Favorite Crime

I let you treat me like that

Saturday

"And we concluded that it should be Toni Topaz."

The anger that had been produced at those words refused to surrender its grasp on Toni all throughout the rest of the serpent meeting and into the next day. Waking up to the blaring ring of her alarm, the petite girl grumpily threw off her comforter and sat up. Resting her back upon the wall her twin bed was pushed up against, she sighed and contemplated the day she now had before her.

Out of all the damn people, how did I get roped into all this?

She brought her small hands up to her head and massaged her temples, willing the growing headache to go away.

Fucking Tall Boy. Who put his ass in charge.

Her thoughts echoed some of the other members from last night. After Tall Boy's surprise announcement it had all been a blur for Toni. As the meeting drew to a close and the contents of the Whyte Wyrm grew more desolate, Toni had stayed back and waited for the thickset man to make his way over to her. Sweet Pea and Fangs had offered to stay with her, but she decided it would be better if they weren't there to witness her impending tantrum. She briefly recalls how that conversation had went;

    "Ever think to inform me ahead of time what your plan included?" Toni spit out as Tall Boy approached her. With the bar now empty besides the two of them and Byrdie, one of the bartender's, the young girl didn't bother to conceal her petulance.

    "I did, but I knew you'd also kick up a fuss with your infamous 'Topaz Temper'." He replied with a quick shrug of his shoulders. He took a seat at one of the barstools next to Toni and nodded his head at the older woman behind the bar. A few seconds later he was sipping on a tall glass of what Toni could only assume was beer.

    "What makes you think I still won't? You really thought springing it up on me in front of the whole damn gang was much better? I mean what the fuck Tall Boy."

    "Hey, just listen a minute. I knew you were gonna be mad, but can you really not see why you'd be the best fit for the jo-"

    "Don't even dare say it's because of what the Blossom's did to my family." Toni interrupted him. Toni was a lot of different things, but vengeful wasn't one of them. Would he really peg her as the kind of person who would willingly partake in his twisted scheme to satisfy some decades long grievance between her ancestors and the Blossoms? Granted, it went a bit deeper than that, but still it made Toni's blood boil with hostility at the very thought.

    "What? No, it has nothing to do with that." The older man rolled his eyes, something that annoyed Toni even further. "You are the only one who would be the least suspicious."

The pink haired girl stayed silent, eyebrows furrowed at his words. She studied him for a brief moment, taking in his tan skin, beaded with sweat, and blue eyes surrounded with wrinkles. His greasy dirty blonde hair went past his shoulders, hiding the top half of the two head snake that adorned his jacket. The man before her had been an ever present figure for most of her life. Right hand man to F.P. Since she had joined the Sepents over four years ago when she became of age, he was one of the few members who highly prioritized their laws. Even before joining the gain, he had been one of those who sought to take care of her when she no longer had parents to do so, emphasizing the second law heavily.

Toni took a deep breath and nodded for him to continue.

"Think about it, placing grown ass men on detail for a teenage girl is asking to be caught. Serpents already put people on high alert when over on the north." He took another swig from his drink, then turned to fully face the young Serpent. "But placing a teenage girl on watch duty for another teenage girl," he shrugged, "way less incriminating."