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[dog_eat_dog]

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[anti_altruisms]

[ Misty is just good like that. For him, it stings that she can ask for help and get a pleasant reception while he seems to fuck up or do something wrong with people all the time, but...such is life.

He flaps a hand. ]

I've never minded extra work. I'm just an idiot sometimes.

[ A lot of the time, actually. ]

I can't offer a solid timeframe on when everything will be done, but the effort is underway.

[stand_unshaken]

"And if you decide it is not alright, miss?"

What's she going to do about it?

[dog_eat_dog]

Tess knows what her answer is, and she gives Arthur a dry look.

“Do you really want to have this conversation while you feel like shit?”

[stand_unshaken]

"Come on. Spin me a story, lemme prepare for the worst."

[dog_eat_dog]

Uh huh.

[She folds her arms and contemplates whether she should bother giving him advice. It could just set them back at square one. But no, she decides, she can't just sit on it.]

Not to be too harsh about this, but when we first talked about this, it pissed me off when your solution to not enough help was to say you'd just do it yourself. The thing about extra work is that if you make yourself too important, and you go, everyone else is fucked. You get that, right? We can't rely on you any more than we can all rely on Misty.

[dog_eat_dog]

"As you can imagine, I have a great track record with people who try to give orders," she replies. "Back home I would press her into working for me instead, or I'd just kill her, but obviously neither of those would make a viable plan here. I also can't change departments because that'd be conceding. So I think I'd just have to make it agonizing for her to ask me to do anything. She can't make me do anything and you're the only warden I'll even think about listening to, so the easiest thing for her would be to take my attitude up with you, until you're so annoyed that going to you is miserable for her, and then she changes departments to get away from us difficult people."

[anti_altruisms]

[ Surprisingly, perhaps, he actually laughs at that. A soft, brief, self-deprecating one. ]

You’re not wrong. It’s a problem I know I have, and it’s been on-going for quite some time. It’s not a bad thing for me to be reminded of it so I can...adjust accordingly, I suppose.

[stand_unshaken]

He listens with varying degrees of drawn eyebrows - killing, really? Calm down, tiger.

"Well, you're cunning, I'll give you that," he says, after some consideration. "But you don't think there's a possibility she's as stubborn as you?"

[dog_eat_dog]

She shrugs.

"No one's as stubborn as me."

[stand_unshaken]

He snorts out a laugh and reaches to ruffle her hair a little.

"Damn straight. Not even the Admiral's gonna change that."

[dog_eat_dog]

She scoffs and lets him get a few seconds of that in before she gently elbows him to stop.

"Exactly. She has no idea what she's in for if she tries it with me."

[dog_eat_dog]

[A dry laugh.]

Don't worry, we'll have you graduated in three months flat.

[dog_eat_dog]

"Sounds good," she agrees. There's something novel to this, cuddled up to sleep, something she hasn't done since winter in Boston, when the heat was cut. She closes her eyes, pressing her lips to his shoulder. "I'm a light sleeper anyway."

[toabsolution]

"Guess we'll find out," he mutters, fingers running along her arm until he finally does sleep, glad to have her close.

[anti_altruisms]

[ Archer snorts but doesn't seem offended. ]

Oh no, it'd take much longer than that. Especially for someone my age.

[ Old age brings more stubbornness, not less. ]

[dog_eat_dog]

Yeah, well, better learn quickly this time. You've got an inmate, yeah? He probably needs you to have your shit together there.

[anti_altruisms]

[ Ah, yes. Xigbar. He smiles faintly despite himself. ]

He is well aware of my flaws.

[ More so than most on this ship. ]

But yes, I do need to be the best that I can for him.

[ And he will. Archer is very fond of his shitpost of an Inmate, and he wants to see him succeed.

There is a pause, then- ]

Do you have any other concerns?

[stand_unshaken]

He grins a little, but when he settles back he closes his eyes and lets out a deep sigh.

"Only ever met one woman who was your match in stubbornness. You both came by it the hard way, too."

[dog_eat_dog]

"If we ever meet, we're going to fight to see who comes out on top," Tess replies. Mostly joking. "There can only be one."

[stand_unshaken]

"She'd shoot you in a heartbeat," he says, regretfully. "I'd hate to see the two of you fight, but there is no doubt in my mind that you would."

[dog_eat_dog]

"No guns then, just fists," she replies, flippantly. "I doubt I'd hate her."

[dog_eat_dog]

[She shakes her head.]

Not really. Do you?

[anti_altruisms]

I don't.

[ He expects they may disagree again at some point, but in this case, this really was necessary. ]

Thank you for taking the time to come speak with me.

[dog_eat_dog]

Any time. I'm glad you did.

[She's always glad when wardens prove they have guts, after all.]

[stand_unshaken]

"You wouldn't. Not that she's easy to get along with, but that goes for the both of you."

Please don't hit him, you know how you are.