On Hunting Mode

[Tamara Sulik]

Tamara took a look around the room, her eyes scanning the people in there until she sighed and look back at her drink on the table. She must be getting too old for this. She didn't want to be too old for this. Flirting in bars, finding some hot guy to spend the night with... She didn't need to look down at herself to know she had the body to make them stare. No one better say anything to the contrary. She even dressed with the idea of not ending this night alone in mind. Not that she started it alone, mind you. Right next to her, sipping on her own drink was Reid Chase.

The two women had agreed to meet here for some catching up time over a drink and possibly some more fun to happen later on in other company. It would be hard to tell who the wingman here was. Both, neither? She was pretty sure Reid wanted as much as she did not to end up alone tonight.

“Is it just me or it would be nice to have one of those to cuddle with at night?” She asked her as she nodded her head in direction of a bunch of those fine specimens of males their race could come up with. “I don’t mean just for one night. Like, whenever you want or need them there. Is that normal or I’m just getting old?”

[Reid Chase]

Reid's blue green eyes moved over to where Tamara was looking and a smirk crossed the police officer's face at her friend's statement. That was far from what Reid had in mind but she could definitely see the appeal of the men over there. For a night.

"You're getting old, sugar." Reid responded before taking a long swig from her beer bottle. "But hey, if you're thinking of settling down...I'd be honoured to be your maid of honour." She teased the older woman.

She wasn't about to renounce a friend simply for wanting to settle down. She had been supportive when Dexter and Faye put down roots. She was even happy for them. She just didn't think it was in the cards for her. Hell, she wasn't even looking for something more than a one night stand.

Corey not withstanding.

Although he was more of a string of one night stands plus friendship.

"At the risk of sounding sappy, which you know I am not actually capable of, those guys would be lucky to have you." She tipped the lip of the bottle in Tamara's direction and grinned before drinking to her.

[Tamara Sulik]

Oh, Tamara wouldn’t consider those guys worthy of spending her life with. They were handsome, the kind you might enjoy for a night or two. But she was unable to think further than that, as she always hated feeling like she may become someone’s possession. She was too fiercely independent for that. Making her whole speech even weirder for her. At the same time, she was a mother, it made sense she might wish for a father figure for her son who could be a good model to follow. For that reason alone, she didn’t expect to find him in a bar.

She laughed at Reid’s words. “You really know how to make someone feel better, don’t you,” she teased her, since she confirmed she was getting old. She laughed even more at the mention of maid of honour. “Oh God, I don’t want to get married. You see my tied to a man like that? Again, I mean.” Reid was aware she had been married first and might remember the circumstances. Not exactly the most romantic ones, you’d agree. Even for someone who, like Tamara, was not overly romantic. “But you have to agree that coming home to someone always there for you sounds kinda nice. Well, I guess I need a house first for that to happen but let’s not stop at the details.” She had a little smirk at that before taking a sip of her drink.

She smiled to Reid again as she complimented her. She didn’t think she could be sappy. More like she wanted to boost her morale a little. “I would never think that of you, you know that,” she assured her, a little amused by this. “Are we going to cut short on those nonsense and get straight to the point? Why you left, and more importantly, why you came back?”

[Reid Chase]

"I pride myself in that, to be honest." Reid said in a matter-of-factly tone of voice. At the mention of her previous marriage, Reid simply chuckled and shook her head. She didn't believe in the 'sanctity of marriage'. No piece of paper was going to legitimise the way she felt about another person.

She did admit, now that she had Bell living with her, it did feel a lot more like home. The house was warmer, the food tastier, the laughter more genuine. It didn't just sound nice. It was absolutely nice. "I've told you time and again. You're welcome to live in my house. Just keep on wearing this around the house and it's payment enough." Reid countered Tamara's smirk with her own.

Reid bowed her head a little at Tamara's reassurance. Her next question made her smirk fall just inches as she was immediately bombarded with thoughts of the incident. It had been more than half a year since it happened and she still couldn't shake it off. Her night terrors had become more frequent and the bouts of depression always managed to hit her at her lowest point.

"Occupational hazard." She shrugged, forcing a half-sided smile before downing her drink. "Almost got shot at, lost my partner, needed the sabbatical. And I missed you. That's why I came back."

[Tamara Sulik]

Tamara found it hard to think of marriage as well. She did it for certain reasons, love being the last of them if there at all on the list. She was not up to do it again. The poor man thought he’d get a quiet, obedient little bride. Instead, he got her. She did not hate him per se, couldn’t even say she disliked him. But she sure never loved the man. And even if she ever happened to love a man, marriage sounded too binding for her to agree to it. She didn’t need that to justify her feelings for someone. It only turned her into the man’s possession and that she couldn’t accept.

She laughed at Reid’s joke. Oh, the woman would certainly help her out of a jam and let her squat her couch for a few days should it ever comes to that. But Tam would not force it to happen. “When I’ll get a place of my own, it’ll be for Mika and I,” she said, talking of her boy. It might take some time. Unless she had him sent to her now. She always feared she wouldn’t be a good mother, despite having plenty of practice with the kids at school. She was not close to them after all, it was just a job. But the truth was she missed her boy a lot and didn’t want him to think she was not with him because she did not want to. “How’s your new roommate? You actually stole one of mine,” she asked with a little smile. It was almost a joke to ask since she knew Bell’s nature, at least enough to guess there shouldn’t be any problem.

She expected something must have happened for Reid to poof like that. Sure, she was an adult who could do whatever she wanted, including leave this place without telling anyone if she wanted to. But Tamara was still curious and she was not going to wait for Reid to be comfortable to say it before asking questions. She wanted it out now and not pretend like she never left. She expected no less of Reid to add a little joke at the end. A smirk showed at the corner of her lips at this. “Aww, shut it or I might turn gay for you,” she joked back. A bit of female affection was not entirely against Tamara but she loved men too much to just give up on them. The same could be said about Reid. “I’d need a sabbatical too had this happen. And now, you’re ready to be back?”

[Reid Chase]

Reid would probably never understand the love a mother has for their kid, even though most of her friends and family were already happily married and had plenty of kids. Hell, she even had an amazing role model in the form of her mother and she still would probably never understand. But it did make her smile to see the look on Tamara's face at the mention of her son.
At the mention of Bell, Reid perked up and chuckled lightly before raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean I stole one of yours?" She asked before coming to a weird realisation. "Is she another JJ?" She asked with a laugh.

"Oh please do. Then we won't have to deal with marriage, you'd have a house for yourself and Mika and we won't be unhappy ever again."

Tamara asking her if she was ready to be back made Reid shrug slightly. "Born ready, Tam. Now come on drink up. We are not going to spend our night together being sober."

[Tamara Sulik]

Tam was generally tough. She could be funny, flirtatious, but there was always something that showed this woman in particular was a tough one, that she might sleep with you but winning her would be a lot more difficult. Then she talked of her son and her expression would soften straight away. She was not even aware of this, it was something she could not help. She might argue that the fact he was so far away made her softer, as she missed him more, but it was impossible for her to tell exactly how she would react if he were around her. Chances were, however, that she’d react the same. It was hard not to when it was your own flesh and blood you were talking about.

Tamara was about to explain that Bell happened to be one of her roommates but Reid then asked if she was like JJ and she could not help but to laugh at that. The comparison was very amusing, since two people could not be more apart. “I think that hell would freeze over before this happened,” she commented. Did they really need another JJ? Sure, the two of them lost a bedmate who, if he was more time than most rough, also happened to be always ready, but it was not exactly what Tamara would call a great loss. The man’s ego might not like that, but it was not like he was anywhere near to hear this. “I meant she was my roommate,” she explained. She would not blame her for wanting a place somewhat of her own though. She could definitely see the appeal in not living close to the students.

She laughed again at Reid’s proposition. “I had one marriage done more for convenience than love, I think I don’t need another relationship like that. But we’d make one hot couple for sure,” she replied. She was not entirely sure if Reid was ready to face all she left behind but the woman assured her that she was. Well, she was back so whatever demons she might be fighting with, she had no choice to do so again. She smiled to her friend. “Now that is a proposition I’m ready to take you on,” she said, lifting her glass in some form of salute before she drank.

[Reid Chase]

Tamara seemed to have misunderstood her question but Reid didn't mind and she sure as hell wouldn't point it out so she just laughed it off. But she was actually referring to the fact that her and Tamara had 'shared' JJ back when he was actually around.

"What did you do to make that girl leave?" She smirked, though meaning nothing by it.

She gave Tamara a hurt look and clutched her heart. "Baby, you don't love me? My God you wound me, Tam. You wound me so badly." She sobbed before chuckling. "But we would though. I mean God, look at us." She gestured between the two of them and held her glass up to salute Tamara as well. "Here here."

[OOC: Wrap?]

[Tamara Sulik]

Tamara laughed, knowing Reid was not seriously suggesting that Tamara was the cause for Bell wanting to get a place of her own or, at the very least, share one with someone. “Beats me. First Spencer staying only the time to get a place now Bell. I’ll blame our cat roommate though, if anyone asks,” she answered, sounding serious but still with something in her eyes proving she was about as much as Reid had been when asking what she did to them.

“No, you got a nice one. Try not to be too much of a bad influence to her,” she added, again meaning to tease Reid. She understood the girl did not want to talk more serious business, like what she had been doing when gone or the reasons why she left in the first place. Or what got her to come back. Maybe she would some other time. Tamara was patient and can even take if Reid preferred not to discuss it ever. There was a lot of stuff she’d rather keep to herself too.

She raised her glass as well and you could hear a little clink as the two hit. She finished her drink before she would talk again. “Now, I don’t suppose you need my help with that guy that’s been eating you up over there? Or you want to let him marinate a little while longer?”