When Rebecca arrived at El Coyote Cojo, she asked Pepe where Rocky was. A server led her to the private room.
The conversation inside stopped as she appeared in the doorway. Jacky planted his hands on his thighs and stood immediately.
"Well, I'll leave you to it. Catch you later, L. You two talk."
He turned, clapped Rocky on the shoulder, and gave him a knowing wink. Apparently Rocky had a type Jacky hadn't expected, but he could understand it.
Rocky rolled his eyes.
What is wrong with these people? Can't anyone keep their mind out of the gutter? It's a business meeting.
"Have a good time, you two."
Jacky took his good wishes out the door with him, and Rebecca came inside.
"Have a seat. What do you want to drink?"
"A soda."
She settled into the seat he indicated.
"Didn't know ripperdocs moonlighted as fixers. So, what's the gig?"
Rocky didn't correct her assumption that he was arranging the job for someone else. He ordered her drink and handed her a data shard.
"The details are on here. Take a look."
She slotted it in, and the job information appeared before her.
"So it's deliveries? Ten thousand eddies? That's generous."
"Right. Get the goods safely to these clinics and collect their payments."
The work was straightforward, but it wouldn't be effortless. More than a dozen clinics were scattered across Night City. With this much stock, Rocky couldn't deliver everything in one trip. Doing it himself might take the whole day.
Hiring someone would both give him a reason to stay in touch with Rebecca and make it harder for anyone investigating the stimulants to trace their source.
The fee was small compared with what the batch would earn. And he didn't particularly mind putting that money in Rebecca's pocket. That was why he'd offered more than the usual rate.
"There's a little more to it than dropping off boxes. If someone refuses to pay, you'll have to handle it."
They wouldn't dare withhold payment from him. Rebecca might have a different experience. Her small stature didn't exactly intimidate people.
"Huh? You underestimating me? I'll take it. You'll get every last eddie."
She pulled out a pistol painted pink and green, chambered a round, and waved it before him with a confident grin.
Rocky smiled back. She was as endearing as she was sure of herself.
"As long as you're confident. Here's to working together."
They clinked glasses, sealing their first job together.
"Come to the warehouse marked on the shard tomorrow morning. I'll hand over the stock there. Try to finish the run in a day. For now, though, we can talk."
"About what?"
"You."
"Me? Why?"
"I'd like to get to know you. We'll probably work together plenty more. I think we could be friends."
Rebecca studied his earnest expression, took a sip of soda, and laughed.
"Friends, huh? Thought you fixers only cared about getting your mercs to follow orders."
Rocky shook his head.
"You've misunderstood. I'm not a fixer. I'm the client. I don't know many mercs. I just need people to help me get things done. As far as I'm concerned, someone who helps me is a friend."
"You're not a fixer? So you didn't know anything about me before? And you're handing me a job this important? Are you nuts?"
She'd assumed he was a Night City fixer who had done his homework on her. Instead, he was entrusting an enormous amount of money to someone he'd met once. Wasn't he worried she'd screw it up, or disappear with both her fee and the payments?
"Maybe. But I'm a good judge of character. You strike me as reliable. I trust you to get it done."
"Reliable?"
She stared at him. The seriousness in his eyes caught her off guard, and for a moment she forgot what she'd been about to say.
Then she recovered and gave him a reassuring smile.
"All right. If that's how you feel, I'll take care of it."
It was hard to believe anyone in Night City would trust a stranger. Still, being trusted felt good.
The man across from her seemed different. She wanted to know what sort of person he really was. Whatever the answer, he was already more interesting than the usual sour-faced fixers.
"Good. There's one more condition." Rocky considered his words. "No one else can know who's behind this job. That includes your crew."
"What's with the weird condition?"
He met her questioning eyes and explained.
"I need to protect myself. You know the saying. In Night City, the only person you can trust is yourself. Get sold out, and you've only got yourself to blame."
He remembered the familiar line from Edgerunners. In this absurd city, no one could be certain how well they really knew another person, or guarantee they wouldn't be betrayed.
Of Maine's crew, Rebecca was the one whose loyalty gave him some peace of mind. If he could bring her over to his side, he believed she would never sell him out. She could become a formidable ally.
He couldn't say the same for the others. Especially with Kiwi, a walking time bomb, still in the crew.
"Then why trust me? Aren't you worried I'll sell you out?"
"You're the exception. Besides, I can't abandon the whole business just because I have trouble trusting people. Trust has to start somewhere. Be honest with people, and give them a chance to do the same."
He gestured as he talked. For a moment, he sounded rather like Jacky, with a ready answer for everything. Too much time together must have rubbed off on him. Still, making friends Jacky's way really was easier.
Rebecca looked at this strange man who distrusted everyone yet somehow trusted her, and gave a helpless smile.
"Fine. I'll keep it to myself, weirdo."
"Cheers. To friendship." Rocky raised his glass.
"To friendship." She drained her soda. "So we're friends now? Is it really that easy?"
"Apparently. The guy who just left taught me. Says some people are just meant to meet."
"Well, guess another friend wouldn't hurt."