Occupation: Private Investigator/Owner of Rao Investigations
PERSONALITY
Goals/Desires: to always have the answers, get better at hacking/coding (since she’s terrible at it right now), feel unadulterated joy™️ once more, own a Marc Jacobs “the tote bag” bag
Fears: turtles, being unable to resolve a case resulting in justice going unserved, getting trapped in a car underwater
Hobbies: listening to true crime podcasts, crocheting, baking, developing film photographs, editing digital photographs (she likes both mediums but prefers digital), thrifting, people watching (aka listening to conversations she shouldn’t be), stargazing, reading comic books, has been trying to solve a 9x9 rubik’s cube for two years now
Likes & Dislikes: the smell of coconut, the sounds of the beach at night, super soft oversized sweaters, wearing heels, watching a photograph appear through the development process in a dark room, black nail polish, a well organized filing cabinet, the groan every cop makes when she shows up at their crime scenes // authority figures, silence, small minded people, how broken the criminal justice system is, stagnant routines, people who refuse to debate, the smell of fresh pavement, eight foot privacy fences, the sound of train whistles and big rig horns, odd numbers of stairs, running
QUICK FACTS (quick is subjective tho bc idk how to tldr anything very well)
Trigger Warnings: death, abduction, grooming, murder, police incompetence, alluded sexual assault (nothing actually explicitly spoken of or talked about)
Briar Ridge native
Was always a nosey kid, her curiosity getting her into trouble and she’s heard a lot she wasn’t supposed to because she eavesdropped
When she was 15 her older sister (who was 16 at the time) went missing
This was the MySpace era and her sister had met an older man on MySpace and planned to meet up with him - which the police found after the missing persons report was filed - and they essentially said she left on her own accord we’ll put a BOLO (‘be on the lookout’) out but she’ll come home
Tanvi knew that wasn’t the case, she and her sister were super close and she knew Leena wouldn’t ever just leave and not come home like that without contacting someone
She wasn’t happy with the way BRPD was handling her sister’s case so she started doing her own investigation, utilizing the ‘skills’ she’d honed over the years by simply being nosey and charming
She ended up figuring out that the older man from MySpace was in cahoots with a super popular teacher from their high school to lure girls away from home for nefarious reasons
She became super unpopular because she began digging into his background and making accusations that no one believed
She did end up finding her sister but it wasn’t a happy ending- her sisters body had been found in Charleston as a Jane Doe
This began her tumultuous relationship with Briar Ridge PD because she blamed them for Leena’s death- had they done their jobs and actually looked into her sister’s disappearance as what it was- an abduction and not a runaway- Tanvi truly believed she’d still be alive
She ended up figuring out exactly what happened and got the teacher arrested and sent to prison for abduction, aggravated assault, and accessory after the fact to murder
She also identified and located his accomplice, the man who actually killed her sister, and provided enough evidence to the police to get him arrested for abduction with intent to defile, aggravated sexual battery, first degree murder, and list of other charges
Both men were sent to prison for life
Her sister’s death and the subsequent trials and trauma caused her parents to split up
She opened up her lil investigations business under the table in high school as a way to cope with her newly tumultuous home life and the grief that was eating away at her
Initially the underground business (which was garnered completely through word of mouth) was called “R.I.T.” (aka “Rao Investigates Things”), and she helped her fellow students (and at times, teachers and other faculty members of the school) solve problems/”mysteries” they couldn’t figure out on their own
However, this was all done under the table and in secret, as she was still wildly unpopular with her classmates for getting the beloved teacher arrested- she also didn’t make many friends while on her quest to find her sister, as she was more… aggressive than she normally is
The money she made in high school enabled her to get her PI license after graduation and open up her own, actual, legitimate business- Rao Investigations
She now lives in an apartment above her office, which is located in Beach Front right near the water (kind of like the Psych office location if you’ve ever seen Psych)
Her business is thriving and she’s made a lot of really good contacts in not only Briar Ridge, but the surrounding cities- however, her relationship with BRPD is still very much one of distrust and loathing, specifically with the Chief of Police who was the lead investigator on her sister’s case back in the day
POSSIBLE WANTED CONNECTIONS
The other PI who works at her 'firm' with her
The receptionist at her office
People she's done cases for
People she's pissed off, maybe someone she's had as a target where she outed a big secret of theirs (like they were cheating or embezzling from their job or something)
Contacts she’s made/turned friends during the course of her business- especially someone good at coding/hacking
People who knew her sister/are connected to her sister
Obviously the usual suspects - best friend (!!!!!), childhood friends, childhood friends that she lost/pissed off while looking for her sister, exes, first times, hook ups, family friends, etc.
Through God's cruel jokes Evan was born with a body more bean pole, less brick wall, but she always liked to think her attitude made up for that inconvenient deficit. Still—It was somewhat unusual to find herself in the position of body guard on the underside of 10am. Usually, she at least made it past lunch.
There was a first time for everything, though.
Back straight, defenses on high alert, she darted a look equal parts concerned and confused at the new shadow taking shelter behind her shoulders. Then, reality sank in. She clocked a man who looked like he smelled like hot dog water barreling around the corner and headed straight for... well... them.
"⸻ ain't no fuckin' way."
Evan let loose an incredulous, somewhat unhinged cackle. Stabbed a finger in his general direction, too. "Ain't no fuckin' way you're about to square up with me, Jared." Now that he was closer, she recognized him as one of the more troublesome patrons at the Spur—And you know what? She was way too busy to deal with his particular brand of bullshit off the clock.
She'd already taken Sadie's forgotten backpack to the elementary school but she still had to make it to the bank, and that said nothing about the inventory she had to finish at the store before her night shift started at the bar.
"Fuck all the way off or I'll call your momma, call your wife, and introduce your kneecaps to my baseball bat just for fun."
On the list of 'what poor choices can I make today?' he really didn't want to move learning how crazy she could actually be to the top. Her green eyes widened, daring him to test the already razor thin patience she had for men. Jared chose to tuck tail and leave instead.
Wise. A bit of a let down now that she'd gotten all riled up, but wise.
Evan waited long enough to see the back of him before, at last, her attention returned to Tanvi. "Alright. Spill." Her lips curved with a decidedly mischievous tilt. "What in the fresh hell did you get yourself into this time?"
Tanvi had known as soon as she'd seen Evan that the other woman would easily be her safe haven, and when the feisty brunette turned her fire on poor Jared she'd known she'd made the right choice. A smug grin on her features as Jared's gaze flitted between the two women and Tanvi's pepper spray before choosing to turn and leave the situation, the private investigator quickly pocketed the pepper spray and draped an arm around Evan's shoulders.
"I knew you were crazy, Reilly, but remind me never to get on your bad side." She teased. "Would hate for my kneecaps to meet that bat of yours."
With a quiet chuckle and a final glance back towards where Jared had been standing to ensure he'd actually gone before she turned her back towards him, Tanvi began to walk down the sidewalk towards Luther's, fully intending to repay Evan with brunch. "It wasn't my fault this time!" She quickly defended, though the mischievous smirk on her features countered her words. "I was following someone else in his group who's wife thinks he's cheatin' on her and Jared just happened to catch me filming them. His wife's paid me a couple of times to follow him around because he's a lying sack of shit and he got a little defensive. I was just trying to do my job."
Wes hadn’t expected much more than a quiet walk back from the hardware store, paper bag swinging loosely at his side, when he heard the scuff of hurried footsteps behind him. A blur of motion cut in front of him suddenly, nearly colliding with him before ducking in close like he was some kind of barricade. He stopped where he stood, boots firmly planted on the cracked pavement, a muscle ticking in his jaw as his eyes tracked past the woman's shoulder. Her voice was sharp, frantic, and admittedly, made him a little alert. "Should I be worried?" he finally said, his gaze tracking back to the woman's as he shifted his cowboy hat. A beat passed before he added, almost like an afterthought, “That spray’s for more than show, right?"
Tanvi hadn't realized she knew the person she was currently using as a human shield— or, at least, she knew of Shane's younger brother. Her friendship with Shane hadn't really extended out into either of their lives, not until Sonny suddenly reappeared, but she had heard of Wes and seen him around a few times when she'd gone to the ranch to meet Shane at their spot. It took her a moment to register he'd been speaking to her, her gaze shifting from the man behind him, to Wes himself, and she gave him a sheepish smile. "Nah, Terry's usually harmless." Though, despite her shallow reassurances she found herself stepping into Wes more as the man who'd been chasing her moved closer.
"Terry, I swear to god I will spray you! And I know you know this shit isn't fun. Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be." Holding out the pepper spray past Wes, her human shield, she peered around his shoulder to give Terry a pointed stare. "I wasn't following you, your wife hasn't hired me in months. Though maybe I should give her a call since this is the reaction you had to just seeing me. You got a guilty conscious or something?" Should she have been taunting the clearly angry and probably slightly intoxicated man? No. But she felt a bit emboldened having someone between them.
WHO: Maybe You? ( Open )
WHERE: IDK Anywhere, Have Fun With It
How does this always happen to her? She's been doing surveillance since she was a teenager, following people discreetly, getting footage, finding out their secrets. And she was good at it. Well, good might be a bit of an overstatement since she did get caught quite often, but she was good at talking herself out of uncomfortable situations— and she could usually charm or flirt her way out of any kind of confrontation when someone realized she'd been tailing them. Though their reactions were usually telling (the innocent don't have anything to hide, right?), the private investigator could almost always placate them. And when she couldn't? Her car was always nearby for a quick escape. But this time? Well...
This time she found herself quite literally running from someone she hadn't actually been following. They only thought she was because they'd been in the same group as her real mark. "Leave me alone!" She called out over her shoulder, the pepper spray she kept on herself during simpler, low risk jobs, clutched in her hand. "I have pepper spray and I'm not afraid to use it!" Her words, however, didn't seem to placate the other party and she found herself nearly hiding behind the next person she came to. Surely, her pursuer wouldn't harm an innocent bystander or anything, right? "I wasn't following you! You're being paranoid!"
She wasn't sure how she expected her night to turn out but this was definitely not it. Not only had she thought she was getting kidnapped by someone who had seemed relatively normal, but now she was in an argument about the not kidnapping.
"Well you've been telling me that I'm not a kidnappee so I'm pretty sure that means I'm fine to make demands!" Rolling her eyes a little, Jiya looked out of the window as she tried to make out where they were. "Oh my god, I am so sorry that I didn't memorise the streets of a tiny town that I have been in for two minutes and my phone died. I didn't plan on staying longer than twenty minutes so I forgot to commit every corner to memory." Leaning her head back against the headrest for a second, Jiya rolled her eyes again before diverting her gaze out her window. "Feel like sitting here does very little for you." Shrugging a shoulder, Jiya felt herself begin to soften ever so slightly. "But if you want to go back to your job, I can sit and watch until you can drive me home."
Considering only a minute ago she thought she was getting somewhat kidnapped, Jiya almost couldn't believe herself that she was now reluctant to leave the car.
Tanvi's hands came up to run through her hair before falling back down to the steering wheel and gripping it so hard her knuckles changed colors. She was trying to control her temper, she really was, but the situation had her blood boiling. She found herself opening her mouth to speak, to give the other woman a piece of her mind, but she quickly shut it, as well as her eyes, and took a few deep breaths in an attempt at calming herself down. It didn't work, but it gave her time to reign in the fire she felt she was about to spit in the other woman's direction.
"You're in my car, asking for my help. You don't get to make demands." She said slowly, shutting the engine off and unbuckling her own seatbelt. "And I won't be spoken to disrespectfully by a petulant child who can't find her own way home." Grabbing her keys and phone, Tanvi threw open the door and got out of the car. "Stay here or don't, but I'm going for a walk." And with that, she shut the door and began to stride away from her own vehicle, hoping that when she got back the other woman would have found someone else to boss around.
WHO: @kitcastellanos
WHERE: The Street, Somewhere in Town
Even though Tanvi had been conducting some form of surveillance, whether it be eavesdropping on a conversation she wasn’t supposed to hear or following a mark around with her camera, since she could crawl, she still wasn’t very good at it. There were more times than she could count that she’d been caught and had to talk herself out of a physical confrontation or handcuffs, and this time was no different. As she snuck along the street following a woman who’s wife was convinced she was cheating on her, Tanvi did her best to remain inconspicuous. However, her efforts proved futile as her mark kept glancing over her shoulder in the PI’s direction.
It wasn’t until the redheaded woman turned around and began making her way towards Tanvi with a look on her face that set off alarm bells in the brunette’s head that Tanvi realized she’d been made. In a split second decision, she darted across the street and ducked behind the first vehicle she came to… a motorcycle. In her haste to duck behind it she lost her footing and reached for the closest thing near her to keep her balance, however her grip on the bike and her unsteady feet caused her to fall and pull the machine down on top of her. “Shit!” She lay sprawled out on the concrete for a moment, hoping her mark hadn’t noticed the commotion she was causing, and instead focused on trying to get the heavy bike off of her smaller frame. “A little help, please?” She called out, hoping someone walking by would take pity on her and help.
An apologetic grimace lasted on his features for all of five seconds, before he was chuckling and shaking his head. "I really don't understand how you ended up in a tiny town in Briar Ridge, South Carolina. You always were meant for the city life," he teased. "City life, in a place with much less humidity."
He could feel himself relaxing just a bit as the laughter eased some of the tension he'd been carrying in his shoulders. Tanvi was always good at that; being around her just helped to ease the stress away. It was a much needed relief. "It's a good thing you love me, huh?" His question was laced with a slow, exaggerated wink, practically begging her to contradict him. But only because she knew how much he appreciated her coming out here. Sure, the sentiment was unspoken, but they'd been doing this enough years now to know how much they both appreciated it.
"Jesus, Tanvi!" he swore as he listened to her story. He wasn't sure which was more concerning, her concussion or the fact that she'd stumbled upon a near murder attempt. "I don't know whether to be worried or impressed at your ability to stumble into shit.... literally." Shaking his head, he glanced at her out of the side of his eye before asking, "Did the woman at least give you a bonus for saving her life?"
A quiet chuckle left her lips at his words, head nodding in agreement as a soft sigh followed her laughter. “Loyalty. And, you know, being born here.” She mused, shoulders lifting and falling in a shrug. She’d asked herself why she hadn’t moved so many times— with the way she was ostracized after her sister’s disappearance and death and the way her family had fallen apart in the aftermath, a smarter person would have run for the hills. But not Tanvi. She stayed so she could be close to both of her parents. She stayed because Briar Ridge was where she felt closest to Leena. She stayed because Briar Ridge was home— despite its downfalls and humidity. “Maybe one day, though. Canada could be fun. Or Alaska. Maybe the North Pole.” A grin slowly spread onto her features as the places she listed grew more absurd, true (albeit soft) laughter leaving her as she did.
Her laughter only grew, however, as he winked and despite her knee jerk being to deny his playful allegation— she found she couldn't. At least not outright, because Shane was right. She did love him. He was family. “You wish, Parker.” Was what came out instead, an arm coming out to playfully push him in the shoulder. “I tolerate you, at best.”
At his volume, she flinched slightly, eyes moving away from him back to the pond in front of them in something akin to shame. Maybe she should have left out her own injury from the story. “It’s not that serious. I’m in one piece, so is she. Everything’s fine.” She tried to placate him, her head turning to look back at her friend with an apologetic smile. “Impressed. Obviously.” Head turning back towards their pond once more, Tanvi chuckled. “She made me cookies… oatmeal raisin cookies.” Her nose scrunched. “I think that was her way of saying thank you but she was also still really mad at me for blowing up her marriage. Last I heard she was still trying to convince the court that he didn’t really mean it.” Rolling her eyes, Tanvi let out a huff. “Needless to say, those cookies went straight into the trash and I’ve blocked her number. I don’t need that level of delusion in my life.”
As her words quieted around them, Tanvi allowed the silence to sit for only a beat before asking. “So, what’s going on with you?”
Under normal circumstances the teasing quip about his odd, borderline Clean Freak habits, would've earned at least some semblance of a scowl. In that moment though, her hand settled warm and gentle against his face, the urge to lean into a kiss won out. What little gap that existed vanished and Civan brushed his mouth tenderly against the familiar line of Tanvi's soft lips. It wasn't anything grand or tantalizing, just an easy natural show of affection.
"Any time." He assured when Civan pulled back, cloudy blues locked on her gaze. A fresh hint of vulnerability leaked into the man's tone. "Please, always call me."
The unsettling idea of something happening to Tanvi on the job lingered and followed at the back of his mind as Civan went to pull a shirt out of his walk-in closet for her. One of his older volleyball shirts that she'd threatened to steal on more than one occasion.
"Here." He emerged in a blink, stood again at the edge of his bed with the shirt extended out to her. Then, with every intention of joining her, his hands moved absently to hitch and pull the clean cut navy colored shirt he'd been wearing off over his head.
The brush of Civan's lips against hers had her eyes fluttering closed for a moment, her own pursing to reciprocate the gesture as a small, content smile overtook her features. She mumbled quietly, the words 'love you' coming out as an unrecognizable sound that was stifled by a yawn that took her by surprise, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she fought the urge to bury herself into the softness of the plush blanket beneath her. Instead she forced herself to open her eyes and tilt her head back to gaze up at him, soft brown eyes a little hazy from the concussion.
"Always." She parroted softly, all the stubbornness from before seemingly leeched from her body at the vulnerability in his voice, as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze before he turned and disappeared into his closet.
She'd allowed her eyes to close once more as she waited for his return, his voice pulling her back from the brink of sleep and a tired, lopsided grin stretching her lips at the sight of the shirt. "Finally letting me have my shirt, once and for all?" She mused, pulling her own shirt off and slowly rising from the bed so she could also remove her pants, one hand resting on his now bare chest for balance as she did. It was only once her jeans, shirt, and bra were removed that she pulled the well worn cotton over her head and deposited her own clothes into his hamper. They could get sent out with his next load, she wouldn't mind.
Making her way back to the bed, Tanvi grabbed Civan's hand as she passed him, pulling him with her before she climbed up and nestled herself beneath the comforter on what she'd dubbed her side of his bed long ago. "You be the big spoon today." She murmured, waiting until he was in the bed with her to reach behind herself and pull his body against hers and his arm around her waist. "Don't let me slip into a coma, okay?" She joked, linking her fingers through his and lifting them to so she could press a soft kiss into his knuckles.
"Thank you, jaan." The words were spoken softly, trailing off as she stopped fighting her body and succumbing to the sleep that had been fighting to overtake her since they left the hospital.
Sonny’s expression twitches at the gesture—albeit barely, but it was there. A minuscule softening around the eyes, a shadow of something almost resembling gratitude in her gaze… though calling it that would be a stretch. Still, the sight of the calamari plate being nudged between them disarms her more than it should. It vaguely reminded her of all the nights she’d sat across from Tanvi's client in question, at some back-alley bar, quietly splitting food, shoulders touching, pretending for just a second they were something close to a normal couple. Even while, Sonny knew they weren't.
That ache—that goddamn ache every time she thought about Shane or Elijah—moved beneath her ribs, sharp and sudden. Yet, she smothers it. She always does.
She doesn't reach for the food sitting between them abandoned now. Despite her stomach growling after glimpsing it. Instead, Sonny lets her fingers ghost around the rim of her glass, trailing it with a precision that is more about focus than it is about fidgeting. It gives her something to do with her hands while she figures out just how much she's willing to share with Tanvi.
"You’re not wrong, by the way," she adds after a long beat, her voice quieter now, but no less steady. “About what you think of me. About whatever you think I did. You probably think it’s unforgivable, leaving my son and his father the way I did. Most people would, I get it. Especially when they don't have all the facts. Or in this case, have only been privy to one side of the story.”
Her eyes finally flick to Tanvi’s, and for the first time, there is no wall, no mask—just a flicker of raw, unguarded pain. "I’m not here to make excuses, okay. I don’t have a sob story to share that'll help you sympathize with me, and I’m sure as hell not looking for your pity. But if you wanna know why I left?” She doesn’t wait for confirmation. Doesn't need it. “It's because staying would’ve signed their death sentences. My father's a very powerful man who doesn’t make idle threats, and I wasn’t going to gamble my kid’s life just so I could sleep next to the man I love. He forbade it."
She shakes her head once, bitterly, before swallowing down the sharp edge in her throat. “I made a choice. A horrible, brutal, necessary choice. One that cost me everything I've ever loved and wanted, including the only two people who ever made me feel like I could be more than just my father’s shadow or his weapon."
Her knuckles whiten around her glass. "And now? Shane’s chasing ghosts. Yours truly, mostly." She points to herself. "He thinks answers will give him peace, or closure, or whatever it is he tells himself at night to keep him from unraveling. But all it’s gonna do is put him closer to an early grave. And I can’t—” her voice falters for a breath, frustrated, but she powers through, eyes fixed hard on Tanvi’s now—“I won’t let that happen."
There it is. The truth, or at least a slice of it anyway. Heavy. Costly.
“Can you understand that?" For a split second, could just one person put themselves in her shoes or try to? "If you're serious about helping him,” she adds, voice low and intent, “then maybe it's time you stop looking at me like I’m the villain in his story, and start thinking about how you keep him alive long enough to write a new one. With or without me.”
There's a beat. “And if you really want to help, you’ll stop following me around like some bloodhound and come at me direct. Because this?” She gestures to the space between them, the quiet tension of unsaid things. “This is the only chance you'll get to talk to me while I’m in the mood to give you pieces of what's been missing.”
Sonny reaches out then—not for the calamari, but to pluck a napkin from the bar and gently wipe the condensation off her glass, something strangely delicate in motion. But casual nonetheless, like she hadn’t just cracked open a vein. "You care about him," it's not a question so much as it is an observation, a hunch. Because, who wouldn't? "So do I. Enough that I'm willing to swallow my pride and sit here talking with you as the target on my back grows bigger and bigger with each second that ticks by. I just want what's best for them. And if that's handing over my truth in the form of you, then so be it. So what is it, you want to know? Or better yet, what is it he's asked you to find? Come on, don't hold back. I can handle it. But, can you? Can he?"
Tanvi's body sat on the stool facing Sonny, posture more relaxed than she felt inside, giving the other woman her full attention. The bar around them, the clatter, the noise, the people, they didn't matter. For the time being, Tanvi's world narrowed down to Sonny and her story, and as she sat and listened to the other woman's explanation— finally getting the answers she'd been chasing for years on Shane's behalf— she hated the way she understood. Not only understood, but she could relate— at least in a roundabout way.
"I understand it." She admitted, her tone softening while her gaze remained hardened. While she could understand where Sonny was coming from, why she made the difficult decisions she did, she'd still left a lot of pain in her wake. Pain Tanvi had witnessed first hand— and she'd come into the picture when Shane had already begun his healing journey. "And I never saw you as the villain." Another concession, however small.
Reaching out to pick up a piece of calamari with her fork, dipping it into the tartar sauce before bringing it up to her lips and taking the bite, Tanvi chewed slowly. She used the time it took her to chew and swallow the bite (and subsequently wash it down with a sip of her drink), to mull over her own words. Sonny had already admitted quite a bit, much to her surprise, and she figured she should reciprocate in some way. Which was why...
"Do you know why I took Shane's case?" She finally asked after dabbing her mouth with a napkin. "Why I specialize in missing persons cases?" From what Tanvi knew about the woman across form her, she figured she'd done her homework on the person who'd been one step behind her for years. But she wasn't sure just how much she knew, so the private investigator chose to tell an abridged version of the story. Enough to help Sonny understand.
"When I was fifteen my older sister went missing. We woke up one morning and she had just... vanished. The cops were convinced she'd just run away, but we knew better. They did a half ass job of searching for her when she didn't show back up after a couple of days but they never found anything." Tanvi's gaze remained on Sonny, though her voice waivered slightly at the memories that always came flooding back whenever she spoke about Leena. "But I wouldn't let it go. I did my own searching, my own investigating so to speak... and I found her. In the Charleston morgue as a Jane Doe. She'd been there for months." Sucking in a deep, shaky breath, Tanvi took a moment to compose herself. It'd been more than a decade since she'd lost her sister, since she'd found the answer her parents had been searching for but it wasn't the answer they'd wanted.
"I knew what he was going through, the hell of not knowing what happened to someone you loved— the fear that grips your heart every single time the phone rings." Bringing her gaze back to Sonny, Tanvi's resolve was firmly back in place. "The way your mind plays tricks on you, thinking you see them in a crowd or hear their voice while you're at the store. The way sleep evades you because when you sleep, the things you don't let yourself think about— the horrific things that could have happened, overtake you. And he went through all of that with a baby." She sighed. "Shane never asked anything more than for me to find you. He just wanted to know you were okay. You were alive. You were somewhere."
For a moment she searched Sonny's eyes, unsure of what exactly she was looking for in them but finding it nonetheless. Then she continued, her voice softer, the edge in her tone gone. "I couldn't give him those answers then, but you can now. I understand it's a delicate situation, that you've been doing your best to do what's best for him. For them. But don't you think he should have a say in it, too?"
Rolling her eyes a little, Jiya glanced to her side to look at the woman. "Oh my god, dramatic much? I knocked on your window and said your name in a normal, slightly excited tone and volume. If I could make you out across the street then so could he, so maybe you need to think about that instead." Having never encountered that kind of situation before, Jiya hadn't known that she wasn't meant to go up to a familiar face when she saw one.
When her body was thrown back and forward from the acceleration and the brake, Jiya reached out to steady herself against the dashboard. "Are you insane? I never said I would call them so can we stop trying to give me whiplash?" Even if she did know how to treat it.
"So now I'm in the wrong for not knowing that listening to police scanners are a thing?" Rubbing her temples gently, Jiya shook her head. So much for a quiet town. "This town might actually cause me to start accelerating ageing. I never actually accused you of wanting to murder me but you need to at least admit that this all looks shifty." Stubborn to her bones, Jiya simply shot Tanvi a look. "No, you kidnapped me, I have no idea where I am, so you can take me back to where we started or you can take me to the hotel. I only wanted directions anyway." Crossing her arms over her chest, Jiya tapped her foot against the floor. "I would very much appreciate the lift so I don't get lost again and make an already awful day worse. Thank you very much."
Tanvi's hands gripped the steering wheel to the point that her knuckles were turning white, her aggravation with the woman in her passenger's seat reaching a point where she could feel herself losing the tentative control she had on her anger and she was mere seconds away from abandoning her own vehicle with the woman inside and walking herself back to her own office just to get away from her. Jiya may have been stubborn, but Tanvi was obstinate.
"As an apparent kidnappee you're not really in any place to make demands, are you?" She asked through gritted teeth, her hardened gaze affixed on the road ahead of them through the windshield. She had to remind herself to breathe, slowly pulling in a deep breath through her nose while silently counting to five, and then exhaling it in the same countenance. She repeated the process a couple more times before she was calm enough to confidently turn her gaze towards Jiya without reaching over to shove her out of the vehicle. "You can appreciate a ride all you want, but until you apologize for ruining my job and acting like you're now entitled to a ride back because you haven't bothered to learn the way home without help, then we're going to sit here."
Raj deserved the words that felt like a slap to the face. It was rare to get into disagreements with Tanvi, their friendship spanning longer than any other ones he held in his life. "We haven't exactly seen much of each other." Not that it was an excuse, but it felt a lot like one as the words rolled off his tongue. He fell silent with her next words. Her words crashed over him, knowing that they were too damn true. "I wasn't thinking, not really." He could admit that to Tanvi at the end of the day. He rubbed his hand against the back of his head. "He asked and it made me feel useful for once." Not that he was referring to any of the times with Tanvi. "I suppose, as childish as it sounds, I've wanted Cem to not think of me as just the math teacher that hangs around here and is in the way." Raj admitted with a lift of his shoulders into a shrug. "I should have put more thought into it. I didn't," Raj shook his head, "I didn't think it went as deep as it did and that was foolish of me." He chewed on his bottom lip. "I won't be doing anything like it again. I promise." @tanvimvshra
Her eyes narrowed at his words, arms coming up to cross over her chest as she stared daggers at her oldest friend. "And who's fault is that? You've apparently been spending all of your free time with Cem." Did she sound snippy and jealous? Yes, she did, but she wasn't used to having to share Raj's attention- and she was beyond angry with both him and her business partner for coming up with some scheme that could have gotten Raj into trouble, or worse, hurt. "Bhai." She sighed, the endearment leaving her lips softer than any of her previous words as her cutting gaze softened and her shoulders slumped a bit. "You're never in the way, and you don't have to prove yourself to anyone. Not to me, and definitely not to Cem." Reaching across the desk, she reached out and gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "I get why you did it, and as much as I hate to admit it I probably would have done the same thing. But here's the thing— I can't lose you, too." The admittance was practically whispered, but despite the quiet volume, the words still carried conviction as her gaze locked on his. "I need you to be careful. To run this stuff by me so I can talk some sense into both of you, okay?"
Pinar's lips parted with laughter at Tanvi's statement. "No, I don't think anyone would be surprised that the two were men." In fact, more of her dramatic clients were men, if she were to generalize all the clientele she had worked with over the years. "I've wanted to do that in situations were grief wasn't involved," Pinar let the words slip in an alcohol induced admittance, "but unfortunately, that's frowned upon as a lawyer." She followed it up with another laugh, nodding her head. "Of course, I had to have my win as well as theirs. They both think that they came out ahead of the other. For now anyway." She lifted her shoulders into a shrug. "How's work been treating you? Or rather, my brother. He's someone I can smack some sense into, should we need." @tanvi-rao
A small smile quirked the corners of Tanvi's lips up at the other woman's laughter, an expression she hid behind the rim of her glass as she took a sip. "In my experience, the frowned upon stuff is more fun." She mused, nudging Pinar gently with her elbow. "Besides, frowned upon isn't illegal, right? And If tv and movies are to be believed, then people like their lawyers with a little grit." She shot a playful wink at the other woman and quickly finished off her drink and ordered another from the bartender as they passed. "Well at least everyone came out of it happy, that's all you can really hope for right?"
Glancing down the bar to see a bowl of peanuts, Tanvi reached out and grabbed it, pulling it towards them and grabbing a handful for herself to snack on as she waited for her next drink. "Work's been fine, busy. The usual, you know?" She chuckled quietly, shrugging her shoulders. "And your brother's fine. Haven't seen him much lately, actually, we've both been busy with our own cases. But don't worry, if I need some sense smacked into him I'll give you a call- we can double team him."
The drive was quiet, and for him a little tense. Tanvi had confirmed something was off, something they'd talk about later, and that coupled with his fretting over her current state left him to stew. Unable to help but shoot consistent glances across to the passenger's seat of his BMW where she looked to be already drifting off. Even if she was likely medically fine, the more logical part of his brain was dulled by the uncomfortable knot in his stomach that formed whenever Tanvi looked vulnerable. Which, she did, engulfed by the seat and barely holding onto consciousness.
When the drive from the hospital finally turned into the well-trimmed driveway in Briar Hills that led up to his home, Civan did his best to park and turn off the engine with little fuss. Attempting to not stir Tanvi from what was probably only a very shallow rest.
"It's just me," Civan reminded gently when he appeared on the passenger's side to unceremoniously scoop her up out of the car. With or without protest. The trek into his house done with the kind of practiced ease of someone who'd definitely done this before. Though the jostling at the door to unlock it and his need to kick off his shoes before going further inside probably stirred the woman further.
He grimaced, "Sorry aşkım." He brushed a kiss atop her head and proceeded through the sunny open-window laden front end of his modern home to dutifully deliver her to his bedroom. One arm braced her back as he set Tanvi down on the edge of the bed, allowing for a break of his usual 'no outside clothes in the bed' rule.
"Do you want a shirt to sleep in, or are you alright?" She was sober and likely perfectly capable, but he was fussing so Civan knelt to unfasten her shoes himself.
The sleep she got in the car was light, but comfortable. Tanvi may have been a little cold, but despite that, being with Civan brought a level of comfort and safety that was unmatched in her life. Which was why she was so easily able to fall asleep, and when he'd scooped her up into his arms from the passenger's seat, Tanvi simply rested her head on his shoulder and pulled in a slow, deep breath; allowing a quiet sound of recognition and content as she exhaled.
It felt like all she'd done was blink and they were inside the house, her arms having lazily come up to wrap around his neck as he'd jostled her while opening the front door and kicking his shoes off. In her concussion and sleep fogged haze, she attempted to kick her own shoes off of her feet but was met with resistance she couldn't overcome so she simply curled further into Civan's arms and waited to arrive at their destination.
Once she was set down on the bed, Tanvi stretched her arms above her head and let out a small yawn. Her eyes watched him, heavy with sleep and sparkling with unmistakable affection, and a small smile graced her lips. "A shirt would be great. I wouldn't want you to have to send your bed sheets out to be cleaned, too, since I'm wearing outside clothes." She teased, a hand reaching out to gently cup his cheek, thumb stroking over his skin gently as she brought his gaze to hers. "Thank you."
It wasn't the first time this week she'd tried to drown in a bit of liquor and late night company - she imagined, it might not be the last either. Though, only when her daughter were taken care of. Summer camps were new for the both of them and while she constantly checked her phone for messages from the camp counselor or Asya herself. "You'd think being a lawyer would mean people listen to me more." And some did, but there were still plenty of them didn't. "The case was primarily ego and estate between two brothers. They were fighting over some property left by their father." She gave a little shrug, picking up the shot that was placed in front of her. Pinar threw it back, placing the empty glass on the bar top and ordered herself a cocktail from the bartender to follow the shot. "Needless to say, you're right. No matter what they have, they're going to find a way to be a pain in the ass. I'm sure you deal with that often." @tanvimvshra
Tanvi had her body turned towards the other woman, giving her her undivided attention as she twirled the straw in her Long Island iced tea around in the glass. She couldn't hep but to sympathize with the woman, having had a few cases of her own that week that not only gave her headaches but nearly had her cancelling their contracts. "Why am I not surprised they were two men?" She asked with a scoff, head shaking at the audacity of the two people in the story. Had her own sibling still been alive, she couldn't imagine fighting over something so trivial with her. "I know that everyone grieves differently and we're supposed to have grace, or whatever, but... sometimes you just want to haul off and smack some sense into them, right?" This time, she let out a quiet snort of laughter. "Who ended up winning? Please tell me you somehow found a way that they both lose just to stick it to them."
When Shane had sent that dumb bat emoji for the first time all those years ago, he’d felt ridiculous. But it had become their literal bat signal — a simple way to say, Hey, I need a minute. Over the years, it had come to mean more than he ever expected. It was a quiet promise: that there was someone who didn’t need an explanation, who was always willing to drop everything and sit with either one of them out by their pond on the outskirts of the ranch.
He’d sent it to Tanvi that morning, after waking with a weight on his chest that refused to ease. It felt like his entire life had gone to hell in the span of a few short weeks. And today, he just needed a break — a break from earth-shattering news, from betrayal, from emotional landmines. He just needed to breathe.
As he crested the hill, a smile tugged at his lips when he spotted Tanvi stretched out in the sun. He walked up quietly, stepping into the sunlight to block its rays and see if she’d notice — or if she’d fallen asleep.
“Well, someone’s gotta keep you on your toes,” he said with a grin.
Dropping down onto the bench beside her, he draped an arm over the backrest and reached for one of the lemonades, taking a sip. “The perfect amount of watered down to make it not too sweet,” he commented, sending her a shit-eating smirk, knowing full well she'd probably heartily disagree with him.
“So, fill me in on what’s going on in your life, Mishra, any exciting cases lately?” He was only too happy to get distracted by the adventures of one of his closest friends.
Without opening her eyes, Tanvi snorted a laugh and shook her head. "Keeping me waiting in the summer sun is not the same as keeping me on my toes, Parker." Despite the bite of her words, her tone was teasing, playful. There wasn't a lot the private investigator enjoyed about the summer— the bugs, the heat and humidity, the spiderwebs. As much as she enjoyed the time they spent together at their spot, Tanvi couldn't deny the fact that getting to it was less than ideal for her and the fact that she'd walked through no less than twelve spiderwebs in the years they'd been meeting (yes, she's kept count) proved just how important these meetings and Shane himself were to her.
Finally opening her eyes beneath the brim of her cap, Tanvi turned her head to look at him, and despite her rolling eyes, her gaze held nothing but soft affection for the man next to her. "You're so full of shit, it's disgusting." A laugh left her lips at that, a grin stretching her features and causing her eyes to crinkle in the corners. "Just trying to distract me from the fact that you dragged my ass out here in this heat and then took your sweet time getting here with your bad lemonade opinions."
Stretching her legs out in front of her and crossing them at the ankles, Tanvi moved her gaze away from Shane to look out at the pond in front of them. For a moment, she tried to think about something happy and exciting to share with her friend, but she quickly remembered that this was Shane and she didn't have to do that with him. She didn't have to wear any kind of mask— the basis of their friendship and this place was that they could just be. "Well, do you consider following a mark and tripping over a planter, hitting your head on the sidewalk, and ending up in the hospital with a minor concussion and a few stitches as exciting?" She asked, brows raised with a smirk on her features. "If not then I can tell you about the woman who was convinced her neighbor stole her cat— he didn't, but he was in the process of stealing her husband... and planning a way to off her so they could get her life insurance and run away together."
The knit of his brow only deepened, concern still plainly written across his otherwise stoic features. Some days Tanvi found new ways to leave him speechless and for a moment Civan just kind of stood there, taking the emotional undercut of her words on the chin. "Okay..." whatever he was going to try to say next was stopped short by a sudden, irritating third wheel in the form of the nurse the pair both apparently now had a grudge with.
"Yeah, yeah I could recite all this in my sleep." Civan unhelpfully bemoaned through Tabitha's spiel, actively trying to rush her through the process and looking entirely put out by her presence. Still a little irritated by her phone call etiquette. Was it all by the book, and the same thing he'd do in her place? Yes. Did that make him any less annoyed with the woman? No.
Tabitha's 'look' was met with a glare that followed her back through the doorway, but any lingering edge melted away the second Tanvi latched willingingly onto his side. Civan breathed an audible sigh of relief and gingerly tugged her into place, pressed protectively into his side. Silently grateful she'd at least temporarily caved. Though the nagging thought something was off still lingered, paperwork in tow Civan guided them out of the emergency room. A pointed glare tossed over his shoulder when they passed by the nurse's station, again. For good measure.
"Have you eaten?" Was the first thing he said after their departure, the passenger's side door of his car held open for her. A little overly fussed a hand stayed steady at the small of her back as Tanvi ducked into the vehicle. "I can stop somewhere on the way," he offered after having made it around to the driver's side and the door thuded shut in his wake.
Despite herself and the knowledge that she was still upset with him, Tanvi leaned further into his side, head resting down on his shoulder as her body sagged a bit. She was tired from the time spent in the hospital and the events of the day, the pain medication she'd gotten when she first arrived beginning to wear off, and being tucked comfortably into Civan's side felt good. It felt right. So she allowed herself the comfort, an arm sliding around his waist as her thumb hooked into the waistband of his pants for purchase, walking in step with him out of the hospital and into the parking lot.
As she plopped herself down into the passenger's seat with a quiet 'thank you', Tanvi leaned back and allowed her eyes to close, desperate for the rest her body seemed to be craving. For a moment she remained quiet, waiting for him to get into the car before blindly reaching out and placing a hand on his thigh, chasing the comfort of his warmth as she sunk further into the seat. "I'm not hungry." Her voice was laced with exhaustion and she had to force herself to peek her eyes open and turn her head to look at him. "Unless you need to eat, then we can stop." She added, offering him a barely there smile. "But right now your bed is really calling my name."
