die with dignity

‘Mad? No, I’m not mad. But I’m thinking I’m gonna have to put you on some kind of leash when I’m supposed to be watching you.’ Tommy folded his arms, arching an eyebrow as he looked at the young woman who’s life he was supposed to be guarding. ‘I’m supposed to be watching over you and I can’t do that if I don’t know where you are. You get that?’ He was here to do his damn job, and sometimes, that wasn’t easy at all. Especially in the club where she slipped away all too easily, and he felt out of place as the oldest damn person in there.

      ‘ kinky . ’    she  gives  him  a  lopsided  grin :   always  trying  to  provoke  a  reaction ,    always  misbehaving .    ‘ i  can  pretty  much  take  care  of  myself  at  this  point ,    big  guy .    no  offense ,    but  i  think  you’re  pretty  much  a  formality  at  this  point . ’    how  many  years  had  she  spent  with  knives  strapped  to  her  thighs  and  guns  in  her  hands ?    how  is  she  supposed  to  go  from  a  lit  fuse  to  a  sheltered  flame ?    it’s  just  not  reasonable .    ‘ besides ,   i  always  turn  back  up .    i  haven’t  been  found  dead  in  a  ditch  ----  yet .  no  reason  to  stress . ’

Kai had been driving Nick nuts all morning with a ball of energy he couldn’t seem to calm with his usual play time. A walk or a run it would be. Nick started out with a run when they neared the dog park and decided maybe Kai needed some attention from other dogs - he’d sort of been neglecting Kai lately when Chess was over and he knew the dog was going through an adaption just as much as he was. It wasn’t long before Kai was making friends, at least close to his size. It was always a nightmare having to keep Kai from stepping on a beagle. “That he is.” He looked down at the female and decided to sit down beside her. “His name is Kai. I’m Nick. You?”

     There was something about the younger girl that was unnerving to Raleigh, even looking past the hunting knife. She was the first to say that Pippa was a badass and pretty cool, but at the same time she was lowkey scared of her as well. “I can ask the kitchen to make you a new one? A better one?” She suggested, grabbing the plate already. Scrunching her nose lightly as she could see all the grease on the burger, she quickly put the plate aside before turning back to Pippa. “Or something else, whatever you prefer.”

           phillippa  has  never  exactly  been  someone  who  looks  easy  to  approach .     all  wild  jet  black  hair  and  green  eyes  so  piercing  they’re  nearly  feline ,    compounded  with  an  eclectic ,    grungy  e - girl  style  and  weapons / drugs  abound .    not  to  mention  tommy ,    who  follows  her  around  like  a  goddamn  shadow .    ‘  nah ,   it’s  okay .    fries ,   maybe .   wanna  split  a  plate  of  fries ?    promise  i  won’t  snitch  if  you  eat  on  the  clock . ’   a  crooked  grin  ----  who  would  she  even  snitch  to ?   her  fuckin  parents ?

Scarlett couldn’t help but smile back happily and a bit sheepish too that Pippa had taken her up on her offer. “Yeah, I’m free,” Scarlett replied nodding her head, yes biting down on her bottom lip trying not to show how excited she was at the thought of going out with Pippa. “Know any good steakhouses around here?” Walking forward a couple of steps she pressed a lingering peck on Pippa’s cheek, her hand grasping the other woman’s, lord knows she wanted her but tried her best to keep it hidden.

She was tired of the thumpa thumpa of the music from the club, tired of men and their eyes that followed her every move and truly, just tired. So she found herself in her office rather than on the floor, an open computer sitting in front of her but she was staring blankly, dazed out. There was a noise in her window, that’s what snapped her out of the daze she was in, standing up and reaching for her gun immediately, only to see Pippa crawling through her third floor window, blood running down her leg. She gives her a look. “Oh I almost shot you, you idiot” she breathes, holstering her gun again and sighs. “I’m not going to snitch, but he might when he realizes you’re gone.”

           ‘  honestly ,   i  wish  you  would .    put  me  outta  my  fuckin  misery . ’    her  grin  is  just  the  slightest  bit  off - kilter .    maybe  she’s  not  feeling  a  hundred  percent  at  the  moment .   ‘  nah ,    he  wouldn’t .    it’d  just  make  him  look  worse . ’     her  opaque  black  tights  have  ripped ,  she  examines  the  tear  somewhat  passively .   ‘  what  are  you  up  to ,   anyway ?   something  fun ?   any  trouble  for  me  to  get  into ? ’

“i am.” connor shrugged. “but i still try to be considerate of what others think. i mean. i don’t live by what they think, but i’m conscious of it. i know i shouldn’t be. i tell people that they shouldn’t. but it’s hard sometime,” he shrugged. “but i love my aunt. don’t get me wrong,” he smiled. “she really doesn’t give me a hard time. i think i’m harder on myself than she’d hard on me.”  

Vin stands back and lets Philippa deal with whatever she’s dealing with in Greek and instead chooses to study the chalkboard menu behind her head. He’s looked at it plenty of times before, but now he feels a little awkward because he has no idea what she’s saying. Now if she was speaking in Italian, he’d be fine…

‘Wow, rejected by a woman whose world I rocked only a few days ago,’ he jokes. He supposes it makes sense - they’re both working right now and it would be inappropriate to have sex amongst food being served to the public. ‘Like I said, I just work at my desk. I’m not allowed out on the streets.’ Vin drinks some more of his coffee. ‘You’ve never pranked anyone?’ Vin raises an eyebrow. ‘You’re joking? You’ve never told your family member - like your brother or sister - that it’s snowing outside and it’s not? Not even a little prank like that?’

            is  it  rude ?    perhaps .    but  phillippa  spent  more  time  growing  up  in  a  dojo  than  in  ettiquette  classes ,    so  if  it’s  polite  you  want  it’s  best  to  look  elsewhere .    the  classic  greek  stereotype  of  hospitality  and  warm  welcomes  only  applies  to  the  vassos  on  rare  occasions ,    and  never  to  law  enforcement .

Scarlett balks at the sight of the wad of bills for a second out of pride before she calms herself down knowing that Pippa was only helping out of the goodness of her heart. “Thank you,” Scarlett said smiling at Pippa in thanks taking the money from her tucking it into her bra securely for the time being. “I appreciate it. Lord knows I’ve been craving steak for the past couple weeks, so I might treat myself to a nice meal. Only if you join me that is.” It was a request, not a demand Scarlett knew, but she wasn’t sure how Pippa would take it.

     the  goodness  of  her  heart .    sometimes  she  forgets  she’s  capable  of  that .     ‘  i  got  you ,  babe .   no  worries . ’    she  gives  scarlett  a  crooked  smile ,   green  eyes  softer  than  usual .    ‘ we  can  go  somewhere  nice  for  dinner ,   yeah .    you  free  tonight ? ’    she  likes  spending  time  with  scarlett ,   and  while  it’s  dangerous  for  her  to  be  seen  with  anyone ,  surely  one  meal  shouldn’t  be  an  issue .    no  question  in  her  mind  that  she’d  be  paying  for  the  outing ,   too :    that  money  is  for  scarlett ,    after  all .

“well she did raise me. and still has to put up with me sometimes,” he nodded. “but she’s not the only one who points out the hyper-ness in me,” he shrugged. “i know i have a lot of energy.” he was never sure why he had so much energy, possibly because he wasn’t one to go outside and use it all. “it’s not a bad thing. but it’s hard finding others who can.. keep up, i guess.”