IC Inbox

[stand_unshaken]

 

Comments

[dog_eat_dog]

She chuckles.

“Right? He’d do cocaine. Wardens’ve told me it’s easy to get here, even.”

How that works, she has no fucking idea, but maybe Pagan just hides it better than she’s willing to dig on this pretend raid that Arthur will pretend to bust her for, anyway.

“It’s a plan, then.”

[stand_unshaken]

He scoffs - sounds like a damn stupid idea - and comes forward.

"Great. Are you done here?"

[dog_eat_dog]

"Alright, alright."

Tess shoves the drawer back closed with her hip and fishes her communicator back out of her pocket with her good hand. She scrolls a moment, checking messages. None. The network: there's a Pagan post.

"And we have a murder," she says, typing a response to Pagan with her thumb. "Looks like he used Norton as bait. I'll tell him I'm leaving his shit here, he can come back here and hide it himself."

[stand_unshaken]

Arthur groans, displeased with that outcome. Fine, Pagan didn't get killed - someone still did die, even if they're going to come back.

"Come on. Let's get outta here before people clue in."

[dog_eat_dog]

"Yessir," Tess replies, a little flippantly. The death of a total stranger feels like nothing, an afterthought. She types something more and then nods her head towards the booze bottles lined up on Pagan's desk. "He's offering a bottle as thanks, grab one and we'll go."

[stand_unshaken]

"Let's try somethin' new," he says, and picks up something that looks exotic and maybe a little spicy, before heading out.

[dog_eat_dog]

Tess grins, following him out the door.

"Thanks for this, by the way."

It certainly makes staying out of trouble a hell of a lot smoother, too.

[stand_unshaken]

"Sure, I don't mind. Reminds me of home, goin' into abandoned places and finding useless shit."

[dog_eat_dog]

“Same.” A near-daily habit for her, really. “I almost miss that.”

[stand_unshaken]

"Almost," he emphasizes. "I could do without it for a while longer."

[dog_eat_dog]

“Especially if it means avoiding people getting offed,” she remarks.

[stand_unshaken]

"Full of upsides, this place."

He wiggles the bottle - case in point.

[dog_eat_dog]

“It’s not all bad,” she agrees. Griping about things is fun, but at the very least there are perks. “Good luck to Ellie with Pagan, though. Almost had a quiet month.”

FEEL FREE TO DROP I'm a lil late

[stand_unshaken]

"I bet she'll be happy to have somethin' to do, instead of sittin' around, tryin' to do something good. I was happy as anything to get a permanent pairing, I can tell you that."

nah I'm good I always have energy for Arthur B)

[dog_eat_dog]

Tess chuckles, and she links her good arm with his.

"I've kept you from a lot of sitting around, that's for sure," she replies. "Haven't made the doing good part easy, though."

[stand_unshaken]

He smiles at her when she does that - it's good to have such easy rapport with someone.

"I never wanted easy, lady."

[dog_eat_dog]

“Good man, that’s the right answer,” she grins. “When we first got paired I told Misty I’d lick this thing in six months. That would have been too easy.”

[stand_unshaken]

"Now I never known you to be an optimist," he faux-chides her. "Six months? Je-sus."

[dog_eat_dog]

"Not an optimist, no, but I'm sure you've known me to be competitive," she teases.

[stand_unshaken]

"Who're you competing with, then?"

[dog_eat_dog]

"Everyone," she replies, crisply. "Whether they know it or care or not."

[stand_unshaken]

"So who's the quickest graduate?"

[dog_eat_dog]

"I don't know about who came before me, but Rose, Demona, and Nadia have graduated since I got here. Rose in eight months, Demona in a year, and Nadia in sixteen months."

[stand_unshaken]

"That bother you?"

[dog_eat_dog]

She shrugs like it doesn't, but it needles her just thinking about it.

"Second place is just the first loser," she replies.