#and she will FIERCELY protect anyone she feels the slightest bit matronly towards

[riftdancing]

I'm back!

Question four! Blink Vaniro. Seemingly reformed raises a question. Does she miss any particular thing from her old life that she can't/shouldn't do now? Is there a scenario where she would go back, to whatever it was she was doing?

Disclaimer: I love writing flawed characters, but Blink one of my most flawed. I want to first and foremost remind those reading, Blink is a fictional character. Just because she thinks or feels one way should never be a reflection of my own thoughts, opinions, or feelings as her writer. Thank you.

I'll be blunt. Blink misses a LOT of things revolving around crime. Crime is easy. Its a simple solution to many situations if your moral compass is flexible enough and given the way she was raised (the daughter of a Sky Pirate Captain) hers certainly is.

Vaniro grew up with crime. In a lot of ways it was even habitual to her. In some minor situations the impulse is still there, despite her keeping it on a tight leash these days, and Rex keeping her on a tighter one. Originally Blink was a simple independent contractor for Firelight Trading Company. Whatever job she was given was accomplished with the rule being she would stay on the right side of the law, and the pay was damn good.

Later on, after a good amount of contracts with FTC, Blink signed on as full time employee. But, kind of like a tiger in a zoo, Blink requires enrichment if she's going to be staying on the right side of the law. Originally, she wasn't getting that enrichment. So, boredom began to set in, and when Blink gets bored she yearns for the mischief of crime.  It's like an itch she cannot scratch.  She wants to antagonize.  She wants to pick fights.  She wants to cause problems on purpose.

So when Rex challenged her one day (and disrespected her shortly thereafter), Blink with no tolerance for being disrespected, gave him one chance to turn it around before having the balls to walk out on his employment.  Which, by FTC standards, is pretty unheard of.  It's rare that someone tells Rex no, let alone quits.  To which it only further sparked his interest in her.  It made him want her.

Long story short, the two spent a few weeks playing cat and mouse, Rex with the intentions of dragging her back into his employ, and Blink flat out simply enjoying the chase whilst drawing up what intel she could on him.  (This is how these two flirt, though neither of them will admit it.)  This ended in a big brawl (more flirting) where the pair wound up absolutely destroying a bar in Kugane.  Rex bested Blink, something she's not used to, and in a lot of ways it made her realize there's a lot she could learn from him.

I won't go into the nitty gritty, but despite some of the themes I'm about to touch on I will say consent is paramount between Rexonus and Blink. No matter what act Vaniro might put on, especially being the tsundere she is, nothing she does for anyone is ever against her will. Which is funny because she thrives when she is working under a superior. I think I wrote it best during some roleplay between Rex and Blink where he called her a hound. ...Because truthfully, he's not wrong.

He was right. Vaniro was a hound. She was always another's dog. Her Father’s first, then Das’, even the Empire’s. When the leash was taken off, it was like she didn’t know what to do with herself. Sure, she had her own personal goals. Goals she’d achieved. But the last five odd years had been spent in a stalemate with herself. It was a crude way of putting it, but she couldn't argue the truth.

Listen. Blink is a boss woman in her own right. She doesn't take shit from anyone unless she wants to. It takes a very powerful, patient, and caring person to wind up filling the shoes of her superior. But that's when she's at her best. When there is someone there driving her to be better. Someone aiding in giving her purpose.

Rex stepped into those shoes. He's done a lot for her beyond that too. Thanks to Rex, Blink has been going to see Shiro frequently for therapy sessions. Sessions which have helped her grow more comfortable with the idea of letting people in rather than constantly pushing them away. Since becoming romantically involved with Rex and emotionally involved with the FTC staff, she's become a lot more healthy mentally. But this means she's developed attachments, and this woman would do anything for those attachments.

Like forsake a life of crime for their safety. Not that she'd ever admit it to any of them though.

:)