[PRP - Honesty] Passing in the night (Error and Hijinks) (Done)

[Alanna the Pirate Queen]

The night was cool and quiet, a good sign given what Error was heading home from.  Any walk unaccompanied by sirens was a good one.  It was always such a hassle when her actions were found out too soon and she was forced to scramble into hiding.   All that was left of her job was to show proof to her client that her mark had been handled and then the mer could enjoy a nice long soak in the tub to get the filth of the day off. 

In the dim light of the street lamps the specks of blood were hard to make out against the mer's cold blue skin as she floated her way home.  Her hair coiled around her neck to keep it from interfering with her business, a single glowing eye shining out from the darkness beneath her hood.    By all accounts she looked exactly like one would think someone with a purpose as dark as her's should.  With a career in ending lives System Error was nearly as heartless and hardened as you would think.  What strange beauty she was graced with was offset by the cold metal with which she was adorned.  An upgrade she called it.  The mer had little room for affection beyond the small amount she spared the phony she called her parents and cared not if other phony found her unsettling.  Few others had ever earned the right to anything more than the privilege of being used.  Who cared if they were creeped out or entranced?

A soft sigh escaped the mare as she passed by a dark alley, pausing for a moment to look into it's shadows.  With no cops chasing her she wouldn't need to rush down one of those to elude their claws.  How fortuitous... 

   
   
Hijinks had pulled it off. It wasn't easy, getting three of them, but they needed them. Her brothers were really good at what they did, but she didn't want to drag them into every heist. There always had to be at least one of them in the clear to save the other two if need be. And this job was conspicuous enough anyways that the three of them would have taken more space and attention.

With a large, heavy bag weighing her down almost so that even her flotation anklets couldn't keep her stomach off the ground, she snuck through a dark alleyway, very accustomed to the surroundings. They lived in a similar dark corner of the town anyways.

Unlike the stranger she was about to meet, Jinks was unnerved by the silence. It was almost too quiet. So intently was she listening for hoofall behind her, that she did not notice the shadowy figure passing before her. That is, until she bumped into it. With a sharp intake of breath, the dark filly peddled backwards and glared up at the phony before her. She was about to give her usual, snarky bark telling them to watch where they were going, but then she got a better look at who she'd accosted and thought better of it. The mare before her didn't seem like someone to bother.

"Uh..." was all she really got out, wondering whether to go back the way she came or head onward like nothing happened...


Something small brushed against her leg. That was unusual. The mer slowed to a stop and tilted her head as she stared down at the creature. Her glowing eye lit up the child as she gazed down upon the filly, finally settling on the bag in the girl's hooves. For a moment she was silent, lips pursed together before she shouldered off her hood. What amount of her long hair she had tucked back slid out, dangling just above the ground.

"Isn't it a bit late for you to be out?" It wasn't really a question that needed answering. Error was perfectly aware of what time of night it was. It was the time when phony like her were out and lurking. Her father was fond of this time too. What better hour to break in to some little jewelry shop to swipe something for mama after all. Her eyes flicked to the bag again. Ahhh, that explained it.

"Got something good there, kid?" A smirk slowly spread across her face. Maybe if it was something really good... 


Hijinks just stared up at the mare suspiciously as Error looked her over, doing her best not to react as she pushed off her hood. She was weird and pretty... and Jinx already didn't like her. Liked her even less as she started asking stupid questions.

Her eyes narrowed and she rolled her eyes, "If you care about how late I'm out, then you'll be the only phony in the world, so don't bother". Something in her kept her from replying with her usual snarky, nasty comments about phony minding their own business. She may be a delinquent, but her time on the streets have taught her when someone is bigger and badder than she is. And this stranger was not to be trifled with.

That is, until she smirked that stupid smirk. Hijinks knew exactly what she was thinking. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she knew. That face... that look... was so familiar. She'd seen it on her brother's faces when they were thinking of heisting something. With a quiet growl, she pulled the bag closer to herself. If it had been money or whatever, she'd probably have just given it to the crazy mer-lady and ran, but her brothers needed these. It was going to be cold tonight...

"Guess how good it is depends on how much you need it..." was all she said back. 


Something valued by the desperate? Now that was rather intriguing. What would a kid need so badly that they'd be out at this time of night all alone? The mer tilted her head, a wide grin plastered across her face. Well, what someone needed was purely subjective. She could 'need' an expensive figurine to complete her collection or she could 'need' a warm meal.

"Oh? And how much do you need what's in that sack?" Error purred, circling around the smaller female. It wouldn't be hard to just reach out and grab the bag or intimidate the filly into handing it over. She could see the girl was already wary of her. A smart decision on the child's part.

"I certainly don't care about your well being little one," she smirked, glowing eye flashing. "But, i'm sure your poor stupid little parents must." 


Hijinks was filled with both rage and anxiety over this mare's treatment of her. She narrowed her eyes and glared up, using all her restraint to not just quip back. Oh how big and brave... an adult picking on a kid. Stupid adults. Jinx fantasized getting big and finding this pathetic bully and stabbing her in the eye.

Alas, for now, she knew she'd be the one getting stabbed in the eye. With a derisive snort, she looked back down at the bag, "Fuck it, you want to steal from a kid? Here. Have it." Then spinning around, she knocked the bag towards the mer-mare with her own fishy tail. It landed with a soft thud as she continued, "Hope you sleep well tonight. I'll let my brothers know you're the reason they're cold. Not like their not fucking used to it anyways".

But then the parent comment was enough to set her off, "Oh... my parents? Y'know 'em? Ya, let me know how much they care next time you run into 'em. I'd ask myself, but we've never met. Oh, since you seem the type, kick 'em in the head for me too. Y'know, cause I love 'em so much". Jinx wasn't entirely sure what had gotten into her, she was usually never this chatty... but this mare somehow hit all the wrong spots. 


What a feisty little one. Error watched the filly with amusement as the bag was surrendered to her. "If you need it so desperately maybe you should've put up a bit more of a fight," she smirked as she gave the bag a nudge to reveal it's contents.

Eh. Blankets. The mare gave a snort. "You know, perhaps if you weren't so stubborn I would of let you keep these. But, you let your pride get in the way and now they're mine... Unless you convince me otherwise." 



Hijinks rolled her eyes and sighed, trying to bite back her frustrated rage. This adult was creepy and tedious. She still wasn't sure if the weird mare wanted her dead or not, or if she should stick around for too long and find out.

With an impatient sigh, she grumbled back, "Honestly lady, aint nothin' to do with pride. First rule of livin' on the streets, live to fight another day. You've got some crazy vibe and I'm hopin' to just not piss you off, cause my brothers need me more than they need some stupid blankets.... I'm just not very good at not pissing people off, so... I'm just gonna go..."

She frowned and gave one last longing glance at the battery-powered, electric blankets half exposed in her bag, before shaking her head and backing away slowly, "Just like an adult... always gotta make life miserable for the rest of us, just cause you can. Like life aint already shit enough". 

[cursedwanderer]

"Life's tough for everyone, get over it," she hissed.  That was certainly something she had known to be true.  Her father had made sure she knew that when he taught her how to do things like dumpster dive.  For a moment she recalled her own childhood somewhat fondly.  Her father and her were two peas in a pod, even if he wasn't quite as put together as she'd managed to make herself.

Error eyed the bag again and considered it's contents for a moment.  There was an unspoken rule her father always had, that children must be protected, no matter if they were annoying little shits.  The mer gave a sigh and rolled her eyes, an unspoken curse for her father's weakness for children.

"Hey, little brat!" She called through gritted teeth, not wanting to attract too much attention from the hopefully sleeping residents of the nearby buildings.  "Take your crap and go home," she grunted and tossed the bag towards the filly.

[Alanna the Pirate Queen]

Hijinks slumped away morosely, trying to figure out how she was going to show her face at home empty-hooved. She knew her brothers wouldn't hold it against her, but she hated not pulling her weight. Maybe she'd be able to find some food or something on the way back. The only thing that was making her feel better was the thought of finding this b***h phony when she grew up and seeing if she was just as willing to pick on someone her own size.

That was, until she heard the weird lady calling her back. Jinx stopped and stiffened, looking over her shoulder slowly, ready to run if the lady decided she liked beating up kids after all. When the bag came tumbling towards her, however, the filly did not hesitate to snatch it up and sling it over her shoulder.

"I'd say thanks lady, but if I'm honest, I don't think phony deserve praise for just not being as big of a d*** as they could have been," Hijinks quipped back and then sprinted around the corner and down several alleys. She'd meant what she said, but she didn't want to stick around to see if the stranger didn't like honesty.