End of Watch

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Judas Carmichael hated rain. He also hated the orc that stood in groups across the street from him. It didn't help that his partner belonged to the same social class as they did. It also didn't help that the orc group hated his partner. 
They were throwing up gang signs behind the other man's back, pretending to shoot at him and it wasn't the first or the last time they would do it. 
"Hey, Ruvik!" He barked, finally tired of standing in one place while the other man decided whether he wanted an orc burger or a bronto thigh. Both smelled like death. "Today, please! Geez, I swear four elves have died in the time it's taking you to decide on that garbage."

Viola watched Talon walk away, then wearily stooped down to begin cleaning up the broken pieces of glass on the floor. “I’m so stupid...” she chided herself with a sniffle, still thinking she had forced her lips on Talon.

Ivy simply pulled Molly into her arms and hugged the other woman tightly. “Then you aren’t going anywhere. We have a baby on the way, and are in no way ready!” She exclaimed.

A few days later Talon was back in the tattoo parlor, sitting across from a orc called Darbok. "Are you okay? You've never been this quiet, man." He said softly. 

Molly wasn't sure this was a good idea. She stood next to Ivy at the baby store staring at clothing. She was chewing on her nails. "I don't even know what this baby is." She said softly. "I don't know if we should bother buying anything right now..."

Darbok offered Talon a somewhat distracted smile before sighing heavily. “You know how strained things are at the moment, since that damn orc cop tried to kill a magic fed.” Ever since Molly had told him her story, it had been all the orc could think about. “Besides, you’re hardly mr sunshine lately.” He added with a snort. “What’s that all about? Lillian got your balls in a jar again?” He teased.

Ivy laughed and shook her head. “Boy or girl doesn’t really matter.” She replied, thinking that was what the other woman meant. “Just look how tiny all these things are!” She added with a squeal.

"Did she ever let them out?" Talon chuckled. "And don't blame the strain on the orc. You know cops in LA are dirty as hell. Tack magick fed onto it and we're all screwed."

Molly walked away from the clothes, trying not to imagine what her child would look like in them. She was terrified to think about it.

“Must be hard for you at home right now...” Darbok replied, casting a purposeful glance to the small woman with the amethyst hair was who currently hunched over one of the tables, apparently drawing something that had her full attention.

“What’s wrong?” Ivy asked gently as she followed her roommate. “We can start even smaller, if you like? How about...” suddenly the other woman grinned and is appeared before returning with the biggest stuffed unicorn Molly would have ever seen. It was so big that Ivy had to pretty much drag it along the floor.

"You have no idea." Talon muttered, shoving his fingers through his long dark hair. "But...you're not here to talk about me. So...what's up? Need another tattoo? A piercing? Viola's a professional at it these days." 

Molly only saw the magickal aspect of the unicorn. She simply shook her head. "I have a feeling this is a boy. They don't care for horses." She muttered.

“She is?” Darbok asked uncertainly as he watched the young woman he, like everyone else, assumed was just a small human. “Looks like she doesn’t have the strength to push a needle through tissue paper!” He laughed, nudging Talon playfully.

“Oh...” Ivy seemed quite disappointed and just let go of the unicorn to let it flop down where she had been stood. “So, uh... still not going to talk about who the father is?”

"I've got weapons that make it easy." Talon said with a grin of his own. "Even in thick hide like yours." He patted the orc on his large shoulder. "You sound like a chicken. You realize that right?"

"Hes...hes..." Molly couldn't get the words out. "There's no point in talking about him. He's gone." She finally managed, letting out a shaky breath.

“Then why ain’t you let her give you one?” Darbok asked as he looked Talon’s face over for evidence of a botched needle job.

Ivy nodded and pulled Molly into another tight hug. She seemed fond of doing this. “Alright, how about we just go eat ice cream instead?” She breathed into Molly’s hair.

"Balls in a jar, remember? What do you think Lil would do to me if some other woman put steel on me?" He stayed still and allowed the orc to look him over, knowing he needed to be trusted.

"How about pizza?" Molly asked hopefully, sniffing loudly.

Darbok watched Talon for a long moment longer, then nodded as he grinned. “You’re right, Lil is the one sticking things in you... she wears the pants after all.” He mused with another grin. “Alright, I’ll have your tiny girl give me some new steel, then I’ll take her out for dinner.” He added, simply deciding that’s how things would be without even asking Viola. It had been days now, and neither Molly or Ivy would even speak to him.

“Excellent!” Ivy agreed. Taking her friend’s hand and pulling her from the baby store. “And a movie? Tell me we can watch something that requires no brain power, but has plenty of eye candy?” She added with a wolfish grin, much unlike the timid woman she had seemed when Molly first ran into her.

"Tiny girl is working but I'll be your date." Talon said, slapping Darbok on the back of the head. "Seriously now, she's not your type." 

Molly shook her head. "It's too much noise. We can rent something and go back home if that's ok? I'm getting tired. That's happening alot more often lately. Considering there's only two months left that makes sense I suppose."

“Yeah? And how would you know that?” Darbok asked as he rubbed his head. “Maybe I’m her type?” He added with a wolffish grin.

Ivy smiled again and steered Molly in the direction of their home. “Alright, does that mean we can have cookies AND pizza then?”

"All right. Go talk to her." Talon moved aside and motioned toward the tiny woman at the table. His jaw was set in tightly, but his face gave nothing away.

"Okay..." Molly sighed heavily. "You win. But we are not watching something scary. Or fantasy. I have nightmares."

Darbok always kept up the pretence that he wasn’t as wise or powerful as he actually was. You couldn’t run a gang like the fogteeth without having something about you, but outside of the gang, he liked people to underestimate him. It meant that he saw tiny gestures for what they truly were, muscles clenched too tightly, voices thin with no apparent reason to sound angry. But right then, he instantly saw Talon’s feelings for the small woman.
The orc grinned at his friend and sauntered over to Viola, peering over her shoulder at the sketch on her paper. What he would find was an incredibly detailed likeness of Talon... being pulled apart by harpies. Right away he knew why there was such an icy atmosphere in the tattoo shop. “Hey there...” He took a seat beside the young woman and smiled. “I hear you’re the one to come to for kick ass steel?” He asked cheerfully.
Viola didn’t respond right away, taking a moment to finish the part of the drawing she was working on before closing her sketchbook and looking up at Darbok. She looked him over for a moment, then let her gaze drift to Talon for the briefest of moments. “Where do you want it?” She finally asked curtly.

“Aww...” Ivy pouted and slipped an arm through Molly’s as they walked. “But scary fantasies make the bat movies!” She exclaimed. If Molly would look closely, she would see that Ivy had just tossed something into the doorway of an abandoned storefront as they passed it. She could play it off as she was simply being a terrible person and littering, but in truth it was one of many notes she had left for Kandomere’s bodyguard Celia.

Talking walked away from them, heading toward another group of orcs who were guarding their boss. He patted shoulders and did his best not to pay attention to what was happening on the other side of the shop.

"If you say so." Molly said, kicking at the paper. "I'm sorry. I think I'd rather just go to bed."

Darbok grinned and leaned a little closer to Viola, knowing Talon would be watching his every move. “It’s sorta of... personal. Can we go somewhere a little less, exposed?” He asked, knowing there was another room in the back for such things. The orc was leaned in close enough that it looked like he was just whispering against the elf’s ear.
It didn’t help that Viola smirked somewhat, thinking it rather adorable that a giant orc was embarrassed about getting something pierced. “Sure, follow me.” She breathed, getting to her feet and gesturing Darbok to come with her.

“Oh... okay.” Ivy looked genuinely disappointed by this and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “No problem, I should probably go and see if my books I ordered arrived at the library anyway.”

Talon nearly shoved the orc next to him off the chair when the two of them got up and headed for the back. His jaw got tighter and his muscles were even more stiff but he didn't follow them.

Molly nodded and waved her ahead, turning back like she was going toward the apartment.

For a brief moment it seemed like Viola’s eyes met Talon’s before the door clicked shut. She had left her sketchbook behind, thinking it quite safe. Aside from the rather angry drawing she had been working on the past day, the rest of the drawings were rather sweet, a lot of them depicting the two of them together, though they seemed to be wearing clothing from an ancient era long since forgotten. There was even a rather detailed drawing of some sort of crystal orb that Viola was seen to be holding in several different images. Since Talon had been avoiding her this past week, she hadn’t been able to tell him of the strange dreams she had been having since their stolen kiss.

Ivy walked on, though paused at the end of the street, hiding behind a postbox as she watched Molly. It had felt entirely too much like the other woman was continuously trading to get away from her lately.

Talon sat down at the desk and pretended he wasn't interested in the sketchbook. However, when he thought no one was looking, he thumbed through it. He was more confused when he was finished than when he'd begun. 

Molly made her way up a back alley and came to a tattoo parlor, filled with orcs. She opened the door and whispered something to the one guarding it. He nodded solemnly and motioned her inside, looking down the street both ways before stepping in behind her.

Viola didn’t want to give Darbok what he had asked for. She had still never pierced an actual person before, and despite their not currently speaking, she still wanted a Talon to be her first. Although that was how she felt, she still patiently sat with Darbok, allowing him to talk about what it wasn’t he wanted, never knowing that he had no intention of getting anything pierced, he was simply messing with Talon. 
If Viola knew that Talon had seen her drawings, no doubt not speaking would progress to physical violence.

Ivy had followed Molly until she approached the tattoo shop, frowning when she saw the other woman had every intention of going inside. “What the...” she knew her employer would not like this news one bit, but was wise enough to attempt to find out more before reporting it.

Talon looked up from his tattoo work when the orc passed him with the pregnant woman. He didn't know what to think. This wasn't a common sight. 

"Darbok, this lady wants to talk to you." The guard said gruffly as he opened the door to the back room.
"Darbok?" Molly breathed, shock in her voice.

Viola’s bright azure eyes grew wide when they rested on Molly, then a moment later they drifted down to the swell of her belly. The young elf wasn’t sure if Molly even recognised her, or if it was safe to acknowledge each other. “You can stay in here, it’s private.” She breathed, thinking it was the most she could offer for now.

Molly didn't dare say she knew the other woman. She didn't know how to process any of this. 
"I...made a mistake." She said shaking her head. "I don't know what I was thinking." She turned to leave, only to bump into Talon.

Viola had been about to assure Molly otherwise when she saw Talon’s well built form in the doorway. The poor elf had no idea at that point that her deepest feelings for her rescuer were no longer hers alone to know.
“Hey man, your little bit here was just going to go get my friend some water, she’s dying of thirst.” Darnok told the other man rather cheerfully when he felt the tension that suddenly filled the tiny room.

"Oh yeah, sure. Come on, Viola." Talon held out a hand to her. With the other he pushed Molly toward Darbok. "By the way, there's elves slinking around my store. Not saying it's a problem but I don't want it to become a problem if you catch my drift."
The guard at the door growled, cocking his head when he saw the pregnant human began to seem more panicked. 
Molly was looking for another exit.

Viola had been about to place her hand in Talon’s until she heard his comment about elves. She wasn’t quite quick enough to guard the wounded look in her eyes. “You don’t like elves?” She asked.
Darbok nodded to the other orc and gently slid an arm around Molly, steering her further into the room and finding her a seat. “I’m not letting anything happen to you.” He breathed against her ear as he made the or tense of leaning down to pull the chair closer for her.

"I don't have a problem with them." Talon said as he steered her out into the hallway. "I was just warning Darbok that they were there. You know their kinds don't mix." He explained.

"You can't stop him. No one can." Molly whispered. She was visibly shaking now.

Viola didn’t exactly seem sold. “Sounded like more than that.” She muttered, though didn’t stop Talon steering her somewhere else. 

“Hey...” Darbok saw Molly shake and gently settled his large hands down on her slender shoulders. “Whoever it is you’re running from, you’re safe here, okay? You saw how many guards are hanging around, and look how big Talon is, you think he will stand for shit in his own shop?”

"Elves give me shit all the time. They think ink is dirty. I'm not sure why." Talon said with a shrug. "There's this one guy. Calls himself Kando... something...he's a real ass. Gives me all kinds of hell if he finds out I ink any elves. It's annoying." He grumbled.

"I...I came to because I need you and your people to protect my baby not me. But there's a reason for it." Molly's deep green eyes searched Darboks face, wondering if he would believe her seeing as she hadn't told him this part of her story.