Done for the prompt V/Troy - implacable, and this short bit back in SR1 came about! It's soon after finishing up the first mission for Johnny, and V's got some excess energy to burn.
"Troy. Hey, Troy!" She hadn't even finished running down the hallway when she started calling for him, and when she reached the office she had to lean on the doorway to hold herself up. "Yo, uh, I need your help on something."
He had a curious expression on his face, but waved her over. "Sure. What are you looking into?"
"Local prostitution rings. Shit with the VKs." She pushed herself up and jogged over to his side, whipping out a small notepad and pen. "We've got that on record, right? I don't know if we've got routes down, but if they've grabbing women off of the street we've got to-"
"Whoa, hey! Slow down for a second," Troy told her, holding up a hand. "Relax. I know what you're thinking, but you can't rush into any of this."
"But what the fuck are we doing by waiting around? They're still kidnapping people! I'm not going to sit on my hands while they try to shove more women into their fucking cars and backrooms for King! How the hell can Julius even tolerate that shit in his city?"
Troy's frown deepened as he thought her words over. "I'm not saying he does, kid, but if you want those girls safe you can't just start running around gunning for anybody that looks at you wrong. Johnny had you on that, right? With Aisha's sister? You all got fucking lucky on that one since you were able to get her back safe and sound, but you can't rush in every time."
"But they'll only-"
"V." She shut her mouth, her grip on the pen tight enough to hurt, and Troy sighed. "Look, you need a plan. These guys are just going to take their operations underground if we push too hard and too fast. I don't like any of this shit either, trust me on that, but you've got to be careful. We're working on it, I know it's not showing much right now, but the minute there's news we'll be there."
The thin line she'd pressed her lips into started to hurt, but she took a look at him, one long look, and felt her frustration begin to deflate. "...You're sure?"
"Yeah. I promise. We're not abandoning any of them."
Her attention swung to the ground and stayed there once she began pacing. "I know. It's just having that info and knowing what's happening, what's been happening for a while now. I should've asked about it. Done something before having Johnny throw it at me."
"You did enough, V."
"Sure. Maybe I did, but it doesn't feel like it, you know? And Johnny..." V felt her face try to flare up when she thought back to that meeting. "I don't even think that was what he'd called me in there for. It worked out, but I wonder if he would've even pitched it to me otherwise."
"Why not?" Troy leaned against the corner of his desk and V gave him a look before returning to her pacing circuit. "I'm not fucking with you here."
"Right, Troy, because I definitely got that impression from him the minute I walked in. Oh, by the way, is that even normal?" she asked, spinning on her heel to face Troy. "For a guy to kinda introduce himself and in the same breath talk about his eight-inch penis? I mean, this is Johnny Gat, but-"
Troy's eyebrows flew up. "What?"
"Yeah, I wasn't too sure about that one." V shrugged, and the awkward smile she gave Troy gradually morphed into a lopsided frown. "Though, uh, sorry, man. Guess I'm not the only one with that little tidbit stored now."
He groaned and covered his eyes. "Great. Guess not." Muttering a few more curses, Troy waved it off. "He's only trying to throw you. You let him and he'll keep on going."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, but...fuck. It's-" V bit down on the words and shook her head. "It's silly shit. I shouldn't be fussing at you about any of it.
He took a long drag off of his cigarette as she pushed her hands into her pockets, and when he spoke up again his tone was softer. "You know I don't mind talking to you, right?"
"I figured as much since you haven't thrown me out yet, but I really should get out of here," she insisted, tugging at her hat. "You've already got enough to deal with and I won't waste any more of your time. I'll uh, ask Dex. He's the one with a better lead on what's happening with the girls, right?"
"Yeah, he's the one," Troy replied, folding his arms. "He can also hook you up with the others already on it. It's about damn time we stepped it up, and I think you'll do good there. Oh, and by the way?" V glanced over at him, and he gave her a nod. "Nice work, kid. You did good."
"Sure. Wouldn't hurt to do more, though," V muttered on her way out.
