Streets were mostly dead, lamps casting faint orange light, producing lonely shadows over cracked pavement. Void stuffed her hands into her hoodie pockets, leading the way at a lazy pace. Amy walked just half a step behind, her bag strap twisted tight in her fingers like she was afraid it might float away without her.
For a while, it was just the footsteps and occasional hum of a passing tram in the distance. Then Amy broke the silence.
"So... You live around here?"
Void smirked. "Sharp observation! What gave it away - the fact I'm leading us somewhere, or the local street art?"
Amy flushed, eyes dropping. "I just- sorry, dumb question."
Void slowed her steps, tilting her head to look at her. "Not dumb. Just... Basic. You can ask me basic shit, it won't kill me, I assure you."
Amy hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip. "Then... What do you actually do?"
Void barked a short laugh. "What do I do? Well, professionally speaking, I fight with machines until they either obey me or explode. Personally speaking, I light candles, scream into my 3D printer when it jams, and - on rare occasions - rescue strays who think they're too broken for this world." She gave Amy a pointed look.
Amy wrinkled her nose. "That's... Oddly specific."
"Life usually is," Void shrugged. "What about you? Besides skipping trains at night and testing the patience of random strangers."
Amy's shoulders tensed. "I... Can you promise you won't laugh if I tell you?"
Void responded with stark assurance. "Promise. If you hear as much as me cracking up, I'll give you my entire workshop to play with."
It took a few seconds, but Amy finally got it out: "Besides playing field chemist...? I read yuri manga. And... I draw. Or... Used to draw. Doesn't feel worth it anymore."
"Why?"
"Because every time I pick up a pencil, I hear her voice. 'You'll never make a living doing that. Stop wasting time. Be useful.'" Her jaw tightened. "And when I try to push past it, it's like my body just... Shuts down. Like, nope. Not allowed. So I don't."
Void exhaled through her nose, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. "Classic parental sabotage. Break the wings, then blame the bird for not flying."
Amy blinked up at her, startled. "That's... Exactly it."
Void offered a small shrug. "Takes one to know one."
Amy slowed a little, hugging her bag closer. "Why do I feel like you get it? Not the self-harm part... But... Like... It's weird. You're a total stranger, and yet..." She shook her head. "Feels stupid to say out loud."
Void arched a brow. "Say it anyway."
Amy looked away, cheeks pink. "Feels comforting. Like, standing here, walking next to you, I don't feel... Wrong. I don't feel like I have to explain everything or pretend."
Void was quiet for a second. Then, with a crooked smirk: "Funny. I was just thinking the same thing."
Amy's eyes darted to her. "Really?"
"Yeah. It's... Unnerving. You show up out of nowhere, start asking for help, poking at my cynicism like it's soft clay, and somehow I don't want to bite your head off for it. That's new."
Amy giggled softly, the sound startling even herself. "Guess we're both weird, then."
Void grinned. "Weird's better than boring. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
"So, um... Who was that you called earlier? When you asked if I could stay?"
Void's hands flexed inside her hoodie pockets. "That was Keira."
Amy tilted her head. "Keira?"
Void's smirk softened into an expression far less performative. "My girlfriend. She's waiting at the flat. Don't worry, she's not gonna bite."
Amy gave a small, hesitant smile. "She sounds... Important."
Void let out a breath that turned into a laugh, low and humorless. "That's one way to put it. She's the reason I'm still walking this shithole city instead of rotting six feet under."
Amy blinked, unsure if she'd misheard. "What do you mean?"
Void's gaze stayed forward, fixed on the fractured glow of a distant streetlamp. "Remember the scars I showed you? Around one year ago, I... Tried to shut my own voices off. Those were supposed to be surface wounds. But I cut too deep and before I noticed I was unable to move or call for help." She gave a humorless snort. "But me, being the dumb, lucky bitch I am, I woke up to Keira kicking the door in, cussing me out while dragging my bleeding ass out of the water."
Amy's throat tightened. "She... She found you?"
"Dragged me back into the world kicking and screaming. Sat on my floor the whole day, daring me to stop breathing just so she could start yelling again. No one ever fought that hard to keep me alive before."
Amy's voice dropped to a whisper. "That sounds... Kind of impossible. And fucked up."
"Yeah, well," Void shrugged, stuffing her hands deeper into her hoodie, "so is living past twenty. Yet here I am."
They rounded a corner, the glow of a food bar cutting through the gloom - greasy neon sign, a couple stools, and the smell of fried dough thick in the air. Void slowed, eyeing the place. "You hungry?"
Amy hesitated. "Kinda? Not really. I... Don't know."
Void gave her a look. "That wasn't a 'yes' or a 'no'. It was a fucking cry for help.""
Amy shifted, mumbling. "It's fine. I'm used to it."
"Used to what?"
"Uh... Not eating." Amy's voice went flat, rehearsed, like she'd had to explain it before. "Two days, give or take. Sometimes more. I just... Forget. Or I don't have the energy. Or it feels like I don't deserve it."
Void stopped dead, boots scraping against the concrete. She stared at her like she'd just confessed to murder. "Hold the fuck up. You're telling me you haven't eaten in two days?"
Amy flinched. "Don't make a big deal out of it."
Void dragged a hand down her face, groaning. "Girl, that's not a quirky personality trait, that's a slow-motion suicide attempt."
Amy's throat worked as she tried to force out words. "I told you - it's just... Part of it. Depression, trauma, habit. Whatever you want to slap on it. I've got labels stacked like trading cards." She looked away. "It's not like anyone cares."
Void's stomach sunk, but she was able to maintain composure. "Well, guess what? I fucking care. So you're eating. Right now. No arguments."
Amy blinked, startled at the sharpness in her tone. "Why? What did I do to deserve it?"
Void's gaze softened, just a fraction - but her words stayed iron-solid. "What the actual fuck, Amy. You don't have to earn food. You don't have to deserve keeping yourself alive. That's baseline human shit. And if you can't believe that-" She jabbed a finger at the bar. "-then you're gonna borrow my belief until you do."
Amy's lip quivered, the fight in her cracking. "No one's ever said that to me."
Void muttered under her breath, pacing a step. "Figures. I swear to fuck, I'm gonna kill that bitch you call your mother."
Amy's head snapped up, eyes wide. "H-how did you know?"
Void froze, realizing she'd hit the bullseye. Slowly, she shoved her hands back in her pockets, voice low but edged with venom. "Because kids don't wake up one day and decide they don't deserve food. Somebody teaches them that. And I can smell that kind of cruelty from a mile away. Hitting you is one thing, emotional abuse is another. But fucking starving you? There's a special place in hell for that kind of people."
Amy's shoulders caved, like the truth had been yanked out of her. She mumbled, barely audible. "She used to lock the pantry. Said I didn't need seconds. Sometimes... Not even firsts."
For a moment, Void's mask slipped entirely - anger and sorrow flickering raw in her eyes. Then she exhaled, steadying herself. "Yeah. Thought so. Guess what? She doesn't get the final word. I do. And my word is: you're eating."
Amy sniffled, blinking like she couldn't tell if she wanted to cry or smack Void. "You're seriously not gonna drop this, are you?"
"Nope. Consider it harassment with love."
She nudged Amy toward the food bar. Amy dug her heels in for half a second, then gave up, letting herself be herded forward like a grumpy cat. Her shoulders were hunched, but there was a fragile spark hiding in her eyes.
They reached the counter. The vendor gave them the universal what the hell are you two doing here at this hour stare. Void scanned the flickering menu, then snapped her fingers. "Fried pierogi. Non-negotiable. Whatever counts as tea in this dump. And a Broseph Dark."
Amy toyed with her bag strap, mumbling. "You don't have to buy me anything..."
Void arched a brow at her. "Shut up and let me be your sugar mommy for five minutes, alright?"
Amy went crimson, choking on a laugh. "That's... Not what I expected you to say."
Void smirked. "Good. If you can predict me, I'm doing something terribly wrong."
The vendor slid over a tray of steaming dumplings, a sad paper cup of tea, and the beer. Void shoved the food and tea towards Amy with all the grace of a dealer tossing chips across a table, leaving the glass bottle for herself. "Eat," she instructed, "doctor's orders. And yes, I have a Ph.D - Permanent Head Damage."
Amy chuckled, then turned to her tray. She hesitated, hovering over the food like she wasn't sure if it was a gift or a trap. Finally, she plucked a dumpling and bit down cautiously. Her eyes closed. She chewed, slowly, reverently, like her body had forgotten what food was supposed to taste like. "Oh my god."
Void leaned one elbow on the counter, smirking. "There it is. Proof you're human after all."
Amy swallowed hard. To Void's surprise, her eyes shone wet in the fluorescent light. "I didn't realize how much I missed this."
The smirk slipped into something gentler. "Then don't make yourself wait so long next time, yeah?"
Amy gave a jerky little nod, already clutching for another dumpling. She ate faster this time, and by the third one, she even let out a tiny laugh, embarrassed at herself. "You're really just... Gonna watch me pig out, huh?"
"Damn right. I've seen worse sights in my life. Trust me, you're an upgrade."
That actually coaxed a grin out of her - shy, fragile, but real. She nursed the tea between bites, warming her hands around the flimsy cup. For a while the silence held, comfortable in its own way. Then, maybe carried by the food or the warmth, Amy spoke again, so quiet Void almost missed it.
"I always thought... I'd work in a lab one day. Y'know, mixing things. Making something that... Helped. Medicine. Chems for pain, maybe. Something that makes life easier for people who've already had it hard enough. Maybe even something that helps with cyberpsychosis." She stared down into the tea, voice trembling. "I guess that's stupid. But it's the only dream I ever had that felt real."
Void straightened, watching her with an intensity that made Amy squirm. Then she softened her posture, voice low. "That's not stupid. That's the exact opposite of stupid. That's... Beautiful."
Amy blinked at her, blindsided, but Void didn't stop. "Me? I used to think I'd settle for being some underground ghost story - runners whispering my name in dens, cops pulling their hair out because I'd always be two steps ahead. But..." She picked at the label on her bottle, expression twisting. "...that's not enough anymore. I don't want to be a rumor. I want something that outlives me. Something your average, boring-ass person on the street knows about because it actually touched their life."
Amy hugged the tea closer, voice barely above a whisper. "Like a cure in a bottle. Or a piece of tech that saves someone's skin."
Void nodded slowly, meeting her gaze. "Yeah. Exactly that. Not 'Void the urban legend.' Just... Me. Known for something real. Something that mattered."
Amy stared at her dumpling as though it suddenly weighed a ton. Then she looked up again, her eyes now sparkling with something - a sliver of genuine hope, perhaps? "Then maybe... Maybe we both get there. In our own ways."
Void, caught completely off-guard, had nothing clever to say. She just clinked her bottle lightly against Amy's paper cup. "To maybe."
By the time Amy polished off the last dumpling, Void still had half her beer left. Naturally, she tipped it back in one go, setting the empty bottle down with a hollow clink. A flick of her chipped nail across the vendor's terminal closed the tab, and she jerked her head toward the street.
The evening outside was damp and restless - Szczecin's kind of evening. Halogen lights buzzed against cracked facades, half-lit ads promising miracle nootropics and skin patches "guaranteed to erase scars in 24 hours" (sure they would). The brief rain had left the cobblestones slick, reflecting everything in a patchwork of bruised colors. Void shoved her hands in her hoodie pockets, jerking her chin west. Amy trailed at her side, still clenching her bag tight as if she was carrying something priceless.
"So... Welcome to Szczecin," Void muttered, voice laced with a lazy kind of pride. "Back in 2019, this place was just another port city with a chip on its shoulder. By '25, after the Baltic Shipping Collapse, all the smaller ports got gutted. Guess who scooped up the scraps? Local gangs and Corpo fronts - shipments of steel and grain went from fueling Europe to fueling smuggling routes. That was round one of the city's rebirth."
Amy tilted her head, keeping pace despite the damp chill. "Rebirth? That sounds... Good?"
Void laughed a little. "Good if you like black markets. Better if you like cheap smokes. For everyone else? Not so much. Then came Kessler Maritime - corporation outta Hamburg. They turned Szczecin into their personal drydock. Built half the North Sea fleet here. Brought jobs, sure... But also their private security force. You can guess how that played out."
Amy squinted up at her. "Let me guess - locals weren't thrilled about jackbooted corpos running the show?"
Void smirked. "Give the girl pierogi and suddenly she's sharp. Yeah, riots in '32. The city burned for three nights. Corpos lost control, militias filled the vacuum. Ever since, it's been this tug-of-war: city belongs to the corps during the day, to the people at night. That's Szczecin for you. Always someone's battleground."
Amy's eyes widened, a strange mix of awe and fear in them. "And you live here? Just... Walk around like it's normal?"
"Normal is overrated," Void shot back, kicking a loose can down the curb. "Besides, history's etched into the bricks here. Every crack's a story. You stick around long enough, you start seeing them."
They walked in silence for a stretch, their footsteps echoing under the glow of a flickering ad for Kessler's "EcoMarine" fleet. Amy finally spoke: "You sound like you... Actually love this place. Even with all that chaos."
Void glanced sideways, lips quirking. "Love might be a strong word. But it's my kind of fucked-up. City doesn't hide its scars. It's honest. I can respect that. It sure is better than whatever the fuck is going on in Night City these days."
Amy hugged her bag closer, thoughtful. "Scars you can respect. Yeah. I think I get that."
They finally got to the apartment block where Void and Keira lived. Void led the way with the easy stride of someone who knew where every camera and sensor could be avoided. Amy stuck close, her eyes darting nervously at every flicker of a street lamp.
When Void pushed open the reinforced stairwell door and keyed in the lock on her flat, the smell of coffee hit them before the lights even came on. Keira was already there. She sat on the couch, scarlet hair tied back into a messy bun, a steaming mug in her hand and another set waiting on the low table. She glanced up as the two walked in, eyes glinting green under the dim light.
"About time," she said, voice low and husky. Then her gaze shifted, catching Amy full-on. She smiled gently, sharp lines of her jaw now softened a bit. "And this must be Amy."
Amy froze like a deer. Up close, Keira was all sinew and shadow - the kind of woman whose muscles didn't just show, they announced. Her arm flexed when she set her mug down, and Amy's breath hitched audibly. Void caught it.
"Relax, girl," she drawled, tossing her hoodie onto the hook. "She looks like she could bench-press a tram, but she's harmless unless you steal her tools."
Keira smirked at that, leaning back against the couch. "Tools and girlfriends. Same category."
Amy gave a nervous little laugh, clutching her bag like a shield. Void gently plucked it out of her arms, tossing it beside the couch where blankets had already been laid out. She ruffled Amy's hair, earning a startled look. "See? Couch is ready, blanket's softer than it looks. You'll survive the night."
Amy's shoulders eased a little. She sat, sinking into the cushions, while Keira slid her a mug of hot tea. Amy hesitated, staring at the calloused hand offering it, but eventually took it with a shy murmur of "thanks." Keira didn't push.
The three of them lingered for a while, Void half-sprawled in a chair with her boots kicked off, Keira perched sharp and elegant, and Amy curled on the couch sipping tea like it was liquid courage. Conversation trickled - Amy stammering answers to Keira's careful questions, Keira toning down her natural edge, Void occasionally interjecting with a dry joke when Amy's nerves got too obvious. By the time they dimmed the lights, Amy had relaxed enough to ask a few questions of her own.
"Tomorrow," Void said as she pulled the blanket up over Amy's legs, "we'll start digging into the fun stuff. That research you need? We'll sniff it out. Don't worry."
Amy gave her a wide-eyed look, still in disbelief of the situation she found herself in. "You really mean it?"
Void tapped the girl's forehead lightly with two fingers. "I don't say shit I don't mean. Sleep. You'll need the energy."
Amy nodded, settling back as her eyes fluttered shut.
Void padded into the bedroom after Keira, shutting the door with a quiet click. Keira was already peeling off her shirt, muscles shifting under the low light. She turned, arching a brow. "So. What's her story?"
Void sat on the bed, elbows on her knees. "Parents," she said flatly. "Y'know. The abusive kind. Father split, mother stuck around just long enough to make her life hell. Starved her, if you can believe that shit - used food as a leash. That's why she's all skin and bones. Why she panicked around you."
Keira's jaw tightened, the lines of her face hardening. But it wasn't anger at Void - she was pissed at the unfairness of it all. "Hold the fuck up. Starved?" she repeated, like she had to make sure she'd heard right.
"Yeah," Void said, voice low and steady. "Exactly my reaction. Imagine being so fucking cruel you decide your kid only gets to eat when she behaves. That's not discipline, that's... That's stripping someone down to nothing. You should've seen her face at the bar. Looking at a dumpling like it's a fucking treasure..."
Keira looked at the floor, fingers curling at her sides. When she finally spoke, her voice was quieter than usual. "That explains why you dragged her here..."
Void leaned back, watching her carefully. "We can't just let her wander off again. She needs... Something. Someone. Maybe both of us."
Keira's head snapped up. "What are you saying? That we take her in like she's-"
"Our daughter?" Void cut in. "Yeah. Why not? She needs guidance, structure, someone who'll actually fucking care. We could teach her. Build her up. Let her discover she's more than just what her mother tried to break."
Keira's face twisted, half-resistant, half-considering. "Void, we're not- We're not exactly role models. You're a digital felon wanted in 9 countries already. I build and sell pipe bombs, for crying out loud."
"Yeah, we're far from perfect," Void said, leaning forward, eyes hard. "But we're real. We've both seen the worst of it, and we're still here. That counts for something. And she doesn't need saints. She needs people who won't give up on her."
The silence stretched. Keira paced twice, then stopped with her back to the bed. "Fuck." She rubbed her face with one hand. "It makes sense. And I hate that it makes sense."
Void reached out, lacing her fingers through Keira's. "So... We do it?"
Keira squeezed back reluctantly, a tiny, grim smile appeared at her lips. "You always rope me into your little crusades. I'll think about it."
"Well, that's not a 'no'," Void smirked, tugging her closer. "And you always love me for it."