added.
After he spoke, Lucy nodded softly and replied, "Let him lie a bit longer. I'll go get a blanket. He rarely sleeps this soundly."
"Okay~" Kyoko smiled at Lucy. "Then we'll head back to rest first."
Panam also grinned, raising an eyebrow at Lucy. "Seems the kid wasn't just boasting about his charm."
"No... it's just..." Lucy stumbled over her words. She couldn't quite define her feelings for Mercer, but she knew it probably wasn't love, or maybe there was a little, but mostly, it was gratitude and reliance.
Besides, Mercer had a thing for older women...
Such an early bloomer, huh.
In the end, she simply ignored the others' expressions, fetched a blanket and pillow, covered him gently, and carefully tucked the pillow under his head.
She then lay down beside him, gazing up at the stars and the moon.
The moon in the sky cast a soft, serene glow, as if it belonged to a world entirely separate from this grimy one.
A sudden whimsy struck Lucy, if she could one day go up there, what would she feel? Lost in her thoughts, Lucy couldn't help but glance back at Mercer, and suddenly, her fantasy of going to the moon seemed to lose its appeal.
He'd probably be too busy to take a trip to the moon anyway.
Going to the moon alone?
Just the thought felt lonely.
She drifted through these scattered musings until, without realizing it, she fell asleep under the moonlight.
—--
The next morning, a hand pinched her cheek.
"Mmm, just five more minutes... Kyoko."
"You can sleep a bit longer, but I've got to get up and head into the city for work."
Mercer's teasing voice jolted Lucy awake. Her eyes flew open, and she realized she had somehow ended up all over Mercer...literally.
Her head was resting on his arm, she'd stolen most of his blanket, her body was pressed against his side, and her arms were wrapped tightly around him.
Her face flushed bright red in an instant, and she practically leaped away. "I, uh... it's just..."
"Save the embarrassment. You could put that energy into massaging my arm instead, half the night I thought a ghost had me by the neck, trying to drag me to hell."
Mercer laughed as he flexed his arm, working feeling back into it after what felt like forever.
Lucy was mortified, especially since the extinguished campfire was right at the edge of the campsite.
Early in the morning, the hardworking Aldecaldos were already up and busy.
Hearing the commotion, a few Aldecaldos nearby smiled kindly at Lucy and Mercer.
Even Kyoko, who was usually late to rise, poked her head out of a nearby tent with a teasing look.
This kind of public humiliation was too much for Lucy, who was only fourteen. She turned away, covering her face. "I'm going to wash up first."
Mercer couldn't hold back a stifled laugh, while Kyoko, further off, brazenly laughed out loud, hands on her hips, not even flinching when Lucy shot her a glare.
Panam, holding Mercer's cyberware case, checked the time and said impatiently,
"Done enjoying yourselves? Then get up and help!
This is the cyberware your friend said you needed installed. Go check if anything's missing and load it all up.
It's already past eight. Did you even make an appointment with the ripperdoc in town?"
Mercer's expression shifted. "I have one at nine."
"Then hurry up!" Panam jerked her chin. "Take my Mackinaw, and don't forget your gun."
Mercer rushed to get ready.
After swiftly organizing everything, he climbed into the passenger seat of Panam's truck.
Mercer waved a hand. "Let's go, Little China."
"Ugh, morning traffic there is a nightmare.
Buckle up, I don't want you to be late. Those city docs have massive egos.
If you miss your slot and they refuse to see you, you're screwed."
Panam slammed on the gas.
Mercer, somewhat embarrassed, fastened his seatbelt. "I'm usually a light sleeper, four to six hours max."
"That's a good thing. Means you were wound pretty tight before. But hey,
from what I saw this morning, you two were wrapped up so tight, you must've slept great."
Panam laughed, giving Mercer a suggestive look. He covered his face with one hand and sighed after a moment, "It was cold last night, and the blanket got tugged around a lot."
[Lucy: Mercer, uh, what I mean is, it was really cold last night, so I fell asleep out of instinct.
You know.
Anyway, if Kyoko asks you, just say that, because it really was freezing.]
[Kyoko: Was it really that cold last night? Really? Really?]
Under Panam's barely suppressed grin, Mercer closed the messaging app expressionlessly, turned to look out the window, and rolled his eyes.
Whatever.
Gotta say, even though Lucy's a bit small now, she's soft and smells nice... I'm such a creep.
The car sped all the way to Little China in Watson District with the pedal to the metal, but even rushing like hell...
Mercer still ended up late for his first meeting with Vik.
--------
Bonus chapter @1500 power stones.