"Aww, Sam, you ordered us breakfast?" she hears from the other side of the door after her polite knock and identification call of an early morning food delivery, then goes back to humming under her breath as she waits.
The sounds of sisterly bickering were muffled, though it followed the asking, making her smile to herself. Her girlfriend is always so grumpy in the mornings before she's gotten food in her. It also explains why she hadn't recognized her voice, given the secret relationship couple had said they'd meet up much later in the afternoon instead of what to some was the crack of dawn.
She gave her hands a few drying passes against her pants and attempted to straighten out the lay of her jacket against her shoulders as the seconds ticked by with the door still closed. It's a big day for her. Meeting her girlfriend's sister with just the opening of the door, given the distance between two voices hissing back and forth on the other side of the thing.
The legend herself. Sam Carpenter. Two-timed Ghostface servitor and now the fierce protector of her younger sister.
"Tar wait." She hears Sam's voice warning as she patiently waits, food bag in hand, for the door to be opened.
"Come on, Sam. I'm starving and can smell…." Tara complained, thinking her words down by what she could only guess was a stern glare from Sam. This earned her a smile from the waiting delivery girl who was inadvertently listening in from the porch.
"That wasn't the right voice." The voice of 'Sam' reminds. "I asked Mark to drop off, not whoever this girl…"
She could understand the mistrust completely, given the history of the two inside the apartment. She would have pushed her badge under the door if possible, but given the added protections of this particular safehouse, she wasn't risking startling or upsetting either more than one already seemed to be.
"Then you can go all 'stabby protector' on their ass all you want as long as you don't get blood on my food." Tara cuts in with a tired yawn at the early hour. "Just go get me my pancakes." It was added in an attempted demonic-sounding growl.
"Yeah, I'm so scared," Sam answers with a flat scoff
Her smile broadened as the scraping sounds of multiple locks being turned or unchained reached her.
"Guess it won't help if I show you this, then?" she asks, keeping her voice low. She is already holding out the officer badge as a sliver of the door is cracked open.
"Those can be faked." The cold voice of her girlfriend's older sister answers. "and besides, aren't you a little young to be carrying such hefty credentials?"
"Thanks," she smiles." But you're not the first Carpenter sister to tell me that."
"Both of you get in here, or I swear to Sidney, I'm slashing up the couch if you don't hand over my breakfast." Tara threatens, already twisting an impressive kitchen knife between her fingers as she wanders into the hallway. "Also, Sam, this is Payton, or, as you already know her, the incredibly multitalented girl I've been talking about who's been helping at the animal shelter. Also, as you somehow haven't already guessed, she's also my girlfriend, so be nice to her and let her in. Like I've said, the couch is counting on you to let her pass over the goods in the next five seconds."
"She could still be…" Sam tries to cut in only to stall by the glared look Tara gives her as she holds out her hand towards the one yet to move from her post outside the door.
"Be Nice." Tara articulated, tugging on the hand now held in hers.
"You never said she looks a heck of a lot like that wolf girl from that Netflix show you still refuse to watch with me," Sam answers back, finally closing the door as Tara leads their guest into the living room.
"You watch that show too?" Payton smiles.
"I keep telling Tar she should dress like the main…" Sam nods, following the pair and the fading temptation of fast-food breakfast foods.
"I value my life too much. Also, per her condition on trying it, I don't look good as a blonde. I've already tried it, but the dye never seems to stick." Payton huffs sadly. "But I can see where you're coming from."
"I hate you both, but at least you're bonding." Tara sighs, already digging into the offered food bags from the relative comfort of her newly introduced girlfriend's lap.