The Sinister Screen Queen

The hooded man had his hands shoved in his pocket and walked with a swagger that screamed dumbass.

"What do we have here?" He said, his eyes darting between the two girls.

"Weirdo! Go away!" Emilia barked, moving slightly in front of Tanya.

Tanya raised an eyebrow at her deskmate's sudden bravado but said nothing, keeping her gaze fixed on the man.

The guy chuckled, clearly unbothered. "Hey, calm down, lioness. I'm just saying hi. No need to bite."

He then shifted his attention to Tanya, ignoring Emilia entirely. "You seem pretty cool. Wanna hang out?"

Tanya tilted her head, her tone flat. "I've got good enough company already."

"Tanya don't talk to him. He's shady." Emilia edged closer to Tanya.

The man laughed and leaned in slightly. "Fair enough. But maybe you're the kind of girl who's into opportunities."

He pulled something small and shiny from his pocket, letting it glint briefly in the light before hiding it again.

"Maybe you'd be interested in this? Could help you, y'know... reach some dreams."

Tanya's eyes narrowed. "Are you trying to sell me drugs?"

"Whoa, whoa, it's not like that." He said with mock innocence, holding up his hands. "I'm just offering... a little help to take the edge off."

"So, how about it?"

Emilia growled, grabbing Tanya's arm and pulling her close. "She said no, weirdo! We're not interested! Leave before I call someone!"

The guy laughed, clearly amused by Emilia's fiery reaction. "Feisty, huh? Alright, chill out. Name's Razor. Use it to find me if you change your mind."

He sauntered off, throwing a lazy wave over his shoulder.

Tanya stood still, watching him leave with a complicated expression.

Tanya was extremely disappointed, she had thought he'd at least be a hitman or mugger at least, not a lame dealer.

Your standards for street thugs are a little high, don't you think? Casey questioned her host's weirdness.

Tanya didn't answer, her eyes following Razor until he disappeared into the crowd.

"Let's go." Emilia said firmly, tugging on Tanya's sleeve. "This place is bad news."

As they walked away, Tanya's gaze lingered on the streets around her. She remembered how the early 2000s often had news stories about rising drug problems.

Suddenly, Casey spoke again. Mission time!

A glowing screen appeared in Tanya's vision.

Take out the Trash

Objective 1: Locate Razor's base of operations

Reward: 500 EP

Objective 2: Shut it down for good

Reward: 5000 EP

Kick names Take ass/Turn a blind eye

Tanya frowned. "Why are you giving me this?"

Consider it an exercise in… community service.

You don't have to take it if you're scared Casey challenged her.

"Scared? I am fearless." She had burnt down the base and killed the CEO of a billion dollar company.

Tanya stared at the screen for a moment before shrugging. "Fine. I'll take it."

She turned to Emilia. "You should go home."

"What? No way!" Emilia protested.

"I mean it." Tanya said, her tone firmer this time. "Go home."

Emilia hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But you better be careful."

Emilia smiled and pulled Tanya into a quick hug. "Take care, okay?"

"I will be okay." Tanya reassures.

Emilia waved down a cab, climbed in, and disappeared around the corner.

Tanya turned on her heel and jogged after Razor, keeping her distance.

She watched as he made quick, discreet exchanges with a few people, slipping them small packets in exchange for cash.

Tanya stayed hidden, moving carefully through the shadows.

Eventually, Razor entered a rundown house near a noisy street party.

The windows glowed with dim, colored lights, and the muffled sound of music and laughter spilled out.

A few shady looking people loitered on the front lawn drinking, smoking and eating.

Objective 1 complete! Your rewards will be issued after all mission objectives are complete or if you quit

Tanya studied the scene, memorizing the house's location.

"Not going in without a plan." She muttered.

She knew the police wouldn't act without solid evidence, and barging in herself wasn't an option. For now, she'd retreat.

As Tanya walked away from the dingy house where Razor had disappeared, she found Emilia leaning against a lamppost at the end of the block.

Tanya froze, her brows furrowing slightly. "I thought you left."

Emilia shrugged, her eyes darting between Tanya and the house. "You told me to. I just… didn't."

Tanya's lips quirked into a faint smirk. "You're a nuisance. How'd you even keep track of me?"

Emilia puffed out her chest. "I'm better at this than you think."

Tanya tilted her head, genuinely impressed. "So, you were tailing me without me noticing?"

Of course, I noticed her by the way. Casey asserts her superiority. Tanya frowns at how her system left her in the dark.

"I wouldn't call it tailing." Emilia said defensively, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I… didn't want to leave you alone."

"Didn't you get in a cab?" Tanya asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

Emilia grinned sheepishly. "I may have pretended to leave and jumped out once you weren't looking."

Tanya was surprised by the revelation. "You're pretty good at acting."

Emilia folded her arms again. "You were following that guy, weren't you?"

Tanya raised an eyebrow but didn't answer immediately. She found herself studying Emilia, intrigued by how the shy girl from earlier now seemed confident and self-assured.

"I was curious." Tanya replied nonchalantly.

Emilia gave her a worried look. "That's not a good reason..."

Tanya grimaces and sees she might need a better reason.

"I wanted to see if he would try and bait any other girls into accepting his offer."

Emilia frowns skeptically. "Why would you do that, you're not exactly heroic."

"How would you know that?"

"You sit next to me in class. I… pay attention."

For a moment, Tanya didn't respond, her gaze lingering on Emilia.

"Listen, I am not planning anything stupid." Tanya changes her angle. "I need you to trust me."

"Trust you?"

"Yes. I'm not some reckless idiot running into trouble for fun. I know what I'm doing."

Emilia tilted her head, studying Tanya for a moment. "You don't exactly give off the 'trustworthy' vibe, you know. You're more of the... mysterious, keeps-to-herself type."

Tanya smirked at that. "Mysterious? I'll take it as a compliment."

"It wasn't." Emilia said quickly, her lips twitching into the smallest smile despite herself.

Emilia sighed but nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But only if you promise me."

"Promise you what?" Tanya seemed curious.

Emilia hesitated, fidgeting with her bag.

Finally, she stepped closer and hugged Tanya briefly. "Promise me you won't... deal with people like him?"

Tanya blinked, surprised by the sudden gesture. "What?"

"Promise me, Okay?" Emilia looked up at her, her uniquely colored eyes full of concern.

Tanya stared at her, momentarily stunned. Finally, she nodded.

"I promise."

Emilia sighed with relief, they called a cab for each other and parted ways.

As Emilia's pulled away, Tanya watched her go.

"She's kind."

A small, rare smile played on her lips before she headed home.