When they got to Mold’pony, Shiori said once she got paid from Fabio or the client himself, she’d let them know right away.
For now, though, they better get back… to “normal life.”
Which meant the bar “Three Tits.”
The night there hadn’t changed:
crowd, filth, noise, alcohol hanging in the air like a fog.
In one corner, someone was fighting over a card.
Somebody else was crying under the jukebox.
T.8.0.0 was polishing the floor, hating existence.
Blindy barged in first, dropped onto a stool, and exhaled.
Felt like all the bad shit was behind him.
Like every problem from that three-day fuckin’ nightmare got launched straight into space.
But then the door slammed open so loud,
it felt like the universe itself just went: “Nope. Not today, buddy.”
Zeros walked in.
Crossed the room.
Each step sounded like a sentence.
Stopped at the bar.
Turned to T.8.0.0
and in a cold voice that filled the whole damn place said:
“Hey. Empty metal ass.
Pour some whiskey for my friend…
Jody. Meadow.”
Silence. Absolute. Glasses froze mid-air. Music cut off.
Even the cockroaches tucked their heads in.
Blindy stopped breathing.
Doce slowly turned:
“…¿Qué? Who the hell is Jody?”
Tresbola smiled.
The kind of smile that snaps men in half:
“Oh, cariño… go on. We all wanna hear.”
Dhal’Rrek giggled like an asthmatic space mosquito.
Blindy, shaking:
“Zeros—
Zeros—
FUCK—
no—no—NO—
don’t—
don’t do this—
don’t—PLEASE—”
Zeros leaned in. Almost gentle.
With that killing smile only an apocalypse-level android can pull off if it really tries:
“Jooooody… Meeeadow.
Such a soft name.
So… floral.
Now the whole galaxy gets to know who you are.”
And the bar exploded:
“JO-DY!”
“MEA-DOW!”
“JO-DY!”
“MEA-DOW!”
Someone already turned on karaoke.
Tresbola smiled again and something inside Blindy cracked.
Blindy grabbed his head:
“Fuuuuuuck…
I’m—
I’m gonna kill myself—
right here—
in front of everybody—”
Zeros:
“Too late. That’s your legend now.”
T.8.0.0 set down a glass:
“Your whiskey, Miss Jody.”
The crowd collapsed laughing.
Tresbola walked up, gently touched his shoulder:
“So your name is Jody, cariño?..
That’s adorable…”
Blindy howled:
“NO—NOT YOU—
YOU ain’t allowed—
you don’t get to say it—
I got—like—
advanced—
multi-layer—
suspender depression from this shit—!”
Tresbola, soft:
“A name… like a flower fairy.
Not a scary bounty hunter.”
He clenched his teeth:
“MY MOM NAMED ME—
she was drunk—
and happy—
and makin’ bad decisions—I HATE MY CHILDHOOD—
I HATE ALL OF IT—!”
Tresbola sighed:
“Qué maravilla. That explains a lot…”
T.8.0.0, completely flat:
“Name added to priority list.
VIP client: Jody Meadow.”
The crowd raised their glasses:
“JOOODY!”
“JOOOOODY!”
Blindy snapped:
“ZEEEEEROS—!
I SWEAR—
I SWEAR I’LL—
I’LL FUCKIN KILL YOU—
I’LL FIGURE OUT HOW—!”
Zeros, enjoying every second:
“Try it.
Jody.”