SHAME:
Finally, we meet. The Addiction Sorceress. The one impeding on my territory.

TAS:
It's...THEE! Addiction Sorceress.

SHAME:
I see... I wasn't expecting you to be, so young

TAS:
And, I wasn't expecting you to be so old!

Shame:
Hehe, Plucky.

---

[THE BREAKDOWN]

SHAME P.O.V.
Given their jobs, a good % of their ‘ Clients’ (children) do overlap. Since with Addiction, feelings of shame do follow behind. This isn’t always the case for everyone, but mostly, yes. Wouldn’t you agree?

They look at each other as sparring partners. Always trying to outdo the other. (trying to outdo the other), till they burn one another and watch the utterly strange organized chaos they have created. (of course, in the end, the children always suffer. As these two, have yet to find a balance. Not yet knowing they should work together, then against one another)

But of course, when on the job they do fight a lot, but in a very professional manner. And surely shit must be said under their breath, in hopes the other will hear, to get a rise out of the other.
And Shame is irked at how he has to deal with a ‘ child’ too. (Though it seems a lot in the department overlook this, or trend to forget completely) But even so, they are still co-workers, meaning she is his peer and equal (in a sense) Even if she is old enough to be his granddaughter.

But Tas' precocious nature did draw him in and intrigues him. And he has admitted to her, he enjoys her company greatly when sparring, or when they are being civil in the break room. She is a nice little distraction. And frankly, she offers more input and thought into things, than their other Co-Workers. And her being the first to genuinely enjoys talking to him, or giving him a few smirks/chuckles at his stories/jokes, may have explained why she has earned a special spot in his heart. Feeling he can call her, something close to a friend.
And soon Tas becomes his own shame. Yes! Shame had ended up manifesting feelings for tas. Which makes him a GRADE-A-Hippocratic. Since she is old enough to be his granddaughter. and that is pretty shameful. (it also seems Maury has become aware of his truth. And now chooses to torment him, just like how he has tormented Andrew and himself on many occasions)

Shame Does indeed carry his own ‘ hellfire’ of this woman. However, he keeps this hellfire of his, to himself. He is nothing like that one french archdeacon/judge. But still, such an eternal hellfire rages inside his very soul, whenever he sees this woman.
Yet he continues to hide it well, and not let it interfere with this work, though there have been times he has slipped. But he masterfully manages to talk Tas to another topic. Or by some odd chance, some outside interrupt happens, drawing their attention to that.
———————
TAS P.O.V.
When first coming to the department, she kept to herself. It was Shame who she met her last when dealing with one of her clients, that just so happened was also his. They had heard about one another in passing, but their ideas of one another were completely off.

He told her, he hadn’t expected her to be so young. And she, taking offense to that, told him, she didn’t accept him to be so old! He laughed it off. Calling her ‘Plucky’
It became clear to them, they shared a huge portion of the same children. So they started off rocky. She loved playing the ‘ anything you can do, I can do better’ game with him. And when Addiction was higher on the charts, and Shame was dropping, she happily rubbed it into his face.

Telling him he has been replaced, she is reigning supreme. (linking back to when he was *‘ feeling irksome’ *by her, having to deal with what he considered as a self-entitled child. Still baffled at how someone so young landed such a job.)

It was only a little bit later did Tas notice, how people talked about him, behind his back. Or how they treated him, outright. And secretly she did hate it. As it reminded her. of herself back in her days, in that foundling home. So she could relate. (Tas is not without a heart, but rarely does she choose to use it, she doesn't want to be hurt...)
She then decided to pull back a little, on her own fighting with him. But kept her facade of them being Frenemies, when around him, or when on the job with him. But like Shame, she too ‘ slipped’ many times, and ended up letting him in. Even going as far as forgetting herself, at times.

Like laughing at his joke, nor did she force it. They were real chuckles. Or when Tas was having an off day, he offered her hand. A place to vent. And she took it. And realizing how many hours passed so fast, with them merely talking. Oh, how she found a rather strange kind of solace with him, during their Battles of Wit. Or how she enjoyed him, inadvertently becoming her teacher. Showing her some of his own dirty tricks, as well as “tricks of the trade.”

She had started to like the attention he offered her, even when they were not sparring. Starting to see they were turning into something, more than just Frenemies.


.....Soon it became complicated, as it seemed both of their higher-selfs knew they liked each other. The two saw how compatible they were for each other, but they were just far too prideful with themselves, to fall to the other, and admit it. But now on the regular, their true feelings started to escape(ever so slightly), during their *‘Sparring Matches’ They still continued to safe face. Still believing they were nothing more, but close work acquaintances.

Soon trying to deny to themselves, ‘How could he/she ever love someone like me?'

And so they choose, to continue trying to suppress their feelings. And for the most part, they managed to function properly, when around each other. But the tension ( as well as sexual tension), was slowly building up. It was only a matter of time, till someone would finally snap!