[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/250126/f7833ce7027d4d35fe63add6ba932bdb.png[/img][/center]
[right][sub]With [@BurningCold][/sub][/right][hr]
Yam still wasn’t used to getting picked last. Growing up, her arcane aptitude and pedigree had gone a long way in making her a first draft pick in everything from group projects to school admissions. At the time she’d enjoyed it, and then, slowly, she’d come to realize how much her mother’s name was carrying her through the aspects of social life that she wasn’t particularly good at. Being rid of it, accomplishing feats on her own, as her own, was validating; her hard work paid off in the Hexen, where eventually people stopped caring who she was and were more interested in what she could do. 

Except now she couldn’t [i]do[/i], not like that, not anymore. Now she was saddled with a metaphysical anchor and no nepotism to smooth over her…[i]charm[/i]. So, all said, she wasn’t surprised when the scene cleared out and all that remained was her, and the bug. Maybe that was a good sign; at least there was someone equally as despicable. 

Well, two someones. 

[i][color=gray]Hurtful.[/color][/i]

“[color=9173CA]I’ll drive,[/color]” she said, fishing her keys from her pocket and following Marty outside, tossing the chief a farewell wave on the way.

She led the way to her car, a sturdy, compact thing with faded paint but, surprisingly, no dents. Just as surprising was the interior, clean and tidy, which might have counted for more if it didn’t still whiff of tar. As she settled into the driver’s seat, she repaid her brimstone parasite’s sass by lightning another cigarette and taking a long, thoughtful drag. Yam didn’t know if demons could get lung cancer, but she was willing on Bel’s behalf to find out. 

She turned away at the last moment, blowing smoke out of the window when she remembered she wasn’t driving alone. This would be one of the few times she’d worked alone with the…enthusiastic demon, and while she certainly had her gripes with his attitude, she couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit guilty. It didn’t take long after Marty walked into a room to see how people felt about him, and though many of those feelings were fairly earned, others certainly weren’t. 

“[color=9173CA]Good call back there. Good intuition.[/color]” she said, pretending like she was waiting to finish smoking before they left, like a responsible officer of the law. “[color=9173CA]Never seen magic like that before, infernal or otherwise. Weird. But I think you’re on to something with the whole…[/color]” she made a vague, flowering motion near her head. 

There, a good deed for the day before whatever shit was waiting for them at the end of their trip. She flicked what was left of her cigarette onto the pavement and started the car. 

“[color=9173CA]You’ll have to navigate,[/color]” she said. “[color=9173CA]I could get lost in a cardboard box.[/color]”