There’s no use covering up the fact that Torrie watches Theo unpack containers out of his bag with a rapt kind of attention. She’s only been away from the civilized dining halls of the Capitol and UMCB for a short while, but she misses them already. Canned soup can’t compare, even if Solomon had brought only her favorites for her. The boxes of Thin Mints have been empty for a while too, so the brownies carry some interest for her too.
“You see a dog around here?” she responds with a flourish of her hand around her space. “Human. Beat up pretty bad.” If she and Lita were on speaking terms -more than tense text messages- she would need to thank the doctor for the basic first aid skills. “Found him on my way back down here.” She doesn’t really want to talk about Alejo though, only because there isn’t a lot to say.
She’s saved from further explanation when he removes the lids and on instinct she breathes in deeply, exhaling on a small laugh because even she knew the reaction was ridiculous. Like something someone who hasn’t seen food in days would do. The amusement is cut short when he says he’s been in the North Loop. She knows she should have known, but it’s still sets some kind of uncomfortable internal feelings at the idea of Theo poking around the new dealers. “But you do it anyway,” she snips when he takes a breath between sentences, a flash of the pettiness she’s capable of. “I really fucking hate your job.” Like she has a right to even say that. “I fucking hate that there aren’t enough people in your department.” Sometimes she hates that she even cares. It was easier when the only person that mattered to her Solomon, but now there are more names to think about than she wants to admit to.
To distract herself from getting more annoyed she serves herself some of the food he brought, chews on a mouthful of spaghetti while she can feel the fact that she’s sitting right at the edge of a bad mood.
“You should have a task force, not just you,” she tells him after she’s a little more settled, a little clearer thinking. She didn’t think she could like any raider group less than the Hellhounds, but the fact that people are missing now because of these cats has earned her ire.