[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/FaCzAxe.png[/img]     [img]https://i.imgur.com/FePJtcZ.png[/img][/center]
[right][b]Interactions:[/b] Edict [@AtomicEmperor]
[code]Municipal Library [/code][/right][hr]
For a moment, Linqian had thought Edict was staring at her lips for a different reason… One she wouldn’t mind encouraging. That was until he fucking stole her cigarette and threw it onto the street like the garbage it probably was. Her eyes flashed with anger, body temperature rising as the ring on her right hand lightly glowed.

[color=CD5C5C]”Oy, why the fuck did-”[/color] Linqian’s irate torrent of words was cut off by another cigarette being place in her mouth. It had a nicer weight and feel to it than her cheaper one… but he could’ve waited till she finished it. Well, whatever. Once he’d lit it off her own she took a long drag, relishing in the warmth before blowing it back out into the cold air. It reminded her of the taste of her first cigarette, stolen from her dad and shared with Jinhai in the back alley near their house. He’d hand rolled them too… But she’d only had cheap ones since. Without realising the corners of her lips curved up around the cigarette. [color=CD5C5C]”Mm, you tryna get me hooked on the fancy stuff? Must be nice to be rich.”[/color] 

She took another drag, almost choking on the smoke when Edict mentioned kids out of nowhere. Suppressed coughs escaped her lips as she managed to catch her breath. Now there would be a nightmare scenario: multiple little Jinhais running around. She loved her brother, truly, but he’d been a pain in the ass as a kid. She couldn’t deal with more cocky smart asses. There was enough on her plate.

[color=CD5C5C]”Uh, yeah, thanks,”[/color] she said awkwardly. She didn’t enjoy the whole condolences thing. It wasn’t like they could bring Jinhai back, and she’d quickly learned that offers of help were just empty words. None of her friends, few as they were, or relatives had reached out after the funeral. They didn’t actually care. And Edict? Him and Jinhai certainly hadn’t been on good terms. Did he really think ‘this shit was home’? Possibly, but she didn’t. Her lips twisted down into a more typical frown. [color=CD5C5C]”No kids, just a lil brother… Well, he’s an adult anyway.”[/color] 

An adult she was still supporting, and planned to until he could support himself. Really, he was the closest she’d probably ever have to a kid. 

She looked down at the money he held out, a roll of cash like a proper mobster, and raised an eyebrow. [color=CD5C5C]”If this is for a job, I’ll take it, but I ain’t taking pity cash. Not from you, not from anyone.”[/color] 

Linqian had too much pride for that. Always had. Supporting her remaining family was more important than anything to her, but not to the point of stooping to free cash that could be held over her head. She'd work for it.

Her interest peaked at the mention of helping out here - the only place she could work right now, anyway… But it quickly diminished when Edict went into a whole sob story about seeing a shrink and having an addiction and just wanting to make amends. He had to come clean with someone? Wasn’t that what the therapist he’d seen was for? Was he gonna be paying her for listening to all of this? He even started choking up again and hanging his head in shame… She might’ve reacted if she wasn’t so sick of it already.  She didn’t even bother questioning it, or thinking about it, because she just didn't care. She’d followed him out because he was less annoying than most of the people still in that place (Sully and Drake excluded), and because she saw a benefit from it. Maybe that had been a mistake. 

Maybe not, if she thought about it a different way. He’d just spilled a lot of shit to her… 

[color=CD5C5C]”Maybe I should see a shrink if they can work miracles like changing you from criminal to nice guy tryna atone,”[/color] she commented dryly when he was finally, [i]finally[/i], done and getting to the point. [color=CD5C5C]"Sure, I believe you. You’re really trying to do things right and make amends, I see that.”[/color]

Linqian didn’t really look like she was lying, though she didn’t seem to be enthusiastically buying into it either. Did she really believe he'd changed? Well, certainly in some way. Whether it was how he'd said… Well, time would tell. And honestly? She couldn't give less of a fuck. She wasn’t going to bother thinking too hard about it. Linqian disliked the whole brain prodding thing, and had snapped at him for it multiple times, but she'd never been bothered by the other stuff.

Jinhai had been, but he wasn't here anymore. 

And the job was pretty much perfect. It didn't require her doing much she wasn't already doing, attending whatever the coven did and feeling them out, and it wouldn't interfere with her other job. Telling Edict whatever she saw or heard wasn't exactly hard - Linqian had no qualms about spilling information that wasn't about her.

She sucked on the cigarette, now half gone, and blew the smoke out slowly. 

[color=CD5C5C]”Not sure I need the backup,”[/color] what was he expecting, her running full spy missions? [color=CD5C5C]“But I’ll do it. How much we talking?”[/color]