KasperXIII
Sworn To A Great Divide
"Best best friend, huh?" Thalia smiled shyly at the comment. All of her past 'best friends' either grew to hate her or were killed. She didn't want either to happen to Karin. and she'd damn well protect her from any danger that comes her way. No matter what Tony says or assumes about her reasoning. Thalia's intentions were solid and righteous, unlike her rival detective's, which were corrupt, unhealthy, and desperate. "Well, I can say the same. Best best friend." She ended that with a wink, leaning her elbow on the back of the couch, laying down against it with her arm as a stilt to keep looking at her friend.
Tony seemed to be making it his priority, rather than to get Melissa back from the wretched clutches of Ra's, he instead was putting a greater focus on getting on Karin and Thalia's respective bad sides. Calling names, targeting vulnerable family members... and his own threat to call CPS and tattle on Karin frightened Thalia. Charlie... He was coming soon, and Tony would surely find out about his mere presence. And there was no hiding that the boy was her brother. Thalia wasn't his legal guardian... but would he dare make a similar threat about her mother? As much of a grudge the two had, Thalia wasn't going to stand for any threats on her remaining family. She lost her father yesterday. She didn't want to lose anyone else. Period. End of discussion. The only loss she would accept from here on out is Ra's and The Ten. Nothing further. And if Tony enjoys crossing the line, Thalia would happily do the same thing if given the chance in a 'respectful' way. Not by life threatening ultimatums, but something more painful and safer.
"Why is it any of Tony's business if we're fucking?" she laughed, taking the whole thing as a joke. "Did he overhear me say that I MIGHT, key word, might, have fucked you in that alley if things went down differently? I doubt he was even here when I said that, but whatever. I feel like Tony has a problem with WHOEVER I'm fucking, to be honest. You, Frank, next thing you'll know, he'll accuse me of touching Joseph inappropriately. I bet you he'll do it. He thinks just because I'm Ra's' bride, he calls me a whore, and my many thefts while having sex, top that off that I'm bi, then boom: you have some sort of sex addict who will fuck whatever she sees? Pfft. I've never see anyone think THAT narrow. Seriously, can I not have a friend that I don't want to lay down in bed?" She sighed in a bit of annoyance. It was a valid theory. Tony might just think like that, after all. He had a problem with when she and Frank were in private, and now he's taking it to the next set and assuming Karin is something more than just a friend. "Seriously. I think he just got so uptight that Melissa just gave on him. They became that couple that sleeps in separate beds from how furious he makes her, both of them just dying to get laid but can't stand each other. Why does she fucking stay with him? If this is how he acts at home, I really feel bad for her..." Then came a naughtier idea to propose. "Maybe if I fucked his girlfriend for real, maybe he'll realize how precious she is to him. Just a theory." She rolled her eyes. Thinking of Tony like this was an uneasy topic, and it had her on edge. Maybe a nastier thought would lighten things up. "Maybe we both could bang her, make him extra jealous. He keeps saying she's 'prettier than me'. I bet I could hit that. Then he'll lay off." She joked, nudging back. "Kidding, kidding... from the looks of it, Mel's a bit old for me, given she's Tony's age or something."
Karin with brown hair? That's surely something for the books. "You? Brown? That's fucking perfect, damn it," she giggled, covering her mouth briefly with a single hand and shaking her head, just envisioning how she'd look under a different color. Brown hair, blue eyes. She couldn't help but laugh at the thought, how cute sh'ed look. She had to one-up her potential looks, though. "You must've looked adorable back in the day, why the hell did you dye your hair? We're both like, perfect combinations from heaven in the eyes of desperate men. We'd double date and get laid every night in the bar if we tried hard enough. If things don't work out with our boyfriends and you go back to dark brown, we better do that. Or at least flirt." She winked. "You won't look weird. You would rock the look. At least to me."
As the devil passed over and left with a pair of dirty looks focused on him, another rather dirty thought came to the redhead's mind. Disturbing, too, but she had to make a joke out of it. "How much are you willing to bet Tony was sitting in the hall with a hand around his dick just waiting for us to make out on the couch? Then got so disappointed when nothing happened?" She laughed. "His poor flaccid one-inch-wonder. I think that's why he's so obsessed. He's probably waiting to get it up at the sight of some lesbian action. I swear, that's what he's after. All because he's shit in bed and his girlfriend doesn't fuck him anymore. I mean, he speculates about us. Can't we speculate about him?" It was only fair, but an eye for an eye was never really a pleasant experience. Tony was asking for it all, though. The jokes about his manhood and relationship. None of this was uncalled for.
Business came back into the equation, as it always did around here. She sat up properly, legs crossed like she does as a force of habit, and spoke,
"Oh, yeah, I heard James, but figured he didn't want to be disturbed, so I just left him be. He's pretty good, you know. You lucky bitch," she smirked. "Musically talented? I mean, I find rock guitarists more attractive, but come on. Not like we can resist musicians of any kind." A genuine compliment towards James, which she should deliver to the source soon enough. "Actually, Karin, I want to talk about something first, before we go to James. Between us, please?" Before Karin could even think of getting up, Thalia reached forward and placed her hand on her arm, keeping her in place for the moment. "It's a bit... private." Her voice diminished into a whisper as her head peeked over the couch to ensure nobody would sneak up from behind them. From the hallway to the bedrooms and from the kitchen, it seemed clear enough. Her voice remained soft as she spoke. "Kar... I really don't mean to offend you, and I admire what you've done to raise Joe by yourself. But I'm afraid that... me and Frank just might be Jordan's permanent caregivers. If we are an item like we say we are..." She sighed, her gaze lowering slightly, a bit ashamed of what she was about to say. "I really don't want to sound shallow when I say this. I like kids, believe me. And I can't wait to meet Charlie and hang out with him. But... that's different than raising a traumatized kid we basically just met, and pretty much kidnapped, too. And I'm not going to get up in Frank's face and make him choose between me and the boy. THAT would not be fair to him. But my point... Karin, I just got my freedom back. For the first time in eight years, I got what I ran away from home for: to be free to be the person I've always wanted to be. I want to live my life. Do all the crazy shit... within reason, that I missed out on all of these years. Put a life together that I wanted this whole time.... Can I possibly throw this chance away because Frank feels obligated to protect this child?"
It was a dilemma bothering her for the longest time, ever since she saw Jordan clinging to her boyfriend the other evening while she and Karin took a swim. She sighed, a bit ashamed that she had to speak like this. "I know you had plans for your life. Then life slapped you in the face. You lost your parents at a time when you should've been exploring the world and going nuts. You had to become Joseph's carer. I guess the difference is that I don't have to be Jordan's. I know, it's selfish. That boy lost his parents and sister all in front of his eyes, and I know what it's like to see someone die in front of you. It's not pretty. My god...." Vivid memories of her fellow clanswoman's execution returned to mind. The sight of her head in her room for so long. It was her fault for it after all. But her scared, uneasy voice continued to elaborate on her situation. "I feel bad for him. I really do. But I guess what I'm trying to ask is.... What do I do? Is it that bad if I tell Frank that I can't take care of that boy? I mean, I know I'm picking up on things with you around. I think I could make myself eggs or use a fucking microwave if I really needed to. Make a sandwich maybe? I could do that stuff. But I don't know if I can raise a broken human being. Is it that selfish of me to tell Frank that? I figured I could ask you, since you've been there before. You know what it feels like. Any advice? It's been bothering me for a while."
It's what made her kiss with Jenny so painful. That she did that and didn't even express her concerns to Frank. And the guilt was devouring her.
--
Clearly, Tony blatantly drinking straight from the carton was found offensive in some way. He might be a germophobe, if anything. Or just not like someone else's spit in his milk and looking out for his peers. Well, he didn't exactly mind if the girls get whatever he has in his mouth. It's times that that when he wished he had some disease then give the girls the milk as a kind gesture. Just to be mean and ruin their lives. Why such cruel intentions? The bitterness sure was spreading and turning into something far more malicious. He oddly wished harm upon those girls as well as sex with Thalia. If Melissa ever found out, she would be disappointed. But... maybe Tony lost hope after all. And now he was rooting for something more intimate with Thalia. And Karin, if his guesses were accurate, was standing in his way. His attention was diverted off of Frank, at least... unless they had a threesome going on. That would be creepy.
Tony and Melissa's sex life over the past few years has been almost non existent. The once happy couple found themselves getting into more fights than they liked. Yelling, screaming, arguing over plans for the future, payments, disagreements over their families... and the list could go on forever. It's one of the reasons Tony hadn't proposed. After living together for so long, the intimacy and spark they once had died, especially as Melissa's career took off. Partner that with Tony's oftentimes obsessive nature towards his cases, and neither have time to be with each other. And the times they do take together are bitter and unpleasant. Tony wouldn't be surprised if his significant other was cheating on HIM. It's half of what put him at ease as he lusted over the mystery redhead. And she was everything he could hope for out of an attractive woman. Young. Experienced. Open-minded to whatever crazy sexual fantasies he had in mind. Wild. Feisty. Sexy. Alluring. Unique. Whereas Melissa was getting old. Stale. Unwilling to go to the extents he wanted. Slowly becoming more and more unattractive in his eyes. Whatever he'd said to Thalia about being prettier was simply to make her jealous. Tony's taste was changing. And way too quickly. If Melissa were to ever find out about how he feels, their relationship would crash and burn. How would it be when she comes back, though? Their relationship was in pieces. The feelings of love in any way, shape, or form were long gone with little hope of returning. All issues about his relationship that he didn't speak of around others. Tony was considering breaking it off for good. Setting it in stone, rather than proposing, unlike what he told Frank a few days ago. Happily in love? A lie. Not anymore. It was over long ago...
...Or would this entire ordeal bring them closer together instead? Only time will tell.
Either way, Tony obeyed Frank and poured the milk he'd been drinking from into the glass. Off of that little disagreement... Plenty of good news came from him. Things were looking up after a terrible day yesterday. "That's amazing, kiddo," Tony grinned to the boy, ruffling his hair from behind. Surely that wouldn't be interpreted negatively. It was purely playful. "I mean, the kid's even talking. That's really brilliant. He's on the road to recovery because of you, Frank." Leaning against the counter, he continued his talk with his partner. "Remember when you asked me if I've ever dealt with kids on the force? You were a bit shaky... but I must say, you're a natural. Just look at the progress you've made in a matter of hours. You might just be his beacon of hope."
Now... how were things for Tony? "Well..." he sighed, about to hide the truth of his relationship from his partner once more. "Today's probably the day we get Mel back, so all I'm waiting for is James to finish pretending to be Beethoven in his little corner of paradise and discuss the terms of how we exchange Roland for her. I'm sure he's heading that up. We won't need the girls for that, will we?"
Actually... they'd at least need Thalia. That, he didn't expect.
Tony seemed to be making it his priority, rather than to get Melissa back from the wretched clutches of Ra's, he instead was putting a greater focus on getting on Karin and Thalia's respective bad sides. Calling names, targeting vulnerable family members... and his own threat to call CPS and tattle on Karin frightened Thalia. Charlie... He was coming soon, and Tony would surely find out about his mere presence. And there was no hiding that the boy was her brother. Thalia wasn't his legal guardian... but would he dare make a similar threat about her mother? As much of a grudge the two had, Thalia wasn't going to stand for any threats on her remaining family. She lost her father yesterday. She didn't want to lose anyone else. Period. End of discussion. The only loss she would accept from here on out is Ra's and The Ten. Nothing further. And if Tony enjoys crossing the line, Thalia would happily do the same thing if given the chance in a 'respectful' way. Not by life threatening ultimatums, but something more painful and safer.
"Why is it any of Tony's business if we're fucking?" she laughed, taking the whole thing as a joke. "Did he overhear me say that I MIGHT, key word, might, have fucked you in that alley if things went down differently? I doubt he was even here when I said that, but whatever. I feel like Tony has a problem with WHOEVER I'm fucking, to be honest. You, Frank, next thing you'll know, he'll accuse me of touching Joseph inappropriately. I bet you he'll do it. He thinks just because I'm Ra's' bride, he calls me a whore, and my many thefts while having sex, top that off that I'm bi, then boom: you have some sort of sex addict who will fuck whatever she sees? Pfft. I've never see anyone think THAT narrow. Seriously, can I not have a friend that I don't want to lay down in bed?" She sighed in a bit of annoyance. It was a valid theory. Tony might just think like that, after all. He had a problem with when she and Frank were in private, and now he's taking it to the next set and assuming Karin is something more than just a friend. "Seriously. I think he just got so uptight that Melissa just gave on him. They became that couple that sleeps in separate beds from how furious he makes her, both of them just dying to get laid but can't stand each other. Why does she fucking stay with him? If this is how he acts at home, I really feel bad for her..." Then came a naughtier idea to propose. "Maybe if I fucked his girlfriend for real, maybe he'll realize how precious she is to him. Just a theory." She rolled her eyes. Thinking of Tony like this was an uneasy topic, and it had her on edge. Maybe a nastier thought would lighten things up. "Maybe we both could bang her, make him extra jealous. He keeps saying she's 'prettier than me'. I bet I could hit that. Then he'll lay off." She joked, nudging back. "Kidding, kidding... from the looks of it, Mel's a bit old for me, given she's Tony's age or something."
Karin with brown hair? That's surely something for the books. "You? Brown? That's fucking perfect, damn it," she giggled, covering her mouth briefly with a single hand and shaking her head, just envisioning how she'd look under a different color. Brown hair, blue eyes. She couldn't help but laugh at the thought, how cute sh'ed look. She had to one-up her potential looks, though. "You must've looked adorable back in the day, why the hell did you dye your hair? We're both like, perfect combinations from heaven in the eyes of desperate men. We'd double date and get laid every night in the bar if we tried hard enough. If things don't work out with our boyfriends and you go back to dark brown, we better do that. Or at least flirt." She winked. "You won't look weird. You would rock the look. At least to me."
As the devil passed over and left with a pair of dirty looks focused on him, another rather dirty thought came to the redhead's mind. Disturbing, too, but she had to make a joke out of it. "How much are you willing to bet Tony was sitting in the hall with a hand around his dick just waiting for us to make out on the couch? Then got so disappointed when nothing happened?" She laughed. "His poor flaccid one-inch-wonder. I think that's why he's so obsessed. He's probably waiting to get it up at the sight of some lesbian action. I swear, that's what he's after. All because he's shit in bed and his girlfriend doesn't fuck him anymore. I mean, he speculates about us. Can't we speculate about him?" It was only fair, but an eye for an eye was never really a pleasant experience. Tony was asking for it all, though. The jokes about his manhood and relationship. None of this was uncalled for.
Business came back into the equation, as it always did around here. She sat up properly, legs crossed like she does as a force of habit, and spoke,
"Oh, yeah, I heard James, but figured he didn't want to be disturbed, so I just left him be. He's pretty good, you know. You lucky bitch," she smirked. "Musically talented? I mean, I find rock guitarists more attractive, but come on. Not like we can resist musicians of any kind." A genuine compliment towards James, which she should deliver to the source soon enough. "Actually, Karin, I want to talk about something first, before we go to James. Between us, please?" Before Karin could even think of getting up, Thalia reached forward and placed her hand on her arm, keeping her in place for the moment. "It's a bit... private." Her voice diminished into a whisper as her head peeked over the couch to ensure nobody would sneak up from behind them. From the hallway to the bedrooms and from the kitchen, it seemed clear enough. Her voice remained soft as she spoke. "Kar... I really don't mean to offend you, and I admire what you've done to raise Joe by yourself. But I'm afraid that... me and Frank just might be Jordan's permanent caregivers. If we are an item like we say we are..." She sighed, her gaze lowering slightly, a bit ashamed of what she was about to say. "I really don't want to sound shallow when I say this. I like kids, believe me. And I can't wait to meet Charlie and hang out with him. But... that's different than raising a traumatized kid we basically just met, and pretty much kidnapped, too. And I'm not going to get up in Frank's face and make him choose between me and the boy. THAT would not be fair to him. But my point... Karin, I just got my freedom back. For the first time in eight years, I got what I ran away from home for: to be free to be the person I've always wanted to be. I want to live my life. Do all the crazy shit... within reason, that I missed out on all of these years. Put a life together that I wanted this whole time.... Can I possibly throw this chance away because Frank feels obligated to protect this child?"
It was a dilemma bothering her for the longest time, ever since she saw Jordan clinging to her boyfriend the other evening while she and Karin took a swim. She sighed, a bit ashamed that she had to speak like this. "I know you had plans for your life. Then life slapped you in the face. You lost your parents at a time when you should've been exploring the world and going nuts. You had to become Joseph's carer. I guess the difference is that I don't have to be Jordan's. I know, it's selfish. That boy lost his parents and sister all in front of his eyes, and I know what it's like to see someone die in front of you. It's not pretty. My god...." Vivid memories of her fellow clanswoman's execution returned to mind. The sight of her head in her room for so long. It was her fault for it after all. But her scared, uneasy voice continued to elaborate on her situation. "I feel bad for him. I really do. But I guess what I'm trying to ask is.... What do I do? Is it that bad if I tell Frank that I can't take care of that boy? I mean, I know I'm picking up on things with you around. I think I could make myself eggs or use a fucking microwave if I really needed to. Make a sandwich maybe? I could do that stuff. But I don't know if I can raise a broken human being. Is it that selfish of me to tell Frank that? I figured I could ask you, since you've been there before. You know what it feels like. Any advice? It's been bothering me for a while."
It's what made her kiss with Jenny so painful. That she did that and didn't even express her concerns to Frank. And the guilt was devouring her.
--
Clearly, Tony blatantly drinking straight from the carton was found offensive in some way. He might be a germophobe, if anything. Or just not like someone else's spit in his milk and looking out for his peers. Well, he didn't exactly mind if the girls get whatever he has in his mouth. It's times that that when he wished he had some disease then give the girls the milk as a kind gesture. Just to be mean and ruin their lives. Why such cruel intentions? The bitterness sure was spreading and turning into something far more malicious. He oddly wished harm upon those girls as well as sex with Thalia. If Melissa ever found out, she would be disappointed. But... maybe Tony lost hope after all. And now he was rooting for something more intimate with Thalia. And Karin, if his guesses were accurate, was standing in his way. His attention was diverted off of Frank, at least... unless they had a threesome going on. That would be creepy.
Tony and Melissa's sex life over the past few years has been almost non existent. The once happy couple found themselves getting into more fights than they liked. Yelling, screaming, arguing over plans for the future, payments, disagreements over their families... and the list could go on forever. It's one of the reasons Tony hadn't proposed. After living together for so long, the intimacy and spark they once had died, especially as Melissa's career took off. Partner that with Tony's oftentimes obsessive nature towards his cases, and neither have time to be with each other. And the times they do take together are bitter and unpleasant. Tony wouldn't be surprised if his significant other was cheating on HIM. It's half of what put him at ease as he lusted over the mystery redhead. And she was everything he could hope for out of an attractive woman. Young. Experienced. Open-minded to whatever crazy sexual fantasies he had in mind. Wild. Feisty. Sexy. Alluring. Unique. Whereas Melissa was getting old. Stale. Unwilling to go to the extents he wanted. Slowly becoming more and more unattractive in his eyes. Whatever he'd said to Thalia about being prettier was simply to make her jealous. Tony's taste was changing. And way too quickly. If Melissa were to ever find out about how he feels, their relationship would crash and burn. How would it be when she comes back, though? Their relationship was in pieces. The feelings of love in any way, shape, or form were long gone with little hope of returning. All issues about his relationship that he didn't speak of around others. Tony was considering breaking it off for good. Setting it in stone, rather than proposing, unlike what he told Frank a few days ago. Happily in love? A lie. Not anymore. It was over long ago...
...Or would this entire ordeal bring them closer together instead? Only time will tell.
Either way, Tony obeyed Frank and poured the milk he'd been drinking from into the glass. Off of that little disagreement... Plenty of good news came from him. Things were looking up after a terrible day yesterday. "That's amazing, kiddo," Tony grinned to the boy, ruffling his hair from behind. Surely that wouldn't be interpreted negatively. It was purely playful. "I mean, the kid's even talking. That's really brilliant. He's on the road to recovery because of you, Frank." Leaning against the counter, he continued his talk with his partner. "Remember when you asked me if I've ever dealt with kids on the force? You were a bit shaky... but I must say, you're a natural. Just look at the progress you've made in a matter of hours. You might just be his beacon of hope."
Now... how were things for Tony? "Well..." he sighed, about to hide the truth of his relationship from his partner once more. "Today's probably the day we get Mel back, so all I'm waiting for is James to finish pretending to be Beethoven in his little corner of paradise and discuss the terms of how we exchange Roland for her. I'm sure he's heading that up. We won't need the girls for that, will we?"
Actually... they'd at least need Thalia. That, he didn't expect.