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[stand_unshaken]

 

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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.

[stand_unshaken]

"Who else you competing with at this point?"

Since all of them have gone home.

[dog_eat_dog]

“Everyone,” she replies. “But if Rawne or Newlin graduate before me, I’m going to be ticked.”

[stand_unshaken]

"I'll hit 'em in their weak spots if you find out what they are," he tells her, jostling her a little.

[dog_eat_dog]

Isn't that a fun mental image? Tess thinks on that a moment, pushing back against him.

"I could throw Rawne under the bus any moment I wanted, I know what bullshit he's up to," she replies. "And Newlin, he's just stupid, you could probably hand him anything and he'll hang himself with it."

[stand_unshaken]

"Keep that in mind if I start hearin' them talk about graduating soon. Leave you with some dignities over those bozos."

[dog_eat_dog]

She chuckles.

"Where would I be without you, huh?

[stand_unshaken]

"A lot more bored," he guesses.

[dog_eat_dog]

Shamelessly running a black market, Tess thinks.

"Isn't that the truth," she replies. "I think I'd be meaner about sabotaging them myself, though."

[stand_unshaken]

"Well, we're just findin' tons'a good things about me being here, tonight," is what he has to say about that.

[dog_eat_dog]

“Real flattering, isn’t it?” She’s just glad she can skate by with a bit of warden-supervised snooping, leave the crime to others.