In the hearts of many, Japantown was the entertainment district of Night City. Little else could compare; the pulsations, light and quick much like a butterfly’s beating wings—beautiful but desperate for that release, however short and however sweet. And much like a Venus flytrap, you’d flutter inside its aromatic maw, patient and waiting … and it would snap shut. Those aromas, wafting from upscale restaurants and street-food vans alike, filled your thoughts even when the jaws of urban delirium coursed freely through veins.
Japantown; it was disorientating, if you weren’t careful enough. With a click of finger and thumb, just like that, you’d lose track of the passage of time—and the amount of eddies tumbling out of your bank account. Treading too carelessly under the gaze of night, too, could land you in the lap of a particularly antsy Tyger Claw.
This time, however, it wasn’t just one; many Tyger Claws were antsy. They’d recently had a portion of their turf torn from their talons and so throngs of their members roamed the district, itching to blow off steam. Wakako knew that an antsy Tyger Claw was a dangerous one; they were reckless, impulsive, stupid.
So, rather than dilly-dally in her office, she’d taken to a little nook next to her parlour. It was small, but undoubtedly hers—only the dullest tourist would think it a ripe spot to linger. She and a taller individual were caught in a conversation; the latter sporting a bob of wavy pink tresses, framing a face striped with gold. The chatter was loose, casual; far from her usual formalities.
Just as an airy chuckle bubbled free, she caught sight of an approaching figure. No words, only a sideward flash of eyes. The pink-headed man dared not quip nor even stare at that which broke them apart; instead, he simply turned heel, hands jammed into pockets, and left the two by their lonesome.
Wakako let Jakša encroach on her space. It was polite, formal—he knew well enough not to get too up close and personal. She didn’t wield this crown by being soft.
“Ah, Jakša,” she smiled. There was a little bulb of sweetness in that expression, but the shell proved to be prickly and downright dangerous. “Returning to your roots, I see. And, my, look at you—all big and not ridden in bullet holes. Some might consider you lucky.”