Rafferty was not in a very good mood.
Max had sat her down, and explained that he was going to give J Hall a little time off. He said he thought they needed a "break" and urged her to enjoy it.
Gee, Rafferty, you're hurt. Again. Maybe you should take some time and heal your poor little self.
Gee, Rafferty, you seem be having some trouble following the rules lately. Maybe you should take some time to reflect on whether or not you can be a good girl.
Gee, Rafferty, strictly speaking, you seem to be losing a lot of fights lately, particularly if this Alex with Malice guy is involved. Maybe you should take some time to, you know, actually get good at your job.
Those were the things that Max didn't say, but Rafferty figured one of them was the real reason J Hall was getting some time off. Or maybe a combination of all three.
The whispers about Alex weren't helping, either. Alex had some sort of device that could steal the Blue, and use it against them. How did he get something like that, and why did he have it with him on his way to a darts tournament? Was Alex just always prepared to fight a Hunter, or was he expecting to fight a Hunter?
And if it was the latter, what did that mean?
Rafferty's mood did not improve when F Hall strode through the Abbey doors, fresh off a big knock, high fives all around. It was a Class 3 Tingler, the kind with all the weird electric spines. Rafferty had never actually gotten to fight one of those before. She also noticed, with a certain jealousy that she didn't like but couldn't ignore, that not a single girl had a scratch on her. Not even Cleo, and she was clumsy as anything.
So it was that Rafferty was sitting in the dining hall, pushing pieces of potato around her plate.
Rafferty looked up as Sheridan sat down across from her. Sheridan nodded. Rafferty nodded back. That pretty much passed for hello in Sheridan.
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"I want to say something, but I don't want you to take it the wrong way," Sheridan said after a moment.
Nothing good has ever started that way. Guess I'm getting a lecture. Fantastic.
"Go ahead," she said.
"Do you know why I think J Hall works?" Sheridan asked, even though it clearly wasn't a question.
Because you're there?
"It's because we're so well balanced. I don't just mean that we have two ranged attackers, and two close up brawlers, or that we're all really good at our jobs, as opposed to just having one superstar. What I really mean is that we're all different. Do you know what I mean?"
"Maybe," said Rafferty.
"I make sure that we're always prepared. Blaspheme is there to call us on our bullshit. She makes sure we're doing the right thing for the right reasons, and that we aren't kidding ourselves. Cody's the nice one, so she makes sure we don't forget about people, and we never hurt anyone who doesn't need hurting. And Rafferty is the one who doesn't give up. Once we decide what's right, we don't chicken out, even if it's dangerous, or back down, even if it's hard, because you won't let us," Sheridan said.
"Don't you mean Rafferty's the one who rushes into things without thinking and almost gets everybody killed?" Rafferty asked.
"No, I meant exactly what I said," Sheridan said.
You'd think I would have learned not to interrupt her by now.
"If we weren't so balanced, it wouldn't work," Sheridan continued. "Too many Codys and we'd never fight anybody. Too many Blasphemes and we'd never practice or plan, and when we did fight something, we wouldn't be ready. That's why I worry about you and B Hall, and Katrin specifically. It's not because Jason got hurt, or Seth is rude, and I don't care whether or not Katrin actually likes you, or what her reasons might be, or if you like her more than you like me. I think you're too similar, and I'm worried it will throw you out of balance. When you're together I think you'll pick every fight, take every dare, and cross every line. I think you'll like that feeling, and I think if you indulge it, really indulge it, you might end up dead. And that's all I wanted to say, because I love you."
The two girls sat for without saying anything for a moment. Rafferty let it sink in, the last words as much as anything.
"So what happens if you have too many Sheridans? The Hall's just perfect?" she asked, teasing.
"Please. We'd never get anything done because we'd spend too much time planning and the plan would never be perfect. Why do you think I've never joined D Hall. It's not like it's never been mentioned," Sheridan said.
Rafferty was a little impressed with Sheridan's self assessment, but couldn't resist poking just a bit more.
"Because they don't need you?" she asked, mustering as innocent an expression as she could.
Sheridan frowned.
"Be quiet. Everyone needs me."
The girls eyes met, and they both laughed.
"You'd just screw up their pyramid thing, anyway," Rafferty said, smiling.
Sheridan stopped laughing.
"You shut your damn mouth."