Claire Russell
| Claire Russell | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Side Character |
| Affiliation | Afterlife |
Claire Russell is the bartender at the Afterlife. Every regular knows her: she remembers their favourite drink, what they had last time and even what their friends ordered. She is a former Militech engineer, has no cyberware at all, and names drinks after the legends of Night City, often after their deaths. Few customers know that she also owns a garage in Arroyo and races a rig called the Beast in illegal street races.
Biography
The Engineer
Claire worked as an engineer for Militech before she quit and opened her own garage. There she spends hours under the bonnets of broken cars, and there she built the Beast, her own racing truck. At night she tends the bar at the Afterlife.
Claire's closest friend, Dean, supported her through her transition and brought her daffodils as she recovered, a sign of new beginnings. Their friendship grew into love, and they married. Dean loved street racing, and Claire rode with him, handling the guns while he drove. In a championship race against an old rival, Peter Sampson, they crashed and Dean was killed. Crashes and deaths are part of those races, but Claire blames Sampson for her husband's death.
The Races
When Jackie and V come to the Afterlife for the first time, Jackie tells Claire the recipe for the drink he wants named after him once he becomes a legend. After his death, she puts it on the menu.
Later Claire asks V to race the Beast for her in a series of illegal street races across the city and the Badlands. As they win race after race, she opens up about Dean and what racing meant to them both. Before the final race, she reveals the real reason she entered: revenge on Sampson.
Claire Russell Map
Claire Russell map location:
Map credit by Map Genie.
Personality
Claire is friendly, sharp and observant. She treats staff and customers alike with warmth, and she has a good memory for faces and orders. Beneath the calm she carries deep grief for Dean, and her need for revenge pushes her into danger. She values honesty, and she can feel guilt for what she has done.
Relationships
Dean Russell was her husband and racing partner. Peter Sampson is the rival she blames for his death. Rogue owns the Afterlife where she works. Jackie Welles trusted her with the recipe of his drink.
Jobs
Claire's side jobs are the races of The Beast in Me, held in the Badlands, City Center, Santo Domingo and the final race. She also appears at the Afterlife in The Heist and Ghost Town.
| Name | Type |
|---|---|
| The Heist | Main Job |
| Path of Glory | Main Job |
| Where Eagles Dare | Side Job |
| The Beast in Me: Badlands | Side Job |
| The Beast in Me: City Center | Side Job |
| The Beast In Me | Side Job |
| The Beast in Me: Santo Domingo | Side Job |
| The Beast in Me: The Big Race | Side Job |
Endings
The end of her races depends on V. If V helps her, she kills Sampson on the street after his car is wrecked, then gives V the Beast and later sends a message of regret for dragging V into her feud. If V talks her down, she lets him go and gives V the Beast, because racing was Dean's passion and is not the same without him. If V refuses to help her take revenge at all, she is angry with V.
Notes
After Jackie's death, V can ask Claire to name a drink after him.
The Beast, her racing truck, goes to V at the end of her races.
All Side Characters