. AZARI, SHAMS.. Hand. Hold Out A Hand For My Muse To Take. [. . .]@adamanteine .

❙⠀ ⠀ 𝒊.⠀ AZARI, SHAMS.⠀⠀⠀.𖥔 ݁ ˖⠀⠀“⠀⠀hand.   hold  out  a  hand  for  my  muse  to  take.⠀⠀” ⠀⠀[⠀. . .⠀]⠀⠀@adamanteine .

when the world has shown you that kindness was cruelty disguised, you learn to bite the hand that feeds you. tommy was a wounded dog, only primary memories of anything related to assistance as a form of pity, mockery. the underworld had changed since she'd last stepped in, expecting to see the same old faces with the same old unspoken rules. but she'd forgotten that lives existed on a countdown, in the scale of money, favors ... whether these old faces had disappeared from a loss of life or out of hiding, she was almost one of them. she technically was one of them. there was a reason why she'd been adamant on maintaining her connections, not out of pure selfishness but survival. she was nothing without her ties, nothing without the anchors that kept her tethered. although she'd done well in keeping the word from spreading about her newfound status as consultant, the damage was already done. anyone who worked with the bureaucracy was a traitor, and tommy was no exception, especially given that her pseudo - freedom was contingent on playing fetch for the very people that hunted them.

it was instinctual as burnt hazels stared at the extended hand, familiar eyes looking down at her. she'd known shams long before to understand it was not out of malice, or to knock her down while she was already cowered and beneath her usual status, but it took every bit out of her not to slap it away. eyes were on them, burly hands tightened around the scruff of her shirt with weapons raised against. it was quite the scene, and tommy was not getting out of this unscathed. alive, certainly. pretty face unmarked ? unlikely. unless she accepted what was meant to be her saving grace. it was swallowing acid as her own hand reached out to accept the offer, calloused digits gripping without hesitation as she used the leverage to pull herself off the ground, and away from retreating captivity. “ nice seeing you again, shams - y. ” god, she hated speaking. hated the way it felt in her throat, how her tongue flicked over the cave of her mouth with unpracticed stumbles. “ was wondering when you'd start showing up. ” perfect pretenses for the crowd. they would not dare to create an enemy out of shams or her family. they would linger, just to see if shams would extend her protection after she left. they waited, unconvinced with tommy's performance.

❙⠀ ⠀ 𝒊.⠀ VANITAS.⠀⠀⠀.𖥔 ݁ ˖⠀⠀“⠀⠀i heard enough, thank you, i know what betrayal sounds like.⠀⠀” ⠀⠀[⠀. . .⠀]⠀⠀@ilfateds .

huh ? the archiviste stopped plain in his tracks, head craning to face him with a look of incredulity. “ you cannot be serious. ” betrayal ? all because he had not purchased the last fruit tart ? he had known the human was hungry, playing detectives as they tried sneaking around altus, in search of ... clues ? vanitas was meant to be a doctor and though they both knew there was no shortage of curse - bearers, it was as if it'd all gone silent. he could feel charlatan still snaking around the depths of his mind, tendrils digging burrows into his brain, into his marrow, bleeding him out and taunting him with the memories of louis. it rendered his mind a rotting graveyard, of memories he'd long buried, the dead rising. they spoke of promises of reunion, but he'd long accepted that the dead remain dead, and that he was to focus on the present. wide eyes stared into striking blues, glint of electricity coursing, and then he reached out to shove him aside with little force. “ i simply did not buy it in case we had to leave. and we did ! you did not even recall there was a thing until i brought it up. there was no betrayal on my end, you absolute madman. ” before they could continue their bickering, he heard footsteps approaching, and then grabbed him like a bag of bones and lunged the two of them into an empty alleyway, into the shadows. it would not fare well for the vampires to discover fresh blood within their universe.

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it would be a lie to say that shego hadn't dreamed of the day she would be free of drakken. he was a fool more than he was anything worthy of an opponent, an employer. if not for the contract, she would have left. it was embarrassing to be associated with him in public, carrying out the crimes for petty games while the others aimed for much higher stakes. the thrill must have been wonderful, she'd decided. the debriefs from punchline were enough to make her sigh with envy. she was meant for more than childish tantrums and playing secretary to a man too coward to confront his measly demons. and though she wouldn't say it aloud, there was more to it than just the contract. he'd managed to make her feel bad for even thinking about abandoning him. like a stray dog whimpering at her corner, clinging to her every move. “ ugh, i wouldn't even know where to begin when it comes to his money. i think he keeps it under a mattress but i know it's also in a safe. ” if there was one thing to give him credit for, was the fact that he had never divulged the realities of his funds. they were more elusive to her than anything else. perhaps that was his true leverage over her, over any of his connections.

she could just barely fight back the laugh that threatened to escape from the way the masseuse's touch tensed from their conversation, even despite the reassurance from punchline that they were simply equipped with overly inactive imaginations. “ i'll dump mine if you dump yours. ” it was lighthearted, yet filled with some semblance of honesty. shego harbored no good feelings towards the joker, she wasn't sure anyone actually did, but there was a level of respect she had for him in the reputation he'd built for himself, in the fear he'd weaponized so delicately. she strived for that herself. plopping the whole cucumber in her mouth, she chewed noisily as the staff quickly placed a new one over her eye, rendering her blind yet again. “ sounds good. he'll believe it because he didn't even do research into this place, either. i'll tell him we got robbed with sooooo many sales pitches that we just couldn't say no. to be polite. ” there was a pause as both hands reached up to give the staff a thumbs - up. “ and tipping. they're so good at what they do. what's next on the list ? ”

oh she could get used to this. alexis’ typical jobs left her with scraped knees and broken bones so a spa day wasn’t something she would ever decline especially when it was on someone else’s dime. shego had led her to the spot after a long debrief of what her boss expected from them but none of that mattered anymore when her body was practically becoming one with the soft padding under her. from her left came a generic zen playlist playing from tinny speakers that threatened to lull her to sleep. she was dangerously close to taking a nap when shego’s voice cut through her serenity. alexis couldn’t exactly relate to shego’s grievances. sure, joker had moments that alexis didn’t necessarily agree with but the man was a legend in itself. regardless of what irrationally stupid thing he did next, he would still be called the clown prince of crime and that was a crown alexis desperately yearned for.

“ i mean, you could just kill him and steal all his money. ” the hands kneading her shoulders came to an abrupt stop and she could feel their fingers tremble uncertainly. she leaned her head back and, despite the cucumbers impending her vision, aimed a bright grin at the startled masseuse. “ just kidding, hot stuff. it’s just bants. ” she definitely wasn’t kidding but they still had a job to do and shego would have her head if she got them kicked out so quickly. “ but seriously ‘go, you’re too good for him. dump your boss. ” she finally peeled the slices off her eyes and put them aside to look at shego. “ we make up an elaborate story about how there’s some trippy fumes in these spa diffusers that made us lose track of time. yanno, like the whole casinos and no clocks thing. ”