[There's a flicker of confusion on Tess's face –– guards? –– but it clicks just as fast. Tiffany had been imprisoned at some point before being an inmate, hadn't she? It tracks.
She hasn't always liked Tiffany. Parts of her still loathes the tolerance, the withheld judgement. But a Tiffany indignant, heated? That feels like the most relatable thing in the world.]
Yeah, you're one of 'em, but at least you're not a cop. Cops and military types are always bastards, and people are okay with that. That's the rub of it. They just ask what I did to deserve it, rather than if they were justified. Fuck that.
It's so fucking stupid. And I could have just shot him outright and been marched to Zero and gotten my warden pissed off at me anyway, and not spent the month with a fucked up arm, but no. I decided I didn't want to stick around to fight him.
[She's pretty sure that she shouldn't be considering that, but it feels true to her: there shouldn't be an incentive for just shooting someone in the head. She'd thought it'd been a fair bit of restraint on her part, and the punishment feels worse for it.]
And even more twisted that he planned to break my arm. He told me he would before he did it.
"Settle down or I'll break your arm." Worth noting he had already put me in an armlock, frisked me and threatened me a few weeks before that, too – that shit's a pattern. He'll do it again.
He ran into me wandering around a London back-alley –– I'd been shopping and hanging around in sleazy bars, that's about it. I didn't feel like elaborating just because he asked, and you're not supposed to say no to cops, so suddenly... [a flippant gesture.] No more poker nights.
I didn't mean it like that. Just-- we've had a lot of them here. Mostly they're really nice, and they care about helping people and want to do good, but they're used to everybody thinking they're right and good and justified, all the time, and they never question their own shit.
[She bites down on another huff.]
I think that's a whole lot more dangerous than hanging out in sleazy bars.
Sounds 'bout right. And agreed. His whole fucking beef with me is based on absolutely no knowledge of what I'm doing. It's just shitty assumptions. He's a cop, I'm a criminal, end of story.
[She feels a small flare of frustration.]
Arthur and I were figuring so much shit out and now it's all fucked up because Yunlan thinks he knows better.
Yeah, well. I'll tell you what I told him. I wasn't there so I don't really know shit, and I've tried to fuck up Callisto before when we were fighting. But.
[The rest of that sentence - but fuck his bullshit - hangs in the air unspoken. So maybe she is a hypocrite, or someone who judges certain types of wardens too quickly sometimes. But regardless, Tess's side is the one that feels familiar and Yunlan's is the one that gets her hackles up, and she knows which side she's picking.]
Can you talk to Arthur? Zhao didn't, like, go behind your back and lie or something, did he?
[She once thought it was a little insane to throw herself in harm's way just to learn to fight on Callisto's level, but a part of her has to respect it. That's a lot of effort to go through for someone who doesn't even seem completely present. It's a real commitment to a partnership.
Tess shakes her head slowly.]
We talked, and they talked, and now we're not talking, so.
Cowboy shit. Horseback riding and hunting and campfires and the outdoors. I go with him sometimes. He likes movie night, too, and desserts. He likes to draw. He's pretty good, actually.
I don't know him too well, but-- he's your warden, not Zhao's. That means a hell of a lot, and he don't seem like the type to forget that. No matter what happens, I don't think he's gonna abandon you.
[If the situation were reversed, she might just abandon him. Someone who can’t get their shit together would be a risk. Then again, there’s a million reasons she’s the inmate here.]
I don’t think so either, I just hate not having much to offer other than my word it’s not going to happen again... and that shit isn’t always in my control.
All of it. The hell am I supposed to do about a warden that’s out to push my fucking buttons? Just take it? Run crying to Arthur? He can’t handle everything for me.
He’s reasonable, but going to him to tell him I’d fucked up wasn’t enough. He wanted me to go to him before I fucked up, but it wasn’t that serious at the time. I just wanted my shit back, and I’m not going to ask if I can right that myself.
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She hasn't always liked Tiffany. Parts of her still loathes the tolerance, the withheld judgement. But a Tiffany indignant, heated? That feels like the most relatable thing in the world.]
Yeah, you're one of 'em, but at least you're not a cop. Cops and military types are always bastards, and people are okay with that. That's the rub of it. They just ask what I did to deserve it, rather than if they were justified. Fuck that.
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[She agrees, with a quick nod of her head.]
Even if the warden threw shit at them first, probably. Jesus, punishments here are so fucking stupid. Always have been.
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[She's pretty sure that she shouldn't be considering that, but it feels true to her: there shouldn't be an incentive for just shooting someone in the head. She'd thought it'd been a fair bit of restraint on her part, and the punishment feels worse for it.]
And even more twisted that he planned to break my arm. He told me he would before he did it.
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[Tess is prickly, but that's about it, as far as Tiffany knows.]
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He's a superhero. Definitely.
[She does not say the word like it's a particularly good thing.]
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[She bites down on another huff.]
I think that's a whole lot more dangerous than hanging out in sleazy bars.
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Sounds 'bout right. And agreed. His whole fucking beef with me is based on absolutely no knowledge of what I'm doing. It's just shitty assumptions. He's a cop, I'm a criminal, end of story.
[She feels a small flare of frustration.]
Arthur and I were figuring so much shit out and now it's all fucked up because Yunlan thinks he knows better.
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[The rest of that sentence - but fuck his bullshit - hangs in the air unspoken. So maybe she is a hypocrite, or someone who judges certain types of wardens too quickly sometimes. But regardless, Tess's side is the one that feels familiar and Yunlan's is the one that gets her hackles up, and she knows which side she's picking.]
Can you talk to Arthur? Zhao didn't, like, go behind your back and lie or something, did he?
[That, at least, doesn't sound like him.]
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Tess shakes her head slowly.]
We talked, and they talked, and now we're not talking, so.
[That stings bad.]
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Eventually. He just needs time to cool off. I need a peace offering. Something like that.
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Cowboy shit. Horseback riding and hunting and campfires and the outdoors. I go with him sometimes. He likes movie night, too, and desserts. He likes to draw. He's pretty good, actually.
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[A pause.]
I don't know him too well, but-- he's your warden, not Zhao's. That means a hell of a lot, and he don't seem like the type to forget that. No matter what happens, I don't think he's gonna abandon you.
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I don’t think so either, I just hate not having much to offer other than my word it’s not going to happen again... and that shit isn’t always in my control.
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