beaten / * DOG

“Yes… yes, I do,” Josephine shakily nods, her words strengthening only at the tail-end. Doubt still soaked her very being—how much truth could she actually tell? And she’s smart enough to tell when to run, right? She’s never been more unsure. “But I think—I don’t think I’m explaining this right…” she draws in a quick breath, licking her lips as she attempts to untangle the narrative in her mind, “…my father—he, he’s the one with debt, and I just—I just don’t know if the casino’s method of collection is necessarily legal, if you know what I mean?” Her eyes are a bit wild now, as they dart across the man’s coarsened face. Panic is strewn across hers, tinged with a sort of naïveté that can’t help itself; she’s in deep, unknown, dangerous territory. She doesn’t know what to do, or whom to trust.

it didn't surprise him at all to hear that it was someone in her family suffering... it also didn't make joey any safer. most often, when it came to illegal debt collection, they went after friends and family. that was the soft spot of everyone in debt, that they weren't all alone in the world. those that were paid a different price, usually life. leon thought it was better to die than see the people you loved killed for you... it was the biggest point of contention with his side job. "if you're fearing life and limb, it's not legal." strictly speaking, that was true... but use of force had been overlooked before. leon hoped desperately for her that the debt her father had accumulated wasn't to one of the families. they ran the city more than any elected official ever could, and no law brought against them would proper. "how about we go back to the station? we'll have some privacy that way." not really, but they would detour. he knew a safe place. "i'll make sure to get this fixed for you, i promise."

Work. For one of the families, he supposes—an arbiter in their pocket like flashy new credit cards; it never felt right to Barry that he still carried on like this, like nothing happened because of Leon's work. Of course, it wasn't his dreams that were shattered, not his career in shambles, not his body broken, no. Leon's work was important and necessary and he's dug himself into someone's pockets that Barry remains ignorant of. The thought of it all makes his knees ache and his chest burn, a molten ball of metal where his affection should be. It shouldn't make him angry, but it does. It seeps into his tone as he tries to breathe in and out, looking at the therapist before continuing. "I know work does. Can't you try to at least tell them to leave you alone?" Barry feels hysterical, the words between them knives in the dark. "If you—if you manage that, then I'll stop walking them through our house." It feels pathetic to Barry, but it's what he's reduced to. Damn Leon. Damn him and the horse he rides in on.

"you want me to tell my boss to leave me alone?" he asked, trying to be gently incredulous. "i don't think i can swing that. i might be able to come home early, but they'll want me on call." it was frustrating to be treated like he was still a traitor... but he couldn't truthfully say that he wasn't. more frustrating than any of that was the lack of trust between them. he wanted to be transparent. he wanted to be supported. he knew that barry wasn't going to go for that. they were between a rock and a hard place with nowhere else to go. grimacing, he stole a glance at the therapist. "i think it's a little unfair of you to hold the bare minimum over my head," less than that... considering they were supposed to be monogamous; "because my work as an arbiter keeps me busy."

by some miracle, leon managed to keep his frustrated sigh to himself. it wasn't their fault that they were like this, he imagined—people were almost never crazy for no reason. but that didn't mean that he was sympathetic, either. "maybe try something fiction. if that's the kind of stuff you're reading, no wonder you're looking for cheap thrills."

Protection. “P-protection? Really?” That word leaving his lips—it let her breathe a little slower then. Her father had taught her not to trust anyone. He’d said it many times in the past, as he stumbled home drunk with crumpled receipts flying off his coat pockets like snow. He was once trustworthy, too. “The Hippodrome Casino.” It comes out forced, as if someone had shoved the answer out of her mouth, one word at a time. “But I don’t—I don’t know exactly to who… I guess the—the casino itself, right? Not to just one person specifically?” “But the thing is, the—” Lucky. No. No. No. She can’t do this. To him. Things were different when it was her father. But after he disappeared, and it became Lucky… “I just need to find out a way to… I don’t know, the debt is the issue, not…”

"yes... really," he answered with bated breath. already, leon had assumed responsibility for her safety—he didn't need to know the situation in order to see that she needed him. another in his position would have chosen the state over sentiment ( it was what they were trained to do, after all ) but he had long since been disgusted with the system. this was probably their fault, too. most dangers were. in a way, his hunch was right. the casino shouldn't have been able to develop the foothold it had in the city. with no direct laws, so to speak, on debt collection... leon could surmise the rest for himself. all the same, details were important. he needed more before he could figure out a plan of action. "the debt? you have someone you know who's in debt to the casino?"

"I want to believe you." It's surprising, the way that he says it. Barry wants to say it with enough hatred, enough venom that it melts Leon down to the hilt, but instead it comes out pathetically vulnerable. Cracking at the last word as if it was something much more painful than his knee on a rainy day. He wants the marriage to work, he supposes—it's a sick little feeling, like holding onto infection even as it kills you, but the cheating and the affairs feel inconsequential to whatever this is. If not for the reputation, for something to be stable in his life. Something. "And I'll stop if you stop coming home at whatever-the-hell o'clock in the evening. Sound good to you, baby?"

the answer was surprisingly genuine—unexpected, it caught leon off guard. maybe it was surprising that he was participating at all, that he had taken to the idea without jumping at the chance for mockery. or was he just preparing his roster? that seemed less likely, more of a thought for the bitter cynic in him. oh, how far they had fallen. at one point, all of his thoughts for barry had been warm, loving. now it was difficult to keep them kind at all. he missed what they had, the person he had been then. sighing, he glanced between barry and the therapist, who nodded encouragingly, before he spoke again. "okay," he started, hands folded in his lap. "okay, i'll see what i can do. you know work pulls me around, though." leon didn't feel the need to specify which kind—did it matter? "and will you stop walking your boytoys through my—through our—hallway?"

ariya nods in agreement, despite the thought of laying low and waiting making her palms itch. sitting still, feeling unable to push for new developments in her pursuit of whatever justice she was seeking... the thought of inaction made something under her skin crawl. leon was right though, of course. pushing too far, too quickly, would end up sabotaging their plans and that would cost her far more than a few restless nights spent pacing around and fighting the urge to dig deeper. "i will," she therefore complies, giving a short nod, "and when the time is right i'll be ready to go back in. we'll be ready."

both in agreement, leon felt more secure in their arrangement—their rebellion—than he had in a long time. it was easy to feel powerless against the great forces that stood against them, an insurmountable hurtle... but if they didn't try, nobody would. and if nobody tried, it would just continue to get worse. they could fight now, while they were strong and capable... or they would fight when they were starving and miserable and desperate to survive. they just wanted to cut out the long period of suffering in between. "we'll be ready," he agreed. "in the meantime... we shouldn't speak. i need to give it some time to make sure i'm not being followed." rising from his seat, he added, "until next time... be safe."

Barry doesn't know either, but he's not the one that dragged them both to couples' therapy. He tries to find the words, and just sighs. "I won't do it again? Does that sound reasonable?" It doesn't—but that's the cynic in him. Trust is hard to get back, and once you find out your husband is the kind of less than squeaky clean that makes the both of you a target, you wonder what the line actually is. "I don't know. Don't ignore me in our—" My. It's my. He forgot to be petty. "House?"

i thought you didn't want me to lie to you is what he wanted to say, but he knew better than to trust the space they held. if barry wouldn't eagerly turn him in, the therapist acting mediator might. "how many times do we have to go through this?" he asked, prickly and exhausted. "i promise," he was used to breaking those, they both were; "i won't do it again. but you don't believe me, so i don't know why you're so desperate to hear me say it." scoffing, he fought the urge to roll his eyes. "when you stop antagonizing me, i'll stop ignore you. how about that?"

The weight of his coat settles around her shoulders like an anchor. Josephine focuses on the texture of the fabric against her palms, using it to pull herself back from wherever her mind had spiraled. Her breathing begins to even out, though her hands still shake slightly. “I’m sorry,” she whispers, not meeting his eyes yet. “I don’t usually… this isn’t…” She swipes at her cheeks with the back of her hand, embarrassed by the tears. “My father,” she starts, then stops. Tries again. “He… he had debts. Gambling debts. And now they’re mine, apparently.” Her voice grows steadier as she continues to speak, though she keeps her gaze fixed on her hands. “I thought maybe… I don’t know what I thought. That there might be laws about inheriting someone else’s debts when they… when they disappear.” She finally looks up at him, searching his face for judgment. “The people collecting them, they’re not… they don’t seem like the type to follow rules. If there are any.”

leon understood well the weight that coronado put on people. that was part of the reason he had gone into his career at all... and all of the reason that he was steadfast in his mission. "people aren't allowed to take whatever they want from you. even if your family owed them." the actual laws on the matter were wishy-washy for a reason... so the powers that be could take advantage. only the little people, so to speak, suffered under that kind of rule. "but rules never stop anyone that wants to break them. what you're going to need is some protection." he was prepared to offer it, knowing that few others would be on her side. the standing opinion was to give in to debt-collectors, no matter the circumstances, rather than make trouble refusing them. "can you tell me more about the debt your father was in? who was it to?"

"they acted like my persistence was cause for alarm." she pauses for a moment, running back the situation in her mind, trying to file through the details and micro-expressions in the building's staff she'd filed away. "they were surprised i showed up but didn't treat me like i'd expect them to treat a random clarion reporter." she seems content with that explanation, gaze moving back towards her partner in crime. "they were acting cautious. i don't think they were waiting for me specifically but they're certainly waiting for something, so your guess about the assassin seems like a pretty solid call. i guess the premier's passing has them on high alert." she chews on the inside of her cheek for a moment before she sighs. "i suppose that means they're not behind it. or at least not looking to take the fall."

cautious. leon turned the word over in his mind, considering it. "that's going to end up slowing us down. if they're cautious, we don't want to make them suspicious of you." he knew what they did to people they were suspicious of, and watching them would have been the least of her worries. they couldn't manage even that and continue to make plans for the future of this nation. "if they are behind it, they could be watching for retaliation. but i think you're right... i think they're more worried about it than they're letting on." it could work to their advantage to have the families chasing their own shadows. it could also cost them their lives to try. "i think you should lay low for a while before we try it again... but we should try this again."

With a crazed look in his eyes, he dares to take a small and slow step forward. "Go on, try it." And now, the muzzle of the gun is prodding into his chest. " Light me up, cowboy."

the citizen complied, but not seriously. instantly, leon's opinion of them changed—not dangerous, just irritating. maybe purposefully. probably purposefully. "you're not worth the bullet," he growled, safety back on just in case the poor fool does make another grab for the gun. "lucky for you, i'm more forgiving than most. if you're looking for entertainment, try opening a book."