Cigarette Butts - Miami Refuge

"Fourteen months... that must be some kind of record for you" Teddy said with a light nudge of her elbow as she smiled at her friend. The girl pausing for a moment before speaking again.
"I'll help you with anything you need for the project you know? But I give no guarantees I won't at some point step on some Nazi toes if they decide to get rowdy"

"Yeah, I beat the old record by 8 months," she smirked. It was an accomplishment, in a way. "If you want to step on some Nazi toes, feel free. I'll be right there with you. There's a whole mess of things we could fuck up for them with a little nicely placed dominate," she wiggled her eyebrows.

"Mm, that one's not in my bag of tricks. Though I've gotten pretty good with this Presence thing you've taught me" she smiled. "Maybe that could help if we got backed into a corner?" it was if nothing else a good "oh my god!" panic button.

"Yep, Presence is always a go to for me. I'm learning Dominate, Obfuscate will help, too."

Teddy nodded.
"That's really good. That'll help" she smiled, taking another drag of her cigarette. "That whole hiding and changing appearance thing is a good skill to have up your sleeve"

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edit: fixed spelling

"Good for you, too, because I can hide you if necessary," she said, giving Teddy a thumb's up.

At which the blond chuckled softly.
"That's good" she said. "Because I can hide with Chimestry but... it's different from Obfucate. And I can't force anyone to do anything, even with Presence. So... you'll have to be the tough one I guess"

"I'm not master of Dominate, yet. I don't know if I will be. But, we'll see. Though I can be tough verbally. But if anything even looks like it could come down to a fight? Just... we run. I got my ass handed to me by 13... Proof enough to me that I should just keep my fists to myself." Asshole.

"13?" okay, so she arched an eyebrow. "Why did you get in a fight with him...?"
No, seriously! Why did she get in a fight with 13!?

"We exchanged some unpleasant words a number of months ago. He was being his vulgar self and we wound up spitting profanities and worse at one another," good job, Cass... Really, her temper would get her killed some day.

"Anyway, he came across me at the beach a few weeks back. He wanted something to hit and I wanted something to hit. He was a kid, you know? I mean, not a nice kid... And a vampire... So, we found a place and went at it. Well, correction, he went at it. Because he's so not a kid. The only reason he stopped was because I'm Camarilla and we were followed by that Lasombra."

She didn't even want to count the number of bones he'd broken.

She blinked.
Paused.
Blinked again.

And then gave Cass a light rap over the back of her head with the flat of her hand. It wasn't particularly hard. Just enough to add to the WTF expression she was currently wearing.

"What on Earth possessed you to do that...? Cassie?" please explain it because the blond couldn't wrap her head around it for one second no matter how hard he tried.

Cass frowned and rubbed the back of of her head. It didn't hurt, but it was the principle of the thing.

"Hey, I've been trying to find better outlets! I have..." But, Alex... wasn't really helping in that regard... "Why do you think I'm looking for other things to focus on?"

"Yeah but... but...." just a lot of but! "Picking a fight with a Nosferatu? Honestly..?" she'd only seem him as his kid self, but, she knew there was something far scarier behind that mask of his.
"Let me help you..? Something, anything? Just for God's sake don't go picking fights with someone who could kill you....Please...?"

"I'm a deputy now, you don't think I won't come across something that could kill me? Look, I'll take any help I can get. I'm working on Fortitude and have almost finished. But I don't fight very well. If you could help, that's great. If you can't, I'll make it work. I can't make promises like that, Teddy. I just can't. In another domain, in a different time? Yeah, I could. But not here. And not now."

She was silent for a few moments before speaking.
"I can't help you with Dominate, or Obfuscate, or Fortitude..." the last was something she was suppose to have learned herself months ago, but never did. "But I can teach you fight... if you want..." the Caitiff could fight? Err?

"I can teach you all of those, if you wish. Obfuscate now... Fortitude in a few weeks," she said, studying her friend carefully as she pushed a few strands of her hair behind her ears. "When did you learn to fight?" She raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Before you knew me" she smiled gently. "Knives..." the blond said quietly. "I can make you a pair if you want" eh, she could make knives?

She blinked and then smiled. "I'd be most grateful for that," she nodded. She stood and walked to her bag and pulled out a blade she already had, the one Charlie had given her.

"I can't use it very well, but, I have it, just in case," Cass' voice lowered as she handed it over to Teddy, handle first.

Taking the blade, Teddy turned it over once or twice, checking the weight, the balance, the craftsmanship.
"It's beautiful" she smiled. "A bit flashy perhaps" the blond added with a soft chuckle before biting her lip. "Could make you a couple of knives fitted for your hand, or something bigger if you prefer. But, smaller is easier to conceal"

"I want to be able to handle them," she nodded. "Anything too big might be too unwieldy, maybe? I'm not sure how these things work."

But she grinned just the same.

"Flashy.... Yeah, yeah it is a bit flashy, isn't it?" Just like Charlie.

"We can do some training and I'll figure out what kind of blade would suit you best. Sound okay" she asked as she turned the knife over in her hand and offered it back to Cass, handle first.

"Yeah, sure thing," she said as she took the blade back and picked up the holster for it to put around her thigh. "Just... take it easy the first couple of time, huh?"

"Hey... I don't like hurting people" which made it kind of odd that she was any kind of good at fighting. Not to mention adept at making weapons. But, she appeared to be capable of both, so...

"But you want to defend yourself," she nodded with a smile. "It makes perfect sense to me."

It was Cassiel. She deserved the truth.
"I didn't learn it to defend myself" Teddy smiled gently, leaning forward slightly, feet on the floor so she could lean and rest her arms on her knees while exhaling the smoke from the cigarette. "In all honesty I'm not likely to fight back if attacked unless fearing for my life. I'm good at running though" really good.