Flipping through the channels, Ashe wasn't sure what she was looking for. There just wasn't anything on during school hours. It said a lot that she actually missed school, even if she wasn't able to do much of anything besides cuddle with Jasper. Her hand was still wrapped, which made doing anything online a chore, even if her raid team would help her. She appreciated the help with her weeklies, if nothing else. She was still loopy from the painkillers, which wouldn't be fair to them to try and carry her through anything more intensive.

She paused on one of the history channels, the familiar skyline of Jericho catching her eye. She set the remote aside and settled in, waiting to see if it was worth watching.

"The Storm Guard civil war was one of the bloodiest gang wars in the United States, primarily centered on Jericho, Florida, with the fallout being felt from Miami all the way to Jacksonville."

Footage of the conflict played out, riots, shootouts, and so on. Ashe had seen much of the footage before, the subject was fairly often played on the local news, especially around important anniversaries. Even with how close to home the subject matter was, it still made for dry viewing, but it was that or daytime soap operas if she wanted to mindlessly watch TV while half high on painkillers.

"Thousands of deaths were attributed to this conflict, spanning nearly a decade, assumed to begin after the assassination of Meister. His civilian identity was never uncovered, but the war of succession was believed to have been fought between his two closest lieutenants. Silver Cross and Golden Ark each led factions of the Storm Guard that nearly saw the city tear itself apart.

"The conflict ended abruptly, the death of Golden Ark assumed to be what drew it to a close. The Storm Guard then endured until the mid two thousands, its influence peaking in the nineties before fading away to where it is today, a minor blip of an era long since past. Still, some of their traditions endured. Criminals still seek to earn their names and reputation, cementing their place in the city's history. Many will recall the story of Headhunter, mailing a severed head to a rival as a message.

"Such larger than life figures still dominate the gang scene, despite the changing tides. Jericho now has two factions officially recognized, the Viuda and the Reapers, led by a man named Alejandro 'Ripsaw' Ramirez."

Now that was a name Ashe had actually heard, one she knew not to cross thanks to all the reports her parents mentioned that involved his particular brand of brutality. There was a reason she was told to avoid the neighborhoods to the north that he controlled.

It was moments like these that really reinforced how much of a shit show her home truly was. That Jericho's most stable period was when literal Nazis had total control of the city. They still held firm, despite what the story said, she knew they just rebranded. The Patriot movement gave birth to the Iron Patriots, a militia group that gained enough of a following to qualify for religious exemptions under Florida law. Same filth, different presentation.

As much as all of it affected her, it wasn't really her problem. She would be moving out of the state soon, attending college either up north or out west. Then she could leave all of Jericho's fucked up problems behind her, maybe even get out of the country before shit truly hit the fan.

It was certainly a nice thought as she laid there, drifting off. Looking at the TV, now delving into the meat of the gang war, she decided that if she was just going to sleep, that she may as well put on one of those boring as hell soaps and take a nap instead of listening to the depressing reality of the city she still called home.

----------------------------------------

A yawn forced its way from her mouth as Ashe walked along the sidewalk. She was carrying, though she wasn't sure if she could use her right hand to shoot. Her drills were progressing, but she was shaky as hell trying to support the weight of the weapon. A Glock wasn't even that heavy, but it was still a bit much for her healing arm.

Still, she had Jasper with her. He was getting a bit stir crazy and needed the exercise, and Ashe couldn't help but agree with the ball of fluff and energy. Whoever decided to retire the dog after his seizure, she owed them an eternal debt of gratitude. He was walking along with a wagging tail, but not once pulling on his harness. He knew the route, and it would include a stop at the corner coffee shop she had met Crystal at a few days prior.

She still wasn't sure how she felt about the woman, but the date had gone well and they had continued talking since, which was a good sign in her book. Not that she had any experiences with the signs or anything, Ashe had never had a real friend before, let alone date someone. Not that they were dating, fun as that sounded.

Worse, Crystal didn't know she was trans, and before anything even remotely entered the realm of possibility, she was going to have to come out to the woman. The clear boundaries that had been set were like a balm when taking that into account. Crystal didn't strike her as the type to end a friendship over that, but at the same time, Ashe knew putting it off was a risk all its own.

Sighing, she paused, letting Jasper sniff a lamp post before marking it, as all dogs tend to do. Once the fluffball was satisfied, they continued on their walk, arriving at the coffee shop moments later. The same waitress from the other day was working, and lit up in a wide grin at the sight of her.

"Welcome back! Are you… Oh. My. Goodness!"

Jasper woofed as she excitedly ran over to him, then hesitated as she started to extend her hand.

"Let him sniff first," Ashe said with a smile.

The waitress grinned, offering her hand out for Jasper to inspect. The German Shepherd did just that, sniffing all over her hand before he started to lick at her fingers. She giggled, and began to scratch at his ears, which got his back leg thumping in approval.

"When you go back to wash your hands, I'll take a vanilla cone for this guy," Ashe added. "I'll be good with a classic chicken wrap combo."

"Which I'm sure this good boy wouldn't dare guilt you for a bite or three," the waitress said, now scratching at his chin.

"He would never!" Ashe lied her ass off.

The waitress seemed to realize that too as she left to put their order in and Ashe took a seat at a table and simply enjoyed the warmth of the breeze. She'd seen on the news that morning that Minnesota was buried under three feet of snow, and despite the hospitality of the state, she was starting to consider California more heavily.

She really didn't like the cold.

Jasper was sitting patiently at her side, taking in all the sights with a dopey grin. Despite being trained as a police dog, he was fairly mellow following his exposure and seizure. Poor boy deserved all the treats and ice cream that he could get.

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"I thought something stank," a painfully familiar voice said from behind her.

Ashe turned, her chest suddenly thundering. Jessica stood there, sneering at her like usual. Her blonde hair was done up in a neat ponytail where it wasn't braided, and her blue eyes were piercing. If she wasn't such an unrepentant bigot, Ashe might have actually found her attractive.

Worse, her boyfriend Gray was standing there with his arm around her waist. Looking at him, Ashe couldn't help the comparison. He could easily have been her brother, hell, given how little she knew of her father, maybe he even was. Each time she looked at him, with his sandy brown hair looking all windswept and stubble dusting his face, it was a sharp reminder of what she might have looked like if she had to wait until she turned eighteen to start HRT.

She would have killed herself if that was the only option.

Jasper, sensing the hostilities, snarled at the two people intruding upon her day. He might just be getting a second cone before they left, because he was the best boy. She lowered her healing hand to his neck, gently scratching in a calming gesture.

"Now Jess," Gray said, his deep voice almost vibrating as he spoke. "There's no need to insult the mentally ill, he probably doesn't know what a shower is."

Jessica snapped. "Too true! He can't even tell the difference between dick and pussy after all."

Ashe's right fist tightened, and a stab of pain reminded her that she was still healing. She relaxed her hand and brought it up, pointing first to Jessica, then to Gray.

"Dick. Pussy."

Jessica clutched both hands over her chest and gave her best 'bless your heart' look while Gray shook his head.

"See," he said. "Not a bit of common sense in his head."

"Oh I have plenty of that," Ashe countered. "The question is, do you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jessica demanded.

"We're not at school," Ashe said, shifting in her seat so she had a better angle on the interlopers. "You can be a dick all you want while hiding behind your pussy of a boyfriend, but there's one thing you're forgetting."

"Enlighten us," Gray said, crossing his arms.

"Stand your ground laws are in effect, and I'm a regular here," Ashe said, her hand slipping into her jacket. "I think we all know how that would shake out, especially after I was attacked last week."

"Is that a threat?" Gray snarled.

Ashe smirked. "Only if you can prove you aren't a pussy."

A snort ruined the moment, the waitress was back, standing stoically with a tray in hand. Her long hair fluttered in the breeze as she glared at the two offenders. She continued her approach, setting the tray with Ashe's order down before turning to glare at the two bullies before her, arms crossed and fury writ upon her face.

"Ashe is right," the waitress said. "She's a regular here and I've never seen either of you before. If you're going to pester a paying customer, you can fuck right off."

Ashe immediately felt bad, because she still hadn't learned the girl's name.

"How dare you," Gray snarled, puffing himself up. "Do you have any idea who I am? I demand to speak—"

"I am not above calling the cops on a Karen," the waitress cut in. "I said fuck off and I meant it."

His fists tightened, but his eyes flicked back at Ashe. She still had a hand in her jacket and just grinned at him, shifting it just enough so that he could see the holster within. With a thunderous expression, he turned and stormed off.

Jessica looked at his retreating form, then back at Ashe, a conflicted expression on her face before she took off after him.

"See," Ashe called back after him. "Pussy. You could do better, Jess, I believe in you!"

He paused just long enough to allow Jessica to catch up, and some words were exchanged between them that had Jessica wincing. Ashe might have felt worse about that if she hadn't been an unrepentant dick towards her, but she was, so Ashe watched the whole exchange with a smile as they both disappeared around a distant corner.

Only once the pair were out of sight did Ashe relax. Looking up, Ashe noted that the waitress was also watching them depart. She let out a heavy sigh and took the opposite seat from Ashe, and Jasper walked over to the girl, sitting down beside her and offering comfort. He wasn't a therapy dog, but he had picked up on when people were feeling down.

"Well, there goes my job," the waitress said with a long suffering sigh. "Was nice while it lasted."

Ashe huffed. "Please. If they fire you for sticking up for me, I, my moms, and Jasper will boycott this place, and loudly."

"Thanks," the girl said softly. "At least I wasn't wearing a name tag, but it won't be hard to figure out if the bastard wants to make a big deal out of it."

"Well, he is the mayor's little bastard," Ashe muttered.

The waitress' eyes widened, then she began to curse in what Ashe was fairly certain was Gaelic of all things. As amusing as it was to hear, Jasper cut her off by putting a paw on her lap, looking from the waitress then up to the tray where his cone was melting. That seemed to snap her out of it, and she looked at Ashe for permission.

"Feel free," Ashe said. "He probably deserves a second one after standing up for me regardless."

Half the ice cream vanished on the first lick, and the waitress giggled. Ashe started on her wrap, setting the bits that fell loose aside as the Jasper tax that came with any meal she ate around the dog, even if her parents frowned on giving the pup table scraps. The waitress squealed when he devoured the cone, and Ashe almost panicked, but the resulting giggles set her mind at ease.

"He's so sweet," she said as he lapped up the vanilla drippings from her palms. "Yes you are, you adorable giant."

Jasper woofed and nudged her hand, putting it back behind his ear, which meant his fur was going to be all sticky and the furball would need a bath when they got home. Sighing, Ashe finished her food, then set the plate down for the rascal to clean up, which took all of two seconds.

"Sandra," the waitress said as Ashe set the plate back on the table. "My name. I realized I never wear my nametag, then realized I've never once told you. So, there you go."

"Thanks Sandra," Ashe said with a genuine smile. "Let me know if they give you any problems. You shouldn't have to suffer just because I have a shitty time at school and those assholes keep coming after me."

"Don't sweat it," Sandra said, heading back to the serving counter. "I've dealt with assholes before."

Ashe sighed, but nodded. She didn't think it would end there, but she wasn't going to force the issue. With that, Ashe paid for her meal and left a decent tip for Sandra, who was returning with a second cone. Jasper perked up at the sight and Ashe realized that the pup now had a new favorite person.

"Come on you spoiled mutt," Ashe muttered. "Collect your tribute so we can get home."

An excited bark was his answer.