Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

  A proud skyline stands in front of a blue sky. A rollercoaster and ferris wheel are visible from the beach filled with thousands of people. All of them moving across the beach. The camera pans to the beach around them. Seagulls fight each other to get the fries scattered across the sandy beaches. 

   "So what can you tell us about yourself and where we are?" A man's voice asks. 

 "I'm Cleon. Leader of the Warriors." The camera cuts to a woman sitting behind a desk in a dark office. The office is illuminated by a deep red glow. The woman at the desk sits with her legs crossed. She has a powerful aura surrounding her that is only heightened by the red glow surrounding her. 

   The name 'Cleon' is edited underneath her in white. 

   "As far as you can see from the top of the Wonder Wheel, is our turf. Which is the entirety of Coney Island." The woman holds an aura of superiority as she speaks. The camera angle is moved slightly, before quickly being readjusted. There's a moment of silence. Cleon doesn't speak, neither does the cameraman. 

   "Is there anything else that you can share with us?" The cameraman asks, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Like any fun parts of the island? Or places to stay away from?" 

   Cleon smiles at the camera. "Probably, but we can't just give away all of our secrets. That's why we put the bag over your head before you got here."

   "Right well then… Can you tell us anything about your crew?" 

   Cleon, folds her arms over her chest and leans back in her chair. The chair lets out a creak as she does. "Oh sure! But I should warn you. There's quite a few of us. So get comfortable because the list is very long." Cleon straightens back up, and moves to a drawer under the desk. She grabs out a large red binder and sets it on the desk with a loud slam. The camera zooms on the Red binder filled almost to the brim, with many tabs sticking out of it ranging from year, to the English alphabet. As Cleon's voice speaks up again, the camera moves back up to her. She places a hand on the binder. "So do we want alphabetically, age, or when they joined? We charted all of it." 

   The camera man clears his throat. "How about we uh… Just talk about those you're closest to?" 

   Cleon smiles, opens the drawer again, and slides the binder back into it. The binder falls with a thud shaking the desk. "Well there's…" She sticks out two fingers.

"Cochise and Cowgirl."

~

   The scene cuts to across the street from a red brick apartment building in the early morning. The apartment is flanked by two stores. 'Ben's BBQ' to the right and 'Fashion Fashion Walk' to the left. Both of which are beginning to open for the day. The white door to the apartment opens and two women exit. Both of them dressed in a red vest. One of them, in a cowboy hat. Which is certainly a stylistic choice. 

  "So I look nice, right? You're sure?" The one in the cowboy hat asks. The name "Cowgirl" appears under her in editing. 

   "Girl for the last time, you look great!" The other seems exasperated. 'Cochise' is written under her. 

   Cowgirl readjusts her hat. "Not too much?" 

   "Oh no you're definitely trying too much." The camera follows the two women from a distance, as they walk down the street. 

   Cowgirl slaps Cochise's shoulder. "Sorry, some of us wanna look nice!" 

   "Right. You're not doing this for any other reason." Cochise puts her hands in her pockets and leans towards Cowgirl. "Not for any specific reason involving a certain someone~ riiight?" 

   Cowgirl playfully shoves Cochise away. "I can have more than one goal!" Cochise laughs, throwing her head up. "Shut up! Don't act like you've never done something similar!" 

   Cochise regains her composure, still smiling. "Yeah yeah, don't stress. I ain't judging. Let's just go. Cleon's waiting for us." With that, the two continue their walk down the street, rounding the corner. Right before cutting from view, Cochise turns her head to make eye contact with the cameraman. She stares at the glint of the lens for a moment before continuing. 

~

  Back with Cleon, she now holds up four fingers. "Then we got… Fox and Rembrandt."

~

   The camera opens to a girl standing next to an old busted up gray building. The building is decorated with a mural of the Warriors logo on it. 

   'Rembrandt.' Is written under her. 

   A few spots appear to be blank. The young woman rubs a hand down the mural. She looks around over her shoulder for a second, making sure she's not being followed, before pulling a can of red spray paint from her pocket. The girl then turns back to the mural, giving the can a fierce spray. The camera zooms in on the girl, focusing on the art. 

   Right before it is snatched out of the cameraman's hands. "Hey!" The cameraman yells.

   "I got it, Rembrandt! Let's go!" The voice holding the camera now yells. The camera angle is now stored in the girl's vest, covering the screen in black. 

   The name 'Fox' appears from the black of the screen. 

~

   Back with Cleon, the woman now has her legs resting on the desk. "Course there's my number two. Swan. And her girl Mercy. A Warrior too." 

~

   The new camera shows the backs of two girls walking down the street holding hands. The camera crew follows silently behind them. No words are shared between the two women as they walk. Wordlessly, they take a sharp turn down an alleyway. The cameraman hurries to follow after. Once turning down the alley, the camera pans around the alleyway searching for the two. 

   "Where did they…" The cameraman pants in confusion, right before a thud is heard from behind him. He lets out a grunt before dropping the camera and falling to the floor. The screen of the camera cracks, the right side becoming covered in a static. From the now broken lens, it shows the two girls. One of which is hovering over the cameraman keeping him pinned in place. 

   The name 'Swan' appears underneath her.

   The other of the two stands over then, and kicks him in his side. 

   'Mercy' appears under her. 

   "Fucking creeper following two girls around with a camera!" Mercy yells. "Just what were you trying to record huh? Gonna show it to your buddies later? Pervert!" 

   Swan pushes the man's face hard into the dirty ground. "Who are you running with?" She asks. "Orphans? Moonrunners? Turnbull ACs? Far walk from the Bronx." 

   "No! I'm not with any gang! I'm-" He cuts off as Swan presses harder. He then reaches out towards the camera. 

   Mercy and Swan both turn to the camera which is pointed at them. They then look at each other, then back at the camera. Mercy walks over to the camera and lifts it up. She holds it out and studies it. "You're really desperate for this camera huh?" Mercy clicks her tongue. "Dang. This looks super expensive." She turns her head back to Swan and the man. "Hey buddy, is this super expensive? How much?" 

   "Babe!" Swan calls, sounding exasperated. 

   "Right right!" Mercy then lifts the camera over her head, and then slams it on the ground. The screen goes black with a final crack. 

~

   Back with Cleon, she smiles at the camera. "And you guys are in for a real treat tonight. Because guess who comes back?" Cleon prompts. "That's right! The one and only-" Cleon is cut off by the doors to the dark office getting thrown open. 

   "Cleon we got a problem." Swan says as she and the other Warriors enter. The camera turns to look at them. Each Warriors, except for Cowgirl and Cochise look frazzled. Fox is very obviously hiding something in her pocket as she walks in after Swan. She's tailed by Rembrandt and Mercy. 

   "These camera bozos have been tailing us all day!" Fox yells. As Swan sets the broken camera on Cleon's desk. 

   "Look! They're everywhere!" Cochise points a finger at the cameraman. "Even in here!" 

   Swan looks pissed at the camera. She walks over to it, with her hand reaching out to grab it.

   "Hey wait!" Cleon calls. The Warriors and the camera turn to look at her. "They're supposed to be here!" 

   The Warriors look back at the camera in confusion. Then back at Cleon.

  Rembrandt then looks back at the camera and back at Cleon. "What are you talking about?" She asks, still turning. 

   "Yeah. It's something the Riffs thought of. Bring more attention to our crew." Cleon explains. 

   "If it's gonna bring so much attention, why don't the Riffs use it then?" Mercy asks, placing a hand on her hip. 

   "Why do the Riffs do anything?" Cleon asks. "But we owe them a lot. They helped both Fox and Ajax. Remember that?" 

   Fox suddenly looks bashful and removes the camera that was stored in her vest. The camera view changes to the one in Fox's hands, which has been recording the entire time. Fox looks down at it with a red face in embarrassment. "I stole a Riff's camera?" Fox sounds remorseful as she speaks. 

   The view pans back to everyone as Rembrandt takes the camera from Fox. "Don't feel bad." Rembrandt sets it down on the desk next to the broken camera. "Swan and Mercy broke a Riff's camera." She places a comforting hand on Fox's shoulder. "That's gotta be, what? At least ten times worse right?"

   Mercy sputters, turning back to Rembrandt. "Yeah? Well! Cochise and Cowgirl-" Mercy stuck out a hand, gesturing to the two of them. Cowgirl and Cochise look back at her. Crossing their arms over their chest. "Didn't break anything." 

   Swan pinches the bridge of her nose. "Look it doesn't matter who broke or stole what. Cleon," Swan picks her head up to look at their leader. "Why didn't you tell us about these guys?" 

   "Well I was going to tell you. In this meeting. How was I supposed to know these guys were gonna follow y'all around early like creeps?" Cleon looks past the Warriors at the guy behind the camera. "And anyways think of this as a fun new thing for us." 

   "Yeah. A new thing for us to worry about." Swan mumbles under her breath.

   Cleon ignores her and continues. "Speaking of fun!" She turns back to the camera man. "As I was saying earlier. Y'all are in for a treat." She points at the camera. "Ajax gets out of jail today!" Jazz hands follow. 

   The other Warriors share a look between one another. 

   "Ajax is gonna hate this." Rembrandt, deadpans.. 

   "What?" Cowgirl asks, with a mock expression of shock. "But Ajax loves having her privacy invaded. How could she hate this?" 

   "That's the spirit!" Cleon, claps her hands. "Mercy, you're picking her up from the station." 

   "Mercy?" Swan, Cowgirl, and Fox ask at the same time. 

   "Why Mercy?" Cochise asks. 

   "Probably because I have great people skills and everyone loves to be around me?" Mercy pressed a hand to her chest. 

   "And she's the only one of you who somehow, doesn't have a criminal record." Cleon informs them. 

   Murmurs of "Oh yeah." Travel around the room. 

   "How'd you manage that anyway?" Rembrandt asks, looking up at her. "Weren't you-" 

   Mercy places a hand over Rembrandt's mouth and smiles threateningly down at her. "An outstanding and valuable member of society? Yes. Yes I was." She then turns back to look at the camera, tossing her hair over her shoulder. 

"Cochise and Cowgirl go with, and stay out of trouble. Ajax would like familiar faces. Let Mercy get Ajax, then get right back here to Coney. Got it? No detours." Cleon instructed. "The rest of you? Let's get this place ready for Ajax's return. A good old fashioned Warriors welcome!"

   The Warriors stay standing around the desk. 

   Cleon claps her hands. "Alright let's go!" 

~

   "So what, I just talk to you and tell you about my day and what I'm doing." The scene shows Mercy in the subway station. People walk around behind her, ignoring the camera. The cameraman nods off screen and Mercy rolls her eyes. "That's weird. Do you want me to, like, introduce myself or something?"

   "Yes please." The camera crew replies.

   "Okay well, I'm Mercy. One of the newer members of the Warriors. I've been with them for about… eight or so months now? Time really flies. Hard to keep track." Mercy smiles at the camera. "I've been around a few other groups in my life, and trust me. No one is as official and hard as the Warriors. It's like a family. A true force of comradery and loyalty and- Just a bad ass group of women."

   "You were in other gangs?" The cameraman asks. 

   Mercy's smile falters for a moment. "Well I'm not so sure that's how I would phrase it but-"

  "Mercy! Come on, let's go!" Cochise calls from the doorway to the subway cart. Cowgirl already sits in the train behind her. 

   "Well there's the train! Let's go!" Mercy turns to the train, but pauses, turning back to the cameraman as he also moves to follow. "I'd put the camera away. People on trains are not fans of being recorded. Also, if you get jumped it's not on us."

~

   The camera moves around a decently sized apartment painted white. The camera pans to a large L shaped brown couch in the center of the room. The cushions appear well lived on. There's a wooden coffee table in front of the couch with three cans of spray paint, a stack of coasters, and a copy of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' to the Galaxy on top of it. 

   "You guys really are in for a treat tonight! Ajax is the best. Super strong. Super bold. A bit overly confident but everyone has their faults." Rembrandt's voice appears. "Ajax lived with Fox and me before the whole… yeah." Rembrandt tells the camera crew as they stand in the living room of her apartment. Behind her are picture frames showcasing many of the Warriors in many different lights. "It was just me and Fox for a bit. The two of us being the youngest an' all. Then, after Ajax's old roommate West got jumped, -fly high man- she moved in with us." Rembrandt began to move around the apartment, leading the camera crew. The camera follows Rembrandt through the apartment to a hall with four doors. Rembrandt turns to the camera, and puts a hand on the first door to the left. "This is the restroom. We tragically only get one, but hey! Better than none!" Rembrandt continues down the hall. "That's Fox's room. Super neat in there. Kinda impressive honestly." 

   "Quit talking about my room." Fox appears from another door further down the hall on the right. She's holding a mountain of gray, red, and dark black  blankets in her hands. Only her hair is visible over the mass. Fox drops the pile with a huff. Her eyes immediately widen when seeing the camera crew. "Oh they're in our house." 

   "What, did you think I was talking to myself like a crazy person?" 

   "Wouldn't be a stretch." 

   "Anyways, since Ajax is coming back, Fox and me are cleaning up her room. Getting it ready for when she's back." Rembrandt explains. 

   Scratching is suddenly heard from the door furthest down the hall. Rembrandt and Fox freeze, looking at the door, at each other, and then back at the camera crew. 

   "Anyways, come on! We'll show you just how sketchy our laundry room is." Rembrandt helps Fox pick back up the blankets, and then ushers the camera crew out. 

~

   The scene changes to an open room with various Warriors moving around chairs and tables. At the edge of the clearing, Swan brings in two kegs, and sets them beside a table with various bottles of liquor ranging from Gin to Peach Schnapps. "Here you go Snow." Swan tells the person standing by the table, taking note of the inventory. "Don't let Vermin in here before Ajax takes the first sip. Vermin will finish an entire keg by themselves before we even notice it's gone." The person named Snow laughs and shakes their head. Swan smiles as well. 

   The next scene shows Swan standing away from the other Warriors moving around the banquet. Swan looks at the camera with an unreadable expression on her face. 

   "And you are?" The cameraman asks. 

   "Swan." 

   An uncomfortable silence washes over the group. 

   "And what exactly is going on here?" 

   "We're getting the place ready for Ajax. She's been gone for about eight months. This is like a welcome back party." 

  "Are you happy Ajax is coming back?"

   "Of course." 

   The silence returns. 

   "Well uh…" 

   "Look, do we have to do this? Can't you go see what literally anyone else is up to?" 

~

  "Oh Swan? Yeah she's not much of a talker." Fox tells the camera. She's standing in a dimly lit yellow room with loud buzzing in the background. Behind her is a washing machine currently bouncing around in an out of control manner. "But she's the most loyal person I know. Taught me everything. Well not everything, but close."

   "Sometimes Mercy and her invite us over for meals!" Rembrandt calls from behind the camera. The camera turns to look at her. She's leaning over a large washing machine, pressing the buttons in a random order. The machine buzzes to life, and Rembrandt backs up from it. 

   "Swan and Mercy live in our apartment two floors up." Fox explains. The camera turning back towards her. "Swan is the one who showed us how the washers work down here. You select the 30 minutes button. Then 15 minutes. Then quick wash. Then normal wash. Then press start. Works every time." 

   A loud pop is heard from behind, followed by a yelp from Rembrandt. 

   "Works, almost every time." Fox chuckles nervously. 

~

   "How long has Mercy been in there?" Cowgirl asks. Her and Cochise are standing in an alleyway across the street from the police station. "This shit is taking forever." 

   "With our luck, Ajax got her ass a longer sentence." Cochise mumbles. 

   "Please. She does that, and I'm getting my ass arrested just to beat hers." 

   Cochise laughs at that. 

   After a few more seconds of waiting, the door to the station opens and Mercy walks out. Followed a few steps behind by another person. Cowgirl and Cochise grab each other's arms in excitement as the two walk towards them. 

   "Hey quit hiding in there like wimps and greet me!" The newcomer calls at them. 

 As if set off, Cowgirl and Cochise immediately spring forward and embrace her. "Ajax!" The two yell as they throw their arms around their friend. 

   "Quit crying so loud! I'm back and better than ever, baby! Tell me you two didn't think a cell would hold me forever." Ajax laughs. 

   "Never had a doubt." Cochise assures. "Just didn't think it'd be so soon. How'd you manage that?" 

   "Oh come on. You know me. I got out on good behavior. I'm a staple citizen." Ajax, moves away from the two of them. 

   The name 'Ajax' is edited under her. 

   "Putting that life of crime behind me." She joked. 

   "Guess you don't wanna see what we have planned for you tonight then huh, staple citizen?" Cowgirl teased, rolling her eyes. 

   "Pssh!" Ajax, tossed her right arm over Cowgirl's shoulders. "Even the most astounding citizens have their bad days." Ajax's voice seemed to lower an octave as she spoke to Cowgirl. 

   "What is happening?" Mercy asks, whispering to Cochise. 

   "I try not to draw attention to it." Cochise whispered back. She waved them off. 

   "Also what's with this?" Ajax turned back to Mercy. "She's really in the crew now?" 

   "Got a problem?" Mercy asked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

   Cochise and Cowgirl exchanged a glance as the other two stared at each other. A tense silence washed over the group. 

   It was Ajax who broke the silence. "Naah. You're alright Mercy. Swan could use a girlfriend. That girl is so uptight. Lord knows she needs help unwinding. Hopefully that means she's less bossy." Ajax turned away from the others, staring at the cameraman. 

   "I don't know. I'm a big fan of bossy Swan." Mercy said, followed by a laugh, and a high-five from Cowgirl. 

   "What's the deal with this guy?" Ajax asked, looking straight into the camera. "You got a problem punk? Sitting there all quiet, just recording us huh? What are you? Some creep?" Ajax began to walk towards the cameraman. The cameraman took a step back in fear, holding out an arm. 

   "Ajax don't!" Cowgirl calls. 

   "Cleon will be pissed if we break another camera!" Cochise added. 

   "Cleon set this up?" Ajax asks. 

   "Well it was more of a Masai and the Riffs thing, but yeah. She approved it." Cochise told her. 

   Ajax seemed to straighten up at the mention of The Gramercy Riffs. She looked at the camera once more, before turning back to the Warriors. "So what? They just follow us around now? Like we're some kind of nature documentary? Creeps." With that, Ajax began to walk away from the camera and the alley. "Let's get going. I'm starving, and need a drink. This creepy recorder can buy. Worse comes to worse, we sell the camera." 

   "We aren't supposed to take any detours." Cochise said, following after Ajax. 

   "If we stop somewhere, we'll have to get Fox a hotdog. She'll kill us if we don't." Cowgirl followed after. 

   Mercy looked at the cameraman. "Told you to keep the camera away. Now you're buying lunch." Mercy reached up and tapped the top of the camera. "Thanks buddy!" She then followed after the other Warriors. 

~

   The scene changes back to Rembrandt and Fox's apartment. Fox sits on the island in the kitchen. A bowl of fruit sits beside her filled with an assortment of oranges, apples, and pears. A banana hook sits over the bowl. The young Warrior kicks her feet as she takes a bite from the apple in the bowl. "Rembrandt went with the others to help set up the bar for Ajax's return, but I figured I'd finish putting Ajax's room together before heading over." She takes another bite from the apple. "Y'all want anything?" Fox asks, around the apple. "We got chips, though those are for when Ajax gets back, old protein bars, also Ajax's, some jello, only the purple though, we don't like grape flavor. Oh! We have fruit." She pushes the bowl towards the camera crew. 

   The cameraman doesn't reach for anything. 

   "It's surprising right? For the apartment of a 'dangerous gang member' to be so neat and tidy, but I actually think that a clean and tidy space is the first step to a healthy work ethic. Cleon is actually the one who taught me that. You should see her place. When I first joined I stayed with her for a bit. Let me tell you, she runs a tight ship. This one time-" Fox stops her rambling, and sets the apple core down. She then reaches for a banana from the hook. "I'm not talking too much am I?" 

   The camera moves left to right, in a 'no' motion. 

   "Good. Because normally I don't talk at all, so this is really new for me. Guess it's easier when no one is going to really hear what you say right?" She laughs, beginning to peel the banana. She pauses her peeling and snaps her head back up to the camera. "No one is going to hear this right?" 

~

   The scene changes once more to somewhere outside Coney Island around 8 PM. The sun is beginning to set in the distance. Cleon walks down the street holding several grocery bags in her hands, and humming some random tune. She walks with a pep in her step. The camera crew follows silently behind her. After a few moments of following, Cleon stops at a rundown looking building. She then suddenly snaps around to look at the camera. "Dang! Y'all really are creepy! Following all quiet and shit. No wonder Swan broke your camera. I would've too!" 

   The leader of the Warriors then turns back to the building, and places her free hand on the handle, pulling it open. Without waiting for the camera crew to follow, she goes through the door. It shuts on the crew behind her. Once getting the door open, the camera pans around the large room. Many people in vests move around the room holding various party items from balloons, bottles of alcohol, chairs, napkins, and plates. The camera stops moving when it lands on Cleon, who is halfway across the room already, walking towards a table in the corner. On the table are various snack items. Swan stands at the table as well. 

   When the cameraman reaches the table, Cleon has sat her bags down already. Swan immediately moving to unbag them. "Y'all need to walk faster." Cleon tells them. "How are you gonna follow us, if you can't even keep up with us now?" 

   The camera crew doesn't answer. 

   "Why are you talking to them?" Swan asks, looking up at Cleon. 

   "Because that's what they're here for?" Cleon says, confused. "What else would I do with them, if they're gonna follow me?" 

   Swan shrugs. "I just ignore them." She says, like it's obvious. 

   "Wasn't there one who was sent here with you? Where'd they go?" Cleon asks, looking around the room. 

   "Kept asking me questions. So I told him to sit over there." Swan points to a random spot in the room. The camera follows her pointing to the edge of the room where another cameraman sits on a stool away from everyone. It then turns back to Cleon and Swan. 

   Cleon makes a humming sound as if considering sending the other one to the stool as well.  "Anyways, we're all set up here. Are others back yet?" Cleon asks. 

   Swan looks at Cleon, concern spreading on her face. "They're not back yet? I thought they'd be with you?"

   "They probably just got to the subway station late. You know how it is." Cleon waved a hand as she spoke.

   "Do you want me to go look for them?" Swan asks, immediately moving from around the table. 

   Cleon holds out a hand to stop her. "Hold on there killer. Let's give them time. Ajax just got out. She probably had to make a few stops." The Leader of the Warriors attempts to defuse the situation. 

   Swan contemplates this for a moment before nodding reluctantly. "You're right. But if they're out drinking right now, I'm going to kill them."

~

   "Swan's going to kill us." Mercy says, from where she's standing in the subway station. In the distance, Ajax and Cowgirl are a few feet away. Ajax attempting to balance an open bottle of Beefeater on her left middle and index finger. Cowgirl stands next to her, keeping a hand on the top of the bottle so it doesn't fall. The two of them are laughing loudly as the bottle sways back and forth. "How did we miss the train?!"

   "Who knows why things happen." Cochise comes up from behind Mercy and slaps a hand on her back. "Best start thinking of a good apology now." She suggests. In her hands, Cochise holds a white to-go box. 

   Mercy groans loudly, rubbing a hand down her face. 

~

   Back at Coney Island the party is in full swing. The room is covered in dark red mood lighting highlighting the party goers in a vibrant glow. A Bruce Springsteen song plays from a radio in the distance. Various Warriors move around the room in a joyous manner. Laughter and voices fill the room.

   In the corner of the party, Swan, Cleon, Rembrandt, and Fox stand around a table. Above the table they stand around is a recycled happy birthday banner. The letters 'A-j-a-x-i-s-b-a-c-k-y-a-y' have been spray painted over the previous words. The four of them silently watch the entrance to the party. 

   "Well, no use letting all this go to waste. Lets get this party started." Cleon speaks up, breaking the silence. She reaches for a bottle of Titos and two red solo cups. "Rembrandt, pass me that orange juice." She says, as she pours a generous amount of liquor into the cups. She then pours the orange juice into each. "Here ya go Swan. Drink up." Cleon slides the second cup to the other Warrior. 

   Swan pushes the cup away from her. "No thanks." She deadpans, still watching the door. 

   "Suit yourself." Cleon shrugs, taking a long drink from her cup. "Fox? Rembrandt? Ready to take the plunge? I make a mean screwdriver."

   Fox politely declines. 

   "Mine then!" Rembrandt cheers, immediately scooping the cup up. She takes a sip before grimacing at the burn of the liquor. "That's strong!" Rembrandt stutters. 

   "Told you, I make it mean." Cleon laughs. She then places a hand on Rembrandt's shoulder and guides her away from the table. "Let's leave these two party-poopers and go mingle." 

   "Can I get another?" 

   "Let's try to finish this one first." 

   The two leave Fox and Swan at the table by themselves. They sit in silence as the party goes on around them. 

   Fox chuckles at something happening in the distance, and points to it, drawing Swan's attention away from the door. "Looks like Snow lost the battle of will to Vermin. Vermin's doing a keg stand!" 

   Swan lets out a slight snort before turning back to the entrance. "Guess it's Ajax's loss if there's none left for her." 

   Fox hums. "Why aren't you drinking then? Help lower the supply." 

   "Why aren't you drinking?" Swan counters. 

   "I'm not old enough." 

   "You've definitely done worse. Plus I've seen you drink before." 

   The younger girl shrugs. "Maybe I just don't want to drink tonight." 

   "Maybe I don't want to." 

   A silence washes over the two of them again. Fox reaches across the table for the orange juice and grabs a cup. She pours the liquid into her cup. "I'm nervous about seeing Ajax again." Fox admits, taking a drink from the cup. "Excited of course, but nervous. Not that Ajax has ever done anything wrong but the last time I saw her…" Fox trails off. 

   Swan turns to Fox. A sympathetic look on her face. "You don't have to be nervous." Swan tried. 

   "I know. Still though. I just… its been awhile." Fox sighed. 

   Swan nods her head. "I'm nervous too." She admits. Fox looks at her with a shocked expression. "About Mercy and the others not being back yet." Swan continues. Fox nods. "And also about seeing Ajax again. That night she got arrested, you know the one, I left her." She looks away from Fox and down at the table. "I left you too. It's my fault that what happened, happened." 

   Fox shook her head. "No Swan, what happened to me wasn't your fault. I made my own choice that night and Ajax did too." Fox assured. "I don't blame you, and Ajax… Well who knows what Ajax thinks, but it will be fine!" 

   Swan nods at that. "Right. Fine." 

   "Now as for what's taking Mercy, Cowgirl, Cochise, and Ajax so long to get back? I don't know about that." 

   Swan grabs the bottle of Titos and pours a large amount into a cup. She then reaches across the table to Fox's cup and pours some there as well. Fox looks at the camera. 

~

   The scene changes to Ajax, Cowgirl, Cochise, and Mercy walking down a sidewalk somewhere in Coney as the cameraman follows. Cochise leads the group through the town, still holding the takeout box in her hands. Cowgirl and Ajax drunkenly follow after her. Mercy brings up the rear of the group. 

   "We are so dead." Mercy tells them. 

   "Pleaaase, no one's gonna care if we're just a little late." Cowgirl laughs. 

   "I'm sure they'll understand us being late, but late and drunk? We're dead." Mercy reiterates.

   "Naaaaaah. They'll understand. It's my first day out! Everyone's gotta cut loose sometime!" Ajax assures. She stumbles over her feet slightly. Which causes Cowgirl to laugh harder. The two hold onto each other for support. 

   "Can we at least try to pull it together?" Mercy asks, annoyed. 

   "Ooo touchy." 

   "When'd you get so uptight Mercy? I thought you were a free bird or something. Guess Swan must be rubbing off on you." Ajax teased.

   "Bet she is rubbing off on her in numerous ways." Cowgirl whispered into Ajax's ear. Which caused them both to break out into another loud fit of giggles. 

   Mercy looks back at the camera. "Children. Literal children." She tells the cameraman around Cowgirl and Ajax's burst of laughter. 

   Cochise stops walking as she reaches a rundown looking building. Music can be heard from the outside of the building. At the abrupt stop, Ajax bumps into Cochise. "Hey! Why'd we stop?" She asks, rubbing her head. 

   "We're here." Cochise tells them, reaching a hand out to pull the door open. 

   Music spills from the building as the door is opened. Ajax walks into the dimly lit room, a smile on her face as she takes it all in. Mercy sneaks away from the other three and walks further into the room. 

   "You guys threw a party for me?" Ajax asks Cochise and Cowgirl as they come up behind her. 

   "Course we did." Cowgirl says. 

   Which is immediately followed by Cochise's, "Technically we didn't plan anything. We had to bring your ass home." Cowgirl punches Cochise's shoulder. 

   Ajax ignores the two fighting behind her. "Home." She mumbles. Ajax stretches out her arms wide and takes it all in. "Ajax is back, baby!" She cheers. Seconds after she says that, a body barrels into Ajax, wrapping her up into a hug.

   "Ajax!" Rembrandt cheers, holding on tightly to the other Warrior. "You're back!"  

   "Rembrandt!" Ajax greets with a laugh. 

   "Its been so long!" Rembrandt sniffs, she lifts her head, tears beginning to fill her eyes slightly. Her squeeze tightens. 

   "Holding on there a bit tight girl." Ajax gasps out, attempting to move Rembrandt's arms away. Fox approaches the group with a smile.

   "I'm sorry!" Rembrandt pulls away from Ajax. She wipes her eyes, brushing away her tears. "I'm slightly drunk." She admits, leaning back into Fox, who keeps her upright. 

   "I see that." Ajax says, taking the cup from Rembrandt. "This is mine now." 

   "Ajax!" Fox greets. "Rembrandt and I spent all morning getting your room ready for you! Freshly washed sheets and everything!" 

   "Oh! And new socks!" Rembrandt adds. 

   "Why socks?" Cowgirl asks no one in particular.

   "Thanks guys, but I'm not heading back there. Least not tonight." Ajax tells them. 

   Fox and Rembrandt look at each other in confusion before turning back to Ajax. "Why?" 

   "It's my first night back! I'm not going home tonight. The night is still young and I intend to live it to the fullest!" Ajax then downs the rest of Rembrandt's drink. "Gosh that's strong! Cleon must've made it. Where can I get another one of these?" 

   "I'll get it." Fox says, turning away from the group, a confused Rembrandt being guided by her. 

   "Oh Fox, wait up! We got you this!" Cochise calls, following after Fox and Rembrandt. 

   "Ajax." A new voice calls out. 

   Ajax turns to see Swan approaching with Mercy. "Swan." She greets. 

   The two stare at each other. For a tense moment. 

   "Glad to have you back." Swan tells her, taking a sip from her solo cup. 

   "Glad to be back." 

   Swan and Ajax nod at each other before walking away. 

   "Well that went better than expected." Mercy says to Cowgirl. Cowgirl nods wordlessly. 

 ~

   Later in the night, the party is winding down. Swan, Mercy, and Cochise say their final goodbyes to Ajax, before making their way to exit. Rembrandt and Fox having already left. Ajax finds herself by the drink table alone, filling up her cup with some murky liquid. 

   "Sure you don't want anything with electrolytes?" A voice calls from behind her. 

   Ajax spins around to see Cleon walking towards her. Ajax sets her cup down on the table. "I'll worry about that later." 

   "You'll certainly feel it later." Cleon agrees, moving to stand by Ajax at the table. The two of them face out towards where the last few Warriors stay partying. "It's nice right? Seeing everyone so relaxed." Cleon asks. 

   Ajax nods. "Yeah. Nice. I missed this." She admits. 

   Cleon smiles over at her. "I think it missed you too." She says, reaching her arm out to pull Ajax into a half hug. "Great to have you back, Ajax." 

   Ajax laughs and lets herself be pulled into the hug. "Missed you Cleon." A comfortable silence falls over the two of them. 

   "But what's the deal with all these camera creeps?"

Next Episodes 02-03: TAG-ATHLON!

Chapter Text

   The scene opens up to Mercy and Swan walking down a dark hallway. The two of them appear very tired, blinking back sleep. Each carrying a travel mug in their hands. 

   Mercy yawns loudly as they walk. "Why are we even getting called to meeting this early anyways?" She asks, raising a hand to brush her hair from her face. "I thought we were more night time based than this." 

   Swan shrugs, and brings a hand up to cover her own yawn. "I don't know. Cleon just said for us to be here." Swan brought her gray mug to her lips. 

   "Did she mention what this meeting is about?" 

  "No. She didn't even tell me in person. Just taped a note to our door. It said 'be here 7 AM sharp or be square.' Whatever that means."

   "That does seem oddly vague enough to be from Cleon." Mercy mumbles, lifting her own mug to her lips and taking a sip. "Still though, this is way earlier than most of Cleon's meetings. What do you think it's about?" 

     "Hopefully about getting rid of all these camera creeps." Swan grumbles under her breath. 

   Mercy gasps in mock offense at that. "Babe, that's mean! We don't want these guys to be out of a job do we? Besides, they have names. You and Ajax both just constantly call them creeps. Never make the effort to get to know them." She turns around to face the cameraman. "Sorry about her Justin. She's always cranky in the morning." Mercy then lowers her voice to a whisper. "Your name is Justin right?" 

  Swan rolls her eyes. "Whatever, let's just hurry. We're running late." 

~

   The door to Cleon's office opens as Swan and Mercy walk in. Fox sits at the one windowsill in the room, which is covered by a black sun proof curtain. Cochise and Cowgirl sit on a small black couch in the room. The latter of the two resting her head on Cochise's shoulder in an attempt to get some extra sleep. Ajax stands in between the couch and the window, leaning on the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. Cleon's desk appears empty. Only sign of life being the box of tissues and a random art easel which is turned around. The chair at Cleon's desk is spun around, facing away from the Warriors. Only Rembrandt and Cleon appear to be missing from the group. 

   "Finally you two love birds leave your nest." Ajax comments jokingly. "Was wondering what was taking you two so long."

   "You say that like we're the last ones here. Neither Cleon or Rembrandt are here yet." Swan shoots back. 

   "Don't be so sure about that." A voice calls, pushing the door closed behind Swan and Mercy with a loud slam. Mercy jumps at the sound and snaps around to see Cleon standing next to the door. Cochise and Ajax laugh at the reaction. Swan stares unamused. "What? Not impressed by my amazing stealth skills?" 

   "Let's just get this meeting over with." Swan sighs, walking towards the two chairs sitting in front of Cleon's desk. Once reaching them, she pulls a chair out for Mercy, before doing the same for herself. 

   Mercy quickly composes herself before moving to the chair Swan pushed out for her. "Yes please. Some of us had a long night. I had to close last night." She then points a finger at Cleon as the older woman crosses the room to her own chair, placing an arm around the top of it. "And scaring someone this early in the morning is cruel and unusual! It doesn't count!" 

   "Swan didn't get scared though." Cleon points out. 

   "I never get scared." Swan deadpans. 

   "Pfft. Yeah you're some kinda stoic badass." Ajax, snorts. "Big strong Swan never gets scared of anything." 

   "I didn't say that. I just don't get scared at jumpscares. It's too cheap of a scare tactic." Swan turns her head slightly to glare at Ajax, who smiles at the reaction, before turning back to Cleon. "Where's Rembrandt anyways? And can you tell us what this meeting is even about?" She pops the lid off of her travel mug. 

   "Oh I didn't schedule this meeting." Cleon tells the group. 

   "Then who did?" Mercy asks, confusion on her face. 

   Immediately after she asks that, Cleon's chair swivels around to reveal Rembrandt. "I did!" The younger Warrior exclaims. 

   Once more, Mercy jumps at the scare. Swan, who had taken that moment to take a sip from her cup, also jumps at the reveal. Which causes the contents of the travel mug to spill over her face and onto her jeans. "Shit!" Swan yelps from the burn, jumping up from her chair. Mercy stands up as well, grabbing the box of tissue to help pat Swan down. 

   The other Warriors all laugh unhelpfully at the display, save for Cowgirl who snaps to awake at the sounds. "Huh? Is the meeting over?" She asks, looking around the room. No one answers her. 

   "Haha! And here I thought you didn't get scared!" Ajax laughs, clutching her stomach. 

   "So much for cheap scare tactics!" Cochise adds. 

   Swan sneers at their teasing. Which only makes them laugh harder. 

   Forcing down her laughter, Fox clears her throat. "I thought you didn't drink coffee, Swan?" She asks. 

   "I don't drink coffee." Swan tells her. 

   "Then..?" 

   "It's water." 

   The room quiets down at that. Only a few chuckles pass through. 

   "What?" Cochise asks, with an awkward laugh.    

   "It's water. I'm drinking water." Swan clarifies. 

   "Wait like… hot water?" Cowgirl asks, having regained enough consciousness to join the conversation. "With nothing else?" 

   "Yeah. It helps wake up the metabolism." 

   The group stares at her for a moment before turning their attention instead to Mercy. "What? Everyone has their thing." Mercy just shrugs. "It's endearing." 

   "Right well… ignoring that revelation…" Rembrandt clears her throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Let's get this meeting started." She makes a gesture with her hand. Fox hops down from the windowsill and moves behind the desk with Rembrandt and Cleon. She grabs the easel, flipping it around. A large sketch pad sits on the easel with the words 'TAG-ATHLON' written on it in red. The camera zooms in on the words before zooming back out to the group. 

   "Ahem… as I'm sure you all are aware, due to me constantly mentioning it for months now… word on the streets is the New York Times will be writing a piece about all the best tag signs in every big name gang." Rembrandt tells the Warriors. The Warriors -save Cleon, Fox, and Rembrandt- all share a look with one another. "All of the baddest gangs around will be ranked based on best call sign. It's gonna be everywhere. Everyone is in on it. The Jones Street Boys, Moonrunners, Hurricanes, Van Cortland Rangers. Hell, even the Orphans will probably be participating." As Rembrandt says this, Fox throws the first page back revealing the next slide with a list of every gang in the city, followed by an example of their signature tag. 

   "So we'll have to increase the patrols…" Swan mumbles, rubbing a hand against her chin as she leans in to study the page. 

   Cleon nods her head. "Agreed. We'll have to make sure none of these gangs add any of their marks on our turf. Swan, I expect double patrols every hour. Double people up if you need to. We can't be slacking on this." 

   Swan nods and leans back in her chair, seemingly already planning in her mind. 

   "Right. Now to the important stuff." Rembrandt continues. "For the real important part of the meeting. Fox if you would?" 

   Fox flips the page this slide reveals the words 'COSTUME PARTY :D' With stick figure drawings of each Warrior in the room and many balloons. 

   "Didn't we just have a party?" Cochise asks. 

   "Raise your hand if you have a question please." Rembrandt says, ignoring the question. Cochise raises her hand. "In two weeks, the New York Times will be posting their article. So I'm planning a party to announce the results. Not just any party of course, a costume party!" Rembrandt does jazz hands at the announcement. "It will last all night long in celebration of the news." 

   Cowgirl's hand joins Cochise's in the air. 

   "Yes Cowgirl?" 

   "Yeah, how do we know we'll rank well in this contest?" Cowgirl asks. 

   Rembrandt laughs at the question. "What do you mean, how will we know? Have you seen my tags? They're amazing! True works of art." Rembrandt says confidently, leaning back in the chair. She pops her left foot on the desk, before it is immediately pushed off by Cleon. "Anyways! We're gonna rank well. Maybe not Gramercy Riffs well, but still well." 

   Ajax raises her hand next. 

   "Yes Ajax?" 

   "Rembrandt if you don't acknowledge my hand in the sky I swear-" Cochise is cut off by Ajax.

   "Yeah, why a costume party?" She asks. "Costumes are lame. Plus the last one we had ended with Vermin getting a knife to the shin." 

   "First of all, costumes aren't lame. They're super fun and everyone loves them. Secondly, this isn't just any party. This is a super awesome party. Where the Warriors are gonna be known as one of, if not the, best!" Rembrandt tells her. "Now onto the next order of business. I'm gonna need some help getting our tag out there these next few days. So anyone wanna volunteer? Show of hands?" Rembrandt looks around the room, eyes landing on Cochise's still raised hand right as she moves to lower it. "Oh Cochise! Thanks so much for volunteering!" 

   "Are you fucking kidding-"

   "The final order of business!" Fox flips the page again. It reads 'LIST OF PARTY RULES' "Like every good party, we will have some rules for the costumes. That way we can make sure no one gets stabbed." The Warriors all groan at the list of rules. "Rule number one, no wearing your everyday clothes. You can't come if you do." Rembrandt sends a look to Swan. "Second rule, no costumes based on other gangs. Last thing we need are the other gangs coming down on us because someone decided to mock them. Third rule, no costumes based on your name. That's lazy. Looking at you Fox and Cowgirl." 

~

   The scene changes to Fox and Cowgirl in the hall both with frowns on their faces. 

   "First of all, Rembrandt is just upset that my cowgirl costume beat hers last year. Not my fault everyone thought it was funny." Cowgirl grumbles. 

   "I was hit by a bus this year, so I really feel like I should be allowed to slack on a costume this year." Fox says, crossing her arms over her chest. 

~

   Back in the office, the Warriors all look tired as Rembrandt finishes listing all the rules. "And finally, rule 24, you can't vote for yourself in the costume contest." She clasps her hands as she finishes. "Any questions?" 

   Grumbles of 'no' pass through the group. 

  "Great! Meeting done. You all may leave. Cochise, please meet at the Boardwalk 5AM tomorrow to discuss our partnership."

   "Yeah, yeah, whatever. " Cochise waves a hand as she leaves the room.

~

   The scene opens up with Mercy standing outside a large brick apartment building. "You might be asking yourself; Huh wonder what Mercy has planned for her costume. She always has just the best ideas. Wonder what she's come up with?' Well my friend, I got two words for you, 'Couples Costumes'." Mercy makes a rainbow with her hands as she says it. "As a kid growing up in the Bronx, my mother would never let me go out for Halloween. It was always, 'Mercy stay here so you can let me in at 3AM when I get back from this party. No you can't have any friends over!'." Mercy lowers her voice as she retells the story. "Plus all of my previous partners were too lame to wanna dress up for Halloween or costume parties." She gets a far away look in her eyes. "But Swan is different from them. She's not lame, and it's different with her. I'm sure she'll be more than willing to do a couples costume with me. While I know this is out of her comfort zone… I just have to figure out how to ask." 

   She smiles and turns to enter the apartment building. The cameraman moves to follow, Mercy stops him placing a hand in front of them. "Yeah no sorry Jacob. Swan doesn't want you guys in our apartment, and I agree with her. Guess you'll have to follow someone else around instead." With that, Mercy enters the apartment building and closes the door on the camera crew. 

~

   The image opens to a zoomed in shot of a group of seagulls fighting over a giant pretzel that was dropped in the sand. Cochise walks past the birds, causing a few to scatter. A day has passed since the meeting and the sky is colored orange as the sun begins to rise. "This is stupid." Cochise grumbles under her breath as she approaches Rembrandt. 

   The younger of the two is seemingly hard at work spraying the Warriors tag on a group of rocks sticking out of the sand a few feet away from the boardwalk. 

   "This is sure to get our name out there." Cochise announces her arrival. "Everyone looks at rocks."

   Rembrandt laughs lightly at the comment. "I know right? It really rocks doesn't it?" She jokes. 

   Cochise is unamused. "Isn't this something you should be doing at night? Not at the ass crack of dawn? Why are you always up so early anyways?"

   "Well that would be awfully predictable now wouldn't it? If I were a cop I'd only ever check places out at night." Rembrandt counters. "Besides, I've been waking up early every day since…" Rembrandt trails off. 

   "Oh yeah! Since you got that-" Cochise is cut off by Rembrandt. 

   "Sh! Sh! Sh!" Rembrandt shushes her, pointing at the cameraman. 

   "Right." Cochise rolls her eyes. "Forgot that's top secret knowledge that almost everyone knows about." 

   "Not everyone."

   "Anyways, what do you even need help with?" 

   "Well first, I was hoping we could use your parents bar for the party? It's supposed to be pretty laid back so it won't get too crazy." 

   "Yeah I mean they'll probably say yes. I'll have to ask." 

   "Sweet! Ooh and could you ask your mom about making those oatmeal cookies? The ones without the raisins? Fox and me absolutely love them." 

   "You two are so weird with your grape hatred." 

   "Grapes are gross." Rembrandt sticks out her tongue at the idea. 

   "Yeah sure I'll ask." Cochise rolls her eyes again, smiling this time. "Now I'm assuming you didn't make me wake up this early just for my mom's cookies, so what else do you need?" 

   A smirk falls onto Rembrandt's lips. She turns to Cochise and produces a carabiner from her pocket. A set of keys connected to them. "Wanna take a trip downtown to a train station with me?" 

~

   The scene changes to Cochise still on the beach underneath the dock. Rembrandt is behind her going over another tag. 

   "My parents? Yeah they're cool. About as cool as parents can be I guess." A moment of silence. "What? Just because I'm in a gang means I can't have parents?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. "My folks own 'Quick Pour'. The bar where Cowgirl and Mercy work. While they aren't official members of the gang by any means, they are super protected by us." Cochise sticks a finger at the camera. "So y'all better not get any ideas!" 

~

   Swan is seen talking to a group of Warriors outside of a butcher shop. "I know it's not ideal, but it's what we got." Swan tells the Warriors. The group share grumbles of frustration. Swan is about to reply when someone calls out to her. 

   "Swan!" Mercy calls, walking towards her. Mercy holds a wrapped item in her hand.

   "Mercy?" Swan says, turning to look at her. She quickly turns back to the group next to her. "Go start your shifts." She says waving them off and walking towards Mercy. "What are you doing here Mercy?" Swan asks, meeting Mercy halfway. 

   "Weeeeellllll… I was around and then I remembered you were over here today, so I figured I'd stop by and bring you this. It's a gyro from that stand you like." She holds out the wrap to Swan. 

   Swan takes it from Mercy with a smile. "Thanks Mercy, you're a lifesaver.. I haven't had anything to eat yet." 

   "I figured you'd forget. With all this new planning and what not."

   "You know me too well." Swan admits, peeling back the wrapping and immediately taking a bite. "So good…" She moans around the taste. 

   "Glad you think so." Mercy let's Swan take another bite before continuing. "So anyways, I was thinking…"

   "Mhm."

   "You know how Rembrandt's costume thing is coming up?"

   "Mhm…" 

   "Well what if… we did a costume together?" 

   "Hm?" Swan swallows the bite she was chewing, and pauses her eating. 

   "I mean I was just thinking that it would be a good idea because we're… what we are and so really we should go dressed up together because what else would we do, y'know?" Mercy begins to ramble nervously. 

   "Mercy." Swan tries. 

   "And I know that dressing up like that isn't really your thing -which I totally respect by the way- but we can't exactly get into this party without a costume. Plus we don't have to dress up as anything too spectacular."

   "Mercy!" Swan calls, reaching out to grab Mercy's hands. "We can dress up!" 

   Mercy looks down at their hands and then up at Swan with a smile. "Together?" 

   "Yes. Together." Swan tells her softly. 

   Mercy leans forward and presses her lips to Swan's right cheek. She then moves up to Swan's ear and whispers something that causes the other girl's face to heat up. 

   "Gosh I have so many ideas!" Mercy tells her once she pulls away. "Do you have any?"

   "Uh… surprise me?" Swan suggests, bringing a hand up to rub the spot Mercy kissed. 

   "Sure. See you later babe!" Mercy waves as she walks off. 

  Swan stares after her for a moment, still rubbing the spot on her face and grinning like a fool. Then her eyes catch a view of the camera crew in the distance. Swan brings her hand up to flip off the camera. Which is blurred. "Fucking creeps." She mutters under her breath, before stomping away. 

~

   Back with Rembrandt and Cochise, the two stand in front of a large fence. The fence is marked with a bright 'KEEP OUT' sign. The top of the fence is covered in barbed wire, preventing people from getting in. 

   "Looks like this place is locked up tight. They don't want any intruders. Got a plan, great leader?" Cochise asks, looking at the younger Warrior. 

   Rembrandt pulls the carabiner from her pocket once more, giving them a shake. "Fox stole these bad boys for me two days ago. They'll get us in." Rembrandt then reached for the lock, trying the first key on the ring. It didn't fit. She quickly flipped to the next key. Still didn't work. "Just uh… have to find which of these it is." 

   Cochise crosses her arms over her chest and looks down at Rembrandt. She then turns away from the struggling girl to make sure no one is following them. "And are you sure no one's gonna come by? It seems weird to leave this place unguarded." 

   Rembrandt continues to struggle with the lock. "Fox has been watching this place for weeks now. She says that every Wednesday from noon to two, the place is unattended while the guards take their lunch. Which gives us ample time to get in, spray some trains, and get out." With a cheer, Rembrandt finds the right key and turns it in the lock. She lets the heavy lock and chain fall to the ground with a thud… "After you m'lady." Rembrandt, pushes the gate open, gesturing for Cochise to go first. 

   Cochise pushes through the gate and begins to walk through the station. Empty subway carts litter the park as far as the eye can see. She whistles at the sight. "Lots of free canvas here huh?" 

   "Yeah, I used to come here all the time with Fox and others. Then I started running out of space. Luckily they finally bought new carts." Rembrandt agrees, taking the lead in navigating through the maze of trains. 

   "Speaking of Fox, why didn't you bring her with you?" 

   "You really think I would bring Fox to a park with a bunch of trains?" Rembrandt asks, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. 

   "Yeah that's a good point." Cochise mumbles, rubbing the back of her neck. 

   Silence falls between the two of them as they walk. 

   "So… thought of a costume yet?" Rembrandt asks. 

~

   Cowgirl is working behind the counter of 'Quick Pour' in the early afternoon. The camera crew is set up in a both in the distance watching her as she scrubs at a spot on the bar. The bell above the door chimes, indicating someone has entered the bar. A hooded figure enters the bar.  Cowgirl doesn't look up from wiping down the counter. The figure sits down right in front of her. 

   "Were you followed?" Cowgirl asks. She halts her wiping. 

   "Course not. You know me." The hooded figure says. Their voice seemingly being forced lower than normal. 

   "Why are you talking like that?" Cowgirl asks, looking up at them. 

   "Uh… Like what?" The gruff voice asks. 

   "Like you're choking." Cowgirl cocks her hip and places a hand on it. 

   "This is just how I talk." 

   "No it's not, and what's with the hood?" 

   "Yes-" The voice clears their throat. "Yes this is how I talk, and I was told this was a top secret meeting." 

   "Dude no one comes into a bar at 2PM on a Wednesday. Take the hood off and stop with the dumb voice." 

   "Ugh fine whatever." The figure pulls their hood off, revealing none other than Fox. "I thought you'd appreciate my commitment to the bit." She reaches across the bar to the little bowl of almonds, taking a handfu. 

   "You sounded like a douche. Anyways, we doing this or what?" 

  "Oh we're doing this. Just dont tell Rembrandt."

"I'm not the one who would spill."

~

   "I think all of this costume stuff is stupid, and Rembrandt is putting too much work into it." Ajax stands in a dark alleyway, leaning against a wall as the camera focuses on her. "But she's passionate about it, so yeah. I'm gonna participate." She huffs leaning further on the wall. "But, I'm definitely gonna mess with her." She says smirking. 

~

   Cochise leans against a parking meter whistling a tune. Rembrandt is a few feet away from her working on tagging the side of an apartment building. A day has passed since the train park. Cochise's eyes scan the street looking for anyone who might be interested in stopping Rembrandt's work. "You almost done there, Rembrandt?" Cochise calls over her shoulder at Rembrandt. 

   "Yeah yeah. Don't rush me Cochise!" Rembrandt calls back. Her voice is muffled from the mask she wears. 

   "'Don't rush me.'" Cochise mimics, making her voice higher pitch. "Hurry up Rembrandt! That shit stinks!" 

   The hiss of the cans stop and Rembrandt walks over to Cochise, still wearing her mask. "Why don't you take a break Cochise?" She suggests. "Let me finish up this one, and then we can meet back up." 

   "You're the one who told me to watch out for you." Cochise reminded her. 

   "Yeah well, I'm almost done here. Why don't you take out buddy here," Rembrandt points at the cameraman. "And go get something to eat. I work better in silence." 

   Cochise stares at her for a moment. Then looks at the cameraman. "Yeah whatever. Let's go buddy. If you get caught Rembrandt, it's your own fault!" She calls as her and the cameraman begin to walk away. 

   Cochise and the cameraman walk down the street for awhile in silence, until they come across a familiar face leaving a sports store. Ajax pushes her way out the store, holding a white bag and a baseball bat. 

   "Ajax? What are you doing here? What's with the bat?" Cochise asks. 

   "Sup Cochise." Ajax greets. "Just doing some light shopping. You know how it is. Where's Rembrandt? Aren't you supposed to be her little helper?" 

   Cochise laughs dryly at that. "Yeah, guess I'm not very helpful. Rembrandt sent me off while she finishes her work."

   Ajax laughs at that. "Awww you got sent on break." 

   "Yeah yeah. Laugh it up." Cochise crosses her arms. "I told her, when she gets caught it's on her. Girl gets too into the zone when working on her murals." 

   "Hah yeah." Ajax agrees. After a brief moment of silence, Ajax looks at Cochise. A mischievous glint in her eyes. "Wanna mess with her?" 

   "Oh? And just what do you have in mind?" 

~

   Rembrandt is hard at work on her mural. The work features the signature bubbles letters of the Warriors, but behind the word is a very intricate design of the Coney Island skyline. Detailed to a T. From the Wonder Wheel to the Cyclone. Rembrandt is deep in her work. She lowers her can for a moment, admiring the image, before reaching down into her bag for a different shade of red. She shakes the new can and begins her work again. 

   Two figures begin to stealth their way over to her. Both of them wearing baseball helmets and goggles to hide their appearance. One of them holding a trash can lid, while the other holds a baseball bat. The camera follows their movement as they approach an oblivious Rembrandt. 

   The one holding the trash can lid gestures their head for the baseball user to go to Rembrandt's other side. They nod their head and silently make their way to Rembrandt's other side.  The figures look at each other, and give a simple nod. 

   "Hey kid!" The one holding the baseball bat yells at Rembrandt, rushing towards her. 

   In an instant, Rembrandt screams loudly in fear, and snaps to the person and raises her red spray can, spraying their face. The attacker drops the bat and holds their hands up to stop the spray. "Woah Rembrandt easy with the spray!" The one holding the trashcan yells. Rembrandt turns to the other and immediately starts spraying as well. The majority landing on the lid, painting it a deep red. "Rembrandt chill, chill! It's us! It's Cochise and Ajax!" Cochise yells from behind the lid. 

   Rembrandt stops her spraying. "What?" 

   Ajax throws the, now very red, helmet off her head, and peels off the goggles that have also been sprayed red. While her eyes were protected, she now has a dark circle around each eye, resembling a mask. "Wow! You really went for the killing blow there huh?" Ajax laughs, catching her breath. "Good idea, making sure to buy the goggles Cochise. I was almost fucked!" 

   "What?" Rembrandt asks, looking back and forth at the two of them. 

   "Yeah no shit!" Cochise laughs, lowering the trash can lid and taking off her own helmet. She was mostly spared from the paint, but the fingers on her left hand are coated in the paint. "Nice reaction time Rembrandt." 

   "What?" Rembrandt asks again, lowering her own mask. Looking very frustrated. "Why did you two scare me?!"   

   Cochise and Ajax look at each other, then shrug. "Seemed fun?" Ajax tries. 

   "That is not a good reason! I could've blinded you! This stuff is super bad for you!" 

   "Yeah no shit! I'm getting a headache already." Ajax agreed, lifting a hand to hold her hand. "How do we get this stuff off?"

   "Are you being serious right now?" Rembrandt asks, sounding exasperated. 

   "Yeah? Don't wanna be stained forever." 

   "This stuff is supposed to withstand the natural elements. It doesn't just come off!" 

   Cochise and Ajax look at each other again, eyes wide. 

   "Shit…" 

   "Well fuck." 

~

   The camera pans around a rather large apartment. The room is illuminated by a warm yellow glow giving off a homily feeling. A large white couch sits on top of a gray shaggy carpet. The camera moves to look at a rather large Monstera houseplant, sitting in a cream flower pot. The plant has no blemishes on any of the leaves and appears well taken care of. The camera then pans cuts to a picture frame sitting by a row of succulents. The photo shows Cowgirl and Cochise with an older couple. Everyone in the photo smiles brightly. 

   Snapping is heard in the distance. The camera snaps up to focus on Cowgirl who is leaning on a wall in the hallway. "Hey buddy. Don't start going through my stuff." She scolds. "I know Fox and Rembrandt allowed you to look around their place, but that doesn't mean I want you creeping around mine." 

   "We didn't let them look around!" Fox's voice calls from the room next to Cowgirl. "We were with them the whole time. Besides, this is what they're supposed to do! Get footage of us or whatever." Fox exits the room wearing an obnoxious looking red cowboy hat. "What do you think?" Fox asks, tipping the hat. 

   "I think you look stupid." Cowgirl says, slapping the hat off of Fox's head. 

   "Hey!" Fox yells, grabbing the hat off the floor and placing it back on her head."This is your hat! Not my fault it looks stupid!" 

   "I think you just can't pull off hats." 

   "Hey!" 

   A jingle of keys is heard from the entrance and the camera turns to see the door open. Ajax stumbles in. She pauses to take off her shoes. The Warrior then lifts her head to see the camera. "You creeps got in here too now?" 

   "I let them in." Cowgirl calls from the hall. "What's all over your face Ajax?" She asks. 

   "Don't worry about it." Ajax says, making her way down the hall and disappearing down a room to the left. Fox hides the hat behind her back as Ajax passes. "Hey can I borrow your nail polish remover?" 

   "Sure? What do you need it for?" Cowgirl asks.

   "Rembrandt says it will get spray paint off skin. She might've sprayed me in the face." 

  Fox looks at the camera, confusion on her face. "Why'd she spray you?"

   "Series of unfortunate events. Don't worry, I'll get her back." Ajax explains. 

   "Not sure that's the best idea. Plus, you're gonna need a lot more nail polish remover than that." Cowgirl tells her. 

   Ajax groans loudly from the bathroom. She then sticks her head out of the room, eyes landing on Fox. "Hey Fox… does Rembrandt already have her costume?" 

   "Yes..?" 

   "Wanna tell me what it is?" 

   "It's supposed to be a secret… She wants to surprise everyone."

   "Fox…" Ajax steps out of the bathroom and stalks towards the other girl. "What's a secret between friends?" 

  "Well…" Fox tries. The screen fades to black before she can say anything else.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Chapter Text

The screen opens up in Cleon's office. As all good stories do. Cleon sits in her signature chair, reading over a piece of paper. Swan sits across from her waiting patiently for her to finish reading. "Well everything seems to be in order." Cleon says, sliding the paper back over to Swan. "Nothing to worry about on that end. How have the increased patrols been going? Any unwanted tags showing up?"

   "Only the occasional mark here and there. Nothing we can't handle." Swan tells her. 

   "Great! Keep up the good work Swan." Cleon spins in her chair, facing away from her right hand. 

   "But that's not the only thing I wanted to talk to you about." Swan says, as Cleon spins back around. "I uh… I think it's time we let Ajax back on our schedule. Even if it's just something small to start with." 

   "Swan, we talked about this." Cleon pinches the bridge of her nose. "We're giving her time to readjust." 

   "I know but I think getting out and doing something again will be good for her." 

   "Has she mentioned wanting to get back into the field to you?" 

   "No. She's been oddly quiet about it. Which is why I'm worried." Swan looks down at the table. "I'm worried she'll just sit in her feelings and react in negative ways." 

   "And why do you think that?" 

   "Well…" Swan looks back up at Cleon. "She's not been staying with Fox and Rembrandt anymore." 

   "She's probably staying with Cowgirl and Cochise then, or literally any other girl in Coney who'd like a bed warmer." Cleon brushes off, kicking her feet up on the desk. 

 "Apparently she scared Rembrandt the other day because she was bored. Now half her face is red." 

   "Now that's fun! Not something to be worried about." 

   Swan let out a loud sigh. "I know but who knows what she'll do next? I'm worried about her! Normally she's more desperate to get back into the field after getting suspended! What if she never wants to get back?" 

   Cleon gives Swan a sympathetic look. "Then we cross that bridge when it comes. Look Swan, I know you're worried about Ajax, and I know you still internally blame yourself for everything that happened that night-" 

   "I don't think-" 

   "But maybe Ajax doesn't want to come back yet. Maybe she's also dealing with her feelings from that night." The leader of the Warriors speaks with a soothing voice. "We just need to give her time." 

   Swan doesn't seem happy with that, but doesn't say anything. Only nods her head. 

   Cleon sighs at this. "But fine. If you think I should, I'll talk to Ajax after this costume party. Unless she talks to us first. Sound good?" 

   Swan smiles slightly. "Thank you Cleon." 

   "Don't mention it." Cleon smiles back, leaning further into her chair. "Speaking of the costume party, have you picked out your costume yet?" 

   "Oh yeah. I think Mercy picked something for the two of us to wear." 

   "Really?" Cleon raises her eyebrows at that. "You two are going to be wearing a couples costume? What is it?" 

   "I'm not sure yet, but yeah. Mercy seemed really interested in the idea of us dressing up together." Cleon laughs loudly at that. Swan stares at her in confusion. "What's so funny?" 

   "Nothing! Nothings wrong! I just didn't expect you to be so whipped in the relationship." Cleon laughs. 

   "Forgive me for wanting to make Mercy happy." Swan grumbles, race red in embarrassment. 

   "No no it's fine! Just funny!" Cleon reassures her. "But really? You don't know what you're going as?" 

   Swan shakes her head. "No, but I trust Mercy to not make it too embarrassing." 

   "Oh my sweet child Swan. All couples costumes are embarrassing." 

   Swan's face pales. 

~

   "Well we made it folks!" Rembrandt's voice announces. The scene opens up to the living room of her apartment. She throws her arms in the sky.  "Today is that day! The New York Times article will be sent out at 5 AM tomorrow! Which means… Tonight we party!" Rembrandt begins to move further into her apartment, waving a hand, indicating the camera to follow. "It has been a long journey to get to this, but we've finally made it! Special shout out to you guys for sticking with us the whole time. Because today is such a special occasion… I'm gonna let you guys in on a little secret." Rembrandt leads the camera crew down the hall. Once reaching the door at the end of the hall, she turns back to the camera. 

   "It's a secret that not many people know about, so don't go mentioning this to anyone." At the sound of her voice, a scratching sound appears raking up and down the door. Rembrandt smiles at the camera once more, before reaching out for the door knob. 

   Once open, an orange blob rushes from the room and immediately jumps onto Rembrandt's legs. The Warrior laughs and reaches a hand down to pet the dog jumping at her feet. "Meet Carrots!" Rembrandt introduces, while enthusiastically petting the dog. 

   Carrots is a medium sized dog. Much like the name suggests, the dog's pelt is a vibrant orange color. Two ears stick straight up on the dog's head and a tail curls over their back. Carrot's entire body wags as Rembrandt pets them. Carrots turns to the camera crew and makes a sniffing motion, before walking over to the cameraman and sniffing his legs. A red bandana is tied around her neck.

   "I found her about eight months ago. Sometime after the night of the meeting. She's pretty much the best dog ever. Aren't you Carrots?" At the mention of her name, Carrots rushes back to Rembrandt for more love. "She is pretty much the best dog ever. She likes long early walks on the beach, stealing the ugly patterned socks Fox buys, pillows, and most importantly, me." Rembrandt tells the camera, smiling up at them. 

~

   The scene changes back to Fox and Rembrandt's living room. Rembrandt stands in front of the couch, while Carrots makes herself comfortable on the couch behind her. The dog holds a hideous purple and yellow checkered sock in her mouth and plops down on a cushion with a huff. 

   "So yes Carrots is a secret. I haven't told Cleon about her. Not because I think she'll disapprove, but well… because there's not really a rule that says we're allowed to have dogs. However, there's also not a rule that says we can't have dogs! So there's that!" Rembrandt fiddles with her hands nervously, as she says this. "But I'm sure Cleon knows already if I'm being honest. I mean a lot of people know. Fox obviously knows." At the mention of Fox, Carrots lifts her head up and drops the sock, looking around the room for her. She then continues chewing up the sock. "Cochise knows, because her parents saw me walking her one morning. If Cochise knows something, Cowgirl knows something. Cowgirl probably told Mercy because the two of them work together. And Mercy definitely told Swan. Which means Cleon knows. Ajax would know. If she came back!" 

~

   The scene changes to Cowgirl and Cochise's apartment. Cowgirl leans over the sink, using the large mirror to apply mascara. Cochise sits on the toilet, holding a handheld mirror, as she applies eyeliner. 

   "Carrots? That little dog Rembrandt has? Yeah she's cute." Cowgirl tells them. 

   "My folks love her. I swear they give that dog more gifts than me." Cochise adds. "She has 12 different style bandanas!"

~

   Mercy stands behind the bar at 'Quick Pour'. She holds a bottle of Captain Morgan in her hand as she pours it into a cup filled with ice. "Carrots?" Mercy asks, confused. "I can't say I have any strong feelings about carrots. Don't they help with eyesight?" Mercy sets the bottle down and reaches for the bar gun instead, filling the cup with a dark cola. "Oh wait! Isn't that Rembrandt's little dog? I think Cowgirl might've mentioned her to me. I've never seen her." Mercy sets the cup on the bar, and slides it to the man at the bar. "If you spill that one, you're paying double, and I'm not making you another." Mercy turns back to the cameraman. "Can you believe it George? Dude is already drunk and sloppy at 1PM." 

~

   Fox stands on a fire escape somewhere in Coney. She holds a turkey club sandwich in her hands. "Carrots! Of course I know Carrots." Fox smiles at the mention of the dog. "Don't tell Rembrandt, but Carrots is like the best roommate anyone could ask for. Minus the fact that she keeps eating my socks…" 

~

   "Anyways, enough about Carrots! Tonight we party! Look!" Back with Rembrandt, she pulls out a costume bag. The camera zooms in on the bag. The bag has a picture of a man wearing a bee costume. "I'm gonna be a bee! Now you might be asking why, and that's because we're going to be the best. Also look!" Rembrandt pulls out another costume bag and walks over to Carrots. The dog stops her chewing and looks up at Rembrandt curly tail wagging. Rembrandt crouches down to be at her level. She holds up the costume for Carrots to see before turning it back to the camera. The costume bag has a picture of a dog wearing a flower hat. "We're gonna match!" 

~

   The double doors to 'Quick Pour' open up and Swan walks through them. She looks around the large bar, taking note of all the red and black party streamers hanging from the ceiling. As well as matching balloons. 

   "Swan!" A voice calls from the bar, Swan and the camera both turn to see an older woman waving her over from the bar. "Well aren't you just a sight for sore eyes!" 

   "Hey Mrs. Lewis." Swan greets the women. "Is Mercy here?" 

   "I swear the only time you visit us these days is to see her. You must really be smitten." Mrs. Lewis teases her. Swan's face heats up at that. 

   "I would come to visit you more! I've just been busy with everything, and haven't had the time to-" Swan's rambling is cut off by Mrs. Lewis laughing. 

   "Relax kid. I'm only teasing you." She laughs. "Mercy's just getting her stuff from the back. She'll be out soon." 

   Swan sighs. "Thank you." 

   "No problem kid, and let me just say, I think it's really sweet you and Mercy dressing up for this little party together." The older woman tells her. "Mercy told me what you two were going as! So cute! I've been telling my Cochise she needs to hurry up and settle down with someone. Man or woman or neither! Mr. Lewis and I don't care about any of that! In fact we think you and Mercy are super good for one another." 

   "Right, thank you Mrs. Lewis. By the-" 

   "I tell Cowgirl the same thing! Find yourself a nice person -bonus points if they're a doctor- and settle down! The two of them won't be young forever!" 

   "Yes that's true, but Mrs. Lewis-" 

   "It's a real shame that only you and Mercy are the only Warriors in a relationship!" Mrs. Lewis continues to ramble while Swan just nods. "Cleon too! I've been telling her since she first started the gang that she needs a partner! I keep telling Mr. Lewis Cleon and that sunglasses guy would make a cute couple."

   "Sunglasses guy? What-" 

   "Don't even get me started on Fox and Rembrandt." 

   "What happened with Fox and Rembrandt?" Swan asks, a worried expression on her face. 

   "Well, you didn't hear this from me but-" 

   Before Mrs. Lewis can continue, Mercy appears from the back. "Sorry that took so long!" Mercy apologizes, walking up to Swan. 

   "It's okay!" Mrs. Lewis tells her. "It gave me and Swan a chance to do some catching up." 

   "Oh?" Mercy asks, turning to Swan. "You two have a nice gossip session? Anything I should know about?" 

   "Mrs. Lewis was just telling me about the costumes you picked out for us." Swan reassures, grabbing Mercy's hand. "Speaking of, do you want to tell me what you picked out?" 

   Mercy smirks deviously. "I think I'd rather show you instead. Can't ruin the surprise. " With that, she pulls Swan away from the bar and towards the exit. Swan gulps. 

   "Bye you two! See you tonight!" Mrs. Lewis calls. Swan and Mercy both wave at her. 

~

   The next scene shows Cleon standing in front of 'Quick Pour'. She is dressed as a pirate. The outfit is decorated in many different gold necklace accessories. She wears a billowy black shirt underneath a black corset. A dark red sash is tied over her flowy black pants. Scabbard rests on her hip. On top of her head is a grand black red captains hat. "Tadah!" Cleon cheers, doing a jazz hands motion. "I clean up nice, don't I?" She asks the camera, moving her arms to admire the costume. "No need to answer. We already know. Just wait till you see what everyone else is wearing." She waves for the crew to follow her into the bar. 

   The inside of 'Quick Pour' is full of people in various costumes. From clowns, to dinosaurs. Even Mrs. Lewis, who sits at the bar, is dressed up. A large witch hat on her head. 

   Cleon makes her way over to where Cowgirl, Cochise, Ajax, and Fox are standing. She waves for the camera to follow. 

   Cochise notices her first and waves her over. Cochise is dressed like a member from a 1970s band. She wears a white vest, halfway buttoned with no shirt underneath. The vest has a golden floral design decorating it. Her pants are white and have a matching floral pattern going down them. "Yo Cleon." Cochise greets. 

   "Love the fit." Ajax comments. She's wearing a white striped baseball uniform with a black hat on her head. The outfit is very similar to that of the Baseball Furies. Especially due to the red spray paint around her eyes. 

   "And doesn't yours break the rules Ajax?" Cleon asks, raising an eyebrow. 

   "Hey! I'm just a simple baseball player. Not my fault Rembrandt got my face stained." Ajax defends. 

   "Right." Cleon says, with a smile. She then turns to Fox and Cowgirl. "Rembrandt is gonna hate this." She says, gesturing a hand up and down their outfits. 

   Fox and Cowgirl seem to have followed Rembrandt's costume rules to a T. Cowgirl is wearing a white shirt with a tied front. She has on a light orange short skirt with a fox tail tied around her waist. What is most shocking about this outfit is that she has abandoned her signature hat, in favor of a pair of fox ears. 

   Next to her, Fox is wearing a yellow button up. The top two buttons of the shirt are undone. The shirt is tucked into a pair of light blue jeans. A light red bandana has been wrapped around her neck. She wears one of Cowgirl's hats that is a tan color. 

   "Rembrandt has no reason to be upset. We didn't break any rules. She never said we couldn't dress as each other's names." Cowgirl reminds the group. 

   "I think you look great." Ajax comments. "But Rembrandt will absolutely hate this." 

   "Speaking of Rembrandt. Where is she?" Fox asks, looking around the party. 

   "Yeah, and Swan and Mercy?" Cochise adds. 

~

   The scene changes to Fox and Rembrandt's apartment. Carrots sits on the ground. A yellow flower hat wrapped around her head. The dog has an annoyed expression on her face. 

   "So. We might have a problem." Rembrandt says before walking into view. She is wearing a bee costume that is slightly too big for her. The goggles that came with the costume rest on her head. "There seems to have been a uh… manufacturing error." The camera pans down to look at the full costume. Towards the bottom of the suit, a large black stinger is sticking out of the front of the costume. The camera moves back up to Rembrandt. "Now I'm no scientist… but I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be on the back of the costume." 

~

   Swan and Mercy walk down the street. Both of them wearing jackets to cover their costumes. Swan has her hood up and appears to be sulking. "I can't believe I'm doing this…" She mumbles. 

   "You look great!" Mercy reassures her, reaching out to link their arms together. "Everyone there is going to be dressed up so there's no reason to feel embarrassed! Plus, not to brag or anything, but I picked some good costumes." 

   Swan groans. "I look stupid."

   "Swan look at me." Mercy stops walking. Swan does the same and turns to her, looking down at her feet. "I promise you, you don't look stupid." Mercy gently lifts Swan's chin to look at her. "If you really don't want to do this we don't have to. We can have a night in, just the two of us." She tells her. "But if we do end up going to this party, I promise you I won't leave your side for even a second. If we look stupid -which we don't- we will look stupid together." Mercy promises. "The choice is yours." 

   Swan contemplates this for a moment. With another sigh, she lifts her head further up to meet Mercy's lips in a kiss. Mercy raises her hand to Swan's cheeks and melts into the embrace. 

   "So does this mean…?" Mercy starts, once they pull away. 

   "Let's go get this over with." Swan says, pulling Mercy down the street. 

~

   Back at the party, Rembrandt makes her way to the bar. Doing her best to stay out of everyone's line of sight. She sighs in relief once she reaches the bar without being spotted. "One cider please!" She calls to the bartender. The bartender nods and moves to pour the drink. Rembrandt taps her fingers on the bar lightly waiting for the drink to be finished. 

   "Well, well, well. Look who decided to stop by." A voice calls from behind her. 

   Rembrandt jumps slightly and slowly turns around to see Fox and Cowgirl. "Oh heeeeey guys…" 

   "Howdy there partner." Fox greets, forcing a western accent and tipping her hat. She holds two oatmeal cookies in her hands. "Almost didn't recognize you there." 

   Rembrandt's face turns slightly red as she takes in Fox's costume. "Fox! You didn't tell me you were going as a.. as a uh…" 

   "Cowgirl and I wanted it to be a surprise!" Fox tells her. "Look!" She points at Cowgirl who stands next to her. "Cowgirl's a fox! Clever huh?" 

   "Uh… yeah. Clever." 

   Cowgirl snorts, pointing down at Rembrandt's costume. "Looks like someone's happy to see us." Cowgirl teases. 

   Rembrandt's face burns an even dark shade of red. "It was a manufacturing error!" She tries to explain. 

   "Is that what the kids call it these days?" Cowgirl asks, smirk on her face. She nudges Fox. "Good thing cowgirls like to ride huh?" 

   Fox looks confused at the comment. "What does that-" 

   Fox is cut off by Rembrandt's drink being placed on the table. Rembrandt immediately turns to the cider and lifts it to her lips. Fox and Cowgirl watch with wide eyes as Rembrandt begins to chug the bitter liquid. Some of the cider spills down Rembrandt's face as she does. Within seconds, the cider is finished and Rembrandt slams it down on the counter. "Another!" She calls to the bartender. 

   Cowgirl let's out a low whistle, while Fox still stares in shock, mouth open slightly. "Well, I'll leave y'all to it." Cowgirl pats Fox on the shoulder before walking off. 

   Fox shakes her head, before moving next to Rembrandt. "I'll have what she's having, please!" Fox asks the bartender. She then reaches across the bar, grabs a napkin and sets it on the table, before placing the oatmeal cookies on top of it. Fox takes the top cookie, and slides the other one over to Rembrandt. Rembrandt wordlessly takes the cookie. "Sorry about your costume." 

   Rembrandt shrugs. "Eh it's okay. I should've double checked it before buying it." Fox looks at the camera with a guilty expression. 

   "Yeah maybe…" She laughs, awkwardly.

   "Your costume looks nice though. You and Cowgirl did a good job." Rembrandt says, as the bartender brings two drinks over. 

   "Thanks. You look cute too. Nice! You look nice- I mean your costume looks nice!" Fox stops talking, lifts the cider to her lips, and chugs. 

~

   The scene changes to outside of the bar in an alleyway where Baseball Ajax stands laughing. "That's right!" She lifts up a bee costume of her own. The costume bag has An image of a man dressed as a bee holding the stinger of his outfit. "I switched the costumes!" She laughs. "Shout out to Fox for helping me get this. Now before you ask why, let me just say, this is payback. One for dying my face. Two because of the 'no dressing up as your name' rule! I just learned that Ajax was a badass Greek soldier! I could've been dressed in badass armor!" Ajax suddenly turns to the camera with a serious expression. "None of you better tell her."

~

    Back inside, Swan and Mercy have finally made their arrival. They pull off their jackets and set them on a table. Swan hesitant to remove hers. Cleon spots them almost immediately and makes her way over. 

   "You two made it!" She greets, red cup in her hand. "I was wondering what was taking you two so long!" 

   "Just had to add some finishing touches." Mercy assures her, flashing Cleon a smile that shows off her now pointy canine teeth She finishes removing the jacket to show off her outfit. Mercy is wearing a white ruffled poets shirt, that is tucked into a tight pair of high-waisted black dress pants. Her neck is decorated in intricate black and red jewelry. She sticks her arms out to show off her vampire costume. "Can you guess what we are?" Mercy asks. 

   "Hmmmm…" Cleon mumbles. "Maybe once I see Swan's outfit." She turns to Swan, who still has her hood on. 

   Swan groans, throwing back her hood. A pair of gray ears sit on top of her head. She pulls her coat off the rest of the way to reveal a simple black tank top that is tucked into a very baggy pair of pants, being held up by a black belt with a golden buckle. Attached to the belt is a large wolf tail. Swan's face burns red at the reveal of her werewolf costume. 

   "No way! She got you to wear the tail?!" Ajax laughs, announcing her arrival. "Whipped!" 

   "Shut up Ajax." Mercy snaps at the other woman, shooting her a glare. 

   Ajax raises her hands in surrender and slinks away. 

   "You two look great!" Cleon smiles at them. "I love the theme." She then turns to Swan and hands her the cup. "Here, you'll need this more than me." She whispers. 

   Swan downs the drink. 

   "Guess that's as good of a sign as any to get drinks. Come let's check out the bar. I think I saw Rembrandt and Fox over there." Mercy pulls Swan away. 

   "Don't have too much fun kiddos!" Cleon calls after them. 

   "Hope you're still allowing some fun for yourself Cleon." A voice says from behind her. Cleon spins around to see a man wearing sunglasses indoors. 

   "Masai!" She greets the man. "What are you doing here?"

   Masai of the Gramercy Riffs is dressed as a Yacht Captain. He wears a short sleeve white button up, a captains hat on his head. Flanking him are two more Riffs both dressed as sailors. "Heard you Warriors were having a party to announce that new New York Times article. Figured we'd check it out. We got an invite after all." 

   "Oh?" Cleon asks, raising her eyes playfully. "And just how did you get an invite to this exclusive event?" 

   "I have my sources." Masai replies back playfully as well. 

   Cleon hums. "Well you'll have to let me know. After all, I am the captain of this ship." 

   "Don't I know it." 

   "Come on! Let me get you a drink." With that, the two of them walk further into the party. 

~ 

   The rest of the night goes on without any issues. The Warriors take turns competing with one another in various drinking games, which end with everyone feeling positively drunk by the end of it. Swan and Rembrandt both seemingly forget about their costume insecurities as they find themselves surrounded by friends. 

   As the party begins to wind down, a very intoxicated Rembrandt takes the stage. With the help of a slightly less intoxicated Fox, Rembrandt manages to walk up to the microphone and grab it. She taps it twice. "Excuse me, party people? If I could get everyone's attention?" Her voice rings out through the bar. The music is lowered as Rembrandt speaks. "As our party reaches its conclusion it's time to go over the winner of this year's costume contest!" The crowd claps their hands loudly. "Now I know some of you have trouble following rules. Ajax."

   "Hey!" 

   "But I am incredibly grateful to everyone who made an effort!" She holds up the paper with the winners name and unfolds it. "And the winner of this year's contest is… ahem… Swan! With an actual costume this year!" Rembrandt claps her hands, the rest of the crowd following after her. "Well done Swan! You get bragging rights for a year!" 

   The camera switches to Swan in the crowd. Cochise shakes Swan's shoulders and cheers, Ajax and Cowgirl clapping next to them. Mercy presses her lips to Swan's in congratulations. The two smiling into the kiss. 

   The camera then moves back up to Rembrandt. "And now for the reason we're all here today." Rembrandt begins. "As you all are aware, because I never shut up about it, the TAG-athlon has reached its conclusion. I want to give a special shout out to Cochise." Rembrandt points to Cochise in the crowd. "Thanks for all the help buddy. Even when I was annoying the hell outta you, you still let me use your shoulders to reach that fire escape! Round of applause for Cochise!" The crowd claps. 

   "Anytime buddy!" Cochise calls. 

   "And another shout out to my roommate Fox!" She points at Fox. "For getting me those keys, keeping my costume a secret." The camera zooms in at Fox as she pales. "And for being there for me when I need it most! Like tonight during all those shots we did! Thank you Fox!" The crowd cheers for Fox, who looks incredibly guilty. 

   "Haha… Yeaaaaaah…." Fox mumbles.

   "Now without further adieu!" Rembrandt snaps her fingers and a random Warrior dressed as a ghost runs up the stage and hands her a newspaper. "Thank you. Ahem. Here it is folks. The New York Times official ranking of the gangs tag signs." Rembrandt begins to read from the paper. "We got-" She pauses. "What?" Her eyes begin scanning the paper quickly. "No that can't be right… It…" 

   "What did we get?" Ajax calls from the crowd. 

   "Yeah tell us!" Cowgirl yells as well. 

   Rembrandt looks back up at the crowd. A sunken expression on her face. 

   "We got 8th place."

Next Episode 04: Newsies!

Chapter Text

   The scene opens to the outside of a large brick apartment building. The sky around the building is a dark gray and stormy color. On the street around the building, shop owners begin to open their stores for the day. Walking up to the apartment building is a bright orange dog being led by Fox. 

   The screen then switches to the inside of Rembrandt and Fox's apartment building. The lights in the apartment are shut off. Only the glow from the small box TV adds illumination. Rembrandt lays sprawled out across the brown couch, head turned towards the TV's glow. A gray blanket is haphazardly thrown over her, falling onto the floor. Around her, the floor is littered with balls of crumpled up paper. Crumbs of miscellaneous food items have joined the balls of paper, as well as empty bags of chips. An industrial sized bag of trail mix sits on Rembrandt's chest as she watches the television. 

   On the tv, two men stand on a dock in front of a tiger shark. One of the men produces a knife and begins to cut into the shark's stomach. Right at that moment, the front door to the apartment opens. 

   Fox and Carrots enter the apartment. Carrots immediately makes a beeline for the couch and hops onto Rembrandt's chest. Rembrandt lets out a gasp, but makes no move to remove the dog. 

   "We're back!" Fox calls from the door. She walks further into the building, stopping once she reaches the back of the couch. "You're watching Jaws again?" 

   Rembrandt makes a noise of acknowledgement. "I've realized we don't have many tapes on VHS." 

   "That's not true!" Fox moves from around the couch and walks to the front of the TV stand. She fishes out a box full of VHS tapes and begins to list them. "We have Fantastic Planet, Star Wars, American Graffiti, Halloween… alright you may have a point. Hang on, wait a minute…" She digs out a box and holds it up for Rembrandt. "We got Grease!" 

   "Right because I wanna watch Grease." Rembrandt mutters. 

   "You love Grease." 

   "Yeah, but not when I'm sad! Grease is a happy movie!" 

   Fox sighs and sets the VHS box down. "What if we went out today? Just the two of us? Ooh! We could go to the amusement park! Get a corn dog, or two, and ride the Cyclone!" 

   "I think you just want an excuse to get a corn dog." Rembrandt deadpans.

   Fox's face heats up. "No! I just… You've been like this for days now. I know the article really messed you up, but really it's okay! Eighth place isn't even that bad! New York is a big place!" 

   Rembrandt lifts her head off the couch and points at Fox. "We got lower than the Orphans! The Orphans! They're not even on the network yet!" Rembrandt lowers her head back to the couch and grabs a pillow. She pushes it into her face. "Their tag is so lame!" She cries around the pillow. 

   Fox winces at that. "But it's okay! Who even reads the article? Let's go somewhere! Clear your head, get out of this house, and turn off Jaws." Fox suggests. 

   Rembrandt lowers the pillow from her face. "Fox… I know you're trying to help me, but I don't want to be helped right now. Its only been five days since the article. I get at least a week to cope." She moves a hand to where Carrots lays on her, and begins to rub her ears. "These last few days have been hard for me. The Warriors got eighth place. We have Fantastic Planet on VHS. And the bee costume I spent way too much money on…" Her eyes start to water and her voice wavers. "And I bought a bee costume with a fucking schlong!" She places the pillow back over her face. 

   Fox looks at the camera, a guilty expression on her face. The look suddenly turns to one of determination. The youngest Warrior stands to her feet. "I'll be back." She calls over her shoulder as she leaves the building. 

~

   The screen changes to the inside of 'Quick Pour' in the early afternoon. Cowgirl and Mercy stand behind the counter of the bar. Mercy cuts limes into wedges while Cowgirl wipes down an assortment of cups. The two of them are engaged in a deep conversation. 

   "It's nice and simple y'know? No strings attached sorta thing. It works." Cowgirl tells Mercy, as she sets down a glass and moves to another. 

   "Right, but it's not exclusive right?" Mercy asks, not looking up from the cutting board. 

   "No. That's like the whole point. No strings." 

   "Then that means you could start dating someone." Mercy points out.

   Cowgirl laughs and rolls her eyes. "Who says I want to date anyone?" She asks. "Right now it's simple. It's fun. Besides, she's not ready for a relationship, and I'm not necessarily looking for one either." 

   "But would you want one?" 

   "I mean I wouldn't be opposed…"

   "Aha!" Mercy yells, pointing her knife at Cowgirl. "So you are interested in dating!"

   "That is not what I said!" Cowgirl points a finger back at Mercy. "Why are you even interested in my love life?"

   "Well… Mrs. Lewis tells me about how she wishes for you and Cochise to find partners before she's dead." 

   "The woman isn't even that old." 

   "And maybe I want to go on a double date." Mercy admits. She tucks a hair behind her ear nervously, and returns to cutting the limes. 

   Really? A double date? Does Swan know about this?" Cowgirl asks. 

   "Well she doesn't need to know right now because no one is dating!" 

   The door to 'Quick Pour' opens and the camera turns to see Fox walk into the bar. 

   "Hey, Fox." Cowgirl greets, tipping her hat. 

   "Fox? You never come to the bar. What's up?" Mercy greets, a slight look of worry on her face. "Is Rembrandt feeling any better?" 

   "Hey, Cowgirl. Hey, Mercy." Fox greets and stands at the edge of the bar. "Rembrandt is still upset." Fox sighs. 

   "Want Swan and I to stop by later? I can bring you two dinner." Mercy offers. "It might be good for Rembrandt to be around friends."

   "Thanks, but that won't be necessary. I have a plan." Fox tells them.  

   Cowgirl and Mercy's eyebrows raise at that. 

   "Oh? What's the plan?" Mercy asks. 

   "Well… That's a secret. If everything goes well, she'll be better by the morning though." 

   Cowgirl lets out a whistle. "Didn't think you had it in ya Fox. Way to take initiative. You might get your double date after all Mercy." 

   Mercy nods her head. "If you need any tips on anything, you've come to the right place." 

   "Agreed." Cowgirl nods as well. 

   "What?" Fox asks, confusion in her voice. 

   "I find that when you're first getting started it's best to take your time." Mercy sets down the knife she was using, and places the limes into their proper container. "Really get to know the person you're with and what they like." 

   "Wait, wait, I don't-" Fox tries.

   "Oh one hundred percent." Cowgirl agrees, ignoring Fox. "But also remember that it's supposed to be fun, so have fun with it. Also set boundaries. Last thing you want is to wake up the next morning with regret." Cowgirl leans across the bar to Fox. 

   Mercy comes to stand next to her. "And also don't be afraid to get creative." 

   "For sure! This one time I-"

  "What are you two talking about?!" Fox yells, cutting off whatever story Cowgirl was about to tell. Fox's face is bright red. 

   "What are you talking about?" Cowgirl asks, leaning away from the counter. 

   "I was just going to ask where Ajax is!" 

   "Ajax? You're going to Ajax for advice on this?" Mercy asks, seemingly offended. 

   "Actually that might be a good idea. Trust me when I say Ajax knows her stuff." Cowgirl turns to Mercy. "Like she knows her stuff." Mercy seems slightly interested. 

   "I just need her help with something!" Fox yells again. The two bartenders turn back to her. "Not advice on- on that!" 

   "Should've started with that." Cowgirl rolls her eyes. "Last I saw, Ajax was out back taking a smoke. I don't know if she's still there though." 

   Fox sighs, her face still red. "Thank you." 

~

   "Y'Know I gotta hand it to you camera creeps." The scene changes to Ajax standing behind the bar. She has a cigarette in her fingers. Ajax lifts it to her lips and takes a long drag. She pulls it away and then crushes it on the side of the building. "You certainly are persistent. I thought you would've been gone by now, but nope! Gotta follow us around." 

   "Ajax!" A voice calls from down the alley. 

   Ajax and the camera turn to see Fox approaching them. 

   "I need your help." Fox tells her. 

   "Oh hey, Ajax. How's it going? Lovely day today huh?" Ajax mimics Fox. "See? That's how you greet people." 

   Fox rolls her eyes. "Hi, Ajax. How's it going?" 

   "I'm good, thanks for asking. What about you?"

   "I need your help." Fox repeats. 

   "With what?"

   "With Rembrandt. She's really sad and I've come up with a way to cheer her up." 

   "Go on…" 

   Fox takes a deep breath before beginning. "I need your help breaking into a New York Times distribution center in Queens, so I can use one of their computers to type a new article into their system that says the Warriors are the gang with the best call sign, and then have that article be transferred into photographic film, so that we can then have the article be transferred onto a newspaper, and I can give the article to Rembrandt and she will feel better." 

   Ajax stares wide-eyed at Fox after she finishes. She then turns to the camera, before turning back to Fox. "What the fuck?" 

   "It's a really simple process. If we leave now we'll be at Queens by 2PM. The office is closed on weekends meaning we can get in and out." Fox tells her. "I went there really early this morning and got a full layout of the building. Exits. Employees. Windows."

   "Why the hell are you going through all this just because some snob news reporter didn't give us first?" Ajax asks. "Who cares what that dick thinks?" 

   "It's not because we didn't get first!" Fox tells her.

   "Oh yeah? Then why are we doing this?" 

   "Because Rembrandt cares! She's been really sad lately, and I'm worried about her, and she actually cares what those news junkies have to say!" 

   Ajax looks at her for a moment, before looking away. "And why do I have to help you? Get Snow or someone. Cochise will always help someone when they ask." 

   "No. It has to be you." 

   "Why?" 

   "Because you sabotaged the bee costume!" Fox, jabs a finger at Ajax's chest. 

   "That was a group effort and you know it!" Ajax moves her finger.

   "Yeah! So now I'm trying to make up for it! So help me!" 

   "Fox, I'm not even back on the patrol schedule yet. What makes you think Cleon and Swan will let me go with you?"

   Fox looks down at her feet looking nervous. "Well…" 

   Ajax stares at her for a moment before jabbing her own finger into Fox's chest. "You didn't tell Cleon and Swan where you're going! Fox! You little rule breaker!" 

   "Stop!" Fox pushes Ajax's hand away from her. "So what if I didn't tell them? This is going to be simple. In and out! We'll be back before they even know!" 

   Ajax laughed at that. "They're gonna know. They're gonna know and I don't need them to be pissed at me."

      "Then tell them it was my fault!" Fox sounds exasperated. "Look, if you're not going to help me then I'll do it myself." Fox turns to walk away. 

   "Fox don't do that. You'll get wrecked if you go out there by yourself." Ajax calls. "Don't be stupid!"

   "Guess we'll see!" Fox calls over her shoulder. 

   Ajax sighs loudly. She looks at the cameraman, then follows after Fox. "Wait up kid!" 

~

   The scene moves back to Rembrandt and Fox's apartment. Rembrandt still lays on the couch, Carrots has moved from her chest. 

   "You know it's the weirdest thing. I haven't slept in days. I feel so tired, but I just…" Rembrandt trails off. "RAAAAGHHHH!" She throws her arms up into the air. "Y'Know?" Rembrandt turns back to the camera. "But it's whatever. People get bad news all the time. Especially artist. Everyone's a critique y'know?" Rembrandt turns to look at the ceiling. "This is just like… my pit I guess. My art block or something." Carrots chooses that moment to appear. The orange dog holds a pair of bright teal and purple plaid socks in her mouth. She drops it on Rembrandt's chest. "These socks are so ugly." Rembrandt smiles, before throwing them across the room. Carrots runs after them. 

   Carrots runs back up to Rembrandt and drops the socks once more in her hand. 

   "Maybe I shouldn't let you chew up all of Fox's socks." Rembrandt muses. "Sure they're ugly, but she likes them…" 

   Carrots pouts at this. 

   "Nah, that's a good point." Rembrandt says, tossing them again. Carrots darts after them. Rembrandt turns back to the camera. "Where is Fox anyway?" 

~

   Cowgirl stands behind the bar. The 'Quick Pour' is full with patrons for the lunch rush. Cowgirl holds a shaker in her as she pours a martini into a glass and then slides it over the bar. "Here ya go. Shaken, not stirred." Cowgirl tells the patron with a smile. Once turned away from the customer, Cowgirl grimaces at the cameraman. "Dirty martini… yuck." She whispers to the film crew. 

   Further down the bar, Mercy talks to another guest. A similar smile on her face. 

   "Lunch rush on a Sunday." Cowgirl tells the camera. "You wouldn't expect it to be busy, but that's where you'd be wrong. All these churchgoers drinking to forget. Not sure what that says about them but who cares am I right? We make amazing tips on Sunday." The Warrior walks into the back with the camera crew. She grabs a bottle of Hendricks gin off a shelf in the room, before walking back out. "The trick to making the best tips is; Smile, lean forward on the counter, make the guest feel comfortable, compliment something they're wearing, and then bam. Guaranteed big bucks." 

   As Cowgirl tells this to the camera, a new patron comes to sit at the bar. "Here watch." Cowgirl then turns to the newcomer, a playful smile on her face. "Hey there hon'. What can I-" Cowgirl's face pales as she sees the patron. 

   Across the bar from her sits a pretty boy wearing a cardigan. 

   The name 'Lance' appears under him in white. 

   "Hey tough girl. Long time no see." The pretty boy greets. 

   "Oh fuck no." Cowgirl pushes herself away from the bar. "Mercy! Group huddle!" 

   Mercy looks up from the customer she was helping. "Now?" She asks. 

   "Yes! Now!" Cowgirl calls, walking into the backroom. 

   "But what about the-"

   "Mercy!"

   Mercy, Cowgirl, and the cameraman now find themselves in the liquor storage closet. 

   "You know, I never thought I'd find myself locked back in here." Mercy jokes. "Now what is this about? Because it's a bit early for our breaks."

   Cowgirl sighs. "Do you remember when Ajax got arrested and we all scattered? You and Swan went down the subway tunnels to make out, and Cochise, Rembrandt, Fox, and me went the other way?" 

   "I specifically remember not making out, but continue." 

   "Well do you also remember me telling you about this pretty boy band gang and how one of them bit me?" 

   "How could I forget? Left you with that nasty scar." 

   "Right well he's here." 

   Mercy's eyes widen. She looks at the camera, then back at Cowgirl. "Are you shitting me? Here?" 

   "Yes!" 

   "Why is he here? On Warriors turf?" 

   "Fuck if I know!" Cowgirl yells. 

   "Which one is he?" Mercy asks, peeking from the door to the closet and at the patrons at the bar. 

   "The one in the cute cardigan." Cowgirl tells her, peeking behind Mercy. 

   "Oh…" She closes the door. 

   "What?" 

   "He's kinda cute. I think you should talk to him." Mercy turns to the camera again. "Right John?" She asks the camera man, who's name is definitely not John. 

   "Mercy! What part of bit me don't you get?" Cowgirl pinches the bridge of her nose. 

   "Hey! Don't even act like you don't like getting a little rough!" 

   "That is so not the point!" 

   "Fine! So what's the plan? Because we can't just hide in here all shift. One of us leaves to go get back up? Then we jump him outta here?" Mercy suggests, cracking her knuckles. "Or we could do it ourselves. He seems like light work." 

   Cowgirl stares at her. "Y'know, you really go zero to one hundred real quick." 

   "So I've been told." 

   "But you're right. He is light work. Let's just go back to work like usual. If he tries anything, we get him out of here." Cowgirl suggests. 

   "Oh? Suddenly interested in serving your little sweater boy out there?" Mercy asks, wiggling her eyebrows. 

   "Maybe I just respect the want to drink." Cowgirl shrugs, looking away from Mercy. 

   "Riiiiiggght…"

~

   The subway cart comes to a screeching halt as the train pulls into the station in Queens. The camera opens up to Ajax and Fox leaving the cart. Fox has an iron grip on Ajax's arm as they step off. Ajax looks down at Fox's grasp, but doesn't comment on it. It isn't until they are out of the station that Fox let's go. 

   "I hate trains…" She mumbles. 

   "Reasonable." Ajax agrees. "If you hate trains so much, why are we doing this?" 

   "Because I want to make it up to Rembrandt." Fox tells her, eyes focused on the street in front of them. "Plus… I live in New York. I can't live my entire life being afraid of the subway." 

   Ajax lets out a snort. "I think you have a pretty good reason to be afraid of trains." 

   "Yeah. Let's just keep going." Fox keeps her gaze ahead. 

   Ajax opens her mouth to say something, but closes it. She turns her gaze back to the street as well. 

   The screen fades to black as the two walk towards the distribution center. 

~

   The screen opens back up to the bar. Lance still sits at the counter. The bar has died down from the rush. A half drank vodka and cranberry sits in front of him. Mercy begins to walk past him, a stack of cups in her hand. The Bizzie raises his hand to get her attention. 

   "Excuse me!" He calls. 

   Mercy turns back towards him, an eyebrow raised. "Yeah?" 

   Lance looks slightly bashful. He twirls his straw around the cup. "The other bartender. The pretty one with the hat, do you think you could get her to come over here?" 

   Mercy hums for a moment. "See, I would. Only she has this thing about not talking to the people who've bit her." Mercy pauses. "Well most of the time." 

   Lance blushes at that. "Look, what happened that night was my bad. Emotions were high. I shouldn't have bit her. Just… Can you tell her I want to apologize?" Lance sounds remorseful as he speaks. 

   Mercy looks at him but says nothing. She walks away from him and approaches Cowgirl. "Don't look now… but chompers over there wantz to apologize." She tells her, before pushing her way into the back. 

   "Yeah well he can keep waiting." Cowgirl grumbles. 

~

   Back with Ajax and Fox, the two of them stand outside a very tiny newspaper distribution center. The building has a sign that reads 'Ma's Papers'.

   "No way is this the New York Times…" Ajax mumbles looking at the building. 

   "You're right. This is owned by a small-time newspaper company. They're being bought out by the Times." Fox tells her. 

   "Then why are we here? I thought you said we were going to the New York Times!" 

   "That place is going to be way too monitored. Plus that's in Manhattan. I'm not riding a train all the way to Manhattan." Fox begins to walk towards the building. "Besides, this place is getting bought out. They won't care if we borrow their stuff. We'll be in and out real quick." 

   "Why didn't you tell me we weren't actually going to the Times building?" Ajax asks, walking up next to Fox as she starts to lock pick the door. 

   "Would you have come if you knew the truth?" Fox asks, looking over her shoulder at Ajax. 

   "Considering I wasn't going to come to begin with… No, probably not." Ajax admits. "Can you hurry that up?" 

   "Good work takes time!" 

   "God, you sound like Swan." 

   Fox doesn't say anything and continues trying to get the door open.

   "Fox I swear if this door doesn't open in the next ten seconds I'm busting a window." 

   "There!" Fox pulls open the door. "After you ma'am." 

   "Let's just hurry it up."

   The two enter the dark building and look around. The building is covered from head to toe in dust, giving off an abandoned appearance. The two stand in some sort of waiting room. A receptionist desk sitting in the corner. 

   "What are we looking for?" Ajax asks, following Fox to a door. 

   "A computer." Fox tells her. "Most printing companies have switched from the linotype to computers. It's faster that way. Easier to transfer to photographic film and then-" 

   "How the hell do you know so much about newspaper printing?" Ajax asks, cutting Fox off. 

   Fox shrugs. "My father moved to New York to start a paper business. He made sure we knew about the process so we could take over the company one day." 

   "Oh yeah? And how'd that company end up going?" 

   "Well, now I'm in a gang and breaking into an abandoned building. So pretty well." Fox tells her as they enter a new room. 

   This one has many filing cabinets against the walls. Some of them have the drawers pulled open. Like the last room, this one is full of dust. Fox scans the room. Beside her, Ajax sneezes loudly. In the center of the room is a single desk. On top of the desk sits an old typewriter. Fox walks over to the typewriter. The cameraman follows after her and zooms in on the typewriter. The letters have begun to peel off from years of pressure. Fox presses down on the 'R'. The typewriter immediately jumps to life. 

   "Is that your computer?" Ajax asks, wiping her nose. 

   "No… I'm starting to realize this place might be too old to have a computer." Fox admits. 

   "So..?"

   "That means they'll probably either have a Linotype or… god forbid… a letter press." Fox shivers at the idea of a letter press. 

   "Which means..?"

   "It means our trip just got longer." Fox turns and approaches another door. 

   Ajax groans loudly. 

   Fox pulls open the door. In this new room a Linotype machine sits in the center. A window behind it. "Oh thank god." Fox sighs at the sight of it. 

   "What the fuck is that?" 

~

   "I think you should talk to him." Mercy tells Cowgirl as the scene switches back to them. 

   "Why?" Cowgirl asks, washing dishes. 

   "Because he keeps asking me about you. Every time I bring him another drink, he asks if you're busy." Mercy explains. 

   "Ah, so he's drunk." Cowgirl deadpans. 

   "That's the thing! He's only getting water! He had one vodka cranberry and then water!" Mercy says, as if it's the weirdest thing. "He's got this whole puppy dog thing going on. Like he chewed up a shoe and got in trouble. Which… I guess he kinda did. Only you're the shoe." Cowgirl glares at her. Mercy raises her hands in defense. "Right! Touchy subject. Listen, he's not ordering anymore drinks. He wants to talk." 

   Cowgirl considers this for a moment. She opens her mouth to reply, but Mercy speaks up before she can. 

   "If you really don't want to talk to him, that's fine. When Swan gets here to pick me up, I'll tell her that Chompers has been creeping on you all day. She'll kick his ass if you're worried about getting your hands dirty." 

   Cowgirl considers this as well, before shaking her head. "It's not that I don't want to talk to him. It's that I do. Which worries me." 

   "I don't follow." 

   Cowgirl sighs. "Ajax and I have a 'no strings attached' kinda relationship. Which is easy, and fun, and something we've had for awhile. It's good. If I start a relationship it'll have to stop." 

   Mercy nods her head. "And you don't want it to." 

   "I guess not." 

   "Well… who says you have to start dating? Have him buy you dinner or something." Mercy suggests. "You don't have to date someone to have fun. You should know that." 

   Cowgirl thinks about this. "Yeah… yeah you're right. I don't! Finish these for me. I'm taking my break." She then passes the cups she was holding to Mercy and walks out to back and up to Lance. 

   Lance is leaning on the table when she approaches. At the sight of someone standing in front of him, he lifts his head. "Cowgirl! Hey!" He straightens up. "I just wanted to say-"

   "I'm taking my break. You're gonna buy me something. Sound good?" Cowgirl tells him, walking towards the exit. 

   Lance stares after her. He quickly stands to follow. 

   Mercy watches from the back. "Aw look at them go, James." She sighs sweetly to the cameraman. "He didn't pay his bill." She adds. Mercy then turns to the camera. "Your name is James right?" 

~

   When the screen changes to Rembrandt and Fox's apartment, Rembrandt is actually up and about. She stands in the kitchen wearing a chefs hat. A large mixing bowl is on the counter next to her. The bowl is filled with a white batter. Carrots sits in a chair at the islander. Carrots leans forward to sniff the bowl. "Well everyone its happened. I've run out of trail mix. All that's left are the raisins." 

   The camera cuts to the industrial sized bag of trail mix sitting on the coffee table. The only thing inside being raisins. The camera then cuts back to Rembrandt. 

   "Fox is out… somewhere… which means it's up to me to provide for this family." Rembrandt places down a large box of pancake mix. "Everyone knows the best 'feel better' meal are good old fashioned pancakes. So that's what we're making today." Rembrandt lifts the bowl up to show the camera. As she does, some of the batter spills onto the counter. Carrots leans forward to lick it up, but is pushed back by Rembrandt. "As you can see. I already made the batter. Now all that's left is to pour it into the skillet." 

   Rembrandt turns to the oven before her and turns on the stove top. The stove immediately starts clicking. Rembrandt stares at it confused. "Is it supposed to make that sound?" She asks, reaching out to turn the nob again. As her hand touches the noble, a large flame bursts from the stove. Rembrandt yelps as she jumps back. The bowl full of batter falls from her hand and lands on the floor. Carrots immediately hops off the chair to begin licking it up. 

   "Carrots no! Bad!"

~

   The scene changes back to Fox and Ajax. Fox sits at the typing machine working away. Ajax stands behind her with her arms crossed. The machine is loudly buzzing as Fox types. 

   "How long does this usually take?" The older Warrior asks unhelpfully. 

   Fox pauses her typing and looks up at Ajax. "Well I wanna make sure I write everything down. Good work takes time, remember? Besides, we still have to wait for this to dry once I'm done." Fox goes back to her typing. 

   Ajax groans. She begins to look at the machine. She watches as an arm to the machine comes down and lifts up another part. Ajax studies it, trying to figure out where it was taken. She reaches down to touch part of the machine, but is immediately cut off by Fox's voice. 

   "Do not!" She yells, pausing her typing. "That's like 500 degrees of molten lead!" Fox warns. 

   Ajax snaps her hand away from the machine. "Who built this death trap?!"

   "I think it was some guy named Ottmar Mer-"

   "I hate that you know that." 

   Fox sighs. "Look Ajax… why don't you look around? Grab some stuff you think might be worth something. I'm almost finished typing, so we should be good to go back once I'm done." Fox then turns back to the linotype. 

   Ajax huffs, but relents. She walks back into the office room and chooses a random filing cabinet to search through. Ajax grabs the first article she finds and reads it. "Top ten recipes for a quiche this holiday season? Pssh. No wonder this place got bought out." Despite saying that, Ajax places the article in her bag. "What?" She asks, looking at the camera. "I like a good quiche. Ooh look. This one is about cheesecakes." Ajax shows the camera the article, before putting that one in her bag as well. 

   Ajax continues looking through the filing cabinets, pocketing the articles she finds interesting. She is halfway through an article about sweet potato pie, when she hears voices from outside. Ajax pockets the article and creeps towards the door. 

   Silently, Ajax moves towards the door connecting to the lobby of the building, making sure to stay hidden. The cameraman follows close behind her. Ajax reaches the door and pulls it open just a crack. Her and the camera both peek into the lobby and out a window. In front of the building is an old woman and a man dressed in business attire. The two of them are speaking to a police officer. Ajax immediately backs away and slowly closes the door. She pushes away from the cameraman and goes back to the room with Fox. Before entering the room, Ajax pulls one of the filing cabinets from the wall and into the room with Fox. 

   "What are you doing Ajax?" Fox asks, confusion on her face. She stands by a wheel as it pushes paper from the press. 

   "We got busted. Someone must've heard your loud ass machine and reported us because the cops are outside." Ajax tells her, pushing the filing cabinet in front of the door with a huff. 

   Fox pales at that. "Shit!" She whispers. "The print isn't done yet! I still have three papers that need to finish printing! Then we have to wait for the drying process-" 

   "What the fuck Fox? Were you writing a novel?" Ajax asks. Fox opens her mouth to defend herself, but Ajax speaks before she can. "Look! It doesn't matter because our time is up. We gotta take what we have and get the fuck out of here." 

   Fox nods. "Well this building only has one exit and it's the same as the entrance." Fox points out. "Which is definitely not up to code by the way…"

   "Fuck…" Ajax mumbles in thought. "Oh I got it! Why don't we hand over camera creep here, and then sneak out?" 

   The cameraman backs away from Ajax. 

   "Slight issue with that, camera creep has video evidence of us breaking and entering." Fox reminds her. 

   "Fuck. How about we break the camera?" 

   The cameraman takes another step back. 

   Fox shakes her head. "No… we just have to smash our way out." She points at the window. "Then run like hell." Fox then turns back to the cameraman. "Have you ever jumped through a window before?" 

   A loud banging on the door is heard through the room. "Anyone in there? NYPD open up!" 

   Fox and Ajax look at each other. The two of them nod. Fox moves to the few papers that did print and grabs them, folding them up and placing them in her bag. Ajax moves to the window and pushes it open. The door shakes from impact as the cop throws his weight into it. 

   Ajax hops through the window and then is followed by Fox. Ajax turns to look at the cameraman who is standing at the window. "Dude, come on!" She whisper yells. "I swear if you back out on me now…" 

   The camera turns back to the door right as it begins to crack off the frame. The camera man then turns back to Ajax and hops through. The camera falls to the ground as he jumps through the window. A hand picks it back up. The screen flashes back on to Ajax pulling the cameraman to his feet. "Let's get the fuck outta here!" She yells taking off. 

~

   "Sooooo…" Mercy asks Cowgirl as she walks behind the bar. This time Lance is nowhere to be found. "How was it?" 

   "It was nice." Cowgirl tells her. "He apologized for what happened that night. Tensions were high and what not." 

   "Annnnnnd?" Mercy asks, leaning into her personal space. 

   "Annnnd we might be going out again once I get off work." Cowgirl tells her. Her face has a slight blush to it. 

   Mercy squeals in excitement. "You have to tell me everything! I might get my double date after all!" 

   "Let's not get carried away." 

~

   Ajax and Fox sits next to each other on the subway train. The cameraman sits across from them. A silence fills the group. Fox's hands twitch nervously. Once the train pulls away, she lets out a deep breath. Fox then reaches into her bag and pulls out the newspaper. A frown falls on her face. 

   Ajax looks over at the paper in Fox's hands. She flips the paper. The ink words have bled through the paper making it incredibly hard and near impossible to read. Ajax puts a hand on Fox's back. "Well. At least we tried right?" Ajax asks. 

   Fox takes the paper and pushes it back into her bag, ignoring Ajax's question. 

   "Hey… Rembrandt will appreciate the attempt anyways, kid. You tried and that's all that really matters! This was a really sweet idea." Ajax tries. 

   "Why haven't you been staying with us?" Fox asks suddenly. 

   "Wha-?"

   "Don't play dumb Ajax. Why haven't you stayed with us? You've been out for awhile now and not once have you even stopped by." Fox looks at Ajax. "Why? Did we do something to upset you? Did Rembrandt upset you? Did I do something to upset you?" 

   "No you didn't-" 

   "Do you just not like dogs?" 

   "You have a dog-?"

   "Because whatever it was, I'm sorry. I'll try to fix it but first I need to know what we did." Fox's eyes burn as she stares at Ajax. 

   Ajax turns away from the eye contact. "It wasn't anything you or Rembrandt did." 

   "Then what is it?" 

   "It's…" 

   "It's what?" Fox tries. 

   "It's me okay?" Ajax tells her, turning back to look at Fox. "I haven't gone back because of me. I can't stop thinking about the night of the meeting." Fox doesn't reply. "Every time I see you, or really any of the others I'm reminded of what I did." 

   "But you stay with Cowgirl and Cochise." Fox points out. 

   "That's just sex. It's a distraction. Not that she's a distraction." Ajax quickly adds. "It's different with Cowgirl. That's all." 

   "And when you're not staying with Cowgirl?" 

   "Then I'm crashing at Vermin or Snow's place. They weren't there that night. They don't know what I did." Ajax, looks away from Fox once more. "Hell they don't even know that the reason I'm not back on the patrol schedule is because I don't want to be! They think Cleon is just punishing me." Fox seems shocked at that. "But the truth is I don't trust myself to be back on patrol with anyone! I keep thinking I'm going to fuck it up. That I'll get someone fucked up and it will be my fault." 

   "Ajax… what happened that night wasn't your fault." Fox tries. 

   "But it was! I made the choice to fight that cop! I'm the reason we all got split up!" Ajax explains. "Every time I you or anyone else from that night I- I just replay what happened. I think of what could've happened had I been there instead." Ajax looks back down at her feet. "I keep thinking in my mind, that if I had been there… you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I could've taken the cop in a fight and we all could've made it home that night. Or maybe if I hadn't fought the cop in the park to begin with, maybe they wouldn't have been at the station." Ajax closes her eyes, head still down. 

   "Ajax, that's not fair." Fox speaks up. 

   Ajax turns to look at her. "My feelings aren't fair?" 

   "No!" Fox exclaims. "It's not fair that you blame yourself for me getting hit by the train! I was hit by the train! I'm so tired of everyone apologizing to me for what happened that night! I'm tired of people blaming themselves for my accident." Fox has a fury in her eyes as she speaks. "I was hit by a train and ya wanna know something funny?" 

   "..." 

   "I don't regret what I did! I don't regret attacking that cop that night. I don't regret it because it got Rembrandt and everyone else back safely. Sure it hurt like hell, and the recovery process was a real bitch, and I might owe the Gramercy Riffs my soul now, but I don't regret it. Because it led me to where I am now." Fox throws her arms out and turns away from Ajax. "On a train going home after failing to print a newspaper for my roommate. I'm back on the thing that almost killed me, and to tell ya the truth? I'm happy. Despite completely failing today, I'm happy." Fox lowers her arms. "I have an amazing dog named Carrots. An awesome roommate. Friends who love me. I'm alive." She turns back to Ajax. "You have that too Ajax. You have life, and you have the Warriors." 

   Ajax doesn't say anything. 

   "If you don't want to live with Rembrandt and me anymore that's fine. You don't have to." Fox sighs and leans back in her seat, closing her eyes. "Just don't blame yourself for what happened to me." Fox turns to look back at Ajax. "I would've attacked the officer even if I knew I wouldn't survive. If that's what it would've took for them to make it home… I'd do it again." Fox looks ahead and closes her eyes once more. 

   Ajax says nothing for a while. "Heh. You really were trained by Swan. She also has a flair for the dramatics." Fox laughs lightly at that as well. "But you're right, kid." Ajax admits. "I don't know if I'm going to go back to living with you and Rembrandt, but I know I'm gonna do something." 

   "Something reckless?" 

   "You know it." 

   The two of them share a smile before falling into a comfortable silence. 

   "Hey, Fox…" Ajax begins. 

   "Yeah?" 

   "How did you end up surviving the accident? And getting no prison time? If you feel comfortable answering." 

   Fox sits up in her chair. "Well… admittedly it was less of me getting hit by the train and more… me hitting the train." Fox admits. 

   "Huh?" 

   "Well, the cop threw me into the back of a subway cart as it pulled away. So I kinda just… bounced off of it. I landed on the tracks and then everything went black." Fox tells Ajax. "When I woke up in the hospital, they told me that I had a concussion, a spinal fracture, broken ankle, snapped clavicle, and a broken wrist from where I hit the train. Lucky to be alive and what not." 

   "And the whole… Lack of a prison sentence?" 

   "Well… the Gramercy Riffs came to visit me. Masai told me he would be able to get me off with no prison sentence and a 10k payout." 

   "How the fuck..?" 

   "No idea, but who was I to say no? They probably own my soul now but I'll deal with that later." Fox shrugs. 

   "Yeah. I think they own mine too." Ajax admits. "I should've been locked away for much longer." 

   "Guess we'll go down together." 

   Ajax nods. "Good thing Cleon and Masai are fucking." 

   "Excuse me what?" 

~

   The door to Rembrandt and Fox's apartment opens. Fox walks in and looks towards the couch. Rembrandt isn't there. Only the bag of raisins remains. Worry falls on Fox's face. 

   "Rembrandt?" Fox calls into the apartment, closing the door behind her. 

   "I'm in here!" Rembrandt calls from the kitchen. 

   Fox quickly walks into the room to see the counters covered in pancake mix. A raw egg sits on the counter as well. Carrots sits at the islander, a white streak down her forehead. She happily hops down from the counter and walks over to Fox. Her entire body wagging at Fox. Fox reaches down and wipes the batter off the dog's head. She grimaces at the sight. "Uh… Rembrandt?" 

   "I made pancakes!" Rembrandt tells her. Much like the rest of their kitchen, Rembrandt is covered in pancake mix. A white streak cuts across one of her cheeks. "We don't have any syrup. So it's just pancake. Also we don't have any more pancake mix." Rembrandt holds up the plate filled with misshapen pancakes. "Try one!" 

   Fox smiles and walks up to Rembrandt. She takes one of the pancakes and takes a bite out of it. "Gotta say… this is actually surprisingly good!" Fox praises. She takes another bite of the pancake. 

   Rembrandt seems to beam at that praise. "I know right? I'm thinking about becoming a chef. Thoughts?" 

   Fox swallows the pancake. "I mean hey, I'm all about you following your dreams." The egg falls off the counter and onto the floor. "But maybe we try less messy recipes to begin with?" 

   Rembrandt nods, handing the plate to Fox. 

   Fox takes another pancake from the plate and moves to the island. "It's good seeing you up and not watching Jaws. I was worried we were going to have to buy Jaws 2." 

   "Fox, you know how I feel about Jaws 2. It will never be allowed in this house." Rembrandt moves over to the sink and drops a dirty plate into it. "Besides, I figured it was time to get up. What about you? What did you do today? You were gone forever." 

     Fox suddenly grows nervous. "Oh well… you know… stuff." 

   "Don't leave me hanging Fox! Fill me in on all the exciting details." Rembrandt moves to sit next to her at the island. 

   Fox's face heats up and she wordlessly grabs her bag and sets it on the counter. "Well… I knew you were feeling sad and wanted to cheer you up. So I might've had Ajax come with me to Queens and help me break into a newspaper publishing house." 

   "Why would you break into a publishing house?" 

   "Because I wanted to get you something to cheer you up!" Fox pulls the newspaper from her bag. She holds the paper weakly in her hand. Rembrandt snatches it and begins to read it. "The plan was to write my own article. One where you get the recognition you deserve! But well…" She sighs. "A cop showed up, so I didn't get to take every page, and also the ink smudged horribly. It's basically unreadable now." Fox nervously watches Rembrandt as she looks at the paper. 

   "Oh Fox… this is the best gift anyone's ever given me!" Rembrandt tells her, as she pulls Fox into a hug. Fox smiles and leans into it, hugging back. "You went through all that to get me a gift? Just because I was sad?" Rembrandt asks, pulling away from the hug. She keeps her arms on Fox's shoulders. 

   "Well yeah. I felt really bad after what happened, and I…" Fox trails off looking down. 

   "You..?" Rembrandt trails off as well, trying to get Fox to continue. 

   Fox raises a hand to Rembrandt's cheek that is marked by the pancake mix. She wipes her thumb across it, cleaning it from her face. Fox holds her hand there. "I…" Time seems to stop as they stare at each other. 

   Then it's back to reality as Fox turns to look at the camera. Which had zoomed in on them. Rembrandt turns to look as well. 

   "Why are you still here? That's kinda creepy." 

Next Epsiode 05: Rumors!

Chapter Text

   The screen opens up inside of Cleon's office. The office is illuminated in a dark red, giving the room an ominous glow. Fox and Ajax sit at the desk in the room. Fox has her head down, nervously playing with her hands. While Ajax sits back with her arms crossed over her chest. 

   Cleon sits at her desk. Her chair is turned away from Fox and Ajax. Swan stands to the right of Cleon's chair. Swan has an unreadable expression on her face as she looks at the two Warriors. The room is heavy with silence. 

   "Can we just get this over with?" Ajax asks, breaking the silence. "We all know I've gone through this enough times. Your intimidation tactics aren't going to break me!" 

   "Fox hasn't gone through this before." Swan points out. "Maybe we want her to get the full effect." 

   Ajax snorts lightly. "Please. Fox was hit by a train. This isn't going to work on her."

   "Actually it might work on me…" Fox whispers to Ajax. 

   "I'm trying to make you look good here kid, shut up…" Ajax whispers back. "That's right! You won't break us!"

   Swan narrows her eyes at Ajax. 

   "Do you know why the two of you are here?" Cleon asks, still turned around. 

   Fox and Ajax remain silent. They share a glance at each other. Before Ajax speaks up. "Well, considering my birthday isn't for another three months… No. I don't know why we're here." 

   "Ajax. Quit playing around. This is serious." Swan scolds. 

   "It's okay, Swan." Cleon turns her chair around to look at Ajax and Fox. Her eyes are dark as she looks at them. Both Fox and Ajax seem to tense as her gaze travels over them. "If they don't remember, we can help jog their memory. Might even make it a game." Cleon's voice is cold as she speaks. A powerful aura falls off her in waves. "You two do anything fun lately? Something that might have involved breaking and entering?" 

   "I do love a good game. This must be twenty questions." Ajax jokes. Fox glares at her. 

   "Just answer the question." Swan commands. She crosses her arms over her chest. 

   "I thought we were allowed three skips in this game?" Ajax asks. 

   "Ajax stop playing around." Fox whisper yells to her. She then turns to Swan and Cleon. "Yes. Two days ago Ajax and I took a train up to Queens and broke into an abandoned building." Fox tells them. She lowers her gaze immediately after. 

   "Why?" Cleon asks. 

   "I thought we got to ask a question next." Ajax jokes. No one laughs. 

   "Because Rembrandt was upset with the results of the Times article. I wanted to cheer her up, so I broke into an abandoned newspaper publishing house to make her an article myself. One that gives a more accurate rating of her skills." Fox tells them, ignoring Ajax. 

   Cleon and Swan stare at Fox for a moment. Looks of shock and confusion on their faces.

   "So…" Swan starts. 

   "Let me get this straight. Rembrandt was upset about a newspaper written by some pompous asshole, so you decided to break into a different newspaper place make your own article?" Cleon asks. 

   "You know, now that I'm sitting here hearing it aloud, I realize just how stupid and overly complicated that is…" Fox mumbles. 

   "That's because it is stupid!" Cleon raises her hands in disbelief. "Most people would just buy the person they're into flowers!" 

   "Wait, I don't think-" Fox tries, but is cut off. 

   "Not break into a publishing house! And they certainly wouldn't bring their friend down with them!" Cleon continues, ignoring Fox. 

   Fox lowers her head. "I know. I'm sorry."

   "Hey now Cleon. Let's not put all the blame on the kid." Ajax interrupts. "I went too. Send some of that anger my way."

   Cleon turns to Ajax. She opens her mouth to say something. Fox cuts her off. 

   "No Cleon. Ajax didn't do anything wrong. I basically forced her to go with me." Fox admits. "She told me not to and I didn't listen. Ajax only went with to keep me out of trouble." 

   Cleon looks at Fox and then turns to Ajax. "Is that true?" 

   "I have free will! She never-" Ajax is cut off. 

   "Yes it's true." Fox tells Cleon. 

   "No it's not!" Ajax starts to reply. Cleon raises a hand to silence her. 

   Cleon leans back in her chair and crosses her arms over her chest. She sighs loudly, before turning her head to look at Swan. Who has been quietly waiting. "Well. What do you think, Swan?" Cleon prompts. "What should we do about this?" 

   "Fox left without telling anyone. She and Ajax could've gotten jumped by anyone out there and would've had no back up." Swan begins. "Whether it was knowingly or unknowingly, she put her fellow Warrior in danger." 

   "So?" Cleon asks. 

   "I think Fox needs to be suspended." Swan tells Cleon, her gaze never leaving the two sitting in front of them. 

   "Hey wait a second!" Ajax tries. She stands from her chair. 

   Cleon silences her with a glare. Ajax sits back down reluctantly. "For how long?" Cleon asks. 

   "Considering her and Ajax managed to make it back unharmed… I think only a twelve day suspension should be fine." Swan finishes. 

   Cleon makes a humming sound. "Sounds good to me." She then turns to Fox. "You get all that Fox?" 

   Fox nods her head and keeps her gaze lowered. "Yes. I understand." She mumbles. 

   "Good. Then you can leave." Cleon tells her. Fox nods once more, before making her way towards the exit. 

   Once the door closes behind her, Ajax speaks up. "So what now huh? Gonna suspend me too? Oh wait. I'm already not on the patrol schedule! So do your worst!" 

   "Calm down Ajax. You're not getting suspended." Cleon tells her. 

   "Then what?" 

   "You're getting put back on the patrol schedule." 

   "Wait what?" 

   "Yep. You're gonna be shadowing someone until you get used to it again." A smile forms on Cleon's face. 

   "Oh no… Cleon don't do this to me… don't tell me it's…" A look of fear takes over Ajax. 

   "You're going to be working exclusively with Vermin for the next week. Doing everything they do." 

   "Not Vermin!" Ajax cries. "They hardly know their way around Coney! I'm gonna be stuck on boardwalk duty for a week?!" 

   "You'll do great. Vermin is a great teacher." Cleon assures her. "You can leave now."

   "Have fun Ajax." Swan says with a smirk. She waves at her. 

   Ajax grumbles as she exits the room. 

   Once gone, Cleon and Swan share a laugh together. 

   "Oh by the way, Swan. There's something I wanted to tell you." Cleon begins, clearing her throat. 

   "Yeah?" Swan asks. 

   "There's been a rumor going around involving Mercy." Cleon tells her. Swan's eyes widen and she gets a panicked look on her face. "Relax Swan, it's nothing too horrible!" Cleon quickly assures. 

   "What's the rumor?" Swan asks. Her face is still covered in concern. 

   "Apparently some people found out that Mercy never had a proper 'Warriors Initiation'." Cleon makes air quotes with her fingers. Swan tenses. "So people are starting to suspect she joined the gang because of… 'Other reasons'." Cleon does the air quotations again. "Like I said, nothing too serious-" 

   "Nothing serious?! Cleon, that's so serious!" Swan yells. "Who's saying this stuff? Who started this rumor?" Swan asks. 

   "That's the thing. I have no idea. Clearly they don't want to be found." 

   Swan brings a hand to the bridge of her nose. "Do you know who all knows about this?" 

   Cleon shrugs. "Word flies quick. Your guess is as good as mine." 

   "I gotta go." Swan says, immediately turning away from Cleon and leaving the room. 

   "Well bye I guess!" Cleon calls after her. She then turns to look at the camera in the corner. "You planning on leaving too?" She asks. 

~

   The scene changes to inside the 'Quick Pour.' The bar only has about three patrons inside it. Cowgirl stands behind the bar. She leans against it for support. On the counter sits a National Geographic magazine. Cowgirl lazily flips through the pages. 

   "Cowgirl." 

   "WAH!" Cowgirl yelps as Swan practically appears in front of her. "Warn a girl next time!" She pants, holding a hand to her chest. 

   "Sorry." Swan apologizes. 

  "You're here awfully early." Cowgirl looks back down at her magazine. The page she's on shows a dolphin. "Mercy's shift doesn't end for another-" 

   Swan cuts her off. "I know I'm early. I have a question I need to ask you. Where is Mercy?" 

   Cowgirl looks up from her magazine. "She's in the back finishing up dishes. What's this about?" 

   Swan looks around the bar, eyeing the few customers. She looks back at Cowgirl and lowers her voice. "Apparently there's a rumor going around that Mercy never went through initiation, and that she's only in the crew because…" Swan trails off, allowing Cowgirl to fill in the blanks. "Have you heard anything?"

   Cowgirl's eyes widen. "What?!" She exclaims. 

   "Shh!" Swan shushes her. 

  "No, I haven't heard anything! No one is stupid enough to say that in front of me! Who the hell would even start something like that?" Cowgirl asks, lowering her voice slightly. She closes the magazine. 

   "That's the thing. I don't know yet." Swan sighs.

   "Well you gotta let me know! They got another thing coming if they think they can talk about Mercy like that and get away with it!" 

   "Trust me. I've already planned out exactly what I'll do once I find out who it is." Swan reassures, a dark look in her eyes. "I'm going to try and get to the bottom of this, before it gets back to Mercy. So if you hear anything about it, please let me know." 

   "Oh you'll know. Me kicking their ass will be the talk of the boardwalk for months to come." Cowgirl tells her. 

   Swan chuckles slightly at that. "Just save some for me." She clears her throat, getting serious again. "Anyways, I don't want Mercy to have to worry about this. So please don't tell her. Don't tell anyone." 

   Cowgirl nods. "Last thing we need is for this to spread more." She agrees. "I won't tell anyone about this. Especially not Mercy." 

   "Won't tell me what?" A new voice asks. 

   Both Swan and Cowgirl jump at the voice. The camera moves to reveal Mercy standing behind Cowgirl. A stack of cups and plates in her arms. Swan And Cowgirl look at each other with worried expressions. 

   Mercy eyes them curiously and moves to set her dishes down. "Come on guys. You won't tell me what?" She moves to where they're standing at the counter and leans on it. "Normally, this is the part where the self conscious girlfriend assumes her partner is cheating on her, and beats up the mistress." Mercy jokes. "But luckily for you, I'm not the self conscious girlfriend. So why don't you two spill?" 

   Swan looks away from the two of them. 

   "It's nothing important Mercy." Cowgirl tries. "We were just talking about a-uh… new song she heard." 

   "Swan can't tell me about a song she heard?" Mercy asks. 

   "Well it's a… uh… an odd song to say the least." 

   "Uh huh. Nice try. I thought you were better at lying than this, Cowgirl." Mercy turns back to Swan, who has been silent the entire time. "Swan…" Mercy calls, leaning further on the bar. 

   "Yes..?" Swan asks, turning her head to look at her. 

   "Why won't you just tell me?" Mercy pouts. "It can't be that important can it?" 

   Swan's face heats up as she looks at Mercy. "Ah well- actually it…" 

   "Why do I feel like I shouldn't be watching this?" Cowgirl asks, looking straight at the camera man. 

   "Come on… just tell me." Mercy leans further towards Swan. Swan's gaze travels down. "Pleeeaaaase~" 

   "I-"

   "There's a rumor going around involving you and Swan didn't want you to know because, she didn't want you to be upset!" Cowgirl yells, breaking the two out of their trance. 

   "What?" Mercy asks, moving away from the table and staring at Cowgirl.

   "You said you wouldn't tell anyone!" Swan yells at Cowgirl. 

   "I had to! I thought the two of you were about to start making out right in the middle of the bar!" Cowgirl tries in an attempt to defend herself. 

   "What do you mean there's a rumor about me?" Mercy asks. 

   "It's really nothing serious. Just some silly rumor." Cowgirl says, waving a hand. 

   "Oh really? Nothing serious? Just something both of you don't want me knowing because, you know it will upset me?" Mercy raises an eyebrow at Cowgirl. Cowgirl looks away nervously. Mercy then turns to Swan. "Swan." Mercy starts. This time the playfulness in her voice is replaced with anger. "What is the rumor?" 

   Swan suddenly looks very guilty. "It really isn't anything you have to worry about. I'm working on figuring out where this rumor started. It'll be gone before anyone even really hears it." Swan says, attempting to reassure her. 

   "Swan." Mercy's voice is cold this time. Swan gulps. "Tell me what the rumor is." 

   A moment of silence passes between the trio at the bar. Mercy and Swan stare each other down. Cowgirl slowly starts to back away from the two of them. 

   After a tense moment of silence, Swan is the one who breaks first. She lowers her gaze from Mercy. "People have been saying that you never went through a proper Warriors Initiation. So they're not sure how you're here. Swan tells her. 

   Mercy's eyes widen. 

   Cowgirl stops walking away from them and creeps back up. "It's just a rumor. It's obviously not true." Cowgirl says, placing a hand on Mercy's shoulder. 

   Mercy has an unreadable look on her face. She doesn't acknowledge the hand on her shoulder. 

   "Mercy? Are you okay?" Swan asks, concerned. 

   Mercy looks back at Swan. "So initiate me then." 

   The screen fades to black. 

~

   The camera opens back up to Swan and Mercy again. This time, the two of them are walking down the hall to their apartment building hand in hand. 

   "I guess I don't see what the issue is." Mercy grumbles. Swan doesn't reply. "If they don't think I've been initiated, why not just initiate me then!"

   "They don't deserve the satisfaction." Swan tells her, keeping her gaze on the hall ahead ahead. "Besides, as far as I'm concerned, you went through initiation. The night of the meeting was more than enough." 

   "Yeah, well clearly some people don't agree." Mercy brushes her hair from her face. "So why not just let me go through a proper one?"

   "Because you don't need to." Swan stops her walking as they reach their apartment. She fishes around her pockets before pulling out a silver key. Swan turns back to Mercy. "You've more than proved that you're a Warrior. I'm not going to have you go through another initiation process just because of a petty rumor."

   Mercy crosses her arms over her chest. "I know you think that. I'm sure the others from that night do too." Her voice is uncharacteristically small As she speaks. "But I don't want people to think I'm only part of the crew because I'm sleeping with you." 

   Swan opens the door to their apartment and holds it open for Mercy. "I'm going to figure out who started this rumor and take care of it." She assures. "Just please don't let it get to you. People like to gossip. It doesn't mean what they say is true." 

   "You're right." Mercy sighs. "Let's talk about something else. How'd the meeting with Ajax and Fox go?" Mercy asks, as she enters the apartment. 

   "About as well as you'd expect." Swan sighs, also moving to enter. 

   The cameraman quickly tries to enter behind them, but is stopped by Swan's hand pushing them back. 

   "Not happening." Swan says, glaring at the camera. 

   "See you later Thomas!" Mercy calls from inside the apartment. 

   Swan slams the door on the cameraman.

~

   The scene opens to the outside of Swan and Mercy's apartment building the next day. The camera watches from across the street, as Mercy steps out of the building. She walks with a purpose, head held high. 

   Mercy's voice cuts over the image. 

"Now, I know Swan said she would take care of it." The scene is then changed to Mercy standing in front of the camera. "And I believe her obviously. I just also believe that I should take care of it myself. If I want the respect of the Warriors. I have to be a Warrior. Can't let my girlfriend fix all my problems now can I?" She asks the camera. The cameraman does not reply. "Exactly. Now come on Dustin. Today is my day off. So let's get going. We have a lot to do today, and not a lot of time to do it." She waves for the cameraman, who's name is definitely not Dustin, to follow her as she begins to walk away.  

~

   In the early hours of the morning, the Warriors are already up and about. Swan stands a few feet away from a forming crowd of Warriors. The Warriors all laugh amongst one another. Swan watches them from where she is standing. Ajax stands with the group of Warriors getting ready for the day. She has a shirt on under her vest that reads 'Shadow Warrior!' Her arms are crossed over her chest in an attempt to hide the words. Unfortunately for her, it doesn't go according to plan. 

   "Well well! Look who's back on the schedule! Our very own Shadow Warrior!" A nameless Warrior teases. Three other Warriors stand behind them. 

   Another one walks up beside the first. "Aren't you a bit old to be a Shadow Warrior?" 

   "Guess she needs a refresher. Must be getting rusty." The Warriors share a laugh. 

   Ajax sends a vicious glare towards the nameless Warriors. "You jack-offs better watch it." She warns. "I don't need any refresher to kick your ass." 

   The four unnamed Warriors take a step back. They all share a look with each other before breaking out into laughter. Ajax fumes at this reaction. In the distance, Swan seems to perk up at commotion. She begins to walk over to the group. 

   "Well come on then! Why don't you all see just how rusty skills have gotten!" Ajax suggests, daring any of them to try. 

   "Hah haha. Yeah. So funny." Swan interrupts the group with her fake, awkward laugh. "What we all were just talking about was so hilarious." She fake laughs again. The gathered Warriors all stare at her. "What were we just talking about?" Swan asks them. 

   The nameless Warriors all share a look with each other.

   "Nothing." 

   "Nothing Swan."

   "Just catching up."

   They all murmur, their heads lowered. "We were just leaving." One says, before they all walk away. Swan and Ajax watch them leave. 

   "I didn't need your help." Ajax grumbles once the others leave. "I could've crushed them." 

   Swan looks at her confused. "I wasn't trying to help you." She deadpans. 

   "Oh yeah? Then what was that then? You join every conversation like that these days?" Ajax asks, raising an eyebrow at Swan. 

   "Maybe I just wanted to be part of the conversation." Swan shrugs. 

   "Pssh. When do you ever want to be part of a conversation?" Ajax asks. 

   "People change." 

   "Come on, Swan. Stop fucking with me and just tell me what's up." 

   Swan sighs. "I really did want to see what they were talking about." 

   "Why? You're not exactly a social butterfly."

   Swan looks around to make sure they aren't being listened to. She then turns back to Ajax. "There's a rumor going around involving Mercy. I'm trying to figure out where it's coming from." 

   Ajax looks at her confused. "And you think the best way to do that is by joining a conversation halfway through and laughing like a crazy person?" 

   "You said it yourself. I'm not very social." 

   "No shit. Hey wait a minute! What if I join you on your little investigation?" Ajax suggests. "I'll talk to people and you'll get your information." 

   "You're supposed to be working with Vermin." Swan reminds her. 

   "Come on Swan! We'll both know Vermin has nothing to teach me. I'll learn my lesson so much better if I have to help you instead!" 

   Swan considers this for a moment. She raises a hand to her chin in thought. 

   "Plus, Vermin isn't even here yet! Showing up late isn't exactly how you teach someone to have better behavior!" Ajax adds. 

   "Fine." Swan says. 

   "Not only that but- Wait what?" Ajax stares at her with wide eyes. 

   "I said fine. You'll be my shadow today, but tomorrow, you're back to working with Vermin." Swan tells her, before turning to walk away. 

   "Fuck yeah!" Ajax cheers, moving her hands to remove the shirt. 

   "Leave it on!" Swan calls. 

   "God dammit." Ajax grumbles, following after Swan as the screen goes black. 

~

   The scene then opens up to Cochise walking down the boardwalk. There isn't a single cloud in the sky to cover the bright sun. There's a faint cry of seagulls as well as the sound of waves crashing against the shore. Many tourists pass by the Warrior, paying her no mind. Cochise's hands are in her pockets. As she walks, she whistles a simple tune. Once Cochise reaches the stairs to the beach, a voice calls out to her. 

   "Cochise!" Cochise turns to see Mercy walking towards her. Cochise stops walking and waits for her to catch up. 

   "Hey girl." She greets, once Mercy reaches her. 

   "Cochise, I've been looking everywhere for you." Mercy tells her, panting slightly. 

   Cochise raises an eyebrow at this. "Oh? Is everything okay?" She asks. 

   "Totally. Totally fine. Hey so you've been part of the Warriors for awhile right? Like you were one of the first right?" Mercy asks. 

   "Well when you say it like that, it makes me feel old." Cochise mumbles.

   "So what's the initiation process like? How do you know when you've officially made it into the crew?" 

   "Initiation is a different process for everyone. No one's the same." Cochise tells her. She then narrows her eyes and studies Mercy. "This isn't about that rumor going around is it?" 

   "Whaaaaat? What rumor? Pfffft. Why would I care about any rumor?" Mercy asks, attempting to play it cool. Cochise just stares at her. "Alright, fine, yes. It's about the rumor. How do you know about the rumor?" She asks, narrowing her eyes at Cochise this time. 

   "People talk." Cochise tells her. "I work with a lot of different people." She shrugs. "Not that I let people just talk shit like that. In fact I think I've done pretty well getting people not to mention it." 

   "Thank you Cochise." Mercy says, truthfully. "But even if this wasn't about the rumor… I still am interested in how the patrol system works. I've been with the Warriors for about nine months now and have never been on one." 

   "That's because it's not your job to. Everyone has their own position in the gang." Cochise tells her. "Ajax, and me soldier. Rembrandt is our tagger. Fox is the scout. You obviously know what Swan and Cleon do." Cochise lists off her fingers. "Obviously there's more than that, but you get the gist. You don't need to go out because you already do enough. Money is a big part of day to day life. You and Cowgirl do a great job helping us make it… the legal way at least." Cochise tells her earnestly. 

   Mercy thinks about this for a moment. "See, this is why I came to you in particular Cochise. You always know just what to say." She says, smiling at Cochise. 

   "No sweat Mercy." Cochise smiles back. 

   "However… even if I don't have to… I still want to join you today. Just to see what it's like. If you don't mind."

   Cochise hums for a moment in thought, before nodding simply. "Sure." Cochise shrugs, turning back towards the stairs. She takes one step down, the step creaking under her foot. "But if you get hurt, Swan better not come down on me." 

   Mercy perks up and hurries after Cochise. "Please Cochise. I'm not gonna get hurt." She says, walking down ahead of Cochise. "You know I'm tougher than I let on." 

   Immediately after saying this, Mercy's foot slips on sand that was on the third step. She lets out a yelp as she begins to fall down the stairs leading to the beach. Cochise and the cameraman watch helplessly as Mercy falls down the remaining eight steps. She sticks out her right hand before hitting the sand of the beach. Her wrist goes out from the pressure. 

   "Mercy!" Cochise calls, hurrying down the stairs to her. "Are you okay?" She asks, once reaching the other Warrior. Her face has a worried expression on it. 

   Mercy holds her right arm against her chest. Her left hand has a tight hold of the wrist on her right arm. "What? Oh yeah. Pssh. I'm fine. I'm fine, totally fine." She says, voice shaking. Slowly, she removes her left hand from her wrist. Her wrist is swollen and red. 

   Cochise's eyes widen at the sight. "I don't think it's supposed to look like that…" She mumbles. 

   Mercy looks at her wrist for a moment, before squeezing it with her left hand again. She hisses slightly. "Cochise?" She asks. 

   "Yes?"

   "Can you please walk with me home?" 

   "Are you sure? You don't want to go to a doctor or anything?" 

   "No. No doctor. Just home." Mercy tells her, standing up slowly. 

   "Swan is going to kill me…" Cochise mumbles, helping Mercy stand. 

~

   Back with Swan and Ajax, the two are standing in front of a pharmacy named 'Coney Care'. Across the street is a group of four Warriors. The group stands in front of a hotdog cart. They appear to be buying lunch. 

   "So what? We good cop bad cop this?" Ajax asks. 

   Swan studies the group for a moment. "It looks like they're buying lunch. We should get something too. Play it cool. We'll act like we're just getting lunch." 

   Ajax rolls her eyes and begins to cross the street. "Trust me Swan. I'm the one who needs to play it cool. I'm always cool." 

   "Sure." 

   Once reaching the hotdog cart, Ajax leans on the counter. "Two. She's paying." Ajax tells the worker, pointing at Swan. Swan frowns but takes out her wallet anyway. The worker nods and begins to prepare the hotdogs. Ajax pats Swan's shoulder, before slinking away to where the group is standing. 

   "No I'm telling you, sure Halloween was great, but have you seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre? That's a real horror movie." The first Warrior says. 

   "Be so for real. That's more of a comedy. Halloween is way scarier. It's also more realistic." The second Warrior argues. 

   "No way! I could totally take Michale Myers in a fight! He's just some guy!" The first Warrior shoots back. 

   Ajax resists the urge to roll her eyes at the lame conversation. She continues to listen in. 

   "Any of you watch Piranha?" The third Warrior asks, around a bite of their hotdog. "Now that was scary!" 

   The other three Warriors look at them. 

   "Piranha wasn't scary." Ajax says, joining the conversation. "It was like Jaws but worse. Don't tell me you're scared of anything little goldfish." She teases. 

   The Warriors all laugh at the comment. 

   "No! Of course I'm not!" The third Warrior tries to defend. Their face heating up. 

   "Sure you ain't!" The first nameless Warrior laughs. They then turn to Ajax. "What's your favorite horror movie Ajax?" They ask. 

   Ajax smiles. "Oh, you know it's gotta be-" 

   "Here Ajax. They didn't have any mustard." Swan cuts off Ajax, coming up behind her and passing her a hotdog. The other Warriors all seem to straighten up at the sight of Swan. They all immediately stop their laughing. Swan wordlessly takes a bite from her own hotdog. She has a neutral expression on her face as she looks at the Warriors "What are we talking about?"

   "Nothing Swan. Just getting ready to check this next place." The group of Warriors all begin to toss their trash away. "We'll see you two later. See ya!" The first Warrior calls, before turning and walking off with their group. 

   Swan watches them leave. A confused expression on her face. She turns to Ajax. "What were they talking about?" She asks. 

   "Movies." Ajax tells her, taking a bite of her own hotdog. 

   "I like movies. Why'd they leave?" Swan asks. 

   Ajax shrugs. "Must just be nervous around you. Next group, let me do the talking." 

   Swan frowns. "But if they say anything-"

   "I'll let you know. Now come on." Ajax tosses her own trash away. 

   "I don't know why I'd make them nervous." Swan mumbles, throwing away hers as well. 

   "Well you're their boss. Not only that, but you are literally looking for people to punish right now." Ajax reminds her, as they begin to walk away.

   Swan stares at her with an unreadable expression on her face. 

~

   The scene changes to the door to Swan and Mercy's apartment. Cochise fiddles with a set of keys, trying to get the door open. She turns the lock with a triumphant cheer and pulls the door open. Cochise hurries into the apartment, followed by Rembrandt, Fox, and the cameraman. 

   The camera begins to pan around the living room. The layout of the apartment is similar to Fox and Rembrandt's apartment. The color of the walls are even the same. The furniture inside the apartment is different however. Instead of the L-shape couch Rembrandt and Fox own, Mercy and Swan have a taupe colored sofa, and matching recliner. A pot holding three different types of cactus sits on a dark gray coffee table in the center of the living room. Which is the only sign of life in the room. Swan and Mercy's place is much more bare compared to Fox and Rembrandt's. 

   "I'm in here!" Mercy's voice calls from the kitchen. The group hurries into the room. She stands behind the kitchen island, holding an ice pack to her wrist. 

   Once more, this room is very similar to Rembrandt and Fox's apartment. Only difference being the pots, knives, and cutting board Mercy has set out. There is also an assortment of vegetables on the counters. On the stove, a large pot is boiling water. 

   Mercy's eyes immediately lock on the cameraman. "Hey! Swan doesn't- ah fuck it. Too late." Mercy sighs. She turns to Cochise and the other Warriors. "Did you bring it?" She asks. 

   Fox walks up to her, holding a brace in her hands. "Here. It's what I used when I got back from the hospital. Hold out your hand." Fox instructs her. Mercy complies, holding her right hand out for Fox to slide the brace on. "There. You'll have to take it easy for the next few days though, and make sure to ice it!" 

   Mercy nods her head. "Thanks, Fox. You're a real lifesaver."

   Fox smiles. "No worries! I wasn't using it right now anyways." 

   Rembrandt moves to stand next to Fox. "Cochise told us what happened. So I just wanted to say, don't let those mean comments get to you! You know when I-" Rembrandt begins to ramble. 

   Mercy wordlessly puts her non-injured hand on Rembrandt's back and guides her over to the cutting board. Mercy then places a yellow squash and a zucchini on the board in front of Rembrandt. She passes the younger Warrior a knife. "Cut this for me please?" She asks. 

   Rembrandt pauses her rambling for a moment. "Oh sure!" She says, before immediately continuing. Mercy nods and turns to the others in the room. 

   In the time it took for Fox to place the brace on Mercy's hand, Cochise went into the living room to grab the cacti, and bring them back into the kitchen with her. "I see the cacti I got for you and Swan are growing nicely!" Cochise praises, turning them in her grasp. "They could use a bit more sunlight though." 

   Mercy grabs the cacti from Cochise, and leads her to where Rembrandt is. She slides Cochise another cutting board and knife. "Please cut these for me." She places asparagus in front of her. 

   "Course!" Cochise nods, before beginning to cut the asparagus. 

   Mercy looks over at Rembrandt. She's made it halfway through the yellow squash. Mercy's eyes widen as she sees the crooked cuts. "Rembrandt! Who taught you how to use a knife?" 

   "Uh… no one?" 

   "Fox!" Mercy turns to Fox, right as Fox places a cherry tomato into her mouth. "Help Rembrandt with cutting these please. Also, no eating before it's done!" 

   Fox quickly places another tomato into her mouth, before hurrying over to Rembrandt. She takes another knife and begins to cut the zucchini. 

   Mercy sighs at them, and moves to the pan of boiling water. She pours a bag of penne noodles into the water. Mercy begins to move to another cabinet, when she hears a knock at the door. She looks at the three Warriors in her kitchen. All of them are seemingly in deep focus making sure they don't mess up. Mercy smiles faintly and walks to the door. 

  Once reaching the door, Mercy pulls it open to reveal Cowgirl on the other side. 

   "Hey, girl." Cowgirl greets. "I just wanted to stop by and check out how you were doing. You know with all the-" 

   "How do you feel about onions?" Mercy asks, cutting Cowgirl off, and gesturing for Cowgirl to follow her. 

~

   Swan and Ajax walk along the beach. The sun is in the process of setting, making the sky have an orange and pink glow. A group of Warriors are in the distance behind them, walking the other direction. 

   "Well. Looks like that's it then." Ajax says, kicking up sand as she walks.  

   "What?" Swan asks, looking at her. 

   "We've talked to every group. Not one of them had anything to say about Mercy." Ajax reminds her. 

   Swan says nothing as they walk. 

   "Not only that, but only like, four people even talked to you. One of them being Snow. Snow doesn't count though. You and Snow are friends." Ajax laughs lightly. "Guess that's the end of the investigation then." 

   Swan stops walking at that. She stares at the back of Ajax's head as Ajax continues to walk. 

   It takes Ajax a moment to realize Swan isn't following her. Once she does, she turns around. "What's wrong?" Ajax asks. 

   "Even in the groups I wasn't around… none of them had anything to say about Mercy." Swan says, looking down at the sand. "Not a single one." 

   "Is that a bad thing?" Ajax asks, with a slight laugh. "I thought we didn't want people to talk about her." 

   "I don't want people to talk about her." 

   "Then what's the issue?" 

   "Cleon was the one who told me. Enough people were talking about her, that it got back to Cleon." Swan looks back up at Ajax as she speaks. "I just think it's weird that today -specifically when I have you with me- not one single person mentions it." 

   "People move on, Swan." Ajax walks back towards Swan. Her eyes narrowed. "But what exactly are you saying?" 

   "I think you know what I'm saying, Ajax." Swan's voice is cold. 

   "I wanna hear you say it." Ajax growls, walking up to Swan. She jabs a finger into Swan's chest. "Say it."

   "I just think it's a really funny coincidence." Swan, pushes Ajax's finger away. "Especially considering how much you had to say about Mercy when the two of you first met." 

  "I don't have an issue with your girlfriend, Swan."

Ajax tells her, anger rising in her voice. "But I do have a problem with you getting so defensive about this shit. Mercy's a big girl. She doesn't need her uptight girlfriend to fight her battles." Ajax turns away from Swan then. "People talk and people gossip all the time. Nothing you can do about it." She looks over her shoulder, back at Swan. "You've become a real bitch since dating Mercy. She's a bad influence. No wait. You're a bad influence on her. At least she's fun." 

   "You wouldn't be saying that if you had any sort of a relationship that wasn't just a fuck buddy." Once more, Swan's voice is cold as she speaks. Swan tightens her fists at her side. Ajax tenses as she speaks.. "Oh but wait. You know… Now that I'm thinking about it…" Swan lets out an uncharacteristic chuckle. "It's funny that all day you said I was the one who can't talk to people. Yet you!" Swan points a finger at Ajax. "Can't have a meaningful and healthy relationship to save your life! You've had, what… How many ex-girlfriends? How many ex-flings?" 

   Ajax takes a deep breath, still standing with her back to Swan. She rolls her shoulders, and turns to the other Warrior. "I'm going to punch you now." 

   "Excuse me-?" 

   Swan barely has any time to react before Ajax swings a punch towards her face. Swan ducks at the last second. She surges forward and sends a punch into Ajax's stomach. Ajax huffs out in pain, before throwing another punch at Swan. This time hitting her across the face. 

   Swan moves away from Ajax. She brings a hand up to her face and touches the quickly bruising skin. Swan looks back at Ajax, with a fire in her eyes. Swan launches forward and punches Ajax straight in the nose. 

   Ajax stumbles back, holding her nose. She lowers her hand and grimaces at the blood. Ajax looks back at Swan. "So we're doing this then?" 

   "You started it." Swan says, readying herself. 

   "Don't hold back then." Ajax says with a smirk. 

~

     The scene changes back to Mercy and Swan's apartment. Cowgirl and Mercy stand over the stove. Cowgirl holds the skillet and a spatula, lightly moving the skillet around. Fox, Rembrandt, and Cochise all watch in anticipation. 

   "Careful, Cowgirl." Mercy chides, as she shakes a few miscellaneous spices over the skillet. "We want it to actually cook and marinate." 

   "I'm not sure how much more careful I can get!" Cowgirl complains. 

   "It smells amazing." Fox sighs, dreamily. "How much longer till it's ready?" 

   "Not much longer." Mercy assures her. "Fox, could you please grab the lemon juice and cheese from the fridge?" She asks. Fox immediately rushes to do so. Mercy turns away from Cowgirl, and grabs a large pasta bowl from a lower cabinet. Right as Mercy places the bowl on the counter, a knock is heard from the door. 

   "I got it!" Cochise says, rushing towards it. She pulls it open to reveal Cleon on the other side. "Oh hey, Cleon." 

   "Sup, Cochise." Cleon greets. She looks over Cochise's shoulder to wave at the cameraman. "Wow it smells amazing in here. Is Mercy cooking something?" Their leader asks. 

   Cochise nods. "Yeah it's called uh… Pasta Primavera." Cochise tells her, absolutely butchering the pronunciation. 

   "Sounds great." Cleon, walks into the kitchen. "Swan, guess who didnt show up to Vermin's-" Cleon cuts herself off when she sees everyone in the kitchen. "Dang! Y'all having a party in here? Where was my invite? Guess Swan and Ajax must've lost theirs too." She jokes. 

   Mercy laughs, and turns off the stove for Cowgirl. "I didn't know we were having a party either. Though it's a good thing everyone came over. The extra help was nice." Mercy admits. "Also, I figured Swan would be with you. I haven't seen her since she left this morning." Mercy says, with a look of concern. 

   "Nah. I haven't seen her or Ajax all day." Cleon tells her. "They must be hanging out again. It's been so long since the two of them did anything. Wow that smells good! How much longer?" 

   The Warriors all look at her with a concerned expression. 

   "What?" Cleon asks. "They're both adults. They'll be fine." She waves a hand. 

   "Got any extra ice packs?" Cowgirl asks with a sigh. 

~

   Back on the beach, Swan and Ajax are still going at it. They're both beaten, bruised, and panting heavily. 

   Ajax throws a punch at Swan's head again. Fatigue making her punch slower. Swan easily ducks the punch and launches herself toward. She grabs Ajax's midriff and tackles her into the sand. The two of them struggle for a moment, rolling in the sand. Swan inevitably ends up pinning Ajax to the ground, pinning her hands to her side. Ajax struggles for a moment, until exhaustion takes over. 

   "Ugh! Fine!" Ajax pants, turning her head. "Get off of me!" She complains. 

   Swan wordlessly moves off Ajax and flops into the sand next to her. Her breathing is heavy as well. 

   The two of them stare up at the night sky for a moment. Until Ajax decides to break the peaceful silence. 

   "You've gotten soft." She tells Swan. 

   Swan laughs lightly. "Still kicked your ass." She points out. 

   "Yeah but I was locked up. What's your excuse?" 

   "I thought prison makes you harder." Swan teases. "Plus, after that first punch to your face, I realized I probably shouldn't ruin your nose." 

   "Thanks so much for the consideration. This is my money maker!" Ajax snorts, and then winces at the pain. "I think you still broke it. Asshole." She raises a hand to her face, softly touching her nose. 

   "Yeah well, you probably gave me a black eye, and a busted lip. I'm gonna look like some common thug." Swan reminds Ajax. "You're lucky you didn't knock out any teeth." 

   "Guess I'll have to hit you harder next time." Ajax laughs. Swan joins her. Both of their laughter is wheezey and pained as it comes out. 

   Their laughter dies down and they return to silence. Both of them stare up at the sky again. The only sound around them coming from the waves crashing against the shore. 

   "I'm sorry, Ajax." Swan tells her. "I shouldn't have said those things about you. You didn't deserve that." Swan sits up in the sand and looks down at Ajax. 

   "I didn't say anything about Mercy." Ajax says suddenly. "I know I didn't like her at first but I wouldn't ever say that shit. Mercy's cool. I'd beat someone's ass for talking about her like that." 

   "Yeah. She is cool." Swan says with a smile. She turns away from Ajax and looks out at the ocean. 

   "Good god you're so whipped." Ajax groans, struggling to sit up. 

   "People keep saying that, but I don't know what it means." Swan says, turning back to Ajax with a frown. 

   "Of course you don't." Ajax laughs. "Anyways. Sorry we couldn't find out who was talking shit." 

   Swan shrugs and looks at the ocean again. "Maybe you're right. Maybe people have moved on to something else. It still makes me pissed they said it to begin with."  

   "Yeah." Ajax agrees, looking out at the ocean as well. 

   With a huff, Swan suddenly moves to her feet. Her legs weak with exhaustion. She reaches a hand down for Ajax to take. "Come on. Mercy usually makes dinner on her days off. If she didn't, we can order take out. I'll pay." 

   Ajax looks at the hand, before looking up at Swan. "I could eat." Ajax says, taking Swan's hand as she moves to her feet. 

   The two of them lean on each other for support as they walk off the beach. "If Mercy asks… we fell down the stairs."

   "Got it." 

~

   There is the sound of jingling keys from outside of the apartment. The camera turns to the front door, right as Swan pulls it open. She and Ajax have an arm around each other's shoulder for support. Swan pauses as she sees the camera. 

   "Uh… Mercy. Why are the camera creeps in our house?" Swan asks, keeping her eyes on the cameraman as she walks further into the apartment. She pauses when she sees Cochise, Cowgirl, Fox, Cleon, and Rembrandt in the apartment as well. Cochise, Cowgirl, and Cleon share the couch, while Fox and Rembrandt sit on the floor, using the coffee table to rest their bowls of pasta on. "Mercy… why is everyone in our house?" She calls, searching for Mercy. 

   "Hello to you too, Swan. Is that how you greet all your guests?" Cleon teases. 

   "They just kinda invited themselves over." Mercy calls from the kitchen. She exits, holding a dish towel to dry her hands. "I wasn't sure when you would be back, so I let them start eating. I wanted to wait until you-" Mercy pauses, taking in Swan and Ajax's bruised appearance. Mercg quickly rushes over and pulls Swan closer to her by Swan's face.

   "Ow! Ow!" Swan yelps, as Mercy turns her face in the light. "Careful!" She tells Mercy, after a particularly sharp turn. Swan removes Mercy's hands from her face. 

   "What happened?" Mercy asks, worriedly. She presses a soft touch to Swan's busted lip. Swan winces at the touch. 

   "We fell down the stairs." Ajax says quickly. Having lost Swan as a support, she now leans against the wall. Cochise eats her food faster at the mention of stairs. "Thanks, for having me for dinner by the way. It smells absolutely wonderful." Ajax adds.  

   Mercy looks at Ajax, then back at Swan. She grabs Swan's face again, and pulls her back to her. "Tell me you didn't!" She scolds. 

   "Wait babe! There's actually a really good explanation for this!" Swan tries. 

   All of the Warriors watch this interaction silently. Ajax sneaks away from the door and plops herself in between Cleon and Cowgirl on the couch. Cowgirl hands the rest of her pasta to Ajax. "Dinner and a show." Ajax jokes, getting comfortable. Cowgirl promptly punches her shoulder. "Ouch!" Ajax cries. 

   "Don't 'babe' me, Swan!" Mercy yells. "Tell me you and Ajax didn't get into a fight!" 

   "..." Swan doesn’t say anything. 

   "...Well?" Mercy asks, raising an eyebrow. 

   "I figured I just shouldn't say anything." Swan mumbles sheepishly. 

   "Swan!" 

   "We worked it out! Honestly there's no bad blood between us or anything!" 

   "No. Just actual blood!" Mercy says. Her voice sounding exasperated. "And you told me not to do anything stupid!" 

   "Well yeah. I guess that's a- Hey wait a second." Swan, reaches for Mercy's right wrist. She lifts it, looking at the brace. "What happened to you?" Swan asks, concern taking over her voice. 

   "I fell down the stairs…" Mercy mumbles, letting Swan look over her wrist. 

   "Doing what?" Swan asks, narrowing her eyes. 

   "Welp that's my cue!" Cochise says, standing from the couch. Everyone's attention moves to her. "Mercy, Swan. Thanks for having me for dinner! Fox? Rembrandt? Want me to walk you home?" 

   Fox has Rembrandt's bowl in her hands, finishing her meal. Rembrandt looks at Cochise confused. "We live in this apartment complex." Rembrandt reminds her. 

   "Yeah, but… you know who might need something!" Cochise reminds her. Rembrandt pales at the comment, she quickly looks up at Cleon. "Let's go you two!"  

   Fox and Rembrandt quickly stand. Fox still holding the bowl. They hurry towards the door as Cochise holds it open for them. 

   "Thanks for the food. I'll bring this back." Fox promises, before leaving with the bowl. 

   "See you at home, Cowgirl!" Cochise calls, before slamming the door shut behind her. 

   "Well that was awkward on many different levels." Cleon mumbles. 

   "What really happened?" Swan asks, turning back to Mercy. 

   "I really did fall down the stairs!" Mercy tells her. 

   "How?" 

   "Well… I might've asked Cochise to take me on a patrol with her…" Mercy mumbles. 

   "What? Why? Cochise-" Swan turns to the door Cochise just walked out of. 

   Mercy turns Swan back to her. "Cochise didn't do anything wrong!" She says quickly. "And I fell down the stairs almost immediately so I didn't even really go on patrol with her!" 

   Swan sighs. "Why'd you even want to in the first place?" 

   "To see if I could." Mercy admits. "But clearly…" She lifts her injured wrist. "I couldn't. So that was humbling." 

   "Mercy…" Swan begins, her voice uncharacteristically soft. "This doesn't mean anything." Swan lifts Mercy's injured wrist, and places a gentle kiss against the brace. Mercy leans into the touch. 

   "Swan…" Mercy says softly, leaning into her. 

   Their moment is immediately ruined by the others in the room. 

   "Wow. You two really do match each other's freak." Ajax jokes, lifting a fork to her mouth. Cowgirl punches her shoulder again, making the food fall. "Ow!" 

   "As lovely as this moment is… I have to remind you that we're all still here." Cleon reminds them. However, a smile is present on her face. 

   "I think it's sweet. Not that I necessarily wanna watch you two get it on." Cowgirl adds. 

   "Oh right." Swan mumbles. She reaches for the door and pulls it open. 

   "You all can leave now. You too camera creep."

Next Episode 06: Game Night!

Chapter Text

   The scene opens up to the Coney Island skyline. The sky is dark and stormy. The shop owners on the boardwalk move around, preparing to storm proof their businesses. 

   The camera then changes to the inside of Cleon's office. She sits in her desk chair, wearing a large red rain poncho. The poncho makes loud crunching sounds as she sits back in the chair. 

   "It's storm season in Coney. So you know what that means." Cleon tells the camera, as she lifts up her arms. "Poncho season!" She turns around and displays the bright red poncho. On the back there is a large 'W'. "I had this bad boy custom made last year." Cleon says, turning back around. "Might've accidentally ordered them in bulk." She then points a finger to the corner of the room. A large open box sits. A few ponchos are spilling from the box. "But that's not important." The camera turns back to her. "What's important is a game plan. Which is why I've scheduled a meeting to go over everything. Now we just wait for everyone to get here." She says, as she kicks her feet onto the desk, and leans back. 

   A knock is then heard from the door. 

   "Well speak of the devil!" Cleon cheers. "You can come in!" She calls. "Took you all long enough."

   The camera turns to see Swan holding the door to the office open. Mercy and the other Warriors trail in after her. Swan holds two travel mugs in her hands. Her face is still busted from her fight with Ajax. "You told me to have everyone wait outside." Swan reminds Cleon. 

   "The specifics aren't important." Cleon says, waving a hand to brush her off. She waits for the others to sit before beginning. 

   Swan rolls her eyes, before moving to the chairs sitting in front of Cleon's desk. Mercy already having sat down in one. Swan sits down in the chair beside Mercy's and hands her the other cup. Mercy takes it with her uninjured hand. The other Warriors all move to their designated areas. Cochise and Cowgirl once more take the small black couch. Ajax, still injured as well, takes her spot between the couch and window. She leans on the couch for support. Both Fox and Rembrandt hop on to the one windowsill in the room. Fox holds a breakfast bagel in her hands. The youngest Warrior unwraps the bagel, and bites into it as Cleon begins to speak again. 

   "So. As I'm sure you're all aware… there's a storm expected to roll in tonight around 9PM." Cleon tells the group. "It's expected to be the worst of the season. So… you all know what that means." 

   Ajax, Cowgirl, Rembrandt, and Cochise all groan loudly. Swan and Fox simply sigh. Mercy looks around at the other Warriors. A confused expression on her face. 

   "What? What does it mean?" She asks. 

   "Every year, right before the 'biggest storm of the season'." Cowgirl begins, making air quotes with her fingers. 

   "Cleon has us all hunker down together." Ajax continues. She crosses her arms over her chest. 

   "It's supposed to be a team bonding activity. One meant to bring us together, as the weather threatens to tear us apart!" Rembrandt finishes, raising a fist to the sky as she clutches her chest dramatically. She then immediately straightens up. "It's a sweet concept and all. Really it is, but the 'biggest storm' last season was just a drizzle. We hunkered down for nothing." Rembrandt grumbles, raising her knee and resting her head on it. 

   "Its become like a tradition." Swan tells Mercy. "Cleon has us all spend the night in her basement. We play games like twenty questions, and other high school games. All while she wears that poncho." 

   "It is a tradition!" Cleon defends. "Forgive me for wanting you all to stay safe! The first year wasn't just some 'light drizzle', mind you! That was a nasty storm!" Cleon reminds everyone. "And this poncho is super cool! I made you all one!" She points back at the box. The camera turns to look at the box again. A moth flies from it. 

   The Warriors, except for Cleon and Mercy, grimace at the ugly raincoats. 

   "Hard pass." Ajax mumbles under her breath. "Can't we skip this year, Cleon?" She asks. "Some asshole, who wishes to remain anonymous, kicked me in the ribs. I wanna stay home, get drunk, and ice this. Not play truth or dare!" 

   Cleon shakes her head. "No. We aren't skipping. Plus, who's fault is it that they got beat up?" Cleon then turns to Swan. "Let me guess, you fought an anonymous asshole as well?" She asks. Swan's face heats up as she looks away. 

   "Well, I agree with Ajax!" Rembrandt says from the windowsill. "Not about getting drunk, and icing wounds, but Fox and I actually have a  very important thing that we need to take care of tonight." Rembrandt tells them. She then turns to Fox, expecting the other Warrior to back her up. "Right, Fox?" 

   Fox simply continues to eat her breakfast, not paying any attention to the others around her. 

   Rembrandt elbows her in the upper arm, to get her attention. 

   "Ouch!" Fox yelps, turning to Rembrandt. "What was that for?" She asks, rubbing her arm. 

   "Right, Fox?" Rembrandt repeats. Fox stares at her confused, she slowly brings the bagel up to her mouth and takes a sheepish bite. "Don't we have that really important thing we need to take care of tonight?" Rembrandt asks again. A tense smile on her face. 

   Fox stares at her, and slowly chews. Her eyes then widen as the dots are connected. "Oh that's right!" Fox quickly swallows. "We do have that really important thing! Sorry guys. I'm not sure we can leave it… Unattended." 

   "Sorry you two, but there's no skipping this." Cleon tells them. "No matter the excuse. Just bring your really important thing with you." 

   Fox and Rembrandt share a look, before Rembrandt lowers her head with a sigh. "Worth a shot." 

   "I don't get why you all seem so annoyed with this." Mercy is the one who speaks up this time. "I think it sounds fun. A nice way to pass the time, while the weather is bad." 

   Everyone, except Cleon, stare at Mercy with betrayed looks. 

   "Thank you!" Cleon says, with a smile. "Some people understand the vision." 

   Mercy nods. "Course. So do we all like, bring a game or something?" She asks. "Something fun to pass the time with?" 

   Swan laughs bitterly. "Normally we all just sit in a circle and play 'Never have I ever'." 

   Cleon rubs her chin."Yeah, but Mercy could be on to something…" Cleon then claps her hands together. "All of you have to bring something. Something fun. Something exciting." 

   "Everything is more exciting than twenty questions…" Cochise mumbles from the couch.   

   "Everyone meet back here at 9PM. Meeting adjourned! Make sure you grab a poncho!" Cleon tells the group. Everyone stands up and moves towards the exit. Only Mercy moves to grab a poncho. She's stopped by Swan, pulling her away and out the door. 

~

   The scene changes to the inside of Fox and Rembrandt's apartment. Fox sits on the L-shaped couch. Carrots sits beside her. The dog rests her head in Fox's lap. Fox rubs her ear. Rembrandt paces around behind the couch. 

   "That's it! We're screwed! We're so screwed!" Rembrandt says, continuing her pacing. 

   "I really don't think it will be that bad." Fox tries. "Cleon doesn't seem like the type to hate animals. Plus there isn't a rule that says we can't have pets." 

   "Yeah but there isn't a rule that says we can!" Rembrandt reminds her. "This isn't how I wanted Cleon to find out about her, but we can't just leave her home alone!"  Rembrandt throws her hands in the air. 

   "Maybe Cleon already knows?" Fox says, hopefully. 

   "And just never mentioned it? Yeah right." Rembrandt stops her pacing. She looks at the two sitting on the couch. "Wait… I might have an idea…" The mumbles, rubbing her chin. "Be right back!" Rembrandt calls, rushing off. 

   Fox and Carrots turn their heads in the direction Rembrandt rushes off to. A few seconds later, Rembrandt reappears holding a large blanket. 

   "What's the blanket for?" Fox asks. Both Carrots and her tilt their heads in confusion as Rembrandt approaches the couch.

   "My idea." Rembrandt tells her, before unceremoniously tossing the blanket over Carrots, covering the dog's entire body. "Now stay there Carrots. Stay perfectly still…" Rembrandt takes a step back from the couch. 

   Carrots, despite being told to stay, begins to move her head. After a few seconds of struggling, her orange head pops up from the blanket. Carrots mouth is hanging open as she stares at the two Warriors. 

   "I know you wanted her to stay covered, but I actually think this means she's smart." Fox tells Rembrandt. She raises a hand to pet the dog's head. 

  Rembrandt groans, before face planting on the couch. She lands practically on top of Carrots and Fox. "We're screwed." Is her muffled response. 

   Fox pats Rembrandt's head as well. "Well… Cleon never specified what we couldn't bring." She says, trying to sound hopeful. 

~

   The camera opens to the outside of a liquor store called 'Boardwalk Bottles.' Ajax pushes her way through the glass doors of the liquor store. A bag in her hands. Her eyes immediately land on the camera crew upon exiting. She rolls her eyes at them, and continues walking. The film crew hurries after her. 

   The scene then changes to Ajax leaning against a building, looking straight at the camera. 

   "Cleon just said to bring something fun." Ajax begins. She reaches into the bag and pulls out a bottle of Beefeater gin. "Can't think of anything more fun than this." Ajax smirks, lowering the bottle back into the bag. It glass clinking against another bottle. "Alright, so maybe I'm bringing more than just one thing. Trust me, we're gonna need it for tonight." Ajax says, defending her choices. "I'm going to need it at the very least." 

~

   The scene changes to inside 'Quick Pour'. The bar is strangely empty for once. Only Mrs. Lewis stands behind the bar. She takes glasses off the shelves and places them in the cabinetry below. Cowgirl and Cochise make their way to the bar. 

   "Sorry, we're closing early today because of the storm." Mrs. Lewis says, not turning to face them. "You'll have to get your fix some other time." 

   Cowgirl and Cochise share a look at each other. The two of them turn back to the older woman. "Mom, it's me." Cochise announces. 

   Mrs. Lewis immediately snaps around. "Cochise! Cowgirl! What are my two favorite girls doing here? The weather's about to get real nasty out. Doesn't Cleon usually have that basement get together before a storm?" She asks. 

   "Yes. We're actually fixing to go to that now, but we were-" Cochise starts but is cut off. 

   "I swear, you girls are so careless these days. Hanging out in storms. Going out with random men." Mrs. Lewis continues listing off random instances of moments she deems unsafe. 

   At the mention of random men, Cochise looks over at Cowgirl. Cowgirl shuffles slightly under Cochise's questionable gaze. 

   Cowgirl clears her throat. "We'll make sure to be more careful. Though, we're actually here because-" Cowgirl is cut off as well. 

   "Not that I'm saying you two can't date. I tell you both all the time you need to get out there and meet someone. You know Cochise, when I was your age, your father and I just started dating." Mrs. Lewis tells the girl. Cochise visibly tenses. "And let me just say, we couldn't keep our hands off each other!"

   "Mom please, we don't want to know this-"

   "We were infatuated with each other. Couldn't keep our hands off each other. Kinda like your little friends Swan and Mercy." 

   "Oh please don't do this-"

   Mrs. Lewis leans on the counter, and sighs in thought. "And then soon, we had you on the way. I still remember that night fondly. It was the summer of-"

   This time it's Cochise who cuts her off. "Alright that's enough! Mom, we aren't here to talk about my conception!" Cochise has a deep blush on her face. Cowgirl hides a laugh behind her hand. 

   Mrs. Lewis narrows her eyes at her daughter. Cochise shrinks under the gaze. "Don't raise your voice at me young lady. I did not raise you for all those years just for you to-" 

   This time, Cowgirl speaks up. "We're here for board games." Cowgirl tells her. 

   Mrs. Lewis stops talking for a moment. A tense silence washes over the group. Mrs. Lewis lowers her head. Her voice grows darker. "You followed?" She asks. 

   Cochise and Cowgirl slowly turn around to look at the camera crew. 

   The screen fades black. 

   It opens back up to Cowgirl and Cochise sitting on the cream colored couch in their apartment. The two of them face the cameraman. 

   "My parents are what you would call… professional gamers." Cochise tells the camera. 

   "Board gamers." Cowgirl elaborates. "They collect board games." 

   "Not just board games. Card games. Bingo sheets. Table tennis." Cochise explains. "Any tabletop game you can think of? They got it. Even the… really rare ones."

   "They keep them locked up in the cellar of 'Quick Pour'. Only people they trust are allowed down there." Cowgirl rolls her eyes. "They have us count them every month. To make sure none of them were stolen. So don't get any funny ideas." Cowgirl points at the camera. 

   "Sometimes having parents who have so many board games is fun. Other times you play Risk, and family game night gets super competitive, and suddenly both of them are declaring war on you, and you got stuck with the NorthWest Territory, and so you're just screwed!" Cochise crosses her arms over her chest, and sinks back into the couch with a pout. 

   Cowgirl pats her shoulder, reassuringly. "Cochise and I have never won any game night they've invited us to." She admits. 

   "Risk is just an unfair game. Today I'm playing to win!" Cochise defends. "Which is why…" She sits up and reaches for her bag that is sitting on the table. She grabs a game from the bag and lifts it for the camera to see. "I chose Monopoly! It's way easier than Risk. Plus, not to brag or anything, but I've been playing Monopoly before I could even count." 

   "That doesn't even make sense." Cowgirl mumbles, before reaching into the bag as well. She pulls out a deck of Uno cards and holds them up. "I just want to watch the world burn." 

~

   The sky grows darker around Coney Island. A light drizzle begins to fall from the sky. 

   Cleon stands over a table in the middle of a large basement. The basement has a shaggy red carpet and dark gray walls. The basement looks rather bare. Three pull-out have been set in the room. One of them is pushed up against the wall. Four bags of miscellaneous chips sit on it. Name brand pop bottles sit beside the chips. Six random bean bag chairs sit in a circle on the carpet. Cleon brushes dust off of the pull-out table she stands over. A large digital clock is on the wall behind her. Cleon turns to the clock that reads; |8:50PM|

   "And just like that, we reach our scheduled event." She tells the camera, turning back to face them. "My Warriors should be here any minute now. With happy attitudes, big smiles, and great games!" Cleon walks towards the door to the basement. "While technically we are early, I know Swan is always early. Early bird catches the worm and what not. So she should be here right about…" Cleon trails off. A knock is heard from the door. Cleon smiles at the camera. "See? Like clockwork." Cleon says, pulling open the door. 

   Swan and Mercy stand on the other side of the door. Mercy waves at Cleon, her hand still wrapped in the brace. Swan holds a random brown object. The front of it pressed against her chest. On top of the brown object, sits a plate wrapped in aluminum foil. 

   "Swan, Mercy!" Cleon greets. "You two look… rough." She says, taking in their beaten appearances. 

   "You have literally seen us everyday since we got hurt." Mercy reminds her. 

   "Yeah, but I was expecting you two to be more recovered by now." Cleon tells them. "It's been almost a week." She leans on the door frame.

   "Can we come in now?" Swan asks, annoyed. 

   Cleon moves out of the door frame allowing the two to enter. "Of course, of course. Come on in." Swan and Mercy walk past her, making their way towards the pull-out table with the food and drinks on it. "Sooo~ what'd you two bring?" She asks. 

   Swan places the items on the table. She removes the plate from the top, and gently places it on the table. "Our coffee maker." Swan says, turning the object around to show Cleon. 

   "You don't drink coffee." Cleon mumbles, staring at the brown and white drip coffee maker that sits on the table. 

   "No, but Mercy and other people do." Swan shrugs. She moves around the table, searching for an outlet. The cord in her hand. 

   "And what about you Mercy?" Cleon asks, turning to the other woman. 

   Mercy smiles at Cleon. "Weeeellllll…" She starts. "I wasn't sure what the snack situation would be like, so…" She reaches for the plate and begins unwrapping it. "I made us a cheeseball." She says, showing Cleon the cheeseball surrounded by an assortment of crackers. "It was a short notice, otherwise I probably would've made something better. Plus the only one hand thing." Mercy says, lifting her braced hand. "It's a garlic, and cheddar-" 

   Cleon cuts her off. "Not that I don't love a good cheeseball, but I thought you two were going to bring games?" She asks. 

   Mercy and Swan share a look with each other, before turning back to Cleon. 

   "We don't have any games." Swan says. 

   "You never specified what we should bring." Mercy adds. 

   Cleon pales, a look of realization falling on her face. "I never specified what people should bring…" She mumbles, turning away from Swan and Mercy to face the camera, her eyes wide. A knock is heard from the door, making everyone turn. Cleon wordlessly opens the door. 

   Fox and Rembrandt stand on the other side. The two of them have nervous smiles on their faces. Fox wears a backpack and holds a bag in her hands. Rembrandt holds a leash in her hands. Connected to…

   "Is that a dog?" Cleon asks, eyes wide. 

   "Cleon, this is my dog Carrots. I found her eating out of a trashcan one day months ago, and she's been with me ever since." Rembrandt says quickly, walking into the room. "We couldn't just leave her alone, so I brought her with. She's fully trained, I promise. Please don't be mad." 

   Cleon just stares at the dog. "Okay." She shrugs, turning back towards Fox. 

   Rembrandt looks at Cleon, then down at Carrots, then back at Cleon. "That went easier than expected." She mumbled, reaching a hand down to unhook Carrots.

   "Awwwww! So good to finally put a face to the name! Come here cutie!" Mercy calls, crouching down to the dogs level. Carrots walks over, tail wagging. Mercy immediately begins to shower the dog in affection. Swan watches the two, a wary expression on her face. Mercy turns back to Swan, smiling. "We should get a dog." She says, continuing to pet Carrots. 

   "Ha ha… yeah. Maybe!" Swan's voice cracks nervously. She opens her mouth to say something else, but is cut off by a loud sneeze. Her eyes widen. 

   "Bless you!" Mercy and Rembrandt call. The two of them pet the dog. 
~

   The scene changes to Cleon standing away from the group. "Rembrandt's dog? Oh yeah. I definitely knew she had a dog. For the first few months, she was covered in tiny orange hairs. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out." Cleon shrugs. "I don't care if she has a dog. If it makes her happy." 

~

   The camera then changes to Swan, also standing away from the group. "No, I didn't know Rembrandt had a dog." She admits. "Though now a lot of things are starting to make sense…" Swan says, sniffling slightly.

~

   The camera moves back to Cleon and Fox standing in the doorway. "Did you bring a game, Fox?" She asks.

   Fox perks up. "Not just one game!" She says with a smile. She reaches around her back, bringing the backpack forward. She unzips the bag and shows Cleon the inside. "I brought my Magnavox Odyssey 2!" She cheers. 

   Cleon stares at the bag. "What is it?" 

   "Only the most revolutionary gaming system of our lifetime!" Fox tells her. "I brought some fun games we can all take turns with! Like Speedway, Alien Invaders!" Fox begins to list everything she's brought, walking into the room. 

   "How do we play?" Cleon asks, confused. 

   "It connects to a TV and then-" Fox pauses as she looks around the room. She does a full 360 turn around. Slowly turning to face Cleon. "There's no TV in here is there..?" She asks, smile falling from her face. 

   Cleon shakes her head. "No." 

   Fox lowers her head in defeat. Her bag droops in her hand. 

   Cleon and Fox stand next to each other in an awkward silence. Fox shuffles on her feet. She lifts her bag back up and opens her mouth to say something. Before she can, there's a knock at the door. Cleon hurries to the door, throwing it open. Cowgirl and Cochise stand on the other side. 

   "Please tell me you brought games." Cleon begs. 

   "Hello to you too." Cowgirl greets, with a raised eyebrow. 

   "You know who my parents are. Of course I brought a game. Cowgirl brought one too." Cochise lifts the bag in her hands, showing Cleon. 

   Cleon sighs in relief. "Thank god. I was worried the only activity we'd have was watching Swan's coffee maker run." 

   "Swan doesn't drink coffee. Why'd she bring a coffee maker?" Cochise asks. 

   "Ask her." 

   "Is that Carrots?" Cowgirl asks, pointing at the dog. "Rembrandt brought her dog?" 

   Cleon shrugs. "I never said she couldn't bring a dog. By the way, where's Ajax?" Cleon asks Cowgirl. 

   "How should I know?" Cowgirl asks with a cold voice, pushing past Cochise and Cleon to enter the basement. 

   Cleon watches her go, before turning back to Cochise with her eyes widened. Cleon opens her mouth to say something, but Cochise silences her with a shake of her head. "Trust me. Best not to ask." Cochise explains. 

   "Messy messy." Cleon mumbles. "Tell me everything." She says, gesturing Cochise inside. The door goes to close before it is stopped by a foot blocking it. Cleon and Cochise turn to see Ajax opening the door. She holds a bag in her hands. 

   "Tell me everything too." Ajax says, as she walks up to them. "I love a good gossip session. I swear people never invite me to them." Ajax comes to stand by Cochise and Cleon. The other two just stare at her. "Well?" Ajax prompts. 

   "What'd you bring?" Cleon asks, changing the subject. She gestures down at the bag. 

   Ajax smirks and reaches inside the bag. "Only the real party." She pulls out the bottle of Beefeater. "Tadah!" 

   "You brought liquor?" Cochise asks. "I thought we were supposed to bring games." 

   "Cleon never specified." Ajax shrugs, turung away from the two. She walks over to the table with the other snacks. Fox stands at the table with Swan. Fox scrapes some of the cheeseball onto a cracker. Swan nervously eyes the dog, keeping her distance. "Is that a dog?" Ajax asks, pointing at Carrots. 

   "I really should've specified." Cleon sighs. 

~

   The screen opens up to the Warriors all sitting at one of the pull-out table. Chairs have been pulled up to the table, filling it. Cleon sits at one end of the table, shuffling a deck of Uno cards in her hands. Fox sits to Cleon's left. Across from Fox, Rembrandt sits. One of her hands lazily pets Carrots head. To the left of Fox, Ajax sits, pouring a generous amount of gin into a red cup. She passes the bottle to Cochise, who sits across from her. Cochise pours less than Ajax into a cup of her own. Cochise then slides the bottle to Cowgirl, who is sitting to her right. To the left of Ajax, Mercy sits. She has a slightly worried expression on her face as she watches Swan sneeze into her arm. Swan sits at the other head of the table. 

   Mercy leans over to Swan. "Are you okay?" She asks, her voice a whisper. 

   Swan nods. "Just allergies. Season change and all that." She whispers back. Swan brings a tissue up to her nose. 

   "Are you sure? Your eyes are getting pretty red. We can leave if you-" Mercy starts, before Cleon's voice cuts her off. 

   "Hey lover birds!" Cleon calls. "No secret whisper meetings! Teaming is against the rules!" She then lowers the deck of cards, and begins to deal them out. 

   "Speaking of rules…" Fox begins, nervously tapping the counter. "Does anyone have the rule book? Just in case one of us hasn't played before…" She laughs nervously. 

   "Have you never played before?" Ajax asks. 

   "No?" Fox says, voice unsure. 

   "Don't worry, it's simple." Cochise tells her. "Each player starts with seven cards. You don't want anyone to see your cards, so keep them hidden." Cochise says as Cleon finishes dealing. Cleon then places the remaining cards in a pile in the middle of the table. Cochise points at the pile of cards. "This is the draw pile. You'll have to use it if you don't have a card that you can play. For example;" Cochise flips the top card on the pile over. It reveals a red card with the number eight on it. "If I don't have any red cards, or cards with the number eight on them, I'd have to draw a card from this pile. Make sense?" She asks. 

   Fox stares at her with wide eyes. "Uh…" 

   "Great." Cochise continues. "There are also Wild Cards and draw four cards. These cards change the color of the playing card. So if I put a wild card down on the red eight, I'd be able to change the color to whatever I wanted. If you get a draw four card, you can change the color and the person who's after you, will have to draw four. There are also skip cards, reverse cards, and draw two cards. Still with me?" Cochise asks, looking up at Fox. 

   "Well-" 

   "Okay good. So the goal of the game is to lose all the cards in your hand. Once you only have one card left, you have to yell Uno! If another player yells Uno before you do when you have one card left, you have to draw two new cards." Cochise places the red eight back into the draw pile and shuffles the cards again. She places the deck back down. "Make sense?" 

   Fox and the other Warriors just stare at her. "Uhm-" 

   "Okay cool. You go first." She gestures for Fox to play. 

   "Wait what? Why me?" Fox asks. 

   "Youngest always goes first on the first hand." Cochise says as though it's obvious. "Now flip the card and play." 

   Fox nods her head. She reaches across the table and flips the top card. It reveals a yellow three. Fox stares at the card. 

   The Warriors watch her as she looks at the deck of cards in her hand. 

   "Place a card Fox." Rembrandt stage whispers to her. 

   "I don't have any yellow cards." Fox tells her, looking up from her deck. 

   "Then you have to draw." Cochise tells her. 

   Fox reaches across the table and picks up a card. "It's still not yellow." 

   "Draw another card." 

   Fox does as she's told. Then she takes another card. Then another. "How many do I draw?" She asks. 

   "You keep going till you get either a yellow or a three card." Cleon tells her. 

   Fox grabs another card. "I don't think I like this game…" She mumbles, reaching for yet another card. 

~

   The camera fades into later in the game. Fox has an unreasonably large amount of cards in her hand. Cochise and Cleon both only have four, while the other Warriors all have a reasonable amount.

   "No. No fuck no." Mercy's voice rings across the table. "Stacking is not a thing and you know it!" She yells, pointing a finger across the table at Cowgirl. 

   "Stacking is totally a thing!" Cowgirl yells back. "I've always played with it!" 

   The Uno cards sit in the center of the table, the top card showing a green 'draw +2' 

   "Just because that's how you play doesn't mean it's how the game works!" Mercy counters. She turns to Swan. "Swan!" Swan simply stares down at her cards. A tired expression on her face. Mercy lightly taps her shoulder. 

   Swan snaps awake at the touch and turns to look at Mercy. "Huh? What?" She asks. Swan's eyes are red and puffy, as she blinks in confusion. 

   "Back me up, babe!" Mercy says, gesturing down at the cards in the pile. 

   "Oh." Swan looks down at the stack. She places down a blue 'draw +2' card of her own. "There." 

   "Babe no!" Mercy cries. Ajax laughs loudly from next to her. "You can't stack cards!" 

   "Huh? Why not?" Swan asks, confused. 

   "Because it's not in the rules!" Mercy turns to look at Cochise this time. "Tell them!" 

   "Technically Mercy is right." Cochise tells the group. 

   "Hah!" Mercy cheers smugly. 

   "However, we could take a vote on it." Cochise suggests. 

   "I agree." Cleon nods. "All in favor of playing stacks?" 

   Cowgirl, Ajax, and Rembrandt all raise their hands. 

   "All in favor of not?" 

   Mercy, Cochise, and Cleon raise their hands. Swan and Fox don't vote. 

   "I don't know what's happening…" Fox mumbles. 

   "Since it's a tie… we'll make a compromise. We'll play without stacking." Cleon begins. 

   "Yes!" Mercy cheers happily, fist bumping the air. Cowgirl pouts at that.

   "But! To keep it fair, Mercy has to draw all the stacked cards. So I believe that's six cards you need Mercy." Cleon finishes. 

   "Wait what?" Mercy asks. 

   "Ha!" Cowgirl calls from across the table. 

   Ajax throws her head back in laughter as Mercy angrily picks up her six new cards. She nudges Mercy slightly. "This is what you get for playing that reverse card earlier." She tells her.

   "Shut up Ajax." Mercy grumbles. 

   Ajax laughs again. Ajax then reaches to place a blue one on the deck. She turns to Fox. "Your turn, kid." 

   Fox nods and scans her deck. "I think I'm starting to understand more…" She mumbles, reaching into her deck and pulling out a 'draw +4' card. She moves to place it down, but pauses. Fox looks up to see Cleon staring at her. Cleon silently shakes her head no. Fox places the card back in her deck and places a blue card down instead. 

   "Good choice." Cleon says, patting Fox's back, before placing her own 'draw +4' card down. 

   "Hey!" Rembrandt cries. "I thought we said no teams!" 

   "We aren't teaming. Fox just found a better card to play. I'm making the color green by the way." Cleon tells the group. 

   Fox mouths a 'sorry' across the table. Rembrandt rolls her eyes and draws the cards. 

~

   The camera then fades to even later into the game. All the Warriors look bored as they stare at their decks of cards. Fox has somehow managed to get her deck down to only two cards. 

   "I forgot how long this game can be with this many people…" Cochise mumbles, placing a red nine on the deck. 

   "I should've just brought a normal deck of cards. This is taking forever." Cowgirl agrees, placing a red six down. 

   Swan is laying face down on the table, breathing heavily. The rest of the Warriors look at her, waiting for her to place a card. 

   "Swan?" Mercy gently shakes her shoulder. 

   Swan jumps up. Her red puffy eyes dart around the table. Swan raises a hand to itch her neck. She then looks down at the card game. "Oh yeah." She mumbles as she places a blue six down. Swan lowers her head back down. 

   "Are you sure you're okay?" Mercy asks, leaning closer to Swan. Mercy places a blue 'draw +2' down. 

   Swan gives her a thumbs up, before breathing in heavily through her nose. 

   Ajax grumbles under her breath as she picks up the cards. "Swan is always sick." She tells Mercy. 

   "Uno." Fox says, placing a blue three down. 

   "I remember when she first joined the crew. Girl always had some type of cold." Ajax continues. She looks at Cleon who places a card on the deck. "Hey Cleon, remember that one time Swan got really sick after she went outside with no hat? I swear she was drinking Nyquill by the gallon!" Ajax, remembers fondly, with a laugh. 

   "I specifically remember someone in particular stealing her hat." Cleon reminds Ajax, a smile on her face. 

   Rembrandt places a card on the deck. Cochise doing the same. 

   "Not important. What is important is that this is nothing. Probably just a cold. Swan always gets colds. Her immune system is shit." Ajax teases. 

   Swan doesn't say anything. Just lifts a middle finger at Ajax without raising her head. 

   Cowgirl looks at Swan with a look of pity. She places a skip on the deck. 

   "This doesn't seem like a cold." Mercy mumbles. She places a wild card on the deck. "The color is red." She tells the group. Mercy places a hand on Swan's back, and rubs it in an attempt to comfort her. 

   "S'just a cold." Swan mumbles, sniffling. 

   "See?" Ajax asks, picking cards up from the draw pile. "S'just a cold." She mimics. Ajax places a red five on the deck. "Fucking finally." She grumbles. 

   Fox places a red eight on the deck. "I won." She says, pleased with herself. 

   "You need water or something, Swan?" Cleon asks, placing a red skip down. Rembrandt grumbles in disappointment. 

   "Guys. I won." Fox tries again. 

   Cochise places a red two down. "What she really needs is some of that gin." She nods at Ajax's bottle. "That'll pick her right up." 

   "Is this not how the game ends? Did I not win?" Fox asks. She is once more ignored. 

   "Agreed. The regulars at the bar do it all the time. They're never sick. You just need to drink more, Swan." Cowgirl nods her head, and places a reverse down. Cochise grumbles and draws more cards. After drawing three new cards, she places a red skip down. 

   "Seriously?" Rembrandt asks Cochise. 

   "I'm not sure drinking is the answer." Cleon laughs lightly. She places a red eight down.

   Fox doesn't play. The Warriors stare at her waiting. 

   "Fox. Play a card." Rembrandt says, kicking her under the table. 

   "I don't have any more cards!" Fox tells her. "I won!" 

   The other Warriors look at her. 

   "Really?" Mercy asks. 

   "Yeah!"

   "Huh. Good job Fox." Cleon says, placing her cards down, and reaching for the box. 

   "Yeah. Good game." Cochise says with a nod. 

   "That's it? That's all?" Fox asks.

   "Yeah. There's not like an award or anything." Rembrandt tells her. Fox pouts. 

    "Nice job, kid." Ajax tells her. She raises her arms above her head and stretches. "That game took forever. Let's play a shorter one."

   "I brought Monopoly." Cochise tells them. 

   Complaints are heard from around the table. 

   "That game takes forever!" Ajax complains. "We have to play something else!" 

   "It's the only other game we have." Cleon tells them. "Since none of you brought any!" 

   "You never said we had to!" Ajax defends. "What did you even bring Cleon?" Cleon gestures to the room they're sitting in. "Good point…" Ajax admits. "But no way am I sitting through Monopoly! I'll take my chances with the storm before I play that!" 

   Cochise frowns. "Monopoly is fun." 

   The group, except for Swan, all stare at her. 

   "Look, it's not the best, but it's all we have. So either we play Monopoly, or we play Never Have I Ever.." Cleon says, looking around the table. "What will it be?" 

   The Warriors all look around at each other. "Never Have I Ever." Rembrandt, Fox, Cowgirl, Mercy, and Ajax all say in unison. The five of them stand from the table and move to the bean bag chairs. 

   Cleon blinks, and turns to Cochise. "Well, the people have spoken." She shrugs, standing from the table as well. Cleon then walks over to Swan, and shakes her shoulder. "Let's go soldier. The people need us." 

   Cochise pouts. She sets down Monopoly and follows after the group. 

~

   The camera moves with the group to the bean bags. Due to there only being six, some people have to share. Swan and Mercy share a bean bag. Swan has her head on Mercy's shoulder. Her eyes are closed as Mercy runs her uninjured hand through Swan's hair, playing with the strands in an attempt to comfort the sick Warrior. Fox and Rembrandt also share a bean bag. Fox getting one half, while Rembrandt takes the other. Carrots lays on the ground in front of them, sleeping soundly. The rest of the Warriors all sprawl out across their bean bags. 

   "I forgot how uncomfortable these are." Cowgirl mumbles. She sits up in her seat in an attempt to get more comfortable. She inevitably ends up falling further into the chair. 

   "Don't judge the wonder of a bean bag." Cleon says, sinking into hers. "You just gotta embrace it." 

   "I don't wanna embrace it!" Cowgirl complains. 

   "Can we get this game started?" Ajax asks. "I'm about to pass out." 

  "Alright then. You can ask the first question, if you're so eager to start." Cleon suggests. 

   "No way. Rembrandt you go first." Ajax says, passing the torch. 

   "Why me?" Rembrandt asks. 

   "Just go." 

   "Fine. Uh… never have I ever… been sprayed by someone else's can of spray paint!" Rembrandt gives the first prompt. 

   "This feels targeted." Cochise mumbles, taking a drink. Fox, Swan, and Ajax  do the same. 

   Fox is the one who speaks up next. "Never have I ever ate an-" Fox is cut off by a loud sneeze coming from Swan. 

   Swan raises an arm to cover her face as another barrage of sneezes comes from her. Followed by her viciously itching her neck. 

   The Warriors all look at her with worried expressions. 

   "You sure you don't wanna sit this one out, Swan?" Cochise asks. 

   "Yeah. Never Have I Ever is a stupid game anyways." Ajax adds. 

   Swan sniffs loudly, still scratching at her neck. "Yeah… Maybe that's a good idea." She mumbles. "I think I'll just take a little nap. Wake me when it's morning." She says, before lowering her head into Mercy's lap. Mercy places a comforting hand on Swan's head and continues to play with her hair. Swan closes her eyes and tries to fall asleep. 

   "Alright! Never have I ever…" Fox's voice fades into the background as the camera zooms in on Carrots face. The dog has her head lifted. She is staring at Swan. Most likely interested to see someone who is also close to the ground. 

   Carrots stands to her feet and gives her body a shake. Little orange hairs fall to the ground. Carrots begins to walk over to where Swan and Mercy are sitting, tail wagging. As she approaches, Swan lets out another loud sneeze. She reaches her hand up to wipe her nose. At the movement, Carrots presses her nose against Swan's hand, asking for pets. Swan sneezes again, and lowers her hand. Carrots follows hand with her nose and attempts to place it on her head. Swan frowns and moves her hand away to her neck. She itches the skin there, leaving red marks. Carrots tries again to get the hand on her instead. 

   "Mercy stop it." Swan sniffles, pushing the dog away with her hand. Her eyes squeeze together tightly in an attempt to stay closed. 

   "I'm not doing anything." Mercy tells her. Her hand stops moving through Swan's hair, as Swan sets out yet another sneeze. "It's just Carrots. I think she wants you to pet her." Mercy explains, bringing her own hand out to pet the dog. 

   Swan's eyes snap open then. She looks up at the dog standing over her as Mercy pets Carrots. Swan jumps back from the two of them. The rest of the Warriors turn towards them. "No bad dog! Shoo!" Swan calls, before another sneeze attack falls over her. 

   "Carrots! Here girl!" Rembrandt calls. Carrots immediately goes over to her. 

   After getting her breathing back to normal, Swan stands to her feet and turns to the others. Everyone stares at her with concerned and confused expressions. "I'm gonna go get some fresh air!" Swan announces, before immediately walking towards the door. 

   "Swan, wait!" Mercy calls after her, standing from her bean bag, and following after her. 

   The remaining Warriors all watch the two of them leave.

   "They do realize its raining outside, right?" Cowgirl asks. 

   "Hope they brought a poncho." Cleon sighs, shaking her head.

   "What was that about?" Ajax asks.

   "Does Swan hate dogs?" Rembrandt asks, giving Carrots comforting pets. 

   "I don't think Swan hates dogs." Fox tells her, reaching to pet Carrots as well. "I think she's allergic to dogs." 

   The group all share a collective 'Oooooohhhhh.' 

~

   The scene then changes to Cleon's office. Swan pushes the door open and rushes to the window. Mercy follows after her. Swan pulls back the curtains to the window and slides it open. The loud pour of rain and a gust of air flows into the room, Swan leans towards it and breathes in deeply. She sighs loudly, before another sneeze falls from her. 

   Mercy lets her catch her breath for a moment, before speaking up. "So… wanna tell me what that was about?" 

   Swan let's out another loud sigh. She continues to face the open window. "I might… possibly… have a slight dog allergy." Swan admits. 

    "Why didn't you say anything?" Mercy asks. "That's definitely something you're supposed to tell the person you live with! Especially the person you're dating!" 

   "It never came up!" Swan defends. "I'm never around dogs unless I'm outside and they pass me on the street! I never stop to pet them. Plus you've never shown any interest in wanting a dog until you saw Carrots."

   "Why didn't you say anything when you saw Carrots?" Mercy asks. 

   "I didn't think I'd have to." Swan sighs, turning away from the windowsill. Her eyes still red and puffy. "I'm never around dogs, so I guess I didn't realize how bad my allergies have gotten. I was a kid the last time I lived with one." She admits. "Plus, Rembrandt seemed so relieved that Cleon didn't care about her having a dog. Didn't want to give Cleon a reason to care." Swan adds. 

   "Awww… that's so sweet." Mercy praises. "Still though, you should've at least told me. I was playing with your hair after touching Carrots! No wonder you kept sneezing!" 

   Swan shrugs. "If you really want a dog, I don't want to be the reason you don't have a dog." 

   "Swan. Dogs are great and all, but I'd rather have you than have a dog." 

   "Mercy…" Swan starts, walking closer to the other woman. 

   "Not so fast!" Mercy stops her, holding out a hand and taking a step back. Swan stares at her confused. "I'm probably covered in dog fur! I don't need you getting worse!" 

   "Mercy-" 

   "I'm going to head back down to the basement and change into different clothes. You are going to stay in here, and breathe in the fresh air from that window, till I get back!" Mercy instructs. "Got it?" 

   Swan nods. 

"Yes ma'am."

Next Epsiode 07: Get a Job!

Chapter Text

   The screen opens up to a peaceful shot of the Wonder Wheel. It sits motionless against the bright blue sky. The camera then changes to a view of the ocean as waves crash along the shore. A seagull lands a few feet away from the camera. The bird begins to preen its feathers. 

   "You've got to be kidding me." Ajax's tired voice breaks through the peaceful scene. The screen then switches to the hallway of an apartment complex. The walls are painted a bright white color. Ajax stands in the doorway to one of the apartments, leaning on the blue door frame. On the other side, Swan stands in the hall. She is accompanied by Fox and a very tired looking Cochise. "Do you know what time it is?" Ajax asks, rubbing a hand over her eyes. 

   "9AM. Which arguably, isn't that early." Swan tells her. 

   "That is early." Ajax says, yawning loudly. "I don't work before 11:30AM." 

   Swan rolls her eyes. "Well you're making an exception today. Come on, get ready." 

   Ajax groans loudly, before slamming the door to the apartment close. Both Fox and Cochise jump slightly at the sound. 

   Cochise blinks the sleep out of her eyes, and lets out a loud yawn. "Ajax has a point. This is way too early." 

   "9AM isn't early." Swan repeats, her eyes locked on the closed door. "It's a normal time to wake up." 

   "Not when you stay up late!" Cochise argues. 

   "Even when you stay up late. Look at Fox. She's doing fine." 

   Fox straightens up at the comment. "I've actually been up since 5AM. Rembrandt always wakes up early to walk Carrots. I sometimes join them for their walk." She tells them, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck. 

   Cochise stares at Fox with a concerned expression. "Do you two ever sleep? 5AM is crazy." 

   "Yes we sleep!" Fox defends, her face heating up. "It's good to wake up early! We get so much done during the day! Tell her Swan!" 

   "No, I agree with Cochise. That is too early." Swan says. Fox looks at her with a betrayed expression. "You're still young Fox. You need your rest." 

   "I am nineteen! Almost twenty! I am fully grown!" 

   Swan and Cochise both shake their heads. 

   "Kids these days." Cochise huffs, shaking her head. Swan nods in agreement.

   "You two are not that much older than me!" 

   The door to the apartment opens again to reveal Ajax, now fully dressed. "Stop picking on the kid." 

   "Again! Legal adult here!" 

   Ajax ignores her complaint. "How did you even know I was here?" She asks Swan.

   "Process of elimination." Swan points to Fox and Cochise. "You weren't with either of them. I knew you definitely weren't at my place. So Cleon was my last guess." Swan then turns around and begins to walk towards the exit.  

   "Next time, I'm staying with Snow and Vermin." Ajax grumbles, following after her. "What are we even doing anyways? What's so important, it couldn't wait till a decent hour?" 

   "She hasn't even told us yet." Cochise tells Ajax. 

   "Better be something fun. Like chasing off a new group. I could use a good fight." 

   "We're going to help clean up some of the boardwalk." Swan tells them. "The storm left a lot more damage than expected. The city hasn't had time to fix anything other than anything that isn't full with tourists." 

   "Are you being serious?" Ajax asks. 

   "Mhm." 

   "So we have to? Why us? Why didn't you invite Rembrandt or Mercy or Cowgirl to do this instead?" 

   "Mercy and Cowgirl actually have jobs." Swan reminds her. The group approaches an elevator. Swan presses the down button. "And Rembrandt said she was busy." The elevator dings and the doors open. 

   "I'm busy too!" Ajax argues, entering the elevator with the others. 

   "Nice try. Rembrandt requested this day off over a week ago. She actually is busy." Swan presses the button for the ground floor. The elevator begins its descent. 

   Fox turns to look at Swan. "Really? Did she say what it was for?" A concerned expression falls on her face. 

   "Didn't say why. I didn't ask why either. Seemed personal." Swan shrugs. 

   Cochise elbows Fox lightly in the side. "Mad she didn't let you know?" Cochise asks. 

   Fox rubs the spot Cochise elbowed her. "I'm more concerned than upset." Fox mumbles. "What if it's something important?"

   "Then she would've told you." Ajax tells her. 

   "Yeah but-"

   "God you two have become too codependent." Ajax says, cutting her off. The elevator dings once more, as it reaches the ground floor. The Warriors follow after Swan as she leaves. "Rembrandt can take care of herself. So don't worry about it. She would've told you if she needed help." 

~

   A loud banging is heard as the camera flips to outside of Swan and Mercy's apartment. Rembrandt pounds a rapid fist against the door. She holds a wrapped bowl in her hands. "Mercy let me in!" She calls. 

   Mercy pulls the door open, a worried expression on her face. "Rembrandt? What's wrong? Are you okay?" 

   "I need your help!" Rembrandt says, immediately pushing past Mercy and walking into the apartment. She hurries into her kitchen. 

   "Are you hurt? Did you cut yourself? Do you need me to get Swan? Fox?" Mercy follows after her. She rushes to a cabinet while Rembrandt moves to the kitchen island. Mercy reaches into a cabinet and pulls out a first aid kid. She hurries back over to Rembrandt.

   "No, I'm not hurt. No, you don't need to get anyone." Rembrandt tells her. She then stares at her with a questioning look. "You have a first aid kit?" 

   "Do you and Fox not have a first aid kit?" Mercy asks. 

   "No..?" 

   "Get one." Mercy sets the first aid kit down. She reaches a hand up to brush the hair from her face. "What do you need, Rembrandt? You scared the shit out of me. I thought there was an actual emergency." 

  "There is!" Rembrandt assures her. "Well okay, maybe not a emergency exactly, but I really do need your help!"

   "Wiiith?" 

   Rembrandt reaches for the bowl that she placed on the counter. She slowly unwraps it. Mercy looks inside of the bowl, her eyes immediately going wide. 

   "Rembrandt, what the fuck is that?"

   The camera moves to look at the bowl. Inside is what appears to be some type of pastry. The top of it is covered in a thick black charcoal crust. The bowl itself also appears burnt. 

   "Well, it was originally supposed to be a carrot cake." Rembrandt mumbles, sheepishly. "But I got distracted and left it in the oven for too long." 

   "Rembrandt, that is a biohazard." 

   "Hey! It's not-" Rembrandt cuts herself off as she looks down into the bowl. "Alright you might be right." She agrees. 

   Mercy looks at the bowl, which is also covered in burn marks. "Did you try to cook it in this bowl?" 

   "...should I not have?" 

   "Rembrandt!" 

   "Look, I never said I was a chef!" Rembrandt raises her hands to defend herself. "Can you help me fix it or not?"

   Mercy looks at the dish, then back up at Rembrandt. Wordlessly, she takes the bowl in her hands. She walks it away from the island, and puts it in the trash. 

   "Hey!" 

   "There's no saving that." 

   "I liked that bowl…" 

   "There's no saving that bowl either." 

   Rembrandt lets out a loud groan and then slams her head on the counter. "Ow…" she mumbles, her voice muffled. 

   Mercy frowns at her, before walking over to the younger Warrior. "It's okay Rembrandt. Not everything you make is gonna turn out the first time." 

   "Mawnt'd mt mo." Is Rembrandt's muffled reply. 

   Mercy looks at the camera with a bewildered expression. "Riiiight… well I'm sure the next one you make will turn out better." She tells her, patting the table next to where Rembrandt is, in reassurance. "What are you making this for anyways?" 

   "Mwa's u'pposed mo be a urpmise fo Mox." 

   "Right. Totally understand what you just said. Just in case I didn't know, wanna try saying it again? This time without the table in the way?" 

   With another loud groan, Rembrandt raises her head from the table. "It was supposed to be a surprise for Fox." She admits, resting her head on her fist and pouting. 

   "Surprise for what?" 

   Rembrandt shuffles in her chair slightly. "Well, as I'm sure Swan told you… Recently Fox made me this really nice newspaper article, about how good of an artist I am." 

   "Yes I'm familiar." 

   "Well… I wanted to give her something in return." Rembrandt mumbles, sheepishly.

   "Mhm.."

   "And well, Fox likes food. So I figured… why not make her something?" Rembrandt finishes. "But clearly I can't cook to save my life!" She exclaims, throwing her hands up,  before slamming her head down on the counter once more. "Ow." 

   "Alright let's stop hurting ourselves." Mercy says, gently raising Rembrandt's head from the counter. "Why don't we go to a corner store and pick up more ingredients for this cake? I'll help you make it." 

   "Really?" 

   Mercy nods her head. "Sure. I wasn't doing anything today anyways." With that, she walks out of the kitchen, Rembrandt following after her. "Do you have the recipe?" 

   "Was I supposed to use one?" 

   "Rembrandt!" 

~

   The camera changes to a shot of Swan and Ajax outside of a worn down looking building. A blue sign reading 'Hair and There' is hanging off the building by one side. Swan stands on top of a ladder, moving the sign in place. Ajax stands below her, holding the ladder steady.

   "This is stupid." Ajax grumbles, staring up at Swan. 

   "Okay." Swan says, moving one of her hands to reach into the pocket of her vest. 

   "Why can't the owners of this shop do this?" Ajax asks. 

    "The shops pay us to help, and keep them safe." Swan reminds her. She pulls out a screw from her vest and holds it up to the sign. 

   "Yeah from rival gangs!" Ajax moves her hands from the ladder. "Last I checked, mother nature wasn't a gang!" 

   The ladder shakes as Swan leans over to the sign. Swan's eyes widen as she grabs onto the side of the building. She pushes herself up against the sign to keep it in place, and to keep herself steady. "Ajax, if I fall off this ladder, I swear to god, I'll kick your ass." Swan threatens, glaring down at Ajax. 

   "Yeah, yeah. Hard to kick my ass after you fall off a ladder." Ajax mutters. Despite her comment, Ajax returns her hold on the ladder. After a few seconds, Ajax shakes the ladder slightly. 

   "Ajax!" Swan yells down at her. 

   Ajax laughs loudly. "Relax! I'm just fucking around!"

   Swan sighs, moving to screw in the sign. She reaches down for her belt, before pausing. She pats around for a bit, searching for something that isn't there. "Dammit." Swan whispers, setting her head against the sign. 

   "What's wrong?" Ajax asks. 

   "Fox and Cochise have the drill." 

   "Well where are they?"

   "Fox wanted to go get lunch." 

   "What? Why didn't they invite me?"

   "Because you were sulking. Plus I needed someone to hold the ladder." Swan tells her, climbing down. 

   "This is stupid." Ajax repeats, crossing her arms over her chest. 

   "Okay." 

   "They better bring us something back." Ajax growls. "And I'm gonna beat Fox up if she's waiting in line for Nathan's. That place takes forever during tourist season."

~

   The camera then immediately cuts to Nathan's. A long line surrounding the building. Fox and Cochise stand two people away from the front of the line. Cochise takes out her wallet and looks at the bills inside.

   Suddenly, Fox's body tenses up. She snaps her head up and looks around. 

   Cochise raises an eyebrow at her. "You alright?" 

   "Uh… yeah." Fox mumbles. She reaches a hand out and pulls at the collar of her shirt. "I just got the feeling that someone wants to kick my ass. Weird right?"

   "That is weird." Cochise agrees. "Probably just Ajax." She shrugs, taking three dollars from her wallet. 

   "What why?" Fox asks, concerned. 

~

   Back with Mercy and Rembrandt, the two of them stand in Fox and Rembrandt's kitchen. On the counter in front of them, various baking items are laid out in front of them, as well as four large bowls. 

   "Alright, Rembrandt." Mercy starts. "You want to learn how to bake, then we're going to do this the right way. First things first-" 

   "Ooo wait!" Rembrandt cuts her off. She immediately turns around and pulls open a drawer. Mercy stares at the camera man, as Rembrandt searches around in the drawer. "Aha!" Rembrandt cheers, turning back to face Mercy. In her hands are two chef's hats. She hands one to Mercy, and places the other one on her head. 

   "Why do you have a chef's hat?" Mercy asks, putting the hat on her head as well. "Why do you have more than one?"

   "I bought them in bulk. Plus I like to feel fancy when I cook." 

   "Do you cook often?" 

   Rembrandt waves a hand to brush off the comment. "Not important. Now what's step one?" 

   "Right. Step one, wash your hands." Mercy then turns away from Rembrandt and walks to the sink. Rembrandt quickly follows after her. The two of them wash their hands in silence, before drying them off. 

   "Step two?" Rembrandt asks. 

   "Step two, whisk together your dry ingredients in a large bowl." Mercy tells her. She points at the all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and other ingredients for Rembrandt. 

   "Got it!" Rembrandt nods, immediately moving to measure the ingredients, and pour them into the bowl. 

   "And while you do that, I'll begin mixing the wet ingredients in a separate bowl." Mercy says, reaching for the sugars, oil, and vanilla extract. She adds them into a bowl, and then reaches for four eggs. Rembrandt watches as Mercy takes an egg, and cracks it over the bowl with one hand. 

   "You know how to do that?" She asks, continuing to stir her bowl. 

   "Do what?" Mercy asks, cracking the other egg the same way. 

   "That. Cracking the egg with one hand." 

   "Yeah. It's easy." 

   "I can hardly do it with both hands!"

   Mercy shrugs, cracking another over the bowl. "It just takes practice." Mercy tells her, reaching for the last egg. She pauses for a moment, then turns to Rembrandt, holding out the egg. "Here, I'll teach you." 

   Rembrandt sets her bowl down, and walks over to Mercy, taking the egg. She holds it clumsily in one hand. Rembrandt hits the egg lightly over the table. A crack forms in it.

   "Hold the crack above the bowl." Mercy instructs. "Then you just separate the top half with your thumb, index, and middle finger." 

   Rembrandt nods, and does as instructed. The yolk of the egg falls out and into the bowl. Rembrandt beams up at Mercy, right before the bottom half of the eggshell falls into the bowl as well. Rembrandt frowns down at it. 

   "A little extra protein never hurt anyone." Mercy says, with a reassuring smile. She pats Rembrandt on the back. "Now stir until the lumps are out. Then add the dry ingredients." Rembrandt does as she's told, while Mercy grabs out a few carrots and a vegetable peeler. 

~

   On the boardwalk, Cochise, Fox, Ajax, and Swan all sit together, eating the hotdogs Cochise and Fox bought for them. 

   "And then, not even fucking with you, the horde of seagulls genuinely starts to chase after Vermin!" Ajax tells the others, her hands moving wildly as she tells the story. "I've never seen them run so fast in their life!" Ajax laughs. Cochise lets out a boisterous laugh. Fox and Swan letting much quieter ones out as well. 

   Swan's laughter is cut short, as she begins coughing. The others turn towards her, with slightly worried expressions. 

   "Still sick?" Cochise asks, putting a hand on Swan's back. 

   "I was never sick." Swan wipes her nose. "I was having an allergic reaction. I don't do well around dogs." 

   "I thought those symptoms went away in a couple hours?" Fox asks. 

   "They do." Swan agrees. "At least mild allergies do. I've learned recently that my allergies might be slightly more severe than average." She mumbles. "After getting back to my apartment, I slept for fourteen hours." 

   "Bet Mercy loved that." Ajax teases. 

   "She was apparently about to take me to the hospital, then I woke up." Swan tells them. 

   "Sorry about that…" Fox sheepishly rubs the back of her neck. 

   Swan shrugs. "It's not your fault. You didn't know. Besides, I'm honestly completely fine now. That fourteen hour nap was a great refresher." 

   "Not sure fourteen hours is considered a nap." Ajax whispers to Cochise. 

   "It's just a small cough every now and then. Should go away any day now." Swan assures them. 

   Cochise nods. "Cowgirl gets a bad cough sometimes too. I think it's something to do with the season change." Cochise says. 

   "Oh! Speaking of Cowgirl!" Fox leans over to Cochise. "What's with that guy she's been hanging out with?" She asks. 

   Ajax and Swan perk up at this. 

   "Guy? What guy?" Ajax asks, suddenly invested. 

   "It's not necessarily my place to tell." Cochise says, letting out an awkward laugh. "They're keeping it on the down low. How do you even know about him?" 

   "I know everything that's happening in Coney. That's literally my job. To know things." Fox reminds her. 

   "What's he look like?" Ajax asks, turning to Fox. 

   "Don't know. I've never gotten a good look at his face. Yet for some reason… He seems awfully familiar…" She mumbles, bringing a hand to her chin. 

   Cochise laughs awkwardly again. "Yeaaaah… he's awfully familiar alright. Must just have one of those faces."

   "Wait… is this why Mercy asked if I would be willing to go on a double date?" Swan suddenly asks. 

   "Wait double date?" Ajax asks, turning to Swan this time. "Like they're dating? Cowgirl and this guy are dating?" She turns to Cochise. "For how long?" 

   "I don't-" Cochise is cut off by more of Ajax's questions. 

   "She's dating this guy and none of us have met him? Or even seen him?" 

   "Why do you care?" Cochise counters with her own question. She raises an eyebrow at Cochise. 

   "Uh… because Cowgirl is my friend? And she's part of this crew? And she's dating some random guy who no one has seen?" Ajax says, like it's obvious. Her eyes move away from Cochise. 

   "Right. That's the reason. Definitely no other reason." Cochise mutters under her breath. 

   "What was that?" Ajax turns back to Cochise, her eyes narrowed. 

   "Can we not do this?" Swan asks, annoyed. 

   "Yeah. Let's talk about something else. Something that isn't Cowgirl's love life, and where Ajax fits into it." Fox agrees. She then pales, realizing what she's said, right as Ajax snaps to look at her. "I mean-" Fox quickly tries to remedy, but is cut off by Ajax. 

   "How about we talk about you and Rembrandt then?" Ajax suggests. 

   "Actually I agree. Can we talk about that?" Cochise asks, looking at Fox as well. "Like there's definitely something there right? Like we're not just seeing things?" 

      Fox's face turns bright red. "What? What do you mean? Rembrandt and I are just friends!" Fox says, nervously. 

   "Right. Because I totally break into abandoned buildings and write entire newspaper articles, detailing how skilled I think my friends are." Ajax says, with an eye roll. 

   "Yeah, that's such a friend thing to do." Cochise agrees. 

   Swan wordlessly stands from the group, and gathers up their trash. 

   "I- Just- Rembrandt was upset! That's why I did it!" Fox defends. "Besides! Her and I are just really good friends!" 

  "Yeah. really good friends." Ajax huffs.

  "You can be friends, but is it possible that you want to be more than friends?" Cochise asks, wiggling her eyebrows at Fox.

   "I don't know if-" 

   "Ajax, Cochise. Quit teasing Fox. We have work to do." Swan's voice interrupts. 

   "Thank you." Fox lets out a breath of relief. 

   "Whatever." Ajax grumbles, standing to her feet. 

   "It was just getting good." Cochise says, with a pout.

   "Besides." Swan continues. "If Fox doesn't want to acknowledge her obvious feelings, we can't force her." 

   "Hey!" 

~

   "And there we go." Mercy's voice announces. She presses start on the oven and steps back. Rembrandt watches her. "The cake should be ready in about thirty-five minutes." Mercy says, turning back to Rembrandt. 

   "That was easier than I expected. Last time I made anything in here, the entire place was a mess." Rembrandt admits, looking around the surprisingly clean kitchen. 

   "Baking and cooking both take practice. It will get easier and less messy the more you do it." Mercy reassures. She then walks over to the sink where their used dishes sit. 

   "Sure…" Rembrandt agrees, watching as Mercy begins to wash the bowls. She watches for a moment, before going to join Mercy at the sink. "Hey, Mercy?" 

   "Mhm?" 

   "Where did you learn how to cook?" Rembrandt asks, rinsing a bowl. "Like who taught you?" 

   "Oh. No one taught me. I taught myself." Mercy says, scrubbing at a particularly tough spot. "My mom was never home, and I didn't have any siblings. If I wanted to eat, I had to make it myself. Sometimes, I'd put the cooking channel on and have that teach me. Otherwise I'd just steal whatever magazines I could. So, I guess you could say the cooking channel and those books taught me." She admits. She uses her arm to push the hair from her face. "Careful, that's sharp." Mercy warns, handing Rembrandt the vegetable peeler. 

   "Oh." Rembrandt mumbles, slightly surprised. She takes the peeler from Mercy.

   "What?"

   "Oh nothing. I just assumed…" Rembrandt trails off. 

   "You assumed what?" 

   "I just thought… You know with the whole Orphans thing.."

  Mercy laughs lightly at that. "Not everyone in the Orphans is an orphan."

   "That name is misleading then." 

   "If it makes you feel better, the last time I saw my mother was when I was sixteen." Mercy turns off the water, and pulls the stopper out. 

   "What happened to her?" Rembrandt asks, setting the last bowl out to dry. "If you don't mind me asking!" She quickly adds. 

   "Oh don't worry. She's not dead." Mercy assures her. "At least… I don't think she's dead? She left to go 'Find herself' by backpacking across Europe or something. She sends me a card every year. Kinda like a proof of life." She explains. 

   "Do you miss her?" Rembrandt asks, drying her hands. 

   Mercy shrugs. "We were never close. Plus, I'm not so sure she'd be a fan of the whole… dating a woman thing." 

   Rembrandt nods her head. "My family wasn't very accepting about that either." She admits, her voice low. 

   Mercy gives Rembrandt a soft smile. "Good thing we both found a new family then, huh?"

   Rembrandt smiles back at her. "Of course." She sticks a fist out to Mercy. Mercy looks down at the fist, before making one of her own, and bumping it against Rembrandt's. 

   "Though, speaking about dating women…" Mercy begins. "What's the deal with you and-"

   Rembrandt cuts her off. "What if, and hear me out, instead of talking about my love life, we watch Jaws instead?" Rembrandt suggests.

   "Why not both?" Mercy counters.  

   Rembrandt sighs. 

~

   "I don't wanna climb the ladder!" Fox's voice loudly complains. She and Ajax stand at the bottom of a clothing store named 'Fit Sew Good'. A large broken off wooden fence post covers the sign to the building. "How did that even get up there?" 

   "I don't want to climb it either." Ajax tells her, slightly moving the ladder closer to her. "Hop to it!" 

   "Why do I have to?" Fox asks. 

   "Remember how you got me in trouble for breaking into that building?" 

   "Remember how I got hit by a train?" 

   "Remember how I got arrested?" 

   The two of them stare at each other. After a tense pause, Fox relents with a loud sigh. "Fine. But you better not let me fall!" She warns, before climbing up the ladder. 

   "Yeah yeah." Ajax grumbles. She turns her head to look around the boardwalk. Swan and Cochise are a few feet away from the other two. They both have random pieces of debris. 

   "Working hard, or hardly working?" A voice asks. 

   Ajax yelps, and snaps around to see Cleon standing right next to her. At the sudden motion, the ladder shakes slightly. 

   "Ajax!" Fox cries. 

   "I got it! I got it!" Ajax tells her, holding it steady. 

   Fox sighs loudly. 

   "What are you doing here, Cleon?" Ajax asks, looking at the older Warrior. 

   "Hello to you too, Ajax." Cleon greets. "I was just in the area. Figured I'd check out how this little project is going." 

   "It's going." Ajax tells her. Her voice sharp. 

   "You seem upset. What's wrong?" Cleon asks.

   "I'm fine." 

   "Bullshit. What's wrong?" Cleon asks again, crossing her arms over her chest. 

   "Are you almost done up there, Fox?" Ajax asks, calling up to Fox and ignoring Cleon's question. 

   "Almost!" Fox calls back down. "This thing is really stuck!" She grabs the fence post and tries to shake it free. Ajax tightens her hold on the ladder. 

   "Come on, Ajax. You can tell me what's wrong." Cleon tries again. 

   "You know, you have a real talent of just appearing sometimes. Like genuinely. You just appear from thin air. You're better than Fox at being stealthy." 

   "Thanks, I try. Now stop changing the subject." 

   Ajax just groans loudly. 

   "Is this about Cowgirl maybe dating someone?" Cleon asks suddenly. 

   "Why would it be about that?" Ajax asks, her face heating up slightly. 

   "I'm not saying it is." Cleon quickly amends. "I'm just assuming. Because you stayed at my place last night." 

   "Do you not want me to?" 

   "That's not the issue." Cleon reassures her. "I just worry is all. You were staying with Cochise and Cowgirl. Now you're not. I'm just wondering if the two are connected." 

   "How do you even know about Cowgirl's mystery partner?" Ajax asks. 

   "I'm War Chief. I know everything." 

   Ajax sighs loudly. "Look, do we have to talk about this now?" She asks. "I already don't want to be here holding this ladder for the thousandth time today. Last thing I need right now, is to talk about this."

   Cleon frowns at her, but nods. "Fine." She relents. "But you're telling me tonight what exactly is upsetting you." 

   "Fine." 

   "Hey, I think I almost got it off!" Fox calls down. The ladder shakes as Fox pulls at the fence. 

   "Is that Rembrandt and Mercy?" Cleon suddenly asks, raising a hand to her eyes as she looks down the boardwalk. 

   Ajax turns her head to look as well. Sure enough, Mercy and Rembrandt walk towards them. Rembrandt holds a red tupperware container in her hands. "Sup, Rembrandt, Mercy." Ajax greets. 

   "Hey." Mercy greets. "Where's-" 

   "Swan's over there, with Cochise." Cleon tells her, pointing a thumb over her shoulder to where the mentioned Warriors are. 

   "Pleasure doing business with you." Mercy jokes, immediately walking towards Swan. "See ya later, Fox." She calls up at the oblivious, struggling Warrior. 

   Fox doesn't reply, instead she continues to struggle with the fence. 

   "Starting to think I should've just done it." Ajax mumbles, watching Fox. 

   "Whatcha got there, Rembrandt?" Cleon asks. 

   "Rembrandt holds up the tupperware. "It's a carrot cake!" She says, excitedly. "Mercy helped me make it for Fox. 

   "You bring some for all of us?" Cleon asks, a teasing smile falling on her face. 

   Rembrandt suddenly pales. "I, uh… No?" 

   "Woooow." Ajax says, in a mock offense. "Can't believe you didn't bring any to share." 

   "Look, I didn't know how long this would take! I got impatient!" Rembrandt's face heats up. "Plus, this is a gift for the newspaper article." She defends. 

   "Relax, Rembrandt. We're only teasing." Cleon assures her. 

   "Hey, Fox!" Ajax calls up. "Why don't you let me take over on the ladder?" She offers. 

   "Come. On. You. Piece. Of. Shit." Is Fox's only reply. She begins to yank at the fence post more viciously, raising a foot to push against the building for extra strength. 

   Swan, Cochise, and Mercy join the others by the ladder. All three of them stare up at Fox. 

   "Hey, be careful up there, Fox. You're gonna fall if you shake the ladder like that." Swan warns. 

   "Why don't you come down and let one of us try?" Cochise offers. 

   "I almost got it!" Fox assures them. 

   "Come on, Fox. You're gonna get hurt." Rembrandt calls up. 

  Cleon stares up at the ladder and wordlessly moves from where she's standing. None of the others notice. 

   "Yeah, come down, Fox." Mercy tells her. "Come try this carrot cake your girlfriend made you!" 

   Rembrandt snaps around to Mercy, her face bright red. "Mercy!" 

   "I. Don't. Have. A-" Fox is cut off by the piece of wood finally breaking free. "Aha!" She cheers. Immediately as the wood breaks free, the momentum of her pulls, coupled with her kick off the building, sends Fox flying from the ladder, the fence post falling from her hands. 

   The scene moves in slow motion as the Warriors watch Fox fall. Fox closes her eyes, bracing for impact as…

   She lands right in Cleon's arms. 

   Time returns to its normal speed, as Fox opens her eyes again. "Careful there, kiddo." Cleon huffs. "I'm getting too old to keep catching you like this." She smiles down at her. The Warriors all let out a breath of relief. 

   Fox wraps her arms tightly around Cleon's neck. "Thank you, thank you!" She repeats over and over. 

   Cleon laughs at that. "It's no problem, kid! That fall wouldn't have done any real damage anyways." Cleon assures her. She moves to set Fox down, but stops as Fox holds on tighter. Cleon wordlessly pats her back in understanding. 

   "I just want the record to show," Ajax says, from where she's still holding the ladder. 

"Holding the ladder clearly didn't help."

Next Episode 08: Date Night!

Chapter Text

   The scene opens up to the inside of Cleon's office. Each of the Warriors sit in their designated spots around the office. Each with a bored expression on their faces. Rembrandt has a notebook out in front of her, seemingly in her own world as she sketches. Ajax seems to be falling asleep as she leans against a wall. Her eyes continuously fall shut, before she opens them again. Cowgirl turns her head to look at the clock on the wall, only to be brought back to attention by Cochise elbowing her. She glares at the other woman. Mercy also appears to be falling asleep, as she leans her head against Swan's shoulder. Only Swan and Fox seem to be paying full attention. Cleon sits at her desk, a notecard in her hands. Behind her is an art easel with a drawing of two seagulls. One seagull is considerably larger than the other.

   “And so that is why, we will no longer be feeding the seagulls along the boardwalk.” Cleon tells the group, pointing at the larger seagull. “They're getting aggressive, more vocal, and fat. Plus, it's just a health concern. Nathan's hotdogs cannot be good for those birds.” Cleon sets her notecard down and stares directly at Cochise. “Which means you'll have to get a new daytime hobby.” 

   “Come on, I can't be the only one who feeds them.” Cochise says, crossing her arms over her chest. 

   “You're right. The tourists definitely feed them too.” Cleon agrees, “The issue is, the birds are starting to seek out our vests.” This time, Cleon turns to Fox. “And they're getting quite demanding.” 

   Fox lifts up her hand to show Cochise. Three of her fingers are bandaged. “They really don't take no for an answer…” 

~

  The camera then cuts to a different day on a beach of Coney. Fox sits on a bench looking out at the ocean. In her hands, Fox holds a chicken parm sandwich. She watches as waves crash against the shore, lightly kicking her feet and humming a small tune.

   On the bench next to her, there's a sound of fluttering wings. Fox turns her head to see a small seagull land beside her. The bird is staring straight up at her. 

   “Uh. Hey little buddy.” Fox greets, eyeing the bird. The bird moves its head to the sandwich in her hands. “Oh! Are you hungry?” She asks. The bird does not reply. “Right… birds can't talk.” Fox mumbles. After a brief pause, Fox rips off a piece of her sandwich and tosses it out for the seagull. The seagull immediately dives from the bench and grabs up the bread, flying away. Fox watches it leave wordlessly. She then turns back to her sandwich, raising it to her mouth to take a bite. The youngest Warrior closes her eyes at the delightful taste. 

   There's another sound of wings landing beside her. Fox opens one eye to see two seagulls on the bench this time. Both staring up at her. “You too?” She asks. “I only have enough for one of you so… share.” She rips off another piece and tosses it out. The two birds rush to it, and pick it up from the ground. They fight over the piece of chicken, before one inevitably wins and flies away. The other seagull chases after it. Immediately after those two birds leave, a new one takes its place by Fox. Fox turns her head to see three new birds. 

   “No! No way! I'm not feeding you guys anymore! This is my sandwich.” She tells the birds. The birds just stare. Suddenly, another seagull joins the other three, landing directly next to Fox. This bird is much larger than all of the other seagulls. Fox stares at the bird as it stares back, menacingly. “Oh my god. I'm gonna be attacked by birds.” Fox mumbles. She then shakes her head. “No. I will not be bested by seagulls! Shoo!” She moves a hand out to the largest seagull, attempting to scare it off. 

   The large seagull’s beak closes around  her hand. 

~

   Cochise looks apologetically at Fox. “Alright. I might see where you're coming from. No more feeding seagulls on my end.” 

   “You owe me a chicken parm.” Fox adds, turning back to Cleon. 

   “Great. Glad we're all in agreement. That's all for today's meeting. Unless anyone has anything to add.” Cleon says, as she kicks her feet up on her desk.

   None of the Warriors say anything. Each Warrior looks around at each other, waiting for someone to speak up. Cowgirl nervously shuffles in her seat beside Cochise. For a moment she opens her mouth to say something, but quickly closes it before anyone else notices. Unfortunately for her, Cochise notices her hesitancy. 

   Cochise leans over to Cowgirl. “Tell them!” She whispers into her ear. 

   Cowgirl shakes her head. “No!” She whispers back. 

   “You said you were going to tell them, so tell them!” Is Cochise's response, as she moves even closer into Cowgirl's space. 

   Cowgirl pushes Cochise away by her shoulder. “No!” She repeats. 

   “Cowgirl. Cochise. Anything you two wanna share with the class?” Cleon asks, her voice cutting through their bickering. The two pause and look at their leader. A bashful expression covers Cowgirl's face. 

   “No we-” Cowgirl starts, but is immediately cut off by Cochise. 

   “Cowgirl has some news to share!” Cochise says, pointing at Cowgirl. Cowgirl elbows her. “Ow!”

   The Warriors all turn to look at Cowgirl. Ajax suddenly awake, and Rembrandt no longer focused on her drawing. The only Warrior who doesn't turn to look at Cowgirl, is Mercy. Who is seemingly asleep. 

   “Really it's not that important.” Cowgirl says, pushing her hat up nervously. “It's hardly meeting worthy.” 

   “Cochise seems to think it's important. Plus, we have a very free schedule right now. Might as well tell us what's up.” Cleon points out. 

  Cowgirl seems to think about this for a moment, before she nods her head in agreement. “Alright well.” She starts. The Warriors, beside Mercy, stare intently at Cowgirl. Cowgirl shuffles nervously under everyone's gaze, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “I'm dating someone.” She blurts.

   The group is silent, until Mercy's voice rings out. 

   “No way!” Mercy, now wide awake, shouts from Swan's side. Mercy has an excited grin on her face, as she stands from her chair, and quickly crosses the room to the couch Cowgirl and Cochise are only. Mercy immediately plops down to Cowgirl's right side. “Tell me everything!” She begs, leaning towards Cowgirl. “How'd they ask? Was it romantic? Sweet? Did you ask them?” She begins to list off questions. Cowgirl's eyes widen at them.

   “Mercy, let the girl breathe!” Cleon calls from her desk.

  Mercy relents slightly, “Is it you know who?” She asks in a stage whisper. 

  “Who's you know who?” Rembrandt asks, putting her sketchbook away, and suddenly becoming very invested.

  “Yeah, what's their name?” Fox asks, also invested.

   “Lance…” Cowgirl tells them, looking away from the two of them. 

   “Lance..?” Fox mumbles, holding a hand to her chin. 

   “Why does that name seem so familiar?” Rembrandt asks. 

   “OoooooOO!” Mercy coos. “So it is chompers!” 

  “Chompers?” Swan asks, with a confused expression.

   “What does he do?” Cleon asks. 

   “Well… he's part of a band.” Cowgirl tells her. 

   Cleon lets out a low whistle. “Dang! That's fancy! How many members?” 

   “...four.”

   “Oh so a small band? Nice! Are they popular?” 

   “Kinda… I'd say they're more underground though…” 

   “Really? What's the band name?” 

   Cowgirl lowers her head, and pushes her hat down slightly, to avoid Cleon's eyes. “They're called the… Bizzies.” 

   Immediately after saying this, Rembrandt jumps up from where she was sitting.

   “No, no, no!” Rembrandt cries, pointing a finger at Cowgirl. “You cannot seriously be dating a Bizzie!” 

   “I knew that name sounded familiar…” Fox adds. 

   “What's wrong with the Bizzies?” Ajax asks, her voice taking a protective tone.

   “Nothings wrong with them-” Cowgirl starts, but is cut off by Rembrandt. 

   “They're complete jerks! Backstabbing jerks!” Rembrandt tells the group. 

   Swan, Ajax, and Cleon look at Rembrandt confused. “What did they do?” Swan asks. 

   “Do you not like their music or something?” Cleon asks. “Sounds like there's a story here.” 

   “There is a story!” Rembrandt assures. 

   “Hardly!” Cowgirl adds. “Hardly a story!”

   “The night of the meeting, when Swan and Mercy were making out in the subway tunnels-” Rembrandt begins. 

   “I specifically remember, not making out.” Mercy adds, unhelpfully. 

  Rembrandt ignores her, “This gang of boys called, The Bizzies” Rembrandt makes a gross sound at their name. “Came out of nowhere and invited us to their place! But it was a trap!” 

   “You willingly went with them to their place?” Swan asks, concerned. She turns to Cochise and Fox. 

   Cochise raises her hands in defense. “It was a stressful night! They were cute! And they sang!”

   Fox looks down in defeat, her face heating up. “They said they'd make french toast…I was really hungry that night.” She mumbles, before looking up at Swan. “Because you wouldn't let us get Gray's Papaya!” 

   Swan stares at her, mouth wide. “We were chased by the Baseball Furies!” 

   “Yeah after!” 

   Swan goes to argue, but stops herself, instead turning back to Cowgirl. “What happened with the Bizzies?” 

   “Well-” Cowgirl starts. 

   “They led us back to their apartment and then tried to wreck us!” Rembrandt yells, cutting Cowgirl off. “They tried to stab us! Serenade us with home cooked meals! One of them bit Cowgirl! Like a real bite!” 

   “Wait, is that what that mark on your neck is?” Ajax asks, turning to Cowgirl. 

   Cowgirl immediately raises a hand to her neck, assumingly where the mark is. “Yeah sure. He bit me, but that night was a lot. Tensions were high.” 

   “In more ways than one…” Cochise mumbles, before immediately getting elbowed by Cowgirl. “Ow!”

   “Besides! We talked through it.” Cowgirl assures. 

   “I mean hey. You like what you like I guess. We can't judge Cowgirl just because she likes being bit.” Cleon shrugs.

   “I don't-”

   “No but we can judge her dating someone from another gang!” Rembrandt says. 

   A moment of silence passes over the group. 

   “They're part of a gang?” Cleon asks, eyebrows raised. She turns to Fox. “Why haven't I heard about them?”

   “Well, there are only four members. That's not necessarily a gang, and more so a group.” Fox explains. “Or in this case, a band.” 

   Rembrandt turns to Fox, seemingly betrayed. “Yeah but the Riffs invited them to the meeting! They knew about Cyrus!” 

   “Well maybe Cyrus liked boy bands.” Fox suggests, looking away from Rembrandt's betrayed expression. “They're smaller than the Orphans and have accomplished even less. So I didn't think they were worth mentioning. They hardly do anything.” She tells Cleon. 

   Cleon nods at this information. “Fox is right. Four members is hardly a gang. Hell, it's hardly a band.” She looks back over at Cowgirl. “He seems like an interesting guy. Is he nice? Does he treat you well besides the uh..” She asks, gesturing to her neck.

   Cowgirl nods her head. “He is really nice. And sweet.” She assures. 

   Cleon stares at her for a moment, seemingly studying Cowgirl's expression. After a tense pause, “Alright. Good enough for me.” She says with a shrug. “Just make sure he knows that if he hurts you…” Her voice takes a darker tone. “Just let him know he shouldn't.”

   “Thank you Cleon.” Cowgirl says with a soft voice. “Your support means a lot. I-”

   “Hang on a minute.” Ajax speaks up. “Are we just forgetting about the whole, lured them away and tried to kill them thing?” Ajax asks, in disbelief. 

   Rembrandt nods in agreement. “No seriously! The only reason we made it out, is because I didn't fall for it!” 

   “Plus, there's the dating someone from another gang thing!” Ajax adds.

   “Fox literally just said, they're hardly a gang.” Cowgirl defends. 

   “Yeah, but that doesn't mean I think you should date a Bizzie.” Fox tells her.  

   Cowgirl ignores her. “Besides, why do you care anyways?” 

   Ajax stares at her with an exasperated expression. “Why do I care? Because the Bizzies sound dangerous! Duh! They literally attacked you!”

   “Oh my god!” Mercy interrupts. “If Cowgirl wants to date chompers, let her date chompers! Cleon already said it was fine! Let's just be happy for her!” Mercy then turns to Cowgirl again, grabbing her hands, and moving to stand. “I have been wanting to have a double date for months now. We have so much to plan.” Mercy begins to pull Cowgirl towards the exit. 

   “Well. I guess the meeting is over.” Cleon tells the group, as Mercy and Cowgirl leave. “Have fun with your double date, Swan. I'm sure it's gonna be a real treat.” 

   Swan sighs loudly. Before the screen fades to black. 

~

   “I need your help.” 

   The screen opens back up to Ajax standing inside Rembrandt and Fox's apartment. Rembrandt and Fox sit on the couch, Carrots laying with her head in Rembrandt's lap. 

   “With?” Rembrandt asks, petting her dog's head. 

   “This Lance guy. I want to know who exactly he is.” Ajax explains. 

   “Well, he's really nothing special. Like genuinely, the Bizzies don't do much. Only information I have on them, are their birthdays.” Fox tells her, reaching a hand out to pet Carrots as well. “It's actually quite humbling. I can't find anything.” 

   “That's more worrisome.” Ajax grumbles. 

   “Yeah well, what can you do?” Rembrandt asks. “I tried telling everyone they were bad news.” 

   “Can't you find out any more information on him?” Ajax asks Fox. “Follow him around. See if you can find any weird habits or business partners?”

   Fox rolls her eyes. “I'm not a spy. I'm a scout.” she tells Ajax. “I don't stalk people. Besides, even if I did follow him around, who knows if I'd find anything bad before the date night Mercy is planning?” 

   Ajax suddenly perks up. “Do you know when that is?” 

   “Yeah, it's going to be this Saturday. They're going to this nice restaurant in Gravesend.” Fox tells her. 

   Ajax nods, and then turns to Rembrandt. “And the Bizzies are bad news right?” 

   Rembrandt nods. “The worst. I hate them. Every single one.” 

   “Well then ladies. Hope you two don't have any plans this Saturday, because we're going out.” 

   Fox and Rembrandt look at each other and then back at Ajax. 

   “Where?” Fox asks. 

   “Some nice restaurant in Gravesend.” Ajax tells them. “But keep it a secret. No one can know we're going.” 

   Rembrandt perks up at this. “I have just the thing.” She smiles, a mischievous look in her eyes. 

~

   The camera then changes to outside in Coney Island. Swan is walking alone down the sidewalk, her hands in her vest pocket. She has a bored expression on her face as she walks. 

   “Hey, Swan!” A voice from behind her calls. Swan pauses, and turns to see Ajax approaching her. 

   “Ajax.” Swan greets, waiting for Ajax to catch up. 

   “Hey, what's up? How's the patrol going?” 

   “Not too-” 

   “Right, that's great,” Ajax cuts her off. “Listen, what do you think about this Lance guy?” 

   Swan stares at her for a moment, with an unreadable expression. She then turns and keeps walking. “I don't know him.” 

   “No, but you know what he did.” Ajax says, following after. 

   “Sure. You do too.” 

   “Which is why I'm pissed off. I don't want some guy from another gang on our turf.” 

   “Cleon doesn't think the Bizzies are a threat.” 

   “They literally almost killed four Warriors.” 

   “What do you want, Ajax?” Swan asks, as she stops walking.

   “I want you to be pissed with me! Let's chase this guy out of Coney!” Ajax suggests. 

   Swan sighs loudly. “I'm not going to do that.” 

   “So what? You trust him?” Ajax stares at her in disbelief. 

   “No.” 

   “Then what are we waiting for?” 

   “Him to mess up.” Swan says, continuing to walk away. 

   “Uh, hello? Did you forget the almost killing part?” Ajax asks, following after her. 

   “Cleon is fine with it. Cowgirl says they made up. I trust Cleon and I trust Cowgirl.” Swan tells her. “You should too.” 

   “This isn't about trust.” Ajax objects. 

   “It is.” 

   “It isn't.”

   “Is.” 

   “Is not!” 

   Swan sighs loudly once more. “Fine! If it's not about trust, then it's about making others happy. Me chasing off this Lance won't make Mercy happy. Her double date will be ruined.” 

   “You and I both know you don't want to go on this double date.” 

   “No, but Mercy does.” Swan tells her. “And if Mercy is happy, I will be happy.” 

   Ajax doesn't say anything. She stops walking. Swan stops with her. 

   “Cowgirl won't be happy if we chase off Lance either.” 

   Ajax huffs at that. 

   “Trust me though, if Lance does anything I don't like… He's gone.” Swan assures, before walking away. 

   Ajax stares after her. 

~

   “Alright! We're almost ready!” Rembrandt's voice announces, calling from the other room. 

   The scene opens back up in Rembrandt and Fox's apartment. Ajax stands in the living room once more. 

   “Hurry up you two! We don't have all night!” Ajax calls to them. 

   “Perfection takes time!” Rembrandt yells back. 

   Ajax rolls her eyes, and looks around the apartment. She scans the picture frames, and random spray cans, before landing on the cameraman in the corner. Her eyes widen at the sight. 

   “Jesus. I forgot you guys follow us around. You don't say anything.” Ajax says, slightly surprised. “I'm getting too used to you creeps. You gotta speak up more.” She grumbles. “Hey, how much longer are you going to follow us around anyways?” 

   The cameraman doesn't answer, instead turning to Fox and Rembrandt who just entered the room. The two of them are dressed in long trench coats. Fox wearing blue, and Rembrandt wearing a dark brown one. Fox's hair is stuffed into a black flat cap, while Rembrandt's is slicked back and tied into a bun. They both wear fake mustaches. Fox holds another coat and a fedora in her hands. 

   Ajax stares at them. “What is this?” She asks, raising an eyebrow. 

   “Our disguises!” Rembrandt tells her, as if it's obvious. 

   “You said it was a secret.” Fox reminds her. 

   “Not this much of a secret! Where'd you two even find this stuff?”

   Rembrandt shrugs. “I already had it.” She shrugs. 

 “Why?” Ajax asks, but then shakes her head. “Never mind. Don't tell me. Fox, why did you agree to this?”

   Fox shakes her head. “Seemed exciting. Also I'm not Fox. Tonight I'm Felix Leopold. Top investigative reporter for the New York Times.” She explains, fixing her hat. 

   Rembrandt nods excitedly. “And I'm Richard Cruz. FBI.” 

   “FBI really? What part?” 

   “Afraid that's classified ma'am.” Rembrandt tells her. 

   Ajax rolls her eyes. “This is stupid.”

   “Maybe.” Fox agrees. 

   “Or maybe, it's genius.” Rembrandt argues. 

   Fox wordlessly holds the coat and fedora out for Ajax. Ajax stares at the garments, before looking back up at Fox and Rembrandt. The two smile at her in encouragement. 

   Ajax sighs loudly. “Should my name be Andrew or Austin?” 

   “Alexander.” Both Rembrandt and Fox say at the same time. 

   “That wasn't an option.” Ajax says, ripping the fake mustache off Rembrandt. 

   “Ouch!”

~

   The scene opens up to a dimly lit Italian restaurant. The interior has classic and modern elements. Pictures of mountain landscapes appear periodically on the walls. Soft jazz music plays throughout the restaurant. Swan and Mercy sit side by side at a booth in the restaurant. Swan on the edge, Mercy on the inside. The two of them dressed in formal wear. On the center of the table there is a glass vase holding a candle. Swan stares at it. 

   Mercy looks around the restaurant with wide and excited eyes. “This is the most fancy restaurant I've ever been to.” She tells Swan. 

   Swan nods. “Same.” She says, right before reaching a hand out for the vase with the candle. She touches the flame of the candle, only for it to be plastic. Swan then looks back at Mercy. “I knew it was fake.” She tells her. 

   “And what would you have done if it wasn't?” Mercy asks. 

   Swan shrugs. 

   “Hey, you two.” Cowgirl greets walking up to the table. Swan and Mercy look up at her. A tall man stands beside her. “Hope you weren't waiting too long.” Cowgirl adds, sliding into the booth across from Mercy. Lance follows after her, sitting across from Swan. 

   “You're fine! We just got here.” Mercy assures her. “Haven't even ordered drinks yet.” Mercy then turns to Lance. “Great to see you again. I never fully introduced myself. I'm Mercy, and this is…” She trails off. 

   “Swan.” Swan says, eyeing Lance. “Nice to meet you.” 

   Lance nods. “Same to you.” He says, with a charming smile. “I gotta say, it feels great to meet some of Cowgirl's friends.” 

   “I heard you already met some of Cowgirl's friends.” Swan says, her voice cold. Mercy lightly kicks her under the table.

   Lance clears his throat, and chuckles lightly. “Great to meet some under better circumstances I mean.” 

   “That night was tense for all of us.” Cowgirl assures him, she places a hand over Lance's on the table. 

   At that moment, the waiter approaches the table. As soon as he arrives, Lance orders a bottle of Merlot for the table, before Swan or Mercy can speak up. Swan stares at him as he orders, an unreadable expression on her face. Once the waiter walks away, she then looks slightly over at Mercy. Mercy catches her eye.

   Swan leans over to Mercy. “Do you want me to find the waiter and order something else?” She asks, whispering in her ear. 

   Mercy shakes her head. 

   Swan frowns. “But you hate Merlot.” She reminds her, still whispering. 

 Mercy forces a smile, and leans over to Swan this time. “I do, but someone seems to like it.” She says, nodding towards Lance. “Plus it's fancy.” Mercy adds.

   “So, Swan, Mercy.” Lance begins. “Cowgirl tells me you two live together?” He asks. 

   Mercy nods, moving away from Swan. “Yes. We've been together for about nine months now.” 

   Cowgirl shuffles in her seat slightly. 

   Lance smiles at Swan and Mercy. “Well I just think that's the coolest!” Lance tells them. “It’s great when people are such good friends that they can live with each other for that long.” 

   “Friends?” Mercy asks. Swan and Mercy turn to look at each other. 

   “Yeah. The Bizzies and I are close too. We all live together. It's nice having a space with your friends, right?” He asks, the two of them.  

  “Ha ha yeaaaah…” Cowgirl laughs. “Swan and Mercy. The two best friends. They're so close.”

   Swan and Mercy just stare at her. 

   The waiter returns with the bottle of Merlot, which Swan immediately grabs before Lance can. She pours a glass for Mercy, before pouring one for herself. Swan gives herself a more generous pour. She sets the bottle back down, before raising her glass and taking a long drink. Mercy follows her lead, doing the same. 

   Lance and Cowgirl watch with wide eyes. 

   “Wow, you two really like Merlot, huh?” Lance asks, with a chuckle. “I should order another bottle.” 

   Swan lowers her glass, “I hate Merlot.” She tells Lance.  

   Mercy lightly kicks her again, before smiling at Lance. “Merlot is fine. We just don't drink much red wine.” 

   “Oh! So you two are more white wine fans?” Lance asks. “Do you like Chardonnay? Riesling? Moscato?” 

   Mercy laughs lightly. “Oh well those are all great but-” She suddenly stops talking, her eyes locked on something across the restaurant. “You've gotta be kidding me.” 

   “I'm sorry?” Lance asks. 

   “Whoops! My bad! Wines! They're great! Swan can order for me.” She pats Swan on the shoulder, indicating for her to leave the booth. “Right, bae- bestie? You know what I like?” Swan stares at her confused. 

   “Yes?” Swan says, moving for Mercy to step out.

   “Great! I have to… powder my nose and all that! Be right back!” With that Mercy leaves. 

   Swan watches her leave, following Mercy's path as she walks up to a random table. Swan's eyes widen as she sees who's at the table. “God dammit.” She mumbles, lifting her glass back to her lips. 

~

   Ajax, Rembrandt, and Fox sit at a table in the restaurant. Ajax and Fox sit facing Cowgirl and the others table, holding the menus to cover their faces. Rembrandt sulks in her seat. 

   “Can't believe I have to face away from them.” Rembrandt mumbles, disappointedly. 

   “You drew the short stick.” Ajax reminds her, looking past her and at the group. 

   “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Rembrandt grumbles, crossing her arms. “I just think that since it was my idea-”

   “Sh, sh!” Fox shushes. “Mercy is standing!” She raises the menu higher up. 

   “Huh? Why?” Rembrandt asks, turning to look for a second. Her gaze catches Mercy's. 

   “Don't look!” Ajax hisses, raising her menu to her face. 

   “Too late!” Rembrandt whispers back, grabbing up her own menu. 

   “Play it cool.” Ajax tells them. “We're just regular guys after a hard day at work. We have a right to be here.” 

   “That's right. Felix, Alexander, and Richard are just three guys. Having a night on the town.” Fox agrees, lowering her head. 

   “Shut up.” Ajax tells them. 

   The three don't say anything as Mercy approaches their table. She clears her throat from behind them. No response. “Excuse me?” She asks. 

   “These mozzarella sticks might be good.” Rembrandt says, ignoring Mercy as she sticks her head even further into the menu. 

   Mercy rolls her eyes, and taps Rembrandt on the shoulder. “Excuse me!” She repeats. 

   Rembrandt jumps slightly, before turning to look at Mercy. “Oh you must be the waitress. I believe we need a few more moments. Right gentlemen?” She asks, turning to Ajax and Fox. 

  “Yes, agreed.” Fox says with a nod. “Your menu is so advanced. I hardly know where to begin!” 

   “Do you have any specials?” Ajax asks, lowering her menu. 

   “Cut the shit!” Mercy hisses. She then looks around to make sure no one is watching them, before turning back to the group. “What are you guys doing here?” 

   “Can't three gentlemen simply enjoy a nice night out?” Rembrandt asks. 

  “Not when the 'three gentlemen' are the opposite!”

   “I believe you have us confused with some other individuals. See, my name is Felix Leopold. Top investigative reporter for the-” Fox is cut off by a sharp, threatening glare from Mercy. “Right. Not funny. Got it.” She turns back to her menu, looking over it once more. 

  “Fine, then can't we just enjoy a nice night out?” Ajax asks. “We aren't hurting anyone.”

  “You guys being here Is hurting something!” Mercy tells them.

   “How do you figure?” 

   “You're literally spying on us!”

   “Spying is a bit of a stretch.” Rembrandt mumbles. 

   “Then what would you call it?”

   “We're making sure everything is alright.” Ajax tells her. “This guy lured Warriors away in the past, how do we know he won't do it again?” She asks. 

   Mercy raises an eyebrow and crosses her arms. “Seriously? Lance is wearing loafers and a cardigan. Swan, Cowgirl, and I can handle him.” 

   “And what if the rest of his band shows up?” Ajax asks. 

   “Will they all be wearing loafers and cardigans?” Mercy counters. 

   Ajax rolls her eyes. “Mercy, can you take this serious?”

   Mercy scoffs at that. “The three of you are wearing trench coats and fake mustaches. No, I can't take this seriously!” 

   Ajax opens her mouth to defend herself, but stops as an actual waiter walks over. 

   “Excuse me gentlemen, everything alright over here?” The waiter asks. 

   “Yes of course.” Ajax tells him, lowering her voice. “Just catching up with a coworker from the office. You know how it is.” 

   Mercy rolls her eyes. “Right. Coworkers.” She turns to walk away, but pauses, turning back to Ajax. “Our other ‘coworker’ won't be happy to see you.” She says, before leaving. 

   The waiter looks confused at the table. 

   Ajax laughs lightly. “Workplace drama, am I right?” She asks. 

  The waiter nods. “Are you three ready to order?” He asks, pulling out a notepad. 

   “Actually, I think we-” Ajax starts, but is cut off by Fox. 

  “We'll take an order of the bruschetta, the spinach and artichoke dip as an appetizer. Then for our main courses, the fettuccine alfredo, chicken marsala, and the manicotti.” Fox tells the man, lowering her menu. “Then for dessert, tiramisu, and three slices of cheesecake.” Fox turns to Rembrandt and Ajax. “Did you twowant anything else?”

   “Uh… no?” Rembrandt replies. 

   “Sounds good. I'll get those in as soon as possible.” The waiter finishes writing everything down, and walks off. 

   Ajax waits for him to leave, before turning to Fox. “How are we paying for all of that, Felix?”

   “We're paying?” Fox asks. “I thought we were just dashing.” 

   Ajax and Rembrandt look at each other, before Rembrandt shrugs. “The cheesecake sounds good.” 

~

   Back with Swan, Lance, and Cowgirl, Lance is telling the two Warriors a story. Cowgirl listens with a fond expression, while Swan fills her empty glass with more of the wine. 

   “So like I've been telling the other Bizzies, New Wave is the future of music.” He tells them. 

   “Uh huh.” Swan agrees, her voice bored and uninterested.

   “It really combines a more lighter and melodic tone.”

   “I'm sure.” Swan says, taking a sip from her glass. 

   “You'd probably really enjoy it.” Lance

tells her. 

   “Why's that?” Swan asks. 

   “It really broadens the sound of punk culture.” 

   “So?” 

   “Well you Warriors have a punk vibe to you.” Lance explains. 

   “How do you figure?” Swan asks, eyes narrowing. 

   “Well for starters, your vests.”

   “What's wrong with our vests?” 

   “They're black leather aren't they? Some of you even have spikes on them. Doesn't get much more punk than that.” Lance says. 

   Swan has an unreadable expression on her face as Lance speaks. She looks over at Cowgirl for a moment, before turning back to Lance. Swan stares him down, raising her glass to her lips once more. Lance seems oblivious to Swan's stare, continuing to talk about music. 

   “Hey, I'm back.” Mercy says, sliding into the booth next to Swan. Swan turns away from Lance and looks at Mercy, a softer expression on her face. “Hope I didn't miss anything.” Mercy grabs Swan's glass of wine from the table, and drinks from it as well. 

   “Nothing much.” Cowgirl assures her. “Just talking about music.”

   “Pssh. It's never just music.” Lance laughs, with a wave. He then looks at Mercy. “You and Swan are really close.” He comments, motioning towards the wine glass. 

   “Oh! Well, you know what happens when you live together. You share everything.” Mercy brushes off, with a laugh. She slides Swan's glass back to her. 

   Swan wordlessly takes the glass back. She raises it to her lips, specifically turning it to where Mercy’s lips were previously. Swan stares back at Lance, as if trying to get a reaction from him. Lance pays Swan no mind, instead continuing to look at Mercy.

   “Oh, tell me about it.” Lance agrees. “But hey, since you and Swan share everything, do you also have a vest?” He asks. 

   Swan and Mercy pause for a moment. 

   “What?” Mercy asks. 

   “A vest? Like the others have. Do you have one?” Lance asks again. 

   Mercy stares at him, unsure of how to answer. “I don't really think thats…” 

   “What are you asking?” Swan asks, narrowing her eyes. 

   “Do you want me to just say it?” Lance asks. “I thought it was supposed to be more secretive than that.” 

   “Why don't we just change the subject?” Cowgirl suggests. 

   Lance ignores the question. “But fine, I'll bite. Are you a Warrior?” 

   The three Warriors don't say anything. A tense silence passes over the table. 

   “Why do you need to know?” Swan asks, her voice cold. 

   Lance shrugs. “It's not that I need to-” Lance is cut off by the sound of a loud crash, followed by a loud yell. 

   “Mother fucker!” A voice yells. The four at the table turn to look at the voice. 

   “Is that…” Cowgirl's eyes widen as she stares at the scene. “Fucking Ajax?”

   Ajax stands from her table, chair on the ground behind her. Her front is covered in a pasta dish. She holds her right hand protectively with her left. On the ground in front of her, there are five broken plates,  as well as a dropped tray. The waiter from before, stands nervously in front of her. Fox stares down at the fallen food with a sorrowful expression, while Rembrandt moves to stand from her own chair. 

   “I am so sorry!” The waiter apologizes. “It was an accident, I didn't see the-” 

   “Didn't see what? The table right there?” Ajax asks. She holds out her right hand and grimaces. 

   “Do you know that guy?” Lance asks, Cowgirl. 

   “Unfortunately.” Cowgirl grumbles. 

   A finely dressed man walks over to where Ajax is standing. “Is there an issue here, sir?” 

   “Is there an issue?” Ajax repeats. “Yeah there's an issue! I just got hot fucking plates dropped on me!” 

   “And we do apologize deeply for that.” The fancy man assures her. “However, we do have to ask that you lower your voice. You're disruptive to the other guests.” 

   Ajax's eyes widen at the man's words. She slowly turns to look at him. “Disruptive?” She asks, in disbelief.

   Rembrandt comes over to stand next to Ajax, putting a reassuring hand on her arm. “How about we just go?” Rembrandt suggests. 

  Ajax shrugs Rembrandt's hand off. “I'm being disruptive? A bunch of plates were just dropped on me, yet I'm the problem?” 

   “Sir, if you could lower your voice-” The man tries. 

   “No! If you think I'm being disruptive, then I'll show you something really disruptive!” 

   Back at the other table, Swan and Mercy wordlessly look at each other, before standing. 

   “Well I think that's our cue.” Mercy says, exiting the booth. “Thank you both so much for inviting us-”

  “You invited us.” Cowgirl reminds her.

   “But you know how it is. Busy roads, busy work, and all that.” Mercy continues. “Lance, it was great to meet you, right Swan?” Mercy turns to look at Swan, who is already gone, walking up to Ajax and the fancy man. Mercy turns back to Lance and Cowgirl. “Right. Well you two have a nice night. Don't stay out too late.” With that, Mercy turns away from them, and hurries over to Swan and the others. 

   “Your friends seem nice.” Lance tells Cowgirl, after Mercy leaves. “A bit intense, but nice.” 

   Cowgirl sighs loudly. “You could say that.”

   “Come on you three. Let's go.” Swan commands, the moment she approaches the other Warriors. 

   “Hang on just a minute. This guy and I were talking-” Ajax tries, but is cut off by Swan pulling her away. Rembrandt follows after the two of them. 

   “There's nothing to talk about.” Swan tells her. 

   Fox finally stands from the table and walks over to the nervous waiter. “So I know this is a tense situation, but do you think I could get the cheesecake we ordered in a box really fast-” 

   “Fox let's go!” Swan calls from the exit. 

   Fox sighs in disappointment, but follows obediently. 

~

   Outside the restaurant, the Warriors walk in silence back to Coney Island. Swan and Mercy walk in the front, holding hands. Ajax, Rembrandt, and Fox bring up the rear. Fox and Rembrandt seem incredibly nervous, waiting for the scolding to come at any moment. Ajax just looks annoyed. 

   “Can we get this over with?” Ajax asks, breaking the silence. 

   “Get what over with?” Mercy asks, turning to look back at them. 

   “The scolding. I really don't think we need to wait for Cleon to get yelled at.” Ajax huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. 

   “I'm not going to yell at you.” Swan tells her. 

   “No, you're just going to get that disappointed ‘mom’ voice.” Ajax then lowers her voice to mimic Swan. “Ajax you really should've known better. Blah blah. Bringing Rembrandt and Fox with you blah blah. Making them wear those dumb outfits-” 

   “Hey!” Rembrandt yells. 

   Ajax returns to her normal voice. “Well I'll have you know, yes coming here was my idea, I didn't pick the disguises.” Ajax tells her. “And we only came here to make sure everything went well. We didn't do anything wrong.”

   “Didn't do anything wrong? You crashed the double date I've been wanting to have for weeks! And caused a scene in that nice restaurant!” Mercy reminds her. 

   “The guy dropped plates on me! And there's no rule that says we can't eat at the same restaurant! We like nice things too!” 

   “That is not the reason you went there tonight, and you know it!” 

   “I'm not mad at you for crashing.” Swan says, interrupting the argument between Ajax and Mercy. 

   Both Ajax and Mercy look at Swan with shocked expressions. “You're not?” They both ask at the same time. 

   Rembrandt and Fox perk up at this. 

   “No. I didn't like that Lance guy. I have a bad feeling about him, so I can't blame you for also having a bad feeling about him.” Swan tells them.

   Ajax beams at that. “Ha! Knew that guy was a creep!” 

   “I didn't say he was a creeper. I said I have a bad feeling about him.” Swan sighs. “But Cowgirl seems to like him, so we just have to wait and see.” 

   “Swan! I get not liking Lance, but they totally ruined our double date!” Mercy reminds her. 

   “I don't think Lance knew it was a double date.” Swan grumbles. 

   “How could he not?” Rembrandt asks. 

   “I don't think Cowgirl told him. Which is fair.” Swan shrugs. She then turns to look over her shoulder at Ajax. “So I'm happy you ‘ruined’ our night.” She then turns back forward. 

   “So… Do we like Lance, or do we not like Lance?” Fox asks.

   Mercy sighs. “Well Cowgirl seems to like him. Honestly, I have no idea how she can fall for a man in a cardigan and loafers.” 

   Rembrandt laughs lightly at that. 

  “I don't know how she can fall for a man.”

Next Episode 09: Mercy's Mom!