[Does not continue.] Time to crank…

You think to yourself that this would be a good time to go to your room and crank one out. After all, with the twins and Arabella still busy, you aren’t exactly swimming in many options. You look at your right hand and sigh. It had been a while since you had been this pent-up and **** for some kind of release. You internally curse and begin your short journey back to your room when someone calls out for you from behind. It’s Scarlet.

She jogs you up and stretches. “How lucky it is that I’ve stumbled over you in the lobby.”

You look at her; she’s sweating, and her face looks slightly sunburned from the extra time outside. “Why’s that lucky?”

”I didn’t want to take those elevators alone again,” she shivers, looking suspiciously at where they were.

You place your hands on your hips. “What's up with you and this building? Are you scared of something here?”

Scarlet makes a strange expression you can’t translate on your own. You piece together she has seen something, but whatever it was, she’s keeping it to herself. You notice that despite her sweaty forehead and gleaming forearms, she suddenly has goosebumps. “Scarlet?” You wave your hand at her and she snaps her gaze at you.

She purses her lips together and shakes her head slowly. “It’s the past, Warren. I had this dream last night, and it just…” she shakes her head and pinches the bridge of her nose. “It’s personal, and I’m not sharing it with you. I shouldn’t even have brought it up.”

”You better tell someone about it because I’m basically your only friend here.”

”That’s actually why I was looking for you,” she sees the chance to change the subject and takes it. “This circus has some rides they’re putting up over night for a little fair that’s going to be promoting their next big show. We’re running security and I want you to be my partner for the patrol groups.”

“No,” you say, waving her off. “You should split me up with the others. You, me, and Half-Gob should be running separate teams. We’re obviously the most experienced. so spread us out and lead the rookies.”

”I’m putting Sevens with Fifth-Finger and pairing Half-Gob with SoftSpot. Consider us a mobile HQ. If anything happens, (which it wont,) I can trust you splitting off and regrouping with any of the other teams.”

”Seven’s team is Numbers. Half-Gob’s team is Bravo. And we’re Core Team,” she continued, gestures to you at the end. “It’ll work out, I’m sure. Besides, we got the city filtering in guests and all visitors. The war going on at a local level is apparently hit a dry spell where both sides are too bloodied to do anything to each other, is tourism is up again. Great time to snag the locals into a good time.”

You shrug. “I don’t know enough about the area to say whether or not that’s a good idea.”

Scarlet looks at you. “I thought you were a contractor?”

”I am.”

”Then why are you wondering if this is a good idea or not. We’re getting paid, and as long as we don’t die then we did a good job. The fucks the issue?”

You regard Scarlet with annoyance, and she stifles her annoyance with a smile. You can’t read it, much like most of her other emotions you get from the girls here. Half-Gob included, obviously. “Alright, forgive my human instinct in wondering what’s the matter with you. When you get shot I’ll also ignore my sense to retrieve you.”

Finally, there’s a twist in her typically hard expression. You think she’s about to apologize, but she doesn’t. “Don’t be a dick.”

You’re about to retort, but sense an endless cycle is right around the corner if you do that. Right now, she seemed to be on decent enough terms with you, so why prode the bear? You change direction entirely and focus on the job you were both hired for. “What’s the deal then? Are we just going to start walking around?”

”Mostly, but the big man said we shouldn’t be dressed for work. He likes to keep all of us in uniform for the main event where such things are required. We’re casual, and will be carrying what’s good for us,” she scoffs. “Thank God, I’d probably have a heat stroke if we were expected to be wearing their standard kit for the whole day.”

”The whole day? How long does it last?”

”The whole day…. 10 in the morning until midnight for the entire weekend. This is a big push for sales,” she waves off. “We already talked about enough about this gig. Were you doing something that needed your attention now? I’d rather take you now and give you the rundown on the shit I DO have to carry.”