Perfection

Tama walked outside of her building. She wasn't sure if she would ever get over the glamour of the city. And, according to her father, she wasn't even in the "good part" of the city. To her, this place called New York City was all but bad. It was just about perfect for her.

Using the loud and attention-grabbing whistle her father taught her within minutes of finally reaching the city for the first time, she was able to hail a cab in no time. She planted herself on the leather seat and gave the driver the address her father gave her. It would take a while, so she thought again about the Seven and Aria.

She made the decision. She had wished someone else did, though. Not that she regretted her choice completely. She felt it was the best choice she could have possibly made. Yet, the feeling that she made some kind of mistake lingered. Maybe she should have listened to the others. Maybe they were right.

Her thoughts were cut short when the taxi stopped in front of the building. She thanked the driver and handed him money.

A little ding from a silver bell rang above her as she entered the small grocery store. It wasn't nearly as big as some of the supermarkets she had seen in other towns but she felt that this little market suited the city well.

"Excuse me?" she walked up to the front counter to her left. "Excuse me?" she asked again. No one answered her. Tama walked around the store until she saw a door with the word, "Manager" printed on it with bold black letters. She knocked on the door and called, "Hello? I'm Tama Dodson. I'm here to see the manager?"

A voice behind her answered, "I'm the manager-" but he stopped short.

Tama turned and looked at the man.

"Hello." he said, folding and unfolding his hands. A little smile started to twitch at the corners of his mouth.

Tama felt a smile on her lips as well. She extended her hand as she said, "Hello, Finn."

*~*~*~*

The two left the building together and Finn locked up. He laughed while filling Tama in on what was going on back in Tay.

"The ones who swore that they'd never leave Tay were leaving a week after you did." he said, smiling the whole time. "Everyone left the town. I was the last one left. I checked every house and every building and every room. I spent three days searching the forests around Tay. No one was left. And, with the help of some very intelligent birds, I happen to know that everyone reached some kind of town and they are safe."

"Then you were able to do what you wanted." Tama said. "You made sure everyone was okay."

"Yeah. Tama. Are you alright?" he asked, extending his arm for her to take.

"Yeah." she said, taking it. They walked along the sidewalk. To where, Tama didn't know and didn't care. "I just. . . I'm not sure if I made the right decision with. . . Them."

They were quiet for a while. They kept moving, people brushing past them like they were a part of the buzz of the city when in reality those two people were more like kittens among lions.

"I for one thought it was mature." Finn said.

At that moment, Tama saw someone. A woman. Though she knew that the last time she saw this face, it was not a woman. When she did see this face for the first time, she was no more than a child. She realized who this person was when she looked at the crowd surrounding her. It was because she seemed so out of place among them.

. . . the fair-haired girl who looked so different from the sea of people. . .

The two girls, now women, looked at each other and turned away. Tama was able to see, though, the black "O" on the side of her neck. It was Aria. They walked past each other.

"Hey." Finn said, making Tama turn to him. "You made the higher decision. Everyone wanted them dead or tortured. Hell, even I did for a while." He placed his hands on the sides of her shoulders. "But I saw your eyes, and I knew, I just knew what you were going to suggest.

"Tama. . . you have this tenderness that no one else seems to see. People wanted blood and you would have been seen as a hero if you demanded it. But even though you went through so much that day, you still just wanted the madness to end. I'll never forget what you said. You said-"

"We're not much better than them if we become them." Tama said, sighing. "It's not poetry, Finn.

He shook his head, smiled, and said, "It was, Tama. It was. Even though everything seemed so goddamn awful . . . you were that small little piece of Reason that we all needed to listen to."

Tama pulled him into a hug. Finn kissed the top of her head and said, "You may not be perfect to the world, Tama of New York City. But you are to me."