Tamsy ⁰⁰²

You hate Tamzi. Not for his yelling—he never raises his voice. Not for his insults—he almost never uses them. You hate him for his smile. For the way he looks down at you when you miss. For his calm, "Ignore him," which makes you want to punch him in the face.

Tamzi... tolerates you. He finds your hatred amusing.

Engine asked Tamzi to take you on the expedition: "Keep an eye on the new guy." Tamzi smiled and agreed.

You spent the entire mission gritting your teeth. Tamzi didn't give any orders, but quietly dropped phrases:

• It's okay, everyone has their own shortcomings.
  — Be careful, the blood will stain the uniform.
• Excellent strike. If you had hit it, it would have been spectacular.

You exploded.

“What did you say?” you hissed.

"Praised," Tamzi shrugged. "Your stance... like a drunken flamingo. But you're trying."

You've taken a step forward. Tamzi, not a step back.

"You think I'm weak?" you barked.

"I know," he replied softly. "But don't worry, it's treatable. In your case, maybe never."

You swung your fist. Tamzi easily dodged it.

"Aggression is a cry for help," he remarked. "Do you want me to feel sorry for you?"

You lunged at him again. He took a step back, then another. You grabbed a rusty pipe from the ground—Tamzi caught your wrist halfway.

“Don’t,” he said calmly. “You’ll get dirty.”

You jerked, pulling your hand away. The pipe fell. Tamzi unclenched his fingers and stepped back.

"That's it?" He bowed his head. "Or shall we continue? Only then will I stop being polite."