You Got Nothin'!

“And I’m protecting mine, me and my brother. I don’t make the bandits do anything they don’t already want to do.” Tyreen squatted down in front of Ava so they could still be at eye-level. “Oh, please. What does an orphan know about family?”

It was a low blow, especially given that it was flawed, but it hurt nonetheless. 

“I had a family, one that cared about me. I wouldn’t expect you to know what that’s like, your brother just follows you around like a puppy dog ‘cause he can’t do anything on his own.” Ava could play that game too, if that’s how Tyreen wanted to do it.

That was the thing about Mordecai; you couldn’t tell if he was joking or not until you were already knee-deep in whatever situation he signed you up for. “Nah, he can’t. But don’t think you can pull one over on him either. You might just be a kid, but you still don’t wanna get on his bad side.” Brick would never hurt a kid, not intentionally, but his bad moods could be a lot scarier than any pain he threatened.

“R-right. Don’t have to tell me twice, I’ve seen his, er-- garden.” Ava was generally a fan of Brick, but if there was anyone she was afraid of seeing angry, it was the man who’s arms were the same size as her.

Spotify wrapped- 3 - “Creepin’” Hayley Williams

When Ava wasn’t tucked away in her room, she spent her time wandering, watching people, watching their possessions, listening to conversations. It came with more than its fair share of judgement, dirty looks, and suspicion about what she was up to. Or what she was after. Ava’s reputation seemed to precede her.

“Ha! That’s actually not a bad idea.” Mordecai thumbed at his nose and started typing into his ECHO. “They won’t try shit if Brick’s there with us. And he doesn’t look it, but he’s a pretty good negotiator on what’d be fair for ya.” His finger hovered over the send, lips pursed to one side. “If that’s alright with you, anyhow.”

“Huh?” She looked a little taken aback at his eagerness to make note of her worst case scenario. What was worse, Ava couldn’t tell how serious he was being. He had a knack for that and the goggles hiding his eyes certainly weren’t helping.

“And your friends kill millions of bandits for more loot and to obtain the Vaults. They have a following of their own, treated like gods. It’s hypocritical how you think we’re so different.” Tyreen gave Ava’s arm one more twist before shoving her to the ground. “And it’s stupid to think you can change any of it. So, consider this your last chance to come to the winning side. Before it’s too late.”

Ava grunted as she hit the ground, reaching for her aching shoulder as she propped herself up. She glared up at Tyreen, ready to defend the vault hunters even if it was futile. They had taken her in, after all, given her a place when she had none.

A thought about them that they’d never share: “He’s pretty cool for being an old guy. Way better than the monks on Athenas.”

First impression of them: “Whoa. Tall.”

Favorite thing about them: “If he catches me doing something I shouldn’t, he doesn’t go blabbing to everyone else. It’s kinda like he has my back, in a way.”

Least favorite thing about them: “I don’t know what’s happening behind those goggles, but I feel like he’s judging me.”