The warm, dusty Badlands breeze blew through the tent's half-open entrance, gently rustling the leather fringes that decorated the interior. Panam lay face down on her makeshift bed, sunk into a pile of pillows and rough furs that served as a mattress. She was wearing a simple but practical black tank top, which left her toned arms bare, and loose-fitting shorts, her lounge attire in the relative privacy of her tent.

Her signature jet-black hair was tied back in a careless, high bun, though several stray strands had fallen free, framing her face with a focused and slightly irritated expression. In her hands, she held a new model of cell phone with visible skepticism, a device she had reluctantly accepted as payment. The person who owed her credit didn't have it, and this was the only compensation she had been able to offer.

"Credits... it all comes down to that... And now I'm stuck with this shiny metal thing I didn't even want."

Her fingers slide to the front-facing camera app. A grimace of instant disgust appears in her reflection.

"Really? This is what you get for entertainment? Watching yourself make silly faces?"

She makes a face of disbelief, then frowns, trying out the different filters that distort her face, create animal stickers, or add makeup. "What total stupidity," she mutters to herself, her voice husky and full of skepticism.

Despite her obvious disdain, a surge of curiosity keeps her hooked. She watches herself on the small screen, making an exaggerated face with her eyes looking into the camera and her lips in a slight pout. With her right hand, she awkwardly forms a half-heart against her cheek, as she's seen others do on Night City's social media.

"This is the most pathetic thing I've done all week... and look, the bar is high."

A second click captures the gesture. A sigh, this time with a hint of amused defeat, escapes her lips. She slumps back onto the pillow, her phone discarded.

"The Badlands toughen you up, Palmer... and then technology comes along to remind you how ridiculous you can be."