---

Tamara ran a hand down the back of her head, yawning a little bit. It had been another productive day visiting the BOS head base; things were still rough talking about the last couple of nightmares she had, but Nia seemed to supportive as she always was as Tamara talked to the doctor. She was checking her phone as she stepped out of the elevator, making a few plans to meet up with Erin before having to head back to Las Torres in a day or two. She'd just stepped out of the hair salon that served as one of the HQ's secret entrances when she heard the roar of a jet engine. There was a presence coming from the sky, a moving shadow. Tamara tilted her head a bit, bringing a hand to her eyes- why did she leave her sunglasses at home- and saw a form starting to get bigger as it headed... right for the spot she was standing at. "What in the...." she started to say as she moved away from the hair salon; she couldn't give that up as a BOS location by suddenly using powers, but her amulet glowed and her hair shimmered from her normal black to her "on the clock" brown. Times like this made her wish that she could just change into her costume as quickly as her hair changed.

It was as she was getting to the park nearby that Tamara could see the form. It looked like some sort of robot or someone in a mechanical suit. It had to be a furson, the way that the white hair and tail moved naturally in the wind, but then suddenly the form flew down, coming to a hover just above the coyote. The battlesuit shone a little bit, though that was more due to the sunshine than anything. There were a few more clues that it was a suit in the way it moved while coming down. Soon it was right on top of her, hovering down to come for a landing.

"Oh... oh holy shit," Tamara said, ears folding back. Her eyes moved around furtively for a moment, amulet glowing a bit as she reached out for a rock to defend herself with as the furson in the battlesuit hovered there for a moment, looking like it was... analyzing her? Tam's heart thumped fast. She hated fighting in her civvies- that's what landed her in hot water back in Savannah- but she was about the only person here for the moment. She thought about activating the panic button on the BOS communicator in her pocket, but she wondered if that would be treated as an aggressive action. There was something familiar about this though, something that nagged in her mind...

"Stand aside." The robotic-enhanced female voice rang out clear. "I'm landing."

Tamara took a breath and narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Hovering."

The matter-of-fact answer actually brought a snort from Tamara though she tried to focus.

"I mean here... Colmaton. This city has seen enough.."

The furson in the battlesuit seemed to groan in frustration before shifting a little bit. "I can detect your communicator. I know what you are doing. It's commendable, but move. I cannot hold this position for long."

Tamara swore under her breath in Apache, shifting back a step or two. She was found out, but hopefully she'd be able to keep her identity a secret. The furson took the opportunity to settle in for a landing. They stood there for a moment then she narrowed her eyes. "Identify yourself."

"My name is Alkahest with the ICDF. Your superiors should have informed you of me."

"Alka.... oh.. oh spirits.." Tamara let out a breath and dropped her hands slowly. Long nights of reading files while stuck on monitor duty had done her well, as the name and description finally popped into her mind. The adrenaline spike made her shake, but ultimately she was able to stand her ground. "You... really... your files really don't tell how... maldito intimidating your suit is.."

The white-haired furson grunted again. "I get that a lot."

---

A fun picture I got with  Kitsune Shukko! Tamara's a little out of the loop with some of the going on with the BOS so the first time she meets the battle-suit clad Alkahest she's ready to defend herself but realizing she's a little out of her league... And it's always fun to get Tam in civvies!

Artwork ©  Atherra
Maria /Alkahest ©  Kitsune Shukko
Tamara Rosales/Desert Dog © Me