Capochin doesn't say anything, just snorting and shaking his head, until Patty tells him to shut up, and then he figures he might as well earn those words. "Told you so," he quips. "You oughta quit. You'll live longer."
And certainly Patty has something to live for. Capochin's not stupid, he's seen the way she looks at the new Godpoke. Not to mention that she stands an actual chance of fitting in among the God Grove residents.
She carries on again. Familiar tales. Not because Capochin has heard her story before, but because there are simply so, so many like it. The problems with Drain are buried deep in its DNA. A cycle Hector had been determined to break, one upon a time. The Bizzyboys were born of imagining what sort of people Drainfolk could be with a bit of community support, some half decent money, the promise of safety, and a bit of structure. Their purpose was to show the world just how bright they could shine with just the slightest bit of solid ground to stand on. And for so long, he'd been right. It makes Capochin's stomach turn to think just how off the rails it all went.
He remembers Patty's case file, of course. One of Inspekta's first acts as a god had been to insist that the courts of Drain offer community service through the Bizzyboys as an alternative to jail for various petty crimes. It brought in some rougher sorts, but it was nothing that the head of the Drain branch couldn't handle. A spitfire by the name of Penelope who had once been just like them.
So when Patty came on via community service, she should have been the sort that stayed in the Drain branch. At least until she rode out her sentence. Then if she stayed on, she could have been promoted topside. But no, Inspekta had other plans. Not only a promotion to the Grove branch extremely early, but a position among his carefully chosen team of five for the mission at the rift. Why?
Because she was a fuck-up. A hard-working one, but a fuck-up nonetheless, and she was placed as the new blood among four other serial fuck-ups for the express purpose of stalling. Failing in service to Inspekta. Alexei, the glutton, too busy thinking with his stomach to get any work done. Bananathaniel, odd and in his own head, always daydreaming about movies and chattering instead of getting things done. Vibiano, self-obsessed and lazy, more concerned with appearances than action. Grujaja, the one he and Hector had ruined. Their little stowaway, injured and traumatized and so, so devoted. And Patty, a klutz with something to prove. Inspekta's perfect patsies.
But no, that wasn't who they were, was it? That was a cruel image the two of them had built when they hated everyone.
Alexei, the survivor of food insecurity, good-humored and tough. Bananathaniel, the movie buff with big dreams and a sharp memory. Vibiano, talented artist, with quick hands and a quicker wit. Grujaja, their son, who they raised together through victory and hardship, sensitive, but a good man. And Patty, the epitome of what it means to be a Bizzyboy. A freedom fighter, a believer, someone who won't take bullshit lying down. Someone with a sense of justice and a desire to do good. Someone who has the ability to shine so bright, if only she has a bit of support.
Capochin sighs. "It shoulda been. That's--- what the Bizzyboys were supposed to be. We took that from ya. Ain't fair."
no subject
And certainly Patty has something to live for. Capochin's not stupid, he's seen the way she looks at the new Godpoke. Not to mention that she stands an actual chance of fitting in among the God Grove residents.
She carries on again. Familiar tales. Not because Capochin has heard her story before, but because there are simply so, so many like it. The problems with Drain are buried deep in its DNA. A cycle Hector had been determined to break, one upon a time. The Bizzyboys were born of imagining what sort of people Drainfolk could be with a bit of community support, some half decent money, the promise of safety, and a bit of structure. Their purpose was to show the world just how bright they could shine with just the slightest bit of solid ground to stand on. And for so long, he'd been right. It makes Capochin's stomach turn to think just how off the rails it all went.
He remembers Patty's case file, of course. One of Inspekta's first acts as a god had been to insist that the courts of Drain offer community service through the Bizzyboys as an alternative to jail for various petty crimes. It brought in some rougher sorts, but it was nothing that the head of the Drain branch couldn't handle. A spitfire by the name of Penelope who had once been just like them.
So when Patty came on via community service, she should have been the sort that stayed in the Drain branch. At least until she rode out her sentence. Then if she stayed on, she could have been promoted topside. But no, Inspekta had other plans. Not only a promotion to the Grove branch extremely early, but a position among his carefully chosen team of five for the mission at the rift. Why?
Because she was a fuck-up. A hard-working one, but a fuck-up nonetheless, and she was placed as the new blood among four other serial fuck-ups for the express purpose of stalling. Failing in service to Inspekta. Alexei, the glutton, too busy thinking with his stomach to get any work done. Bananathaniel, odd and in his own head, always daydreaming about movies and chattering instead of getting things done. Vibiano, self-obsessed and lazy, more concerned with appearances than action. Grujaja, the one he and Hector had ruined. Their little stowaway, injured and traumatized and so, so devoted. And Patty, a klutz with something to prove. Inspekta's perfect patsies.
But no, that wasn't who they were, was it? That was a cruel image the two of them had built when they hated everyone.
Alexei, the survivor of food insecurity, good-humored and tough. Bananathaniel, the movie buff with big dreams and a sharp memory. Vibiano, talented artist, with quick hands and a quicker wit. Grujaja, their son, who they raised together through victory and hardship, sensitive, but a good man. And Patty, the epitome of what it means to be a Bizzyboy. A freedom fighter, a believer, someone who won't take bullshit lying down. Someone with a sense of justice and a desire to do good. Someone who has the ability to shine so bright, if only she has a bit of support.
Capochin sighs. "It shoulda been. That's--- what the Bizzyboys were supposed to be. We took that from ya. Ain't fair."