232 Hard to Know

...

Ori continues to stare at the barrel, unflinching, "All of us can see it Maine, the clusterfuck with Aliya earlier is just the tip of the iceberg. Either let us help or get rid of some chrome-"

"Go to hell! You think I'll sit here and listen to that trash!?" he jabs the barrel at Ori, "You just wanna replace me, take my crew and whatever else I got, I can see it in your eyes!" he then turns to David, "And you!? Said it yourself didn't ya!? Want my fuckin' Cyberware if I drop, you already took my sandevistan, ain't much of a step from there is it!? Shit, I bet you wanted to take Dorio's Gorilla Arms too!"

David's eyes widen, "W-what!? You really think that!? I thought we were joking around back then, I'll have enough Eddies to get my own set anyway, why would I want to klepp yours!?"

"He's really friggen' losing it!" Pilar can't help but say, only angering the large merc further.

"Maine, listen to yourself!" Falco exclaims, "We been working together for years, none of us wants beef with you! But this thing, it's not just gonna get you killed, but the rest of us too! We were lucky to get outta the casino, but how many more chances d'you think we got!?"

...

"Man, fuck all this." Maine spits, retracting his arm cannon and heads for the door, "Goin' for a walk." he growls, leaving nothing to question as he slowly strides into the darkness.

...

Ori sighs and rubs his face, "He's gotten worse."

"Wait, you knew about this!?" David accuses, "Why did you let it get this far then!?"

"You saw his reaction, whatchu think'd happen if I brought it up not long after Dorio kicked it? Plus our lack of Immunosuppressants? He'd have actually tried to kill me." Ori states resolutely, confident in his claim.

He sighs and dips his head, getting back to bandaging his leg. David didn't have anything to say, his loyalty to Lucy and everyone else outweighed his loyalty to Maine, especially when the man was becoming so self-destructive. The fact that he'd put everyone at risk with his recent stunt hadn't been forgotten, nor his out-of-character disregard for Lucy's life.

If the choice was between her or him, David knew who he'd pick. And wasn't that a terrifying thought, to know who he placed above others?

Pilar straightens and shrugs, "I've been with him a long ass time but I've never seen him like that. Shit, just thinking if he got his hands on the sandy..." he waves his hand at David, "No idea how the kid handles it, but I've seen gonks short-circ after one go."

Falco nods, "He'd be a monster, a guy that size moving that quick? But his mind wouldn't take it, I dunno if it's Dorio's death or the recent upgrades he's got, but he won't last much longer unless someone gets through to him."

Ori sighs, "Don't look at me, he seems to think I'm out to replace him or summin'. David's no better, dunno what you said to him but he looked ready to gut you."

David frowned, "We were wasted and it came up, what I wanted to happen to the sandy if I flatlined. Told him he could have it, if I could get his arm if he ever ended up checking out." he shakes his head sadly, "Never thought he'd actually take it like that, I love the guy, we're choomba's and he thinks I wanna cross him..."

"Like I told him, don't take it personal. He ain't himself right now, you think the old Maine woulda risked Lucy like that? He's the guy that dropped by my place with a gun when he heard I was shackin' up with Rebecca."

Pilar chuckles, "Heh, I remember that. When you were a scrawny wimp simping over my sis, now you're just a bigger simp though..."

"Pilar, you're the best person to try talk to him. Falco's never been a full-time member of the crew, and you've spent more time with 'em than anyone else, barring Dorio... I'd ask Rebecca too but," he trails off, not liking the idea.

Could he rely on Maine's 'brotherly' instincts to not hurt her if she hit a nerve? Probably, but he wasn't going to risk it... Was he an asshole for sending Pilar out there instead? Yeah, but he had his priorities.

Pilar snorts at this, "Yeah sure, just throw me to the big pissed-off, chromed-up bear. But fuck it, I'll try to talk some sense into his big head, just don't expect me to come back in one piece." he says and goes to stand.

"Wait up, not now... Give him some time to process, maybe he'll realise we're not out to get him." Falco interjects.

...

"What are we doing now then? Y'know, with most of the city hunting us." David questions.

Ori shrugs, "Meet with Christy and Lucy, Grab the gold and contact Sasha 'n Kiwi. Rogue'll pull out all the stops when she hears what we got to trade, give her even one percent commission on the three or four billion Eds we got and we're back in business. After that, we'll buy up what we need, property, grunts, guns, you name it, and get back at Arasaka for doin' in Dorio." he explains.

"Hmph, I like the sound of that. Shit, maybe we could start our own Merc corp or something, like those Lazarus assholes." Pilar adds.

"You wanna start a corp? You surprise me..." Falco remarks.

He sniffs in response, "It'd be the most bitchin' corp you've ever seen. None of that suit-shit all the rest've got goin' on. I'd be at the top, telling peeps what needs to be done without the bureaucrat bullshittery!"

Ori chuckles, "Yeah I'd love to see that. You'd last maybe two days before one of your 'employees' did you in. That or some other corp would frame you for something and have your shit raided."