Things were accelerating quickly, even Tses could sense that. On the one hand, these guys attacked Lenna. Tses had jumped in for the fighting practice if nothing else. She was not naive to the point she couldn’t see that either side was right, however. Lenna had used someone’s credit card, a missing someone that these men were trying to find. There were flags this situation was just one big mess, many involving the woman’s lack of acceptance that she could be wrong about things. Who was Tses to really give advice, though?

Then, out came the gun. Without thinking, Tses quickly moved forward and stepped through Paladin, gently grabbing the weapon with a solid hand while the rest of her stayed phased. The guy was left awkwardly frozen in place while she invaded his personal space. He could deal with it, she was NOT enjoying the moment either.

”Hey, let’s cool down for a second before you start adding guns to the mix. I’ve been shot a few times and it gets messy. I really don’t want to be involved in something messy. Clearly, this is a misunderstanding that you guys need to come to a like, resolution over. I’m not a f***ing camp counselor but both of you need to come to a less violent method of communicating!”

She felt remarkably grown up all of a sudden. Most her life involved punching people first and asking questions later, now she was advising something as rational as communication? Such character growth!

The Paladin buttered something and Tses backhanded him. He shut up. Okay, only a little character growth.

Her face had been hit, her bell had been rung, and she had tried to recover the control of the situation through superior firepower. Perhaps, she was a little heated. A little tired. A little stressed out. Add on to that pile, the annoyance she felt towards Swiss Miss and you had a mess.

The woman had walked through the Paladin like he was nothing, then clamped a hand down on her gun. Such things simply were not done. What if she had been surprised, and had fired? What if the gun had gone off on its own? Even if she were half-in, half out of someone and immune to physical contact, things still could have gone wrong.

And she was lecturing her? This situation had been going poorly. Some small part of her that was still a little girl wished for approval from a peer. This behavior she had exhibited would achieve no such result. Unless she backed down.

Her pride did not wish for her to back down. Her head understood. Swiss Miss had appealed to the logical part of her, and that had been the correct move.

Before she spoke, the paladin muttered something and Swiss Miss backhanded him. Lenna took one calming breath, then spoke.

Quietly, she spoke. Hoping the SUPER man would not hear, Lenna turned her head towards Swiss Miss and said "I do not want messy either. I wanted to scare him and make him back down. I feel like if I kill these people, that is it. They will not stop until I have been caught. Like policia, when one of their own is killed."

Louder, and speaking in the direction of the Paladin so the words carried, Lenna said "You are right. We should find a better way. I wish they had simply spoken to me before they attacked me. Such actions make a person act rashly. Your men are unconscious and hurt. Can we call a truce?"

Paladin was silent for a moment. Maybe the backhanded blow had rattled him. Begrudginly, he grunted his approval.

"Was that a grunt, or a yes?"

"Yes." He replied. His voice was terse.

"I am putting away my gun." Lenna said, then matched her words with her actions. At least, once Swiss Miss removed her hand in order to allow it.

The SUPER man grimaced, and dismissed his weapon again. "So how do you want to play this? I'm not telling you anything else. You pissed me off."

Lenna glanced at Swiss Miss. "Can you do that thing, where you go through things, and get me back my knife?"

She really needed a name for the woman. A real one. Something better than Swiss Miss. But she would not ask such a thing while in front of the grumpy government agent.

Tses could tell she crossed a line grabbing the gun, but she really did not care. Guns were not something to use idly. They were not something to threaten people with and wave around when you were in a bad mood. She had seen more than one shoved in her face, had bullets in her back. The consequences were worse than any knife, any fist fight she had ever been in. One almost ended her life. She star on the side of her skull had been the mark she had to carry as a memory of every stupid thing she did when life was heated.

While the stranger looked at her, she did not back down. There was something calm and rational in her expression that she had felt very few times. "Learn another way." Was all she mouthed. She wouldn't say it twice. She may not be making friends but she sure as heck wouldn't make the wrong enemies. She had too much to hold onto now.

When the truce was called Tses finally backed away, and stood to one side. Weapons went away and the girl asked about the phasing. Tses glanced at the knife. "Walking through things is different than retrieving something." She didn't want to get too involved with her powers, but thankfully, had her own level of experience.

"Just, hold still for a second. Sorry, Paladin." She set one hand on his back and with a swift tug, got the weapon free. There was cussing, and she set one arm on the bleeding wound. "Just hold still for one second." She growled, and he obeyed. She let the energy form many tiny explosives, the rapid release causing a layer of heat at his skin. Like a hot iron, she melted the wound together. There was more cussing, but it was sealed, and he wouldn't bleed to death. She stepped to the side again and flicked her hand, making sure no blood got on her skin. The energy had prevented that at least. She was feeling tired from exertion now, but wouldn't let it show in her face. Her eyes couldn't entirely hide it.

It was good the situation had been defused. It would not ended positively for any person involved. Lenna had to admire Swiss Miss for her ability to stay calm throughout the entire debacle. Even if she had been touchy about the touchy touch with the gun.

It was clear from her words, Swiss Miss could not have simply made herself go soft and walked through the man to retrieve her knife. What she did do, though, made Lenna arch an eyebrow. It was very brutal.

How else would she have yanked a knife from a wound? The explosions after the yanking... those were extra. The Paladin man had cursed. He had been left, bleeding. And then she had cauterized the injury.

At the time, she had asked him to stay still and he had not figured she would burn him with (pop pop pop) explosions. The instant he had understood her intent, and it’s purpose, he had taught Lenna a few new phrases and words. They had all been quite interesting.

Swiss Miss stepped free. The man sneered at her, and clutched his burned shoulder.

“My name,” he said roughly. “Is not Paladin. It’s Kevin. And you didn’t need to burn me. I could have laid hands on myself, and—“

”Mr. Kevin. You are disgusting. Do not talk of such things in front of pure Swiss Miss.” Lenna lectured the man.

He glared at her, with a sullen fury. “Healed myself” He finished harshly.

Lenna looked towards Swiss Miss. the woman was beginning to look a little... stretched thin. Around the eyes. She was not carrying her self poorly. It did not show there, was not obvious. But Lenna had been taught that eyes reveal much. Windows to the soul. So she had noticed it, while Kevin the grumpy Paladin had not.

”She could not have known that. We are going now. You, stay there. Let us leave and do not try any comedy.” Lenna said icily. Maybe she had meant ‘funny business’?

Breezily, the young girl walked across the rooftop to bend and reclaim her purse. Men were scattered around like bread at a duck pond. They were all still unconscious, which was excellent. Because she did not want to fight any more.

”Come, Swiss Miss.” Lenna called the blonde over to the roof’s edge. There was a fire escape down below.

Her footsteps clonked against the metal stairs as Lenna walked. Casually, she glanced back about halfway down the staircase. ”Do you have something I can call you, other than Swiss Miss? I want to thank you properly.”

Tses did not regret what she had done. Burning the wound closed had been messy, true. But letting him heal himself? Wouldn't that have just been going easy on him? "Take it as a warning. I am not cruel enough to let you bleed everywhere, but I'm not merciful enough to just let you make the wound vanish. There is only one person I listen to, and they aren't on this rooftop." Tses gave a little shrug. Who cared if her hands were metaphorically covered in someone's blood? This was just a game of chess, and she took the moves she felt were best at the time.

Lenna seemed to sense something, and took the chance to make their escape. Tses did not argue: she had been here by chance, after all. She had not tried to make enemies, but she also hadn't made friends. In the end, she hoped they would sense her side in this situation was far more neutral and that of an enemy. She aided Lenna this time. Who was to say the next round would not slide the other way?

As they walked, Tses looked at her, and shrugged. "I can't say we are close enough to really exchange names. Sort of a point of privacy in my life. If you need something, maybe let's just say Luna," Tses decided. It was not a name she would ever go by on a regular basis, but that made it better as an alias for now. Yes, it linked her to her light powers, and the moon, and all that cheesy nonsense. But Tses was a name that needed to stay dead, and Artemis was a name reserved for the Syndicate. Since this had been a rather messy exchange, distance was safer.

"And I helped for the time being, but I do think you may need to be careful what actions you are taking. I can't say I have perfect judgement: I make a lot of mistakes. But I also know a thing or two about getting the attention of the wrong people. I would find out why you had that card in the first place. I don't think you are in the most stable position right now." she advised.

The man grimaced as she laid into him about her one person she truly followed, and all that happy crappy. “God,” he muttered.

Some people.

As the two women vanished down the side of the building, he shifted. Got to his feet. Looked around. Then, he went to check on his minions. Headquarters would not like this. Not at all. They would have to keep an eye on the girl... girls.

—

The woman would not give Lenna her name. Or at least, a real name. One Lenna would utilize. Their was ice in her, and it kept her distant. Swiss Miss... not Luna. Too close to Lenna... Swiss Miss did not consider them friends. Well. That was fine. Things could proceed as normal, and she would not gain an ally.

Lenna did not rush to give a name. If Swiss Miss felt the need for distance, she could play the same game... at least, until she found a good alias. There were several she had donned in the past. Some works for more than others that day. Or, she could use a new one.

The woman continued speaking, by giving her a warning.

Lenna nodded. ”Yes. Wise. My knife, please?” She held out her hand.

The woman had retrieved and cleaned the blade, but had yet to return it. Maybe that had been on purpose.

Lenna spoke again. Thoughtful. ”Is there’s some place of research, where I can use a computer? Check books. Records. Make calls? Some place free? I am new. Do not know the city.” Maybe a library or an Internet cafe?

Inspiration hit her. ”You May call me Soleil, by the way.” Her bearing lacked any of the amusement she felt.

Tses handed the knife over, handle first. Despite their lack of clear friendship, Tses didn't consider the woman an enemy. She had put in the effort to help her, after all. She just knew to keep a distance with someone so unclear.

The research part, that she could at least help with.

"We have a library just around the corner here. They should have a computer you can use, and plenty of books if you want to go that route. And it's free." They got to the street level, and Tses took the lead. She knew the city well enough by now, and the library she remembered from the riots so many years ago. Heck, she had tried destroying that library. Not that it ended well. Some ice mutant had stopped her in the end.

Outside the building, Tses paused, "Sorry I can't be more help right now. But if you get things figured out, who knows, we may bump into each other again." With that, she walked through the nearest building and disappeared just as easily as she had arrived.

--end