So there I was, standing outside Clouds with Takemura's words echoing in my head - 'Find Evelyn Parker.' The place looked like some kind of high-end pleasure palace, but I knew better. In Night City, even the prettiest flowers have thorns. Judy had been cagey on the phone, but she'd pointed me here, to this den of dolls and secrets.
The bouncer gave me that look - the one that says 'I know your type' - and made me check my iron at the door. Felt naked walking in without my trusty sidearm, but rules are rules. The place was... heavier than I expected. Like the air itself was charged with secrets and regret.
I wandered around before heading to my appointment, and damn if I didn't stumble across something interesting - a projection showing some kind of altercation involving Evelyn. The images flickered like ghosts, telling a story I couldn't quite piece together yet.
When I finally reached booth 009, the doll they assigned me... she saw right through me. Knew I was dying before I even opened my mouth. Started playing head games, trying to get me to confront my mortality. I'll admit, she was good - almost had me buying into the whole thing before I remembered the safe word. 'Stop this charade,' I said, and just like that, the mask slipped.
The doll clammed up fast when I started asking about Evelyn. Fear does that to people in Night City. I had options though:
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️ Threaten her (classic Night City approach)
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💰 Pay her off (money talks)
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️ Reason with her (risky business)
She pointed me toward the VIP lounge, said I'd find answers there. But getting in? That's where things got interesting.
The VIP area was crawling with guards, each one looking tougher than the last. I needed a token to get past the velvet rope, but those don't come cheap. Then I got lucky - spotted a guard slipping into the bathroom alone. Let's just say he won't be needing his access card anymore.
Booth 002 housed Tom, who turned out to be about as helpful as a screen door on a submarine. Dropped Woodman's name though - Clouds' big boss. Said he might know something about Evelyn's disappearance. The way Tom said it... man, I got that feeling in my gut, the one that says 'this is about to get messy.'
Getting to Woodman's office was like trying to sneak past sleeping dragons. My VIP token was useless here - this was the real behind-the-scenes. Had to move like a ghost, sticking to shadows and timing my movements between patrols.
Woodman... what a piece of work. Smug bastard sat there behind his desk like he owned the world. Taunted me about Evelyn, dropped hints like breadcrumbs leading to God knows what. I had choices again:
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🔫 Waste him (tempting, very tempting)
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💸 Bribe him (everything has a price in Night City)
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💼 Use my Corpo background (old habits die hard)
Went with the peaceful approach - for now. Woodman gave me just enough to keep me hooked before showing me the back door. Typical Night City power play.
The elevator ride down felt longer than it should have. Each floor passing felt like another layer of this city's corruption peeling away. When those doors finally opened, I collected my weapons and stepped back out into the neon-drenched night.
Another day in Night City, another mystery pulling me deeper into the darkness. But hey, that's the job, right? We're all just trying to survive another sunrise in this beautiful, broken city.
The secrets of Clouds run deep, but so do the scars they leave behind.