no, not really. it had been a rhetorical question and she's not sure if he's an asshole or just plain stupid. she's leaning towards the former, however, when he clambers into the seat and asks her if she's skipped kindergarten. fingers tighten on the doorframe and she's about to slam it shut and look for another cab when remus crawls in. 

the riolu looks at her expectantly and, annoyed, she returns the blaziken behind her to his ball and hauls herself up into the seat. 

"slateport," she says to the driver before her companion can get a word in otherwise. wherever he's going, he'll have to tag along with her first. she has business to attend to. 

"alright," the cabbie responds. "got wind of a storm comin' up from that part o' the region so we'll head on over 'ere first." he drones on a little bit longer about the weather changes, about how hoenn's been changing and it's not like the 'good old days' and taxi drivers ought to be compensated for the dangers they face until parker snaps, finally, and says,

"take it up with the union, alright? not your passengers." 

and because she likes to pick a fight, "ever heard of first come, first serve?"

Xander Belmont

☉

slateport for me too. she's surprised. sure, security's gotten a little lax since their forces have had to stretch to sootopolis, but most of the port town is occupied by family names or someone who knows someone. the corruption runs deep and the fact that she doesn't recognize him means he's either done his due diligence with crew taxes or he's a civilian that hasn't had the pleasure of having parker knock on his door. 

the cabbie, quiet after she'd snapped, pipes back up at xander's remarks. 

"try not to ask questions, you know, but you two ought to know slateport still i'n't the safest. and i'm not talkin' 'bout the storm. i hear there's still a whole lot of shady work bein' done down there. not often i get passengers goin' there on their own. ah, still, might all be hearsay."

parker's glare in the rearview coaxes him back into silence. she props an elbow up against the edge of the door. remus shuffles a little closer to her, looking at xander out of the corner of his eye. 

"got a problem with my attitude and you can hop on out," she says dryly. 

"oh, i wouldn't advise opening the door there, sir. we're gaining altitude and unless ya got a flying-type on ya, you'll be lookin' at hospitalization at worst. not to mention, it's a whole lot of paperwork for me and -" 

parker pinches the bridge of her nose. "so what brings you to slateport?" she says, speaking over the cabbie. her conversation starter effectively quiets him; seems he's as keen on learning about his passengers as she thought. a possibility crosses her mind and she muses on it for a bit, tucks it away for later.

Xander Belmont

☉

haven't run into much trouble. he's either a fucking idiot or he's lying. maybe both. there are plenty of civilians in slateport under league affiliation and jurisdiction, yes, but much of what goes on in the undercity splashes into the light. most of them simply ignore it. as they say, ignorance is bliss. 

she flexes her fingers and then snorts. "it's always a little bit o' both," she says truthfully, but not without a smug grin. honestly, since getting in the cab herself, she's thought of exactly three different ways she could beat the redhead's ass. 

it's some sort of comfort, really. 

Xander Belmont

☉

"sure as shit doesn't make me sad," she says, mouth twisting. she turns her head away, even though he's not looking at her anyway. her mouth goes sour and words rise in her throat. the kid beside her has the posture of someone born with a silver spoon in their mouth. 

he's never known the under-city. he's never seen the festering underbelly, never had to build a life from muck and discarded nothings. she's street trash, making use of the opportunities presented to her. 

but he won't understand that. and she doesn't need him to anyway. 

remus stiffens beside her and parker turns from the window. the pup's eyes burn a soft blue and he yips just as thunder booms too close for comfort. 

"yo, cabbie - we almost there?"

Xander Belmont

☉

the rain beats against the window and all at once she's reminded of why she absolutely despises flying transportation. remus sidles a little bit closer to her, but she draws her hand away before he can dare lift a paw. it's not her style to look weak in front of others. 

no, instead she pouts and tries to keep the worry off of her face as she peers through the glass pane on her side. thunder cracks. there's a wink of lightning some miles off and her fingers curl. 

"gonna have to think about setting down here if that storm keeps headin' our way."

"fine by me," parker says with a grimance. 

she looks to the side at xander. and whether it's because suddenly she thinks she might actually die up here and she doesn't want her last few words to be a lie, or because she wants him to shut the fuck up, she says, 

"no. 's never made me happy." but even that, she finds, when she says it, is a lie. there's a certain feeling that comes from the power of towering over someone with their blood on your hands, with them squealing underneath you. something about feeling un-fucking-touchable. 

she looks away.

Xander Belmont

☉