"My god, you really are a scrawny nerd!"

The rain coat, it turned out, did little to protect Rafferty from the rain. In fact, because it had clung to her body it led the rain water to it, and given the erratic wind the water went everywhere, up and down her body wherever the rain didn't splash on. As a result, Rafferty, once inside Lola's room, had to disrobe into her underwear to avoid catching a cold.

Hence Lola's comment about how much Rafferty embodied the nerd stereotype.

"Ugh…" Rafferty sighed, "Don't make this weird."

"What's weird is a nerd like you going out of their way to join a gang like us." Lola tossed a towel to Rafferty.

"Yeah," Rafferty said, catching the towel then drying her hair, "It's really frustrating."

"...What is?" Lola said with her eyes narrowed, hearing the hint of an edge in Rafferty's voice.

"How you guys aren't doing anything and are stagnating as a result. Also, people are starting to recognize your Underground symbol, I heard some officers talking about reading one of your hideouts for quick 'grocery shopping.'"

"Ha!" Lola crossed her arms, her head up high, "They wouldn't dare!"

"They contacted their friends, the corrupt ones, and are thinking of 'shopping' in the next few days. They need time to do the false paperwork - even bad boys need to look like they are playing by the rules."

Lola paused, staring at Rafferty vacantly as she continued to dry herself.

She then shrugged, "Eh… We can handle it."

Rafferty reached over, towel around her neck and pulled out a plastic bag from her jeans pocket, which had her phone inside. Taking out her phone, her glasses reflected the light of her phone's screen, her fingers danced away as Rafferty then set it on the desktop nearby as she then reached for the spare oversized hoodie Lola had the decency to demand.

An mp3 played on the phone's speaker -

"...Those Underground brats?"

"Yeah."

"What about them?"

"Heard they're holding some 'contraband' that requires 'investigation.'"

"Really? That place around the block?"

"Yup. Just waiting for 'command' for orders."

"'Standard procedure?'"

"'Course. They're going to 'lock up,' too, further investigation."

"Straight to the Chief?"

"Obviously. It's the rules. Kids are involved."

"Kids're too rowdy nowadays."

"Don't worry, standard procedure."

The file stopped playing just as Rafferty slipped on the tights.

Lola was silent for a moment, "...So? What's that gotta do with anything?"

Rafferty paused, then sighed, "They're going to raid one of your hideouts - if I really have to make that clear for you."

"We got enough heat."

"Firewood sticks aren't bonfires - you guys even have a way to warn the guys at that place?"

"Sure. I'll call -"

"Too slow, too open. I had to hijack police comms to listen in on that conversation - they were basically talking out in the open. No doubt they have people covering them in the stations. Now, let's compare that to listening in on phone conversations."

"'Cuz a nerd like you would know how to hack into shit."

"Don't change the topic." Rafferty took her phone, tapped the screen, and Lola received a notification on her phone about sharing a file.

"Just started learning this stuff… a week ago? But it's more than enough to give you guys to have protected comms."

"And why should I accept this?"

"If you didn't think you were growing too big to properly cover all your bases, you wouldn't have changed the initiation. You fail, your people are going to blame you. From what I hear, they're starting already."

"Who?" Lola's demeanor changed.

"Not the point." Rafferty emphasized, stepping close to Lola, "You're the only thing keeping this whole thing from falling apart. You fail, everyone fails."

Lola stepped into Rafferty's personal space, "Big words for a little twig I had to save."

"Big words for a big girl that's not trying to fix anything by taking a leap of faith - like I did. What are you so afraid of?"

Lola craned her neck, scowled, and glared down at Rafferty.

"Give me a reason." Lola said.

"Any you find would be pathetic." Rafferty said back, there wasn't any challenge in her eyes - it was a dare.

It was a standoff between two opposites -

One that could easily throw the other out the window,

And the other in question could only throw things to match even a fraction of the former's strength.

Goliath,

And David -

But neither of them made a move,

Their eyes being their sword,

No wit,

Only their contempt afire concentrated and shone as a beam of sunlight through a magnifying glass.

Neither moved,

Neither wavered,

Neither wanted to lose -

Losing meant weakness,

Losing meant their argument was invalid,

Losing meant that they were wrong -

A spark that only grew in its own nuclear fusion, a fire that was also its own air - fueling itself and never dying.

A knock came at the door, which after a moment opened and the head of a crew member peeked through -

"Hey, Boss, there's a - oh…" They saw the scene - Lola and Rafferty, not even glancing over or even showing any ounce of acknowledgement for them, "Uh… Not now. O-kay…"

They slipped back out,

Leaving Lola and Rafferty to continue their heated contest.

"So… Why're Boss and the new Girl just… staring at each other?"

Even though everyone was eating, even though they were blinking, the rain still drumming against the tower, they continued their staring contest. Biting their food, drinking their drinks, not even moving should anything pass through or get in the way of their staring as though this were some western stand-off.

"...If it were anyone else," One whispered to the former, "I wudda said to fuck already."

"But, what happened?"

The one in conversation with the former crew member merely shrugged before continuing with their food.

"Better to just leave them alone." Another chimed in, "After all, remember what the Boss did to those fools that thought they were smarter than her?"

There was a brief silence as everyone who heard that remembered what had happened.

"...Least Eggman gave us enough money for things like medical bills."

"Yeah… If only Humpty Dumpty put horses and men in his tower."

"The cash and guns don't count?"

"Against Spidey? 'Course not."

"...So did either'a them even piss or shit? Guys can hold it, but from what I hear -"

"From where?"

"Dude, we talk about anything now to pass the time."

"...Think that's become part of their contest."

"...Omaigod…"

Everyone looked over when they heard Rafferty's phone go off. Everyone was expecting the whole thing to end after so long. Even Lola, who had a small smirk on her lip

Rafferty pulled out and held up her phone, eyes still on Lola, and slowly tapped her phone's pin number. Once unlocked, she opened a text message, and after a long moment of what one would assume to be reading, where she paused for a moment, she slowly typed a response. Slow enough that daring onlookers could read it -

Af fruomds hoos staar cpntesr

Sent.

Everyone shook their heads -

For some, this was the most entertaining thing that has happened in the Underground in a long while, ever since they had finished off the Demons,

For another group, they wanted the whole charade to be done and over with already, this whole thing lasting longer than absolutely needed,

And the others had to go home, it was already turning into late afternoon and turning into the evening.

Lola and Rafferty knew it,

They could feel it,

Gripping their seats, chairs of polished wood taken from thrift stores, and crossing their legs, shaking their feet, or any other motions to help tolerate the pressure in their bladders,

Pursed lips or scrunched faces.

"...Are you really recording this?" One said.

"Yeah! Memories!" The person recording couldn't finish their sentence without laughing.

"Well…this is definitely something."

"How much longer, you think?"

"...Whoever has the least pride - they've been at it for so long, there's really only one way this'll end."

There was a sigh from one of the girl members, "...Well, better get ready for unwarranted leaks." She went off with a few others following her to get the necessities for the near future.

Sweat beaded on both Lola and Rafferty but both held their gazes -

Then Rafferty smirked.

There was the sound of leaking water that quickly grew into the sound of splashing -

Most of the boys, the ones with decency turned away,

Most of the girls grimaced, the decent ones did -

Lola's eyes widened in shock and her jaw dropped, almost letting her guard down,

All the while, Rafferty held the grin of a winner, whose perfume would be evident to everyone in due time.

Lola furrowed her brows, gripped her hands tightly on her chair's seat, fidgeting, her face becoming red.

Yet her gaze held firm,

Her lips were pursed so that the only trace of them was the dark line of her frown.

Lola sharply inhale with a toothy grit before her frown returned -

There was the sound of nature going at the wrong palace.

Rafferty narrowed her eyes.

There was a sigh from the crowd, "Why, the hell, is this happening?!"

"At this point, put some mickies in their drinks!"

"Uh, one - don't say it like that. Two, you want the Boss mad?"

"Her fist would be better than the smell."

"I swear'da God if they -"

"It's over."

"...What?"

"Yeah. Look, there they are."

"No… I mean, who won?"

"Dunno. Last person watching went to take a leak and came back to them snoozing."

"...Guess it'll be who wakes up first then."

Begrudgingly, Lola listened to Rafferty.

She had presented photo proof of her victory - Lola slumped in her chair, having dozed off, before, presumably, following suit.

However, before the secret and protected chat room Rafferty set up could be spread around, both of them had to deal with their own mess, radiating so potently off of them. Because of how much rain water there was, one of the crew members decided to be resourceful and reuse that water in various buckets to use as bath water for the crew members that didn't have a home to go home to.

One of the set ups was already prepared on one of the outdoor terraces, being the only way for water collection without making much suspicion. Thankfully, the terrace chosen for this use was on a higher floor so as not to be so easily seen. Wherever designed the tower intended a few of the terraces as garden-getaways for lunch or break time. For privacy, tarp was put up to hide the inside of a small gazebo. Inside were two separate buckets for Rafferty and Lola as well as other necessities.

Not wanting to smell their natural perfume any longer, and wanting to use the break in the rain wisely, they disrobed and headed inside the gazebo.

Both were silent as they both watered, lathered, and rinsed their bodies, both keeping their businesses to themselves until Lola spoke up out of the blue.

"Hey, B."

"...Me?"

"Yeah, Bitch."

Rafferty groaned at Lola's witticism.

"Why go so far to join us? For being smart, you're dumb as hell for walking the crane in a storm like yesterday."

"I've already said, and I passed, didn't I?"

"Well, who passed - a reckless Bitch, or a suicidal Bitch?"

Rafferty paused, thinking for a moment.

"A girl that feels like she cheated life."

"A rich Bitch."

"Sure, whatever."

Lola gave Rafferty's body another look over -

"Disappointed in something?" Rafferty said, catching Lola's look out of her periphery, "Me, too."

"Thought a rich bitch would be a fat bitch."

"Exactly." Rafferty said, "I'm not curvy, no hips, no chest, average butt -"

"Privileged problems."

"Doesn't feel like it."

"Then what was it about your life that made you walk?"

"Like I said, I feel like I cheated! Well… guess that's debatable, really.."

"What - lost your expensive designer bag, dropped your phone in a drain for the fifth time - "

"Abusive parent stopped being abusive one day and became a much better and respectable man."

Lola's mocking high receded and her confusion put in its place, "...What?"

"Yup."

"No. What?" Rafferty stopped and turned to look at Lola, seeing her look of disbelief, "You feel cheated, because your Daddy became a better man?"

"Sounds too ideal, right?" Rafferty continued her bathing without interruption, "Well, it felt too perfect. I would even say it felt like something out of a fairy tale."

Rafferty then changed her tone to be childish, "Daddy had an evil curse put on him, but then a magic spell made him aaalll better!"

"My god, how is that a problem?"

"That's just it! It shouldn't be! But, I still feel this way because I didn't … I… It doesn't feel earned."

"Earn a happy family? More privileged talk!"

Rafferty spun around on a dime, her face flaring with anger, "Then why are you doing what you're doing?! Huh?! Why the Underground?! Why?! Why?!"

"Cool those magnifying glasses before I do." Lola said sternly, "I made the Underground for kids like me - robbed, no chance, no choice. I don't baby sit wanna-be nerds, Bitch."

Lola began poking the wall that was Rafferty's chest, "Now, why are you going out of your way to be a bad girl, B? Is your life really so empty living good you have to be bad?"

Rafferty's face grew beat red, "In that case, how was it a meathead like you get all these kids together in one place, much less lead them? You have them here, brought them here, and you aren't doing anything!"

"Anything?! B, we took down the Demons -"

"Yeah, when they were already a sinking ship without any leadership - that's what's going to happen to you and the Underground if you don't listen and use what I offered!"

"I have everything under control!"

"That's what Mom kept saying before she died!"

Lola saw the hurt flash on Rafferty's face, her anger wavering upon realizing what she had just said. Her anger died by the minute as she looked away, unable to look at Lola any longer. Rafferty turned away and walked back to her bucket, and as Lola looked at Rafferty's back she felt the urge to say something. But something so small now seemed so towering - something began to knock at the door of her memories.

"Forget what I said." Rafferty said in a voice so small that only Lola heard it because of their close proximity.

The rest of their bathing was in sheer silence with the ambience of New York -

The sound of a faraway subway train,

A police siren in the distance,

Cars below,

Segments of conversations being carried up to them on the wind,

Even the splashing of their water, the sounds of suds on their bodies -

Something in the air had changed, Lola wasn't sure if it was bad or a good thing.

At the end of the day, Lola agreed to use the secret chat room. Rafferty returned the next day, and talks began on how to get a computer set up built in the abandoned tower.