Post by skyeknight on May 15, 2016 18:29:37 GMT
For the next few weeks, Aqua dreaded walking into the BPD. Terra would be okay one day, but then others, if she so much as opened her mouth, Terra would glare at her until she shut up. They would often sit in silence, a tension lingering in the air almost thick enough to cut with a knife. She was miserable on patrol. He kept pointing out every mistake she made, harass her for every fumble or misplaced word. Terra was trying to bully her out, she was sure of it. He wanted to stop her from doing anything, which included talking to witnesses or comforting victims.
Aqua sighed. Another day it seemed. She had shown up on time for work, even with her treat to herself for getting through another miserable week from Nevermore, but when she walked in, the sweet taste of hot chocolate on her tongue curdled and she felt ill. Her heart sank when she heard laughter. She hesitated before starting to make her way to her desk, head down and hoping to attract as little attention as possible.
"Thinks she’s going to save the world? Wow, you sure got a dreamer there Terra!" someone laughed.
Aqua bit her lip. She could almost feel her face burning in shame. They were talking about her? Wasn’t Terra going to say something? Defend her? Perhaps that was hoping for too much. He didn’t even like her. But how could he say that about her? She just wanted to help people. He was a cop. The man making fun of her should have been trying to help others too, instead of indulging in office gossip. It’s why he took the job, right?
"Save the world? That's adorable."
"You’re going to have to teach her what’s what," someone else added.
Aqua found herself in front of the trio mocking her. Terra had seemingly just been sitting at his desk, drinking his coffee as the other two officers had been sitting there and badmouthing her. Terra looked up at her, dim blue eyes locked on hers in an impassive gaze. Aqua gave him the coldest glare she could muster. Some partner. He couldn’t even defend her if someone was talking about her. She was supposed to trust this guy to help her survive her first year on the streets as an officer? He wouldn’t even take a bullet for her!
"I'll see you at the car," she muttered.
She reached over the table, grabbed her gloves and put them on. She then snatched his keys off the desk. With that she left, trying to be as dignified as she could because they knew she had heard them talking. She didn’t want to let them know they got to her so she made a sharp turn on her heel and marching past the officers who were laughing about her. She could hear them howling in laughter as she left. Her face felt hot and her vision was staring to blur. She couldn’t cry! Not in front of the officers who were laughing at her! So she hurried out and to the garage. But by the time she got to the car, she could barely see because her eyes had grown so watery.
She slipped on her gloves and fumbled with the keys to get the car unlocked. A furious sniffle left her lips when she dropped the keys on accident. She reached to get them when a second hand came into her line of sight. She looked up to see Terra, offering the keys out to her. She took a step back, folding her arms across her chest. She couldn’t look him in the eyes, because he could see that she was crying but she couldn’t make herself stop. Terra withdrew his hand and the keys and watched her, rather quietly. She wanted to scream at him. Shout at him to say something but she was afraid of what she would say.
"I didn't know you were there or I would have told them to stop," he said.
"Yeah right," she dismissed.
"I would have."
Terra took her hand in his and placed the keys on her palm before he closed her fingers around them. She looked up at him, making no attempts to conceal her hurt. How was she supposed to believe him? She squeezed the keys in her palm, wincing a little at the hardened shape against her hand, but the gloves protected her from the pure heat of the iron in the keys. They couldn’t exactly have anything silver in case they arrested a werewolf.
"I would have," he repeated. "You’re my partner."
"Why were you letting them talk about me like that in the first place?" she demanded.
Terra sighed heavily. Aqua watched as her partner smoothed a hand through his hair. He looked tired, as if he had not got enough rest. It was the common wear and tear of the job. They had odd hours and long shifts. Aqua herself was going to develop this much later but she would never realize it. She would just give everything she had to the job. But he also looked like he didn’t want to be having this conversation with her.
"Would you believe me if I said I’m not a morning person?" Terra asked with a sheepish smile. "That I can’t function until I finish at least three cups?"
"What?"
"I wasn’t paying attention to them until I saw how upset you were," Terra clarified.
"And what about all those other times?"
Terra looked at her in confusion. Aqua’s frown became a little sterner. She folded her arms across her chest and raised her brow expectantly. Terra was right to look moderately concerned by her. She glared up at him, finally through with tiptoeing around him like she was walking on glass. She grew up in an orphanage surrounded by other children. She knew how to avoid taking crap from older kids, not to mention the more stubborn kids.
"Other times?"
"You wouldn’t let me take statements? You glared at me every time I opened my mouth on a case?" she pointed out, "The silences?"
Terra rubbed the back of his neck, quickly avoiding her pointed gaze. He at least had the sensibility about him to look guilty for treating her the way that he had. But it didn’t answer Aqua’s question as to why he had treated her like that. She wasn’t going to let him off the hook until she knew. She had to know what it was about her that made him think he could treat her like some second class citizen but she had a sinking feeling about the reason. Aqua was about demand an answer again when he sighed heavily.
"Yeah," he muttered, "About that. It’s just... You're my first trainee... Geeze, I sure blew it already. Listen, Aqua, none of that was personal. It was the lack of coffee and the fact you scare me."
Aqua felt her shoulders drop. She probably looked quite defeated in that moment but she was beyond the point of caring what Terra thought of her. She scared him? She should have guessed as much. Why would a human want an Other for a partner? She had listened to it time and time again about how unnatural she was. People were starting to change their opinions of others but there were still people who hated them. Terra was human. She was a faery. It made sense that she made him feel uncomfortable.
"If it's that bad you can request a new partner," she said, trying not to cry again.
"It's not that I'm scared of you!" Terra said quickly realizing his mistake, "I'm scared because I don’t want to see you get hurt. You're still new to all this and the job is dangerous. My last partner didn't retire, he died on duty. I didn’t want to lose another."
Aqua sighed. She took his hand in hers. Terra’s guilty expression met hers. She offered him a tire smile. If they could clear this up, then things could only go up from here, right? Terra was probably right to be scared of what could happen to his partner. She was just a rookie. She knew the book like the back of her hand, but what good was that for her in the field? He had just lost a partner and they were already reassigning him with a replacement. She would feel a little edgy too.
"Terra, we do this together then." She said. "As partners. No more secrets, okay? And I'm sorry about your partner."
Aqua sighed. Another day it seemed. She had shown up on time for work, even with her treat to herself for getting through another miserable week from Nevermore, but when she walked in, the sweet taste of hot chocolate on her tongue curdled and she felt ill. Her heart sank when she heard laughter. She hesitated before starting to make her way to her desk, head down and hoping to attract as little attention as possible.
"Thinks she’s going to save the world? Wow, you sure got a dreamer there Terra!" someone laughed.
Aqua bit her lip. She could almost feel her face burning in shame. They were talking about her? Wasn’t Terra going to say something? Defend her? Perhaps that was hoping for too much. He didn’t even like her. But how could he say that about her? She just wanted to help people. He was a cop. The man making fun of her should have been trying to help others too, instead of indulging in office gossip. It’s why he took the job, right?
"Save the world? That's adorable."
"You’re going to have to teach her what’s what," someone else added.
Aqua found herself in front of the trio mocking her. Terra had seemingly just been sitting at his desk, drinking his coffee as the other two officers had been sitting there and badmouthing her. Terra looked up at her, dim blue eyes locked on hers in an impassive gaze. Aqua gave him the coldest glare she could muster. Some partner. He couldn’t even defend her if someone was talking about her. She was supposed to trust this guy to help her survive her first year on the streets as an officer? He wouldn’t even take a bullet for her!
"I'll see you at the car," she muttered.
She reached over the table, grabbed her gloves and put them on. She then snatched his keys off the desk. With that she left, trying to be as dignified as she could because they knew she had heard them talking. She didn’t want to let them know they got to her so she made a sharp turn on her heel and marching past the officers who were laughing about her. She could hear them howling in laughter as she left. Her face felt hot and her vision was staring to blur. She couldn’t cry! Not in front of the officers who were laughing at her! So she hurried out and to the garage. But by the time she got to the car, she could barely see because her eyes had grown so watery.
She slipped on her gloves and fumbled with the keys to get the car unlocked. A furious sniffle left her lips when she dropped the keys on accident. She reached to get them when a second hand came into her line of sight. She looked up to see Terra, offering the keys out to her. She took a step back, folding her arms across her chest. She couldn’t look him in the eyes, because he could see that she was crying but she couldn’t make herself stop. Terra withdrew his hand and the keys and watched her, rather quietly. She wanted to scream at him. Shout at him to say something but she was afraid of what she would say.
"I didn't know you were there or I would have told them to stop," he said.
"Yeah right," she dismissed.
"I would have."
Terra took her hand in his and placed the keys on her palm before he closed her fingers around them. She looked up at him, making no attempts to conceal her hurt. How was she supposed to believe him? She squeezed the keys in her palm, wincing a little at the hardened shape against her hand, but the gloves protected her from the pure heat of the iron in the keys. They couldn’t exactly have anything silver in case they arrested a werewolf.
"I would have," he repeated. "You’re my partner."
"Why were you letting them talk about me like that in the first place?" she demanded.
Terra sighed heavily. Aqua watched as her partner smoothed a hand through his hair. He looked tired, as if he had not got enough rest. It was the common wear and tear of the job. They had odd hours and long shifts. Aqua herself was going to develop this much later but she would never realize it. She would just give everything she had to the job. But he also looked like he didn’t want to be having this conversation with her.
"Would you believe me if I said I’m not a morning person?" Terra asked with a sheepish smile. "That I can’t function until I finish at least three cups?"
"What?"
"I wasn’t paying attention to them until I saw how upset you were," Terra clarified.
"And what about all those other times?"
Terra looked at her in confusion. Aqua’s frown became a little sterner. She folded her arms across her chest and raised her brow expectantly. Terra was right to look moderately concerned by her. She glared up at him, finally through with tiptoeing around him like she was walking on glass. She grew up in an orphanage surrounded by other children. She knew how to avoid taking crap from older kids, not to mention the more stubborn kids.
"Other times?"
"You wouldn’t let me take statements? You glared at me every time I opened my mouth on a case?" she pointed out, "The silences?"
Terra rubbed the back of his neck, quickly avoiding her pointed gaze. He at least had the sensibility about him to look guilty for treating her the way that he had. But it didn’t answer Aqua’s question as to why he had treated her like that. She wasn’t going to let him off the hook until she knew. She had to know what it was about her that made him think he could treat her like some second class citizen but she had a sinking feeling about the reason. Aqua was about demand an answer again when he sighed heavily.
"Yeah," he muttered, "About that. It’s just... You're my first trainee... Geeze, I sure blew it already. Listen, Aqua, none of that was personal. It was the lack of coffee and the fact you scare me."
Aqua felt her shoulders drop. She probably looked quite defeated in that moment but she was beyond the point of caring what Terra thought of her. She scared him? She should have guessed as much. Why would a human want an Other for a partner? She had listened to it time and time again about how unnatural she was. People were starting to change their opinions of others but there were still people who hated them. Terra was human. She was a faery. It made sense that she made him feel uncomfortable.
"If it's that bad you can request a new partner," she said, trying not to cry again.
"It's not that I'm scared of you!" Terra said quickly realizing his mistake, "I'm scared because I don’t want to see you get hurt. You're still new to all this and the job is dangerous. My last partner didn't retire, he died on duty. I didn’t want to lose another."
Aqua sighed. She took his hand in hers. Terra’s guilty expression met hers. She offered him a tire smile. If they could clear this up, then things could only go up from here, right? Terra was probably right to be scared of what could happen to his partner. She was just a rookie. She knew the book like the back of her hand, but what good was that for her in the field? He had just lost a partner and they were already reassigning him with a replacement. She would feel a little edgy too.
"Terra, we do this together then." She said. "As partners. No more secrets, okay? And I'm sorry about your partner."