Welcome to the Club (Patty & Tammy)

Hectic crunching of leaves in the dead of night and labored breathing signalled the delinquent's approach into the treeline. She was alone now and that was probably the worst part. Patty had to watch all this unfold all by herself, just waiting to get involved, standing around in case the beast broke the walls and she had to step up and knock its punk ass down. She wasn't afraid of that. The druggie chick could fight like Raidou could... for a few minutes at least and she had more tools to deal with it with all the elements under her command. If Raidou and Geirin couldn't do it all she would need to do is kick it over but even they were scared of the Royal Guard and that wasn't someone she wanted to meet yet. Patty was cocky but she didn't have a death wish, she could recognize she someone could beat her into the ground with one arm.

But she couldn't just do nothing. Even if the something was waiting which she freakin' hated doing. So she stood out by the treeline on the border to the Forest of the Lost, the educational building heavily obscured by trees and far enough away that she could say she was out of there and so could everyone else. Just enough to see if anything, like, exploded and shit. And hear gunfire. And out of the way enough that the cops wouldn't take this route and she could hear the sirens if they did come. What were they gonna do? She lived here. At least that's what she'd tell them and they'd believe her and she'd retreat back into the neighborhoods and go home. But here she could keep a watch on things. This freakin' sucked, dude. But she wasn't about to leave Raidou alone to deal with this shit by herself. If this didn't stop Patty was freakin' screwed.

The lanky witch pulled off her hat to fade into mist with the rest of her outfit, leaning her shoulder up against a tree. The wind cut through her and she pulled her hood up, reaching into her pocket to light a cigarette as she thought about what she was gonna do if shit went bad. With all her bravado she really doubted she could do this alone even if she'd try. Maybe she'd fire a burst into the air to signal the Cadets or something or... like... lead it somewhere not dangerous? She could slow it down enough to be quicker than it. Yeah... yeah she could hit it with potshots and lead it to the wall where the wall guards would see it and she'd get backup and if she had to run it'd be on the other side until morning. She could at least survive out there for a little while. Long enough to slip out anyway. But it was all gonna be fuckin' hard to do. The thuggish girl puffed on her cigarette vacantly as she stared through the trees for movement.

The night was over...thankfully. Or, that was what Tamsin wanted to tell herself. Instead, as people went their separate ways after being roughly dismissed by Raidou, Tamsin knew she didn't want to go home. She wasn't sure what she really wanted to do, but going back to the orphanage wasn't even in the top 5. What she needed was fresh air and time to think. To absorb everything and to do something about it. What the hell was she really gonna do about it, though? Nothing, that's what. Because she was still the runt of the litter, as much as it irked her.

Patty. She wanted to talk to Patty. Patty always seemed to know what to say to cheer her up. That crazed bravado of hers made Tamsin feel invincible. The small blond girl was 85% certain she'd be nowhere close to where she was now if she hadn't been following Patty all this way. She needed to say that to Patty. And with how Patty was probably feeling after everything...maybe this was the perfect time to do that. So, she circled around, the direction Wicked had gone, looking around in quiet search. She had dropped her terrorist guise as soon as she was out of eyesight of anyone of the others. Patty knew her for who she was, and it was safer to not look like a terrorist when things started to blow up.

The soft crunch of leaves would prelude her presence into Patty's periphery. That's right, hadn't she said she was going to wait in case Raidou still needed the help? Then, that's what Tamsin would do too. As she came up to stand beside the older, taller girl, Tamsin stuffed her hands in her pockets. The excitement had knocked the girl's hair out of it's normal ponytail, and her hair hung in locks, making her look a bit more feminine and less imposing than usual.

It was like a weird kind of zen. Everything was dead quiet and she wasn't thinking about her next move or anything at all really, just sorta passively drinking in the sight as her breathing slowed to a crawl in the light of the moon. Wound up like a rubber band. The only indicator she was there to the uncareful eye was her cigarette and the glow from the tip and the smell but she was eerily still and like especially so for Patty. Until the crunch of leaves graced her ears.

cl-click!


In one smooth movement her shotgun revolver was trained on the little girl. The look Patty gave her was almost not human and though without any light, somewhat beastial. Like a tiger watching in the dark. Her gun remained sideways and pointed for a couple of very long seconds before that predatory look broke into a more casual smile.
"Ha ha fuck I almost shot you..." she muttered, stuffing the gun into the back of her cargos and pulling her hood back over it. That was it, that was the zen. She realized she was in Survival Mode. Survival Mode wasn't fun for anyone involved.

But it was Tammy. Tammy was a friend so she didn't have to like dive off the deep end and do anything drastic, that was good. Everything was gooooood... Patty jammed her free hand back into her pocket and gave a light-hearted half shrug with her usual goofy smirk as if this wasn't any kind of serious situation or anything, waving her cigarette back to her lips and standing not like she had been before. Relaxed and easy-going.

So she wanted a piece of the action, huh? Well that was freakin' dumb. Not even Patty wanted to be here, she wanted to be out running down Faust and knocking his teeth down his throat while he screamed like a bitch. A stalwart defender she wasn't. Patty just didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of her own stupid shit, not Tammy, not Raidou, and not Doc and Jingles and Cowgirl and right now it was Raidou that needed her to stick around if shit went sideways. Tammy didn't need to be here for that, she wasn't super glad to see her. Well not not super glad. It was good to have someone to talk to.
"Ya. Ya this is where I'm waiting," she said a little more plainly. Patty didn't wanna use the "we" but like she wasn't gonna hurt her feelings by telling her to go away and let her handle it because she could punch at that weight class. If it came down to it she'd figure something out to keep her out of the crossfire. The monster wasn't the only problem here.

"Crazy shit, am I right?" she spoke in a half laugh, giving her an unfitting grin for the situation. What else was she supposed to say? Like did anyone want to talk about that guy hooked up to the tubes or Baghead fucking the city or GODDAMN FAUST AND HIS DUMB BITCH ASS getting away? If they did Patty wasn't one of them, it might as well not have happened. She was hesitant to go back to the bad shit.

What would have made sense when someone points a gun at you would be to freak out. Scream or back away or something. But when Patty pointed the gun at Tamsin, the smaller girl didn't flinch. Her eyes popped open, wide and focused, but to her own surprise she didn't make a noise. Guess she'd been doing this long enough no to freak out about a few bullets...


Tamsin jokingly scolded after Patty had dropped the gun. The look in the older girl's eyes was a new one, technically. It was a little scary, but then if you weren't afraid of Patty you weren't paying attention. The way her eyes looked...was honestly exactly what Tamsin had always envisioned beneath that black void beneath her witch hat.

After her quip, Tamsin fell silent, simply nodding to the question and watching alongside Patty. Crazy shit? That was an understatement. After a few seconds though, Tamsin did speak up. "I'm glad I came. The thought of living in this city...and not knowing what's crawling in it...Thanks for not telling me to leave. I wouldn't be as strong as I am if it weren't for you."

She paused. "I came to find you, because I wanted to tell you that. And because...Well if that thing does come out here for you, I didn't want you to be alone."

"Ha ha yeeeeeaaaah... old habits die hard, somethin' like that." Still shrugging it off Tammy never would have known how close Patty was to pulling the trigger out of pure reflex. If she'd moved that would've been bad. She was right though, the delinquent could do a ton more damage with her staff anyways but it was always just kind of... natural to point a gun at something instead of her shillelagh. Even if she could do both at once. Didn't matter how loud she was anyway as long as she could stay ahead of pursuit enough to waste'em. It's something that was always in the back of her mind but like nothing she actually thought about. If you start something, don't be there in the next 5 seconds. Patty propped her leg on the tree and sucked on her smoke as she looked out toward the building through the brush.

So she was gonna stick around, huh? Well that was fine with Patty. ....No... no it wasn't fine with her, she felt it wasn't fine. Like for her own reasons sure, if she could stop it sure, but the skinny chick always told herself "no one gets hurt". Her shit was her shit and she could take as many pills or fuck up her own life as much as she wanted, it wasn't anyone's business how she dealt with stuff but she would not drag anyone down with her. At least she tried not to, then Giddy happened and they have a bunch of people now after the same thing. She guessed she worried that people were trying to help her with this, not do it 'cause it's what they really wanted to do. Had to fight and maybe die for this, maybe do some pretty gnarly shit. Patty knew what she was getting into, she'd die if she didn't and even if she did she'd do it with a throat in her hands. Who else was willing to make that pledge?
"You did pretty good! Y'know... all things considered. You really helped us out with some shit, like if that barrel didn't crack it open we'd of still been there when the Royal Guard showed up. Hehah, talk about a close shave right?" Patty's tone shifted just a little bit to scolding of her own. "Like... I think you need to tone it down a 'lil bit though. Like we were all mad and stuff and everyone was about to like, freakin' lynch somebody but like... it's just not your style, y'know? Like I mean, I just pointed a gun at you and you didn't flinch or anything, like that's you. That's how you do. I mean I guess I'm tryin' a say... like... leave the psycho murder bitch to me, okay? Ahaha I don't need anyone stealin' the brand, naa'mean?"

She ended with a silly smile. Patty didn't like to critize people she liked but like she also didn't want Tammy copying her and drinking dumb bitch juice.
"Like... I dunno like I don't want you going mental 'cause you feel you have to, y'know? Like I have to, that's how my power works. I have to get like super angry or happy or spun up to get that kind of slam behind it and I push it outward but I dunno how that works for everyone else, I heard it's different for everyone. Like I think mine is the only one that works that way. I guess find what works for you! But like... don't be a dumb psycho bitch 'cause I'm a dumb psycho bitch, 'cause like I do it 'cause that just works for me."

Patricia took a deep drag from her cigarette, flicking her eyes back to the building. She frowned.
"*tzzzzzzzzzzz* I'm not. *pheeeewwwwwwww* Like, glad I came. I hate this city, Endymion sucks, I don't wanna do any of this or whatever I do it 'cause I have to. Like it's not my job or anything but these assholes crossed a line, and they crossed me, so I'm'a make'em cross over to the other side and that's just how it's gonna go. Start beef? Lose teeth. Fuckin' heinous, yo." The delinquent chomped on her cigarette and became more animated, gesturing toward nothing like this was some kind of outcry.
"Pssssh! This place is nothing like Monterey, like at least there you'd know what you were stepping into and shit it was all crooks and skeevers and gangsters and like... the crazy cult people but here everyone has an agenda. Like they're all crazy cult people with different cults and shit and they promise shit and they don't care if they deliver! Isn't that fucked up? Like you got... these guys talkin' about makin' people happy and shit while homeboy over there is just after the bottom line and they're fuckin' people over to do it and EVERYONE is like that! EVERYONE is like that, doesn't matter, they're all in it for themselves and shit and no one gives a rat's ass about anyone caught in the mix. Like the... fuckin'... *tzzzzzzzzzzzz* junkies and shit. Like those guys *pheeewwwwww* like those guys were people and stuff, they had families, they just kinda fucked it up but that doesn't mean you get to, like, fuckin' treat'em like recyclable garbage that shit pisses me the fuck off!"

Patty sneered at Tammy, or like toward her at least but it wasn't something that was directed at her. This shit was just so freakin' jacked up. The delinquent quit raising her voice and calmed down but her smile didn't come back. The neutral expression she wore looked a lot sadder on someone that was always trying to mess around and lighten the mood.
"...you don't gotta stay if you don't want to. Like I wouldn't even be here if not bein' here wasn't gonna bite me in the ass, I'm prolly just gonna wait around all night," she smirked and gave the little girl a thumbs up. "No worries! I got this! Like what's the worst that can happen, right? Raidou's got it under control."

Tamsin's expression brightened a little as Patty praised her. It made her feel good to be needed by the group. Even at the orphanage she knew she was a liability. Here, here she felt like maybe she really had a place. Her smiled fell a little when Patty scolded her, however. Although the reasoning behind it, how she admonished the fact that Tamsin had just looked down the barrel of a gun without flinching, well it helped. It sort of reaffirmed the fact that perhaps there was a place for her here. She'd been here long enough that Patty understood a bit about how she reacted to things, how she dealt with stress. That was important. "...It wasn't my best moment. I'll do better." She promised with a nod.

She nodded to Patty as she elaborated, told her that it was Patty's job to be the dumb bitch. She let the rant continue as she verbally tore the Jest a new asshole, and all of Endymion. She couldn't say she really disagreed with anything that was said. There was a time when she'd wanted to be a Cadet. But now she was thinking maybe this was better. Something told her she was seeing something even the Cadets didn't know about. Something uglier that she and her friends alone could destroy...with extreme prejudice. "You're not a dumb bitch. Anyone who thinks that isn't actually paying attention. The stuff you do takes coordination and concentration. You're loud and opinionated, and tough as nails. Those things are why we follow you, I think."

She stepped forward, folding her arms and looking in the direction of the drug den they'd come from. "You're right, I'm usually a lot calmer, but when I saw those things, it made me think about my mother and father and brother, how they could have ended up like that. I'm not sure why, but I saw their faces on the corpses. Even if they'd survived the Divide, this could have happened to them. I thought to myself 'atleast they died and didn't have to see this messed up world.' That's pretty sad isn't it? I'm just one small girl, but if I can make this shit town even a little better, I think it's worth it. So I'll stand beside you as long as it takes to carve this cancer out of my city." Tamsin said with a firm voice. It was a voice filled with conviction she was only now really starting to feel.

Patty was right, it was several different kinds of fucked up. But just one kind would have been enough, really. "So, you don't have to say things like 'you don't have to stay if you don't want to' and 'no worries.' I might be young, but I know the stakes, and besides..." She looked back at Patty with a rare expression for her - a smirk - and pointed to herself, "If things get bad, you'll need to catch the first train back to fucktown."

If it seemed that Patty's foul language was rubbing off on Tamsin, it would be correct. In the coming days, she'd likely get a couple smart whacks for her mouth, and the habit would be broken. But for right now, it made her feel just a little taller than she was. And she could really use that feeling. Patty was right. Tamsin was the kid who didn't flinch. And come hell or high water, she wasn't flinching here either.

In a switch Patricia grit her teeth when Tammy apologized for what she did. It wasn't really what she meant and she didn't really mean or want to step on someone's toes, that's not what she did.  The tall girl shook her head and took a step.
"Nah dude, like-" she took a few more steps and put her hand on the kid's shoulder, "...I'm not tellin' you you did anything wrong or anything, like, you don't have to do better. I mean, I'm tryin' to say... like, just be you. Okay? Don't be me, don't be anyone else. You're tough, just be you. Okaaaay?" Patty stepped back and let her arms swing with her absent grin with a cigarette in it. She could be tough, Tammy was more of a spitfire than Patty was in certain circumstances and no doubt she could wreck someone but like... it was like a style she didn't meet that Patty did. Like she kinda reminded her of her boyfriend when he got mad, like he got quiet and focused. The delinquent thought that Tammy was better off working like... well, like a freakin' locomotive. Slow, steady steam, run over things in the way in one direction. Not a fire tornado like she was that got everywhere and burned hot and in a flash. She didn't want her copying her like that, not even Patty liked how she was all the time.

The older girl gave her her attention when she heard dumb bitch and smiled when she thought she was smart. Everyone else called her dumb and like... Patty didn't think she was because some of the smart people were more fuckin' stupid than she was 'cause all that brain wattage went down the tubes if you couldn't actually do it, a lot of the time thinking wasn't required and honestly she didn't much of the time. Skinny bitch just does things, things get done. Her happy face dropped as Tammy continued though and she puffed on her smoke as she let her talk about her past and stuff. Everyone lost something, no one was a special snowflake in that. Dads, moms, brothers, sisters, friends, didn't matter. Everyone knew someone that died that day. But Patty was worried about something. She furrowed her brows.
"I don't want anyone to follow me. I just wanna go do stuff with my friends." Her voice was a little sad, but she really didn't want to be any kind of leader. She wasn't a good role model, or a planner, or like a moral compass, or anything like that and she didn't want any expectations or responsibility. Patty just thought when she went out to do stuff that everyone else came because it was a good idea and like everyone was helping each other out to get somewhere and something they wanted. Like... when they went out to fight demons the other night, like she was just out to beat demons and anyone else could come because it was fun and more fun with more people. It made her worry what people thought.

The lanky chick leaned her shoulders back into a tree.
"IIIIIIII don't think it's that bad. Nobody, like, expected this was what life would be or anything. Ha, so like, I used to be a Girl Scout and stuff before shit hit the fan. ...some of the cultists always were like OooOOOoooh, it's the Rapture! The dead are the one's that are saved! but I think that's a load of bullshit. But something's always happening, like, I dunno, could be at war or whatever. Could be born somewhere where you like can't get water and dingos ate your baby." Patty nodded absently and leaned over to grind her cigarette into the bottom of her sneaker, and light another one.
"*tzzzzzzzzzz* World's always been messed up. *phewwwwwwww* ...more people just get to experience that now. I don't give a crap about this city, it can burn to the ground for all I freakin' care, the cancer can take it, no love lost there.
.......I care about the poor suckers that have to deal with it, and everything else. I care about people getting used like... fuckin'...! Used like... like fuckin' napkins and thrown away like that's all they're good for. Life is hard enough as it is without all this, like... I don't even know, like all these assholes with a speech and a gun sweeping people up into their shit. Pisses me the fuck off..."

Tammy's blatant bravado caught the thin chick off guard for a full second, just getting her to stare.
".......hhhfuuaaaahahahahaaaaaaFUCKTOWN! Aaaaaaahahaheeheeheehahaaaaaaiiieeeee...!" Yo that was some FUNNY shit! Patty had to hold her sides and almost choked on her cigarette in a giggle fit. Like... like when some little girl says "first train back to FUCKTOWN"...!
"Eeeheheheheheeeeee... haaaaaaaaaaaah... y'know! ...you'd think with all this crazy shit happening... that America was built on an Indian burial ground or something, right?"

It took Tamsin by surprise when Patty laid a hand on her shoulder. She blushed a little bit, looking up at the taller, older girl. It wasn't a romantic kind of embarrassment, it was something more like being recognized officially by someone you admire. Tamsin wasn't sure what exactly she admired about Patty. Patty seemed like the kind of person her parents would have warned her about if they were alive. But they weren't. And Here was Patty, being crazy brave, supportive, and decisive. Things Tamsin appreciated and found valuable. Sure, Patty probably did things Tamsin could look down on, but Tamsin didn't care what those things were. The city was full of all kinds of degeneracy, and none of that mattered as long as your heart was in the right place, and Tamsin believed that Patty's was.

She'd thought she'd hit a wrong cord for a moment with the following thing, so she just nodded and let the topic go. It was okay if she didn't mean to be a leader. It didn't make her any less of one. She thought about what Yuri had said. "When you find someone worth following, stick with them." ...or something like that. Back then she had instantly thought of Patty, and now she felt like she'd definitely made the right choice.

Patty's reply to her sentiment about the town came next, and then the laughter. Tamsin could help but laugh too after that. It was a small, innocent, and pure sort of laugh. It a very rare thing for her and honestly it felt good. So good that she was smiling broadly like Patty when she finally stopped. She folded her arms though, and addressed what the girl had said before. "Yeah, a burial ground. heh. You know, I see it a bit differently. You say the city could burn down, but those people like you and me, the "poor suckers" that nobody gives a crap about...we are the city. I used to want to be a Cadet so that I could protect people like us, like them. Now I'm doing it anyway regardless. We could take the government down or leave it, we could pack up and take the next train to Domiona. But it'd still be us. And we'd still want to protect everyone who gets taken advantage of like this. That's My City." She folded her arms, feeling something like hopefulness, which was strange considering that events that had transpired tonight. Maybe conviction was a better word. But it was good. Tragic events always led to moments like this in movies too. It was like...when you are faced with a terrible truth you either let it crush you or you push through it. Tamsin had no choice but to chug along through the tunnel. She was glad she came to talk to Patty. It helped.

The delinquent's grin grew an inch but for just a moment, satisfied she could get the little girl to like loosen up and stuff. But it disappeared, she looked on seriously and nodded as she listened. Well, half-listened. Straaaaaaaiiiight back to the serious shit, so it seemed. Her mind had quite a few things to focus on but she got the gist of it. Lots of talk with the "we" and about protecting everyone. Like... that wasn't her. Patty wasn't a hero. She didn't want to be anyone's guardian, she didn't want to be anything people looked up to. It felt like fishhooks threading under her skin with tight lines tugging her this way and that. More things she had to be for people. More responsibility to be and act in ways that she wasn't. Like she wasn't sorry she was doing this, or standing up for people that had no one else to stand up for them against assholes that didn't "get it". But that was her choice, she CHOSE to stick up for those people because it's what she wanted to do. It wasn't her responsibility or obligation, she didn't owe anyone anything and the world worked in reverse. As if she wasn't about blow that tweaker's face off if she had to and in a way yeah, she totally did. She didn't feel GOOD about it and it made her sad but she'd do it again without even thinking about it. That was The City's fault, like it just bred so much fucked up shit and hatred. It was bad in the desert but this was a whole other level of heartless, at least everyone out there did it to stay alive. Except the cultists. They could get fucked, dude.

The more she thought about it the more it mad sense to her. She'd look out for her crew and the people who knew how it was, like that's just how things worked on the boulevard and they'd look after you too. She'd wreck any asshole that pissed her off or fucked with People That Should Not Be Fucked With and did Things That Are Super Freakin' Not-Okay but it wasn't her job, her obligation, or her problem.

Patty wasn't a hero. This wasn't Her City. Patty didn't want it.

But none of that was anything Tammy had to hear after they killed someone in front of her and fighting for her life. She was a good kid. A bad judge of character but a good kid. And like... Patty wasn't gonna smother that. Between being honest and letting someone down the choice was obvious to her.
"Metro tickets are a liiiiiiiiiiiittle expensive..." she started with a wry grin, "And I don't think Faust and Grocery Man are skippin' town anytime soon so I guess that takes out the guesswork! Ha ha!" Patty beamed a very fake, incredibly convincing smile like she sometimes did. The thug stood straight and tall and thumped her chest with her free hand.
"We GOT this! I wanna see'em try to get away with this, they don't stand a fuckin' CHANCE, yo! They pissed us off, they messed with the wrong crowd, they'll get what's comin' to'em ah ha ha! That ain't even a threat that's just, like, fuckin' prophecy at this point. One of us is bitin' the curb and it sure as hell ain't us." Her fake smile didn't drop this time as she turned a sec to face out of the trees and toward the battle kicking up, she could hear the tiny pop pops of gunfire from the distance. Even the people who knew her wouldn't realize she was worried as hell, not like she ever acted like it. But she'd only let the silence drag for so long.
"Phuuuh! I feel so friggen' antsy out here, and freakin' cold. Wish the Royal Guard didn't show up and I'd get Raidou in trouble, I could of been fighting too," she paced a little. "Yoooo... why'd she come out first and not the other demon police? I think that's kind of weird, y'know?"

Tamsin got excited whenever Patty gave her that smile. She didn't know it was fake. How could excitement that genuine be fake. Somehow it felt like maybe what Tamsin had said rang true with Patty. On the other hand, Patty hadn't really addressed what Tamsin had actually said. Which was fine, really. They didn't have to agree 100% on their treatment of the city, or on why they were doing it. The enemy was the same, and they'd take him down together, or not at all.

And of course, like Patty said, there was no way they'd lose. Tamsin matched Patty's grin. With her small body, and her serious eyes, it looked quite a bit more arrogant than Patty's did, though. "You're right. We'll tear them down brick by burning brick." She folded her arms, in the silence between Patty's words, she could hear the far-off sounds of fighting. She tapped her foot. Like Patty, she also itched to help Raidou. She'd only just met the woman, but she could tell how much Patty trusted her, and that was basically enough. The way she utilized demons was a little...strange. But in a world like this, you had to make do right? Not that Tamsin would ever want to control demons. She had her own power.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't think I've ever seen the Royal guard show up anywhere. It's usually cadets isn't it? Shouldn't the Royal Guard be...with the Queen? Maybe this thing is bigger than we realize." She put a thumb to her chin, considering to herself, and looking very much like she was trying to be a smart adult. "Also, they called her 'Kyouji' didn't they? What's that mean? is it her real name? I thought the Royal guard didn't have one, or something like that."

"'Course I'm right!" she spread her arms confidently, "This shit can't fly, they fuckin' wrote checks their asses can't cash with this Giddy shit and Imma get mine." Patty's infectious enthusiasm soured just toward the end into outrage as she'd stare.
"....I will fah-reaking get mine. Bet." Sure, she put up a front for Tammy in being some kind of savior of this crapsack town but that was something she could be honest about. The clowns pissed her off and she would scorch the freakin' earth, salt it, and turn it to glass for good measure. Patty was sick of all these stupid shady groups tryin'a control the city and doing fucked up things to get a stranglehold over it. Like Jesus H. Christ let people live thier lives and like DON'T turn them into inside-out monstroids, it's the easiest damn thing ever you literally don't have to do anything. But whatevs. They were gonna show them what happens when you cross the wrong people. Smooth moves idiots, you went after street thugs, the people with histories of violence with nothing to lose and no fear of goin' back to jail. Dumbasses.

But like her mood changed like the weather so she reacted with gossip and curiousity when short stuff spoke up.
"I know right? I seen her at school sometimes but like not really doing anything important but it's like the Cadets that respond to this junk. And the regular cops but they can't do much as long as you're quick and don't let them get a good shot at you." Patty kicked one leg over the other and mimicked Tamsin's thoughtful expression. Somehow it looked even less fitting on her given her bright wild eyes and colored hair and punk behavior. But like, she wasn't trying to act like a smart adult, she wasn't either of those.
"Yah I think they know her or some shit, like she summons demons too. You see her fly in on that big thing? I mean like everyone has a name, I just knew her as The Big Bad Royal Guard until like 20 minutes ago." The delinquent paused and looked sideways in thought for a sec.
"Hey yeeeeeaaaaaah... like why would she be here with the other ones? I bet she knows. Like, somehow, she knew what the crap was goin' here. Why else would they send the Big Bad Wolf? Like she's gotta have better shit to do."

All this thinking was making her head hurt. She didn't like conspiracies, they were confusing. Patty liked it when she had a clearly-identified asshole but like... what had to be figured out was how to take'em out. THAT was kinda fun to work out but like... politics? No fuckin' thanks. The lanky girl shrugged.
"...maaaaaybe they ran out of people they could send? Like, what the fuck else happened tonight? We're not the only ones running around causin' mayhem, y'know? ......but...like...I don't hear any sirens. They'd at least send like a freakin' fire truck for a GINORMOUS explosion right?" DEFINITELY suss. Suss as fuck. They had to send somebody, right? But no one was here. Uuuuurgh, all this was getting way too serious for her to enjoy. It wasn't fun. Like she was just... angry and confused and shit.

"Huffffffff... so how ya feelin'?" Patty asked with a straight face, taking more to relax. Like it just hit her that Tammy doesn't DO this. "Like... are you cool with this? I been doin' this a while, it's really not getting a whole lot better. Hell of a welcome, right? Welcome to the freakin' club, here's your trauma, fees are due at the end of the month also fuck you in particular, am I right?" She was still pretty casual but the skinny girl wasn't smiling anymore. Like, dude. This SUCKED. There wasn't a whole lot hiding that. But at least it didn't suck alone right now.

"This shit can't fly, they fuckin' wrote checks their asses can't cash with this Giddy shit and Imma get mine...I will fah-reaking get mine. Bet."

Something in Patty's voice made Tamsin's skin crawl. Not in a bad way necessarily, but in a way that made her want to move. To do something. And the not doing something was what made her skin itch like it was on fire. In reality, perhaps she just wanted to punch something still. To see if she could force the memories of this awful night out of her bloodstream through her fists. She didn't even need the soul bound. Bloody knuckles would be fine.

But it wasn't time for that. Even Patty had told her that she needed to calm down. More and more, though, she found she didn't want to be calm. It was...frustrating. It made her feel small. Like a child who kept putting their hand in the cookie jar only to get it smacked away every time. Which was an unfair metaphor, because they treated her like an equal most of the time. She should be grateful for that.

"Hey yeeeeeaaaaaah... like why would she be here with the other ones? I bet she knows. Like, somehow, she knew what the crap was goin' here. Why else would they send the Big Bad Wolf? Like she's gotta have better shit to do."[i]

As Patty picked up on the gossip about Kyouji, Tamsin initially smiled at her mocking the pose Tamsin had stuck. It added an odd note of comaraderie to the conversation that made her happy. But as she elaborated, and kept going on, A pit opened up in Tamsin's stomach. She hadn't wanted to think things through this far either. Because if they knew what was going on out here well enough to send their biggest dog when things went wrong...did that mean the Cadets...or the Queen even, knew about Giddy? Did they condone it? She couldn't imagine Miss Eryka or Isaac least of all being [i]okay with something like this. She thought about the playhouse, and their claims to knock down the government. That the government was lying about things. Tamsin had never believed those things. Never wanted to believe them, even after having become a psyche terrorist. Now, she was staring the possibility in the face. It didn't make her hate Cadets, and it didn't make her like the playhouse. It just made her feel cold.

" ......but...like...I don't hear any sirens. They'd at least send like a freakin' fire truck for a GINORMOUS explosion right?"

Tamsin sat down in the grass, cross legged, nodding. It wasn't the only thing that Patty had said, but it was the bad things that sunk in. The evidence. She swallowed hard, looking up at Patty as she delivered the final blow. She asked Tamsin how she was doing? She acknowledged the fact that in a few short days Tamsin had gone from generic orphan to Terrorist at large. Possibly with a body count depending on your definition of people.

Tamsin pulled her legs up into her chest, resting her chin on her knees. For a moment, there was only the sound of the gunfire in the background. "Would you believe me if I told you I don't really feel anything at all?" She asked lightly. It wasn't really a question, and she elaborated, "I told myself for a long time that I was gonna be a Cadet, just like my big brother. That was how I was gonna protect the kids, and everyone else. I read a lot of books, you know. I thought 'It's no big deal, I can deal with whatever ugly shit I come across.' but this..." She rested her head against her knees, hiding her face.

"I wasn't ready at all. I feel like someone sucked my guts out through a straw, and now there's nothing left but the gross coffee pulp at the bottom of the cup. I didn't want to tell you, because I...thought you might tell me to stop." She lifted her head to look at Patty. She wasn't crying, but her eyes were a little red and watery. "But I think when I close my eyes, I'm gonna see their faces all over again. And...I don't know what to do about it."