(Untitled)

[diseasedvermin]

In Metropolis, mid-morning there's a rat in a sewer. A rat in a sewer cursing his own stupidity

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[not_a_dragon]

Shay's not great at sublety.

There's a rather bright flash of blue flame to herald his arrival, before he's wandering over to Tom, snapping shut his shackles and pulling his sleeve over them as he goes.
"You don't look so good."

[diseasedvermin]

"Feck off," Tom growls.

Then Tom double-takes. "Oy, you," he says, surprised.

[not_a_dragon]

"You could've looked properly first, like." Shay doesn't sound too bothered, though. "Bad day?"

[diseasedvermin]

"Woulda said it to me own mum if she'd said hi," Tom explains. "'Cuz, yeah, it's been a feckin' shitty day.

"Good days tend to involve havin' shoes. An' clink. An' my gun. Feck."

[not_a_dragon]

Shay pauses, looks down at his own feet speculatively.
"My feet are too big." Apologetically. "Can't you get more shoes? How'd you lose them?"

[diseasedvermin]

"Eh?" Then Tom realizes what Shay meant by his feet being too big. A bit less angrily, he says, "Cheers, mate.

"Lost 'em 'cuz I was a feckin' arse, is how I lost 'em. Picked the wrong mark. Thought it'd be so feckin' easy. Piece a shit had piece a shit friends, just waitin' for me. If I'd been lookin' - if I'd known what to look for-- those goddamn arseholes."

[not_a_dragon]

"You could come back to the farm." Hopefully. "There are lots of shoes there."

Beat. "Also a guy who wants to kill you - But Meeting-Dyed-Hair-Arsekicker-Woman-Person-Thingymajig-Head convinced him not to. Sort of. He wants to be convinced that you have a soul first. But that won't be a problem."

[diseasedvermin]

Tom stares at Shay. Thought the first: shit, Jack didn't kill him. Thought the second: well, looks like I'll have to. Thought the third: And I have a few more guns back at the place.

"How 'xactly did a 'Sworn get convinced not to kill a 'skin?" Tom asks in confusion.

[not_a_dragon]

"Pretty much the entire community is against him. Except one person, who trusts him but doesn't have anything against you. He couldn't really not be convinced, somebody would've offed him. You still have to take a Soul Test if you go back there, though."

Beat.

"I was going to teleport him to the Moon, but I wasn't allowed."

[diseasedvermin]

Tom certainly doesn't want to take a soul test. He's not sure he'd like the results.

"Shoulda done it anyway - folks like 'im gonna turn on somebody sooner or later."

[not_a_dragon]

"Most people at the farm can look after themselves."

[diseasedvermin]

"'Cept for those that can't," Tom argues eloquently.

[not_a_dragon]

"I think he's afeared of Meeting-Dyed-Hair-Arsekicker-Woman-Person-Thing-Head, though. I mean, he was arguing with all of us about ... er ... whether or not he should kill you, but when she stepped in with her 'In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!' spiel, he agreed not to, like." Chirpily.

[diseasedvermin]

"...Righ' 'en."

[not_a_dragon]

"It was a very odd meeting."

[diseasedvermin]

"Got a 'Sworn to piss on his own vows - should think so."

He chuckles darkly at the idea.