"Good night, old hag. See you tomorrow!"
"Good night, Nobara."
"Take care, you two! And make sure that idiot locks the door behind him!"
The door to the Bowl of Fortune closed, leaving Dante standing under the soft glow of the neon sign hanging over its entrance. Beside him was Jonah.
The old officer had a little too much to eat this time around, and because of that, his uniform could barely hold his bulging stomach. Despite that part showing how out of shape he was, the fact that he was holding someone up proved that all the muscles he cultivated over his career had yet to wane.
"Old man, is your spine gonna be okay?" Dante asked. "I can get him home if you want."
"Don’t bother, kid," Jonah replied, shifting the arm slung over his shoulders. "My car is around the corner. I will get him to sober up a little, then give him a ride home."
The unconscious drunk leaning on the officer was none other than Ross. For the simple reason of it being Friday night, the maintenance worker let himself go a little too much. As usual, Jonah took it upon himself to escort him back to his house. Dante had offered to help many times before, and each time he was refused.
"By the way, how’s lil Ellie doing?" Dante asked. "I haven’t been around in the mornings the last few days, so..."
Jonah’s reply came after a moment of silence, which didn’t hint at anything.
"The little one is fine. She’s growing up fast, too." He glanced at the man leaning against him. "I just wish her father got his act together."
Dante stared at the drunk for a moment, another question gradually making it to his mouth.
"Did something happen?"
"He’s been taking that crow stuff," Jonah said. "Probably trying to put some money aside for when his daughter starts school."
"Right... she’s already at that age..."
Just from that much, Dante already figured out that their friendly blue-collar worker isn’t having the best of times recently, and things weren’t getting any better. Raising kids was never easy in a hellhole such as Neo-Vatra, and having to do it alone was bound to cause quite a bit of stress.
"Well, I better get going. The little one is probably waiting anxiously for her dad to return."
The old officer turned to leave, dragging the still passed-out Ross along.
"Tell Ms. Yukimura that I’ll drop by in a few days," Dante said.
"Alright. Take care."
Having had his dinner, Dante took a train to Nightsun, but instead of getting off at his usual stop, he continued toward Blue Moon.
The street was on the eastern side of the district and had far fewer open shops late at night, giving it the vibe of a residential area. Besides the usual bands of thugs gathering in some corners and alleyways, there weren’t many people wandering the streets.
As always, Dante ignored the eyes following him as he made his way to a certain building with a big sign that says "Megan’s Wrench". If he had arrived a couple of hours ago, it would have been alive with bright silver colors, but since it was past closing time, the lights were off and the front garages had their shutters drawn.
Instead of going home after seeing that the shop was closed, Dante circled to the back of the building. A high metal fence surrounded a wide yard with several vehicles parked inside, watched by a large security camera hanging on a nearby wall.
Stepping up to the entrance, Dante opened the messenger app on his OAM and composed a quick message. He then turned and stared at the security camera, waiting until he heard the faint buzz of the door opening up for him.
A second door awaited him once he passed the fence, but that one slid open long before he arrived, likely because of the woman who stepped out the next moment.
"Dante, sweetie." The woman said with a strained smile. "You chose a very bad time to drop by."
"I sent a message, remember?" Dante held his hand out. "Said I would come around now."
Megan Sanders was a woman who made most men feel small, with a height that surpassed two meters and muscles most bodybuilders could only dream of. Her skin was dark bronze, a sign of her strong Tenebrosan heritage.
She wasn’t one who cares about modern beauty standards and so the lack of cosmetic enhancements on her was apparent. Not to say she didn’t have her charms.
Her shop, Megan’s Wrench, was Boris’s go-to whenever his car needed some repairs. Dante had visited it a few times and even handled a number of car "retrieval" requests for her.
"You know I take my long baths around this time." She said. "Don’t tell me you were hoping for an invitation."
"Nah, never was a fan of being boiled alive. Is my new ride ready?"
"Sure is. Come take a look."
The large woman motioned for him to follow and walked back into the building. The lights came on just as Dante entered, illuminating every corner of the garage, which took over the entirety of the first floor.
The smell of oil and metal assaulted one’s nose the instant they stepped inside, its source being the rows of half-disassembled vehicles. Some seemed almost ready to go, others still had their hoods open like yawning beasts.
Workbenches rested here and there, the tools scattered on their surface showed that the workers hadn’t bothered organizing before leaving for the day. But maybe that was the point, seeing as they were likely to resume from where they left the next morning
Dante followed Megan past a few vans and modified sports cars. They soon arrived at a relatively empty area where a beast lay dormant, its dark mantel absorbing the fluorescent light raining from above.
The mechanic crossed her arms with an expectant grin on her face. Dante could only stare, his eyes wide with awe.
It was like something out of a dream. Its frame was the perfect mix of gentle curves and sharp edges, the fairings encasing it creating a precise aerodynamic shell. At the front, twin headlights gleamed like the eyes of a hungry predator, its ferocity increased by the high tail and low handlebars, as if it were ready to pounce.
When he first saw it, Dante was convinced that Derick Simmons did not hold back when buying his birthday gift. The kid knew a thing or two about bikes, and with the size of his budget, he ensured that he would get the best the market had to offer.
The one thing he got wrong was the color. Last time it was a nasty aquamarine blue, but that was a thing of the past. Now it was covered in a black so dark it rivaled the future of this world.
"I changed the ignition, like you asked." Said Megan. "I also threw out the training wheels and switched the battery. Besides that, there wasn’t much to improve. A lot of money has been poured into this one from the start."
She turned around to a nearby cart and grabbed something.
"Since this will be your first proper ride, I made you a little present. Free of charge, of course."
She tossed him the round object, and Dante caught it with ease. Turning it around, he saw that it was a helmet, its color matching that of the jet black motorcycle.