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Wherever Sturm's meeting today was, she hasn't got very far before she sees a familiar figure - small, hood up, cigarette hanging out of their mouth in the way that implies they've gotten a lot more comfortable smoking since the last time they've met up. While they're not quite limping, they're walking a little carefully, the way one might if they were nursing some sort of healing injury. They have their phone in their hand and aren't really paying attention to their surroundings at the moment. A rookie mistake, maybe, given that they've got their dark green bandanna loosely around their neck. At least they're still close to their home turf, here in northeast Philly.
"Fuckin' a, Kid." Oh hey, there's a familiar grumbling sound. Wonder who that could be on this side of town... "So you're cool to look at your goddamned phone out on someone else's turf," she tugs at the bandanna. "... but you don't text me back to say you're safe and sound? I gotta find out about you getting kidnapped by random chick I ain't never heard of?"
Honestly, as far as Sturm goes, she barely sounds grouchy. Maybe joy at fact that Calamity's alive - rather than rat food - is enough to overshadow her annoyance at amateur hour.
Calamity looks up half a second before Sturm starts talking - like they maybe heard her coming. More aware than they look like, maybe. Or maybe just lucky. They duck away as her hands as she goes to tug at the bandanna.
"Fuckin' forgot - had lots'a shit goin' on. Who told you?"
"Your punk-ass little friend. The nocturnal one," Sturm fixes them with a knowing look. "You just can't help yourself, can you?" Beat. "... and how the fuck you forget something like that, huh? I sent you like twenty fuckin' messages, kid."
"...Rena found you? Fuck d'you mean about not bein' able to help myself?" Calamity crosses their arms. "An' I fuckin' lost my phone, not my damn fault. Didn't get any'a your messages."
"Doin' stupid shit," she grunts. She flicks her wrist in a 'walk with me' kind of gesture, before lighting her own cigarette and - assuming Calamity follows - taking off. "You seriously gotta be careful kid. These fuckers don't fuck around - and K&A is the least dangerous shit you're meddling with."
They certainly do, trotting to keep up with her. "What sort'a stupid shit you think I done now? 'Side gettin' my self got. What...what'd she tell you 'bout that?" Calamity looks at her sideways, a little nervous.
"Don't be such a shit," Sturm laughs - and it's a fuckin' booming, boisterous sound that echoes off the nearby brick. "I ain't dumb. I know ain't nobody eats a punch like the one I threw at your friend without dying let alone staying standing to talk shit." She drops her voice again. "Which is why I say that you're fucking with shit you shouldn't."
Calamity flinches in surprise at the volume of Sturm's laugh. "...What makes you think I ain't got my own shit? An' what d'you know about..." there's a pause, while they wrestle with the way to describe what they're asking. "...the dangerous shit you think I'm walkin' into blind?"
"You might - but unless you're a fuckin' wizard or some shit... your shit just ain't that hot." She offers with a shrug. "... and I can't speak to whether you're going in blind, I can only speak to the depth."
"...Fuck're you, 'f you know about all this?" Calamity pauses, and gives Sturm an intense look up and down. Then they take a long drag of their cigarette, blowing the smoke away from Sturm as they exhale.
"I can't tell you that," her brow furrows, and she adopts a frown. "If I do, it... makes it more likely that you might end up like me - and I promise you very much that you do not want to end up like me."
"...Fuckin' prove to me you're somethin', or I'm not sayin' another word." Calamity crosses their arms.
The motion is lightning fast - and who would expect someone the size of Sturm to move that fuckin' fast anyway - her hands shoot out, and grab Calamity by the scruff of their shirt and lift them up towards her face.
... it isn't a violent action, though. There's a sudden chill that runs up Calamity's spine, and when they take their first shocked breath it's... not right. Rather than feeling like a breath full of muggy summer evening, their lungs fill with with brisk, invigorating cold.
... and then she sets them back down exactly where she'd grabbed them from.
Calamity yelps in surprise, their eyes going wide with fear, and reaches out to grab Sturm's arms to keep her from trying anything violent.
The sudden cold makes them cough, and they stumble away from her.
"...You're not a mage, or a...what Rena is." They wave their hand. "Right?"
"No, I am not." Her hands disappear back into the pockets of her coat. "... but I highly recommend that you don't try to figure out what - because I'm who they send to make sure those secrets stay safe."
"...Don't really care, honestly." Calamity shrugs. "Mean I'm...curious, but I know how secrets work. 'Least you told me you were somethin', stead'a tryin' to lie 'bout it. I know how'ta take care of myself, 'round Kindred, even 'f I'm not as powerful or anything." A beat, and they frown. "Mostly."
"Good," Sturm frowns. "Just... be fuckin' careful, alright? If not around them," she drops to a hushed whisper. "At least around these goons. They're about to get into some shit that I promise you don't want anything to do with, and I'd hate to see you tied up in it."
"What, K an' A? 'M always careful 'round them." That's a lie. That's so clearly a lie.
"You...don't wanna know more 'bout how I hid shit from you?" They look a little confused.
"I'm going to say this once right now, Kid." She leans in close, and Calamity can feel that cold air fill their lungs once more. "If you gotta lie to me you need to use the words "I'm not talking about this" because lying is bad for people like me, and you can really fuck someone up if you're not careful - or at least fucking good at it."
Haha get dunked on Calamity.
Calamity leeeeeans back, eyes going wide again. "...Yes'm." It's clearly a fear conditioned response, and their eyes flick to the ground. "Sorry."
She reads the reaction, and - less than a moment later - it's like something snaps in her brain - like she just got punched in the side of the head by an invisible Mike Tyson.
"I'm -- I'm sorry," she pinches the bridge of her nose between a thumb and forefinger. "I - I, uhh. I gotta get to a thing, kid. I'm sorry."
"...Kay." Their voice is quiet, and they still don't meet her eyes. "...You want my new number?"
Sturm pulls out her cheap burner phone, and opens a new contact page before passing it to Calamity. She doesn't look at them after making the handoff - focusing elsewhere.
Calamity types in the number as fast as they can, and hands it back. "...Sorry," they mutter again, and turn to walk away.
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