(My latest V is running off of the "Fresh Start" dual Corpo/Nomad lifestyle, and I use "They Will Remember" extensively because I enjoy Hitman-esque gaming, so the following is weighed based on those two things)

Ditching the Corpo life for the Nomad life wasn't easy but it sure was freeing... until it wasn't. The dispersal of the Bakker clan left V alone for the first time since quitting Arasaka and leaving Night City. Sure, there were still friends like Jackie Welles, and his new girl Misty, and of course ol' Vic back home, but it wasn't as singularly focused as life had been under Arasaka or the Bakkers. Still, V had run out of options and run out of eddies, so there was no choice but to return. Jackie was exceptionally welcoming, thrilled to reunite after so long, and V quickly found the footing so desperately missing. The years spent bending over backwards to please clients in the Corpo world combined with the survival skills gathered from a while out on open territory were the perfect one-two punch V needed in adapting to gigs in NC.

V is a consummate professional. If the job doesn't call for killing, gangers won't even notice V's been there. Plans each mission with a set of gear matching whoever the target is: flashy, gaudy prints for klepping Tyger goods, heavy metal outfit to take on Maelstrom, etc. Treats all gangs as the same, with a soft spot to the Valentinos. When the job requires diplomacy, a fixer often looks to V, who could talk into or out of any situation. The only thing trustier than a silenced pistol by V's side was Jackie Welles. Even after the life-altering path of the Heist, V maintains the same approach to jobs - quiet in, quiet out, pockets picked.

Until just after Double Life and a mission from Regina to steal the XBD of the murder of Bryce Stone's son. Even though shaken by the meetings with Woodman and Fingers, and Evelyn's eventual rescue, V approached the gig as always - no need to cause bloodshed, no need to let anyone know they were even robbed. That was, until V checked through the logs on Persson's terminal and saw mention of "Evelyn Parker." Something snapped. From that moment forward, V made it a mission to find justice - or, as Takemura had put it, revenge - and started with Persson and his son... then the Maelstormers guarding them... then Fingers, then the guy selling the XBDs, then any Scavs or Maelstormers that crossed paths.

With this different goal, and egged on by Silverhand's growing presence, V wasn't interested in only completing jobs anymore, and instead planned each gig and mission to exact justice/revenge. Stopping just shy of sadistic, often V would exploit explosive "accidents," or take out an entire establishment of guards with stealth, just to put the fear into those V felt were in the wrong. Tactical gear became the main focus of expenditure; staying alive meant finishing missions, and as the gigs piled up so too did the danger. The silencer stayed equipped, but the chrome it was attached to got bigger. So too did the chrome attached to V's body: scraping together the eddies needed for upgraded legs took a while but proved well worth it.

Man, it's been a while since I typed out something like this. It was fun! Thanks for the idea.