A soft exhale of a breath. It wasn't smoke from a cigarette that brushed across the air; no - the chill meeting the heat of her breath did that. This came, along with a soft grunt, as she grasped hold of the fire escape ladder and pulled it down carefully. There's sound, but hopefully not much to alarm any possible tabloid or other sort of vultures that seemed to flock toward her situation.

Hand against chilled rod pulled while feet stepped. She'd climb up and soon enough meet stairs; that began her rise through the fire escape. Higher, higher, and higher until she made it to the top floor. The window became her next problem. She had tempered with it sometime ago, but it proved to be a little tricky when it came to the colder weather. With a few jerks she'd have it sliding open and allowing her passage inside.

"No, no. No going outside." She spoke to the cat who seemed rather interested in sneaking through the window once he opened it. An arm wrapped about the pet.

"Gotcha'." In a quiet tone as she, along with the now wiggling cat, moved inside. She'd release the little pet and shoo it away before turning to close the window.

Their place of sanctuary was slowly becoming a kingdom ruled by journalists and photographers. It was one sucker punch to the next with the rounds fired off from interviews and articles, all stream lining into the most recent shock which shook at the core of Peaches' circuitry. She had skimmed the news only to be surprised by flashing over Terry's features on the telly, quickly backtracking to be witness to the breakdown.

Confusion was still stitched into her features when she heard the window creaking open, tip-toeing her way down the small hall to where she could find the youthful brawler.

"Terry --", she breathed the name, a bonded bit of curiosity and caution. One hand fidgeted with the hem of her overly baggy sleep shirt while the other sought refuge in a lot of lions mane hair. Her legs were bare, long lines to stem from the edge of the shirt, with a glimpse of black boyshorts beneath.

"-- what the hell was that, yea'?" Jumping right into it, though her tone didn't cause alarm in the sweet tone and foreign accent.

".. Cat," She'd then motion to the window. "Tried to get out."

It wasn't what Peaches meant and Terry knew that. It's why she spoke up once more after a few seconds of pause.

"I'm broke." Honesty. She couldn't hide it away forever, not when the rumor mill already spoke of it possibly being the cause, another being her possibly leaving for the Wrecking Crew; while a few others still seem to believe that Melanie was fully at fault for this situation.

Terry's words came with a small spread of her arms; arms that then dropped as dead weight to her side. Fingers curled to grasp hold of jacket to tug along at the zipper. She stripped her dark coat away, then threw it to rest against the floor beside her desk; this left her in only jeans and a long sleeve top.

"Flat. Broke." She shook her head. Part of her wanted to laugh, another part wanted to cry. "Every things," Her arms rose again. Fingers curled into fists, then expanded once more to go along with her words. "Poof.. Gone."

"I -- I don't understand, yea'? You had an adviser? For your finances?"

A quick round was fired off in questions but the galore of them were slowed by the sticky syrup of her murmuring. Regardless of her blood being clean for a year, she still couldn't break the habit of the dreamers disease she spoke with. Draping forward after a few steps to pick up the tossed aside jacket, carefully spreading it over the back of Terry's chair before turning back to slip a look at her friend.

"But -- even if you were broke, yea'? You don't have to leave, do you?" Thin brows rose up. Her expression was just as intrigued, and a little confused, as her inquiries sounded.

"An' that's who stole from me.. They said I couldn't be trusted with my cash, not until I proved myself.. I wanted to do right by them." She'd swallow back roughly. She shook her head and gave a small wave of her arms; as if dismissing it. ".. It ain't just that, I see the way Jake's lookin' at Melanie, I see how the group is jus' splinterin' between new an' old.. We used to be a family,"

She gave Peaches a pleading look. ".. We stuck together, we did work, we made a name for ourself. An' now? Now it's just.."

She didn't know how to continue there. She sniffed back lightly and swallowed back once more; an attempt to try and keep her emotions in check.

".. I'm jus' tired.. I worked so hard, put my body on the line.. an' now," She brushed fingers through her short hair and moved to sit down against her bed. "This."

Not far off; she followed as a whimsical spirit might, one that wanted to breathe life into fatigued veins, splintering her limbs to fall as a stringless marionette near Terry. Her fingers weren't very tentative when reaching to push back a dark piece of hair, or two, while wilting enough to try and catch Terry's eyes. Even if they were watered down and threatening to spill.

"Can't you get it back, yea'? You just have to file a case? I mean, he can't really get away with that, yea'?" The rest, though? That had her mouth pursing ever so slowly while she mentally thumbed through the data that Terry gave her.

"What if -- What if you started a new team, yea'? Take Melanie, take Clarice, take Charlie -- why don't you -- why don't we -- make something new? You can't just give up, yea'? Unless that is what you want. I'll stand by you either way, because I love you, but --" She let her shoulders square up a bit, encouraging a posture of stalwart inspiration.

"You're Terry-*******-King, yea'?"

The new weight added to the single twin bed caused Terry to shift a little closer to Peaches. The half and half had attempted to keep her sights away, to focus on something -- anything else; yet in the end she found herself looking into Peaches own.

Terry's eyes looked tired, they lacked the spark of confidence. It's eyes not many saw, she was never one to open up unless it was with someone she trusted.

"We could.. but what then? From the ground up? Everythin'? All I did was fight, it's all I'm good at.. an' I can't even do that right now." Dry lips parted to expose clenched teeth for a moment. She sucked in a sudden breath as she tried to hold back the tears, but in the end she couldn't.

She reached to grasp for Peaches; anything, any part of her body she could while face sought out shoulder to bury against.

Quick to come to the rescue. There was plenty offered up, an ample sacrifice of lush curves and soft angles. Terry was caught up within a tangle of arms when she leaned forward. It was a slow descent a top the mattress, coiling the hybrid closer while her fingers stroked at the harp strings of her shoulders.

Peaches was no stranger to the sight of tears.

"Shh, shh --", she crooned, arranging her mouth to settle a long Terry's brow. Here, in the solace of what they had deemed theirs, she still spoke in terms of a whisper as if too scared to frighten the fragile balance of Terry's emotions.

"-- it's ok, yea'? It's going to be ok. I promise. I promise, yea'?" Eyes patiently fell behind her lashes while glancing towards the ceiling.

"And -- yea'. Why not build something new? Something that represents who you, who the rest of the team, are -- now. The past is meant to change us. We're supposed to evolve. Maybe the lot of you have just grown past the limits that Beat Down put on you, yea'? They're old, tired, but you're not old. And you might be tired, yea'? But maybe that just means you need to breathe for a bit. Maybe just relax some, think things over. And the money --", she wove her pattern of rambling from brilliance to a self sacrifice. None would ever know just how much green was laying in the banks of the shadows.

"-- You can have mine, yea'? I'll help. I'll put every ******* dollar on the table for you, yea'? For whatever you want. You want to start a new team? I will help. You want to take a vacation? I will pay. You want to buy nothing but ice cream and porn? I will give you my wallet. And we'll figure out a way to get your money back, yea'? I promise."

A lot of promises were unveiled. She meant each one.

At times like these she was her worst. The need there, being so close to someone like this. The urge to take hold, to do something. Flesh was there, all she needed to do was turn her head and take it with her lips. She wanted to feel something -- she wanted to feel like she was something.

Yet, in the end, she couldn't.

She didn't have the will power, she felt drained; right now she felt like a shell of her former self. She gripped at Peaches top as her hunched form shook while she let it all out. Ears listening between her own soft sobs at the words of the blonde who showed her more attention than many of her past lovers.

She choked, a crack forming from her throat as she parted lips to speak once more. It was shaken when she laughter came; yet it was short lived.

".. I do like icecream and porn.." Her nostrils flared as she sniffed back a rushed breath. Her head tilting so that an ear now pressed to Peaches shoulders. Terry's eyes focused on the blondes soft skin of her cheek.

"That's yours," Her grip fell fell away from the fabric of Peaches top; instead her arms moved to wrap about her waist in a gentle, yet needy embrace. "I'll pay you back.. I swear." She couldn't play strong right now. She couldn't say no, she had to admit it; she needed help. She had nothing right now; nothing to fall back on.

A piece of dawns light was there for Terry to cling to. It didn't slip away past the horizon, didn't hide to make room for a more tenuous dusk. She seemed to be set in that time, this place, at the right time. Fingers dusted, preened, fell victim beneath a cropped crown of brown hair, face tilting to look at a skewed angle, to let a genuine cast of gold and green to fondly watch Terry's features. Wet with tears, spotted with the tangible essence of the break down.

"Well, everyone likes ice cream and porn, yea'?" Hushed, stitched with a small sliver of humor to help cool some of the tension.

"It is mine, yea'? So I can decide what to do with it. And I want to help you. I don't give a **** about you paying me back, yea'? I care about you, knowing that you're not in this alone. You got me. You got Mel. You got us all. We're not gonna turn our backs on you, yea'? What kind of friends would we be if we did that?"

Her free hand reached to break away some of the left over residue of salt water from Terry's face, brushing lightly to smooth it all away.

"You can have every ******* penny I own, yea'? But you get to decide what you want to do with it. I'll help you, promise. In whatever avenue you wanna go down. I'll be there with you, bells on."

Her throat worked some as she swallowed back once more. Her eyes puffy from the tears she laid out; though were rather dry and red as of now. The tears that stained her cheeks done away by brushes of well placed fingers, something she could not help but reach for so that she could press them to her cheek. Her eyes on Peaches.

"Bells? Will there be lace lingerie?" Another flare of her nose as she sniffed back a few more times.

It helped, being silly like this. Even if she still felt a twinge of pain in her heart; it really did help.

"I dunno where I'd be without you.. Real talk," She'd seek to kiss those fingers just then. A show of what she meant; something words could not fully express. Strands of brown hair swayed ever so lightly as she nodded her head. "In this whole fucked up city.. I got lucky runnin' into you.. I should prolly thank Mel for that."

A quick laugh. Lightning through the dark of the storm. She brewed a full mouthed smile, watching as Terry fidgeted with her fingers. The butterfly kisses left at the tips of her fingers that pawed, leonine like.

"Maybe, yea'?" Quiet when the half-breed spoke again. She sometimes wondered just how lucky she, herself, had been. To remain as a sun for the fighters to gravitate to. The beastly femmes who swung fists as hard as hammers to nails. And her, a falsely accused pretty face in the thick of it all.

"We're both lucky, yea'? I'm just glad I can be here for you. It's going to be ok." Again, a promise hidden in the folding of her accent. How it was soft, pure, intoxicating enough to sedate the most savage of species.

"So, what are we going to do, yea'? New team, or a vacation? Or do you want me to kill the asshole who stole your money?" Oddly enough, it could be done -- she was a secret evolved from a mystery.

"I hope so.." She really did. The stress was mind boggling. Everything weighing down on her shoulders right now; she truly didn't know which way to go. At least she had one thing; and this one thing -- no, person, sat before her.

Her lips curled into the smallest of smirks as she heard of the blondes idea. ".. Nah, I want justice, not killin'.. I want 'em dragged through the mud.. you don't get that by endin' a life." Half joking at the idea, but still serious.

"I got some good lawyers, they said they can handle it.. Private iinvestigators are lookin' for 'em right now." She brushed a knuckle against her nose. ".. Vacation, I'm thinkin' of somethin' like that.. Doctors tellin' me to get rest, my lawyers tellin' me the same. I ain't useful if I'm stressed out - righ'?" She peered up then. Looking to Peaches eyes once more.

"Fine, fine.", she obliged, half sighing with the dream weavers texture of her murmur. There would be justice, she was positive of that -- and while the gears spun in the labyrinth of her rare skull, she played the part of a selfless nymph in the currant of Terry's eyes.

"Alright -- well. Where do you want to vacation, yea'? We'll go anywhere. Except for Paris. I hear they're rude as hell there, yea'?" She tried, so hard, in peeling down the demons clawing up Terry's back, gently nudging them away with the streamline of her conversation and the light weight of her sunspun touch.

"Disney World." A hint back to a prior conversation. Terry still remembered the request. "We could get you some mouse ears." Hands rose up to find either side of Peaches head to make mouse ears out of fingers.

".. Run away from all of this." The truth broke free from the mask of playful tones. Still, she tried; she really did. She leaned forward then. Her forehead seeking to rest against the other woman's own. "Mel said she wouldn't go. We'd have to think up a way to get her to go along with it."

"We just have to be careful about Disney buying out Lucas Films, yea'?" Oblivious in knowing if Terry was fluent in the ways of sci-fi from her own domain, a realm ruled by more sin than the foul hearted patrons here. She tilted her head back and forth within the faux mouse ears made by the girls fingers before her own hands drew up to cup at Terry's features when they were practically brow to brow.

"If you really want to run away, yea'? I'll go. But only if you really want to do that." She felt that Terry was bigger than that, felt she was stronger -- but she only pressed enough to let it linger before pulling her face back some. She wouldn't argue with the emotional wreck that lay in her arms.

"I ain't ever been to America, so it could be fun.. An', maybe we'd need to take away her weapons for the trip." She didn't see how that'd work -- it's be impossible to do that. "I think we can manage. With three of us lookin' after her, she can't get into that much trouble." Her words dwindled then as she heard Peaches following words.

It was something that caused Terry to press her lips together in a moment of quiet thought. ".. Why?" She finally asked. The fake mouse ears gone; instead turning into a brush of fingers along a smooth cheek.

"If I did, why would you come with me? You have a life here." What if questions. Terry had no intention of leaving or to run away; but the thought was still there.

"Why would I go with you?" Twisting some to unravel from the tight confines of their lounging, though not leaving completely. Situating on her side, chin and cheek palmed in the cup of her hand with an elbow digging into the gut of one of Terry's pillows. It was a better light to see her in, cast with a few shadows that could do little to mute her glamour.

"Because you would come back." Stating with only a sliver of a pause before she continued. "Because you wouldn't run for that long, yea'? You're like me. We've run a lot. Run away from our demons. They're always here, though, yea'?" A gesture of her finger to her temple. "They never leave us. They, like us, will go on a vacation for a bit while we delight in new things, trying really hard to forget about all the old things. But we always remember. And we're stronger than all of that. We might get a bit scared, yea'? But even if we run away, we always run back. We're fighters."

Terry shifted. A leg rising up to drape across the bed, all while the other dangled half way off the side. She hunched over while listening to the woman's words. Thinking them over; commiting them to memory. Green eyes found themselves closed for a moment. Then -- she'd collapse. Falling against her mess of blankets.

Once she opened her eyes, that's when she'd take the sight of the resting Peaches once more.

"You're right.. I can't stay away, there's too much for me here -- even if there's pain, there's gonna be pleasure too.. Happy times goin' along with the bad." She just wished this bad nightmare was over, but that was something she wouldn't air to the world around her.

".. I could kiss you right now." She grinned then. Her back finding the bed next. Eyes locking onto the ceiling. ".. Let's run away then, jus' for a little while."

"You could always kiss me.", rolled forward a lyric of humor, sensual if only because of her smokey chant.

"And, yea'. We can go away for a bit. Figure things out for you. The rumormill will have a fucking field day, yea'? Just -- give it a week before we take off, yea'?"

Encouraging that Terry face a few of her fears in that time before they were swept away into a fantasy world of talking mice and pantless ducks. "You talk to Mel, or Clarice, about you leaving?"

"I could -- I might." She cast a grin Peaches way, though it fell into a straight lipped expression as she thought things over. "Yeah.. I'ma need a week or two."

She looked back up to the ceiling; though even that is hidden away due to a well placed arm draped over her eyes. "I'ma need to talk to a few people.. My sponsors ain't going to like this, but maybe I can get a deal goin'.. I need to make sure the shelter is gonna be okay. They told me everythin' should be fine an' ain't gotta worry, but.. I just wanna be sure. I ain't the only one donatin' to it, but --"

She then let out a sigh. The arm moved away so that she could look back to Peaches. ".. I can do that tomorrow." What came next was a slow rub of fingers against her head. "Yeah, I talked to 'em.. A lil' bit, not really in depth.. I'ma have to have a sit down with them too."

"The shelter will be fine, yea'? They're not going anywhere." Still attempting her play on soothing Terry while not pressuring, either. Her hand fell flat a long her companions stomach, smoothing back and forth with the pulp of her palm.

"What did they say when you told them? Did they understand?" Ever curious to the reactions of those that were also closely knit to the nymph and the youthful brawler.

"Mel was, well.. Mel." She didn't sound too heartbroken at the end of the comment; so perhaps it wasn't too bad. "Clarice understood, I think.. She probably realized it was for the best." Terry grabbed at a pillow and drew it close. Her body rolling to now rest at her front while chin met the softness of her pillow. A look Peaches way soon followed. "I'm sorry.. I got you a job on the team.. now all this happened.."

"Mel was Mel.", she mirrored the statement with a twist of her mouth, smiling around the words. It was an understanding of the phrase. Melanie had a peculiar personality which few knew how to handle, both of them learning the ropes quick with her.

Terry's admission of an apology had her shaking her head. A bout of tumbling blonde slithering like gold serpents to her shoulders. "Don't be, yea'? I can find another job. I mean, I could always go back to retail." Snickering. The very thought drove her into a fit of annoyance but it was quickly smothered away.

"Or -- I mean -- I could go back to bar tending, yea'? Just need to keep myself away from the populated clubs that like to tempt me into trouble." A passing mention within the layers of her tongue at her own substance abuse from a yesteryear past.

Half of her face buried away within that pillow. A glimpse of nose and everything above still out in the open. Eyes, once locked on Peaches, turned away when she heard of the woman's choices of employment. Had she not saved her from the woes of retail? And bar tending -- it might not be the best idea; at least that is what Terry believed.

".. You should be in charge of my money." Finally came from pillow hidden lips.

".. I'll need someone -- someone who I can trust." Terry pressed hands to bed and forced herself to sit up on her knees. A serious look sent Peaches way. "I want you to be happy where to work.. I know, I ain't your life partner or nothin'.. but, I wanna provide for you, somethin' good -- you know?"

She spoke from her heart; even if when she thinks back on it later she might believe it was corny. "I can sell some stuff.. It'll work out, jus' a few months.. Then things will be back to normal."

Why was she saying such things? She realized just then -- she had made a goal; she had not let this recent hit completely overtake her. All it took was the threat of Peaches needing to find work; that's all it took to get the gears turning.

It was a few blinks that took place before she engaged in re-situating herself a top the bed. Folding legs, a lotus poise of sitting. Terry had coaxed her into this state by the wording alone.

"Wow -- I mean -- are you sure, yea'? I'm not an accountant or anything." Making sure Terry understand what she was asking. The blind leading the blind.

Her mouth twitched. "You don't need to sell anything, yea'?" And then she was holding her finger up to put a pause to their conversation, rolling off the bed to tick-tock a prowl through the hall and into her room.

It only took a minute, maybe even less, before she was refolding the origami softness of her legs and placing a shoe box in front of Terry. When she opened it, it was flush with money, tied up in a bondage of rubber bands.

"Here, yea'?" Nudging it towards Terry. "Now, hand it back to me." The fae-blooded thing was up to something sly.

".. It can't be that hard, I mean.. Okay, it might be a lil', but.. It's somethin' we can learn together." Terry's mouth moved faster than her brain could think at times; but she truly felt it wouldn't be much of a problem.

Her lips parted again to speak, though she paused as Peaches left the bed behind and moved down the hall. Terry's brow perked up in question as she watched her go. The pillow she had once rested against now keeping place within her lap; both arms wrapped about to keep it hugged against her. Lips purse when the blonde returned. Terry attempted to think up what could possibly be on her mind.

The half and half was left silent when the box was opened. She could see the money; the many bills. It caused her to hug the pillow a little more as her shoulders perked and head sunk. She felt bad. Terry came from a life of poverty. She had to scrape, crawl, wheel and deal to get where she was today. But, she couldn't say no.

She peeked back up at Peaches and gave her a tiny look. Pillow pulled away and set off to the side. Then, after a brief moment of pause, did she press fingers to shoe box lift it up. "Here." Passing the shoe box back. Terry did look a little confused.

Fingers gently wrapped around the box and took it with executed care. "This was mine, but I gave it to you, yea'?" Tapping a top of the shoe box with a single finger.

"And now you're letting me watch over it for you, yea'?" A creeping smile was testing the plush riverbed of her mouth as she tried to catch Terry's eyes, tilting her head in a slightly avian fashion.

"So, now you don't have to worry. I won't steal it from you. And now you can rest a bit easier knowing you have something to fall back on, yea'? Tomorrow we'll sit and write up everything you need to pay for, versus the things you just simply want. I'll give you an allowance of this money. Of your money." A pen was untucked from the waistline of the boyshorts to scribble in a neat, flowing pattern, Terry, on the top of the box.

"There. It's official now. Your name is on it."

Terry relaxed in her posture as she watched and listened. No longer on her knees; instead she settled against her backside while legs crossed Indian style before her. A slouch of a lean, something her doctor would tap her on the forehead for thanks to the lack of proper posture.

As the seconds passed and the meaning behind Peaches words and gestures were passed; Terry could find herself tearing up once more. The smallest of grunts passed from her throat before she blinked her eyes and sniffed back. A run of a knuckle against her closed right eye soon followed.

".. You're," She paused, a chuckle; one that felt of relief came. "Gonna make me cry.." Another sniff then. ".. I dunno what I did to deserve you, but I'm goin' to church Sunday and givin' thanks. You're really like an Angel." A soft `Ahem` left her lips then. She wiped here and there at her eyes before finally reaching out with that same hand.

"I look forward to workin' with you, Ms. Peaches.." A handshake to seal the deal is what she sought.

( Taken from live play. A big thanks to King's mun for allowing me to post it! )