"Well..."
Lucy snapped back to reality, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
She wasn't sure if she was laughing at her lapse in focus earlier or at Thailia's strange words and demeanor.
Then, with graceful ease, she stepped forward, one slender leg after the other.
One step.
Two steps.
Finally, she dropped into the seat beside him, crossing her legs casually.
Up close, her sharp red-purple eyes swept over Thailia, analyzing him.
A head of amethyst hair that barely brushed his brows, golden eyes that seemed impossibly deep, and facial features that balanced between delicate and strikingly sharp.
It didn't help that the alternating light and shadows from outside the car window seemed to dance across his face, casting him in a way that caught her attention.
For the first time, Lucy noticed something peculiar—unlike most residents of Night City, there was no coldness in his expression, no harshness or weariness.
"Have we met before?" Lucy asked, her voice cautious but curious.
Thailia tilted his head slightly, nodding once before shaking it again. "Sort of... but not really."
Her lips twitched at the odd response, and she couldn't help but chuckle.
"You talk funny," she said, the corners of her sharp eyes crinkling as she laughed.
Thailia simply smiled, his demeanor unbothered.
But Lucy wasn't just making small talk. While they exchanged words, her prosthetic eyes shifted subtly, the glowing red scan activating as she began scanning him.
She wanted information. Who was this boy? Why did he feel so different from everyone else?
Thailia caught the glow in her eyes and shook his head with a small sigh.
"Really? You're scanning me now?" he asked, his tone light and amused.
Lucy's smirk grew, unbothered by being caught. "You never know who you're dealing with in this city," she replied, her voice teasing but sharp.
The results of her scan quickly flashed in her vision—and what she saw shocked her.
He was completely unmodified.
"Wait..." Her brow furrowed, her curiosity fully piqued. "You don't have any prosthetics?"
Thailia nodded casually. "Nope."
"Why not?" she asked, clearly baffled.
"Don't like pain," he replied, shrugging as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Lucy stared at him, deadpan. "They have anesthetics."
"Too expensive."
"...Seriously?"
Her disbelief was palpable. She had never heard such ridiculous, yet somehow reasonable, answers in all her life.
She leaned back with a sigh, shaking her head. "Well, you're definitely not from around here. People like you don't last long in Night City. You should get out before it's too late."
Standing up, she flipped her short hair with a casual hand, her confidence radiating off her. "Anyway, it was fun talking, but I've got work to do. Take care, original body."
She turned to leave, her sleek movements radiating an air of charm and danger.
"Wait!" Thailia's voice stopped her in her tracks.
She turned halfway, raising an eyebrow. "What now?"
"Maybe we can work together," he said, leaning back in his seat.
Lucy blinked, her face breaking into a surprised laugh. "Work together? You and me? In what world does that make sense?"
Thailia didn't flinch at her mocking tone. Instead, he reached into his pocket, producing a chip. "You handle the work. I handle the goods. We split seventy-thirty."
She stared at him, and then broke into a loud laugh, clutching her stomach. "You? Handling goods? Seventy-thirty? Do you even know what you're saying?!"
Her laughter slowed as she walked back to him, leaning down to poke his forehead playfully. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood, or I'd think you've gone cyberpsycho without even having cybernetics."
She straightened, shaking her head with a smirk. "People like you should leave Night City before you end up dead. I've got better things to do—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Thailia held up another chip between his fingers.
Lucy's sharp eyes locked onto it. Her smirk faded as recognition dawned.
She instinctively reached behind her ear, only to find her slot empty.
Her pupils shrank in disbelief.
"That's my credit chip!" she exclaimed, her voice a mix of shock and outrage.
Thailia's calm expression didn't change. "You said we couldn't work together," he said, twirling the chip in his hand with casual precision. "But it seems I'm not as unskilled as you thought."
Lucy's jaw tightened, the corners of her lips twitching. She hadn't even noticed when he had taken it.
For the first time in a long while, she was left speechless.