To have your 21st Birthday fall on a Tuesday was terrible luck. You could celebrate the weekend before, but then you couldn’t drink—which defeated the purpose—or you could celebrate the weekend after, but that was at least three days after the actual date of your birthday.

Gina took this as an excuse to celebrate all week long. On the morning of her actual birthday (before her 11 a.m. class), Gina went to a mimosa brunch. Later that night, she and a handful of uni friends went-out to dinner at a fun restaurant just off campus, where a few of her friends took the opportunity to buy her a few drinks.

She celebrated with the roommates on Thursday. She bought a few packs of hard lemonades and they barbecued behind the house. A couple of roommates from various floors had even bought her birthday presents.

Now it was early Saturday evening. It had been Becca’s idea, initially. Having seen Gina’s Instagram pictures of the Tuesday- and Thursday-night festivities, she suggested that they have a get-together, too. Gina was more than enthused. In their correspondence, Rebecca even suggested that—should she be available—Becca might even be able to invite Agnes. The gargoyle’s heart swelled at the pronouncement. Though she and Becca were dear friends, Agnes was and always would be Gina’s sister, even after growing up and growing apart.

The plans were laid: meet at venue around six p.m., come dressed in a cocktail-dress level of fancy, and be ready for a night of fun.

Gina found herself to be the first one there, dressed in a champagne-colored dress. Though the young gargoyle had bought the dress directly off of a rack, it was almost as though it was made for Gina-- its high neck concealed the fact that a bra was sparing her from a night of back pain, its plunging scoop back accommodated her wings without requiring the gargoyle to alter it, and the A-line skirt accommodated her tail. And as if that was not enough, it had side-seam pockets. Whoever had made this dress was a god among mere mortals.

Her mane of curly brown hair had been wrangled into a bun (spare a few straggling strands), and was accented by a rose-gold hair comb that bore a semblance to laurels. Each earlobe was adorned by simple, tiny gold hoop earrings, and all of her belongings were tucked into a coordinating gold clutch.

Gina stood just outside of the venue, rocking on her feet and anxiously adjusting the dress. Though she wore the whole ensemble well, she felt like some sort of formal-wear impostor. She was no stranger to dresses, but traditionally she had always worn leggings underneath in the event that she decided to fly. Tonight, she had no such safeguard underneath the skirt. Some passing revelers greeted the petite gargoyle, and Gina waved wordlessly. The excited jitters over seeing her two dear friends, and of meeting Becca's girlfriend, did nothing to quell her excitement. If anything, it only made her more excited.

Being an “adult” was such a drag sometimes, with work and obligations taking up so much of the day. Admittedly, people who knew Rebecca as a vlogger would feel bitter listening to her complain, but she was a teacher as well, so she had plenty on her plate, even if no one believed her. College felt like so long ago, and in a weird way, the redhead missed it.

Luckily for her, one of her recently rediscovered best friends was going through one of the most important college-age rituals a girl could enjoy: a twenty-first birthday. Now that Gina and Rebecca followed each other everywhere on social media, she was able to notice that the gargoyle girl was enjoying a week of celebrating her birthday, (as she should.) Excited at the prospect of celebrating with Gina and rolling the clock back a few years, she proposed a girls’ night out that Saturday, and her friend gladly accepted.

Of course, rolling the clock back meant it was only right to invite the third member of their old band of musketeers, Agnes. The violinist was Gina’s sister, and it would mean the world to her if all three could make it out. It had been… maybe a few weeks now since their relapse. As they agreed when Rebecca left, they were giving each other space. Rebecca did check in so she could find out Agnes and River were giving things another try. (And good for them, honestly. Really. Truly.) On Rebecca’s end, she and Nessa talked things out, and Rebecca admitted that she was working on feelings she still had for Agnes, but that did not mean she did not want to give her relationship with Nessa a fair shot. Things were still tense, but they were trying to be better, even if Rebecca occasionally caught Nessa’s side-eyed looks when she was texting someone.

Rebecca called Agnes and invited her out, giving her the heads up that Nessa would be coming along for the night as well. River was, of course, invited if she was free and wanted to come. It was not an invite Rebecca was excited to extend, but she did not want to be a hypocrite; she was already too good at it lately.

Saturday evening rolled around quickly, and Rebecca and Nessa were in the backseat of an Uber. The driver was a bearded man in his mid-twenties looking to make a buck on a busy Saturday night. He was content to remain quiet as the planner of the evening reassuring her girlfriend things would be fine.

”Are you sure your friend doesn’t mind me coming along?”

”Ah’m sure! Gina knows abit ye an' she is a’ays interested in new friends,” Rebecca promised, playing with a loose ringlet of her girlfriend’s brown hair not kept in a bun. ”Yer gonna totally loove her.”

Nessa ran her hand down Rebecca’s lacy green sheath dress. ”If you’re sure.” She paused before asking her next question. ”So… did Agnes say she’d be able to make it?”

Rebecca replied nonchalantly with, ”Ah think sae. Ah mean, Gina is her sister.” It was not a blood relation, but no one ever questioned that Agnes and Gina were true sisters.

”Good. Good.” Nessa fidgeted a little, straightening the sleeves of her own light blue dress. Both women were simultaneously excited for a night out and dreading the ways it might go wrong.

The Uber driver dropped them right off at the venue and Rebecca promised to leave him a good review for dealing with them. She had chosen The Ivory Keys for its flexibility and class. The location consisted of two floors; the Piano Bar and the Dance Floor. The first-floor Piano Bar had pianists playing, sometimes even “dueling” since there were two large pianos on elevated platforms, along with a band on other instruments to provide accompaniment. There were multiple bars, plenty of tables, and there was always a full crowd for a great “show” atmosphere.

The second-floor housed a more traditional “club” space, with a DJ, a large dance floor, and a several more bars. The way the building was designed, there was surprisingly little cross-contamination of the music, and the only place one could really hear the DJ and pianos simultaneously was the spiral staircase in the back corner connecting the two floors. The way Rebecca saw it, if they wanted to sit and enjoy a show, they could do that, but if Gina was in the mood for some dancing, (and knowing Gina, that was a safe bet,) they could wander up to the second floor.

They made their way toward the entrance when Rebecca caught a glimpse of her unmistakable friend in a gorgeous cocktail dress that suited her unique complexion. ”Gina! Happy belated birthday!” Rebecca called out, her heels clacking on the sidewalk as she ran over to give her friend a hug. Once that necessary greeting was out of the way, she turned and gestured to her girlfriend and smiled. ”Gina, thes is Nessa. Babe,” she said, turning her attention to Nessa, ”Thes is one ay mah best an’ oldest friends.”

Nessa smiled warmly, offering the lovely winged woman a hand in greeting. ”Glad to finally meet you, Gina. And happy birthday!”

While Nessa was making her greeting, Rebecca was (nervously) keeping an eye out for the last addition to their party for the night.

It had been weeks since “The Talk”, weeks since Agnes and River had sat down at The Corner Diner over a plate of freshly made French toast and sausage (River had the cantaloupe). There is no need to go into details of what was covered. There was some scowls, some tears, some small smiles, but in the end both women decided on the one thing that seemed fairly impossible – they were going to try again. River had admitted that she should have been honest with Agnes from the beginning but it wasn’t an excuse for the violinist to go and mack out with an ex. However, with promises that honesty would be had, they agreed that they had too much history to just give up.

It probably should have been a bad sign when there was one little detail that Agnes had not been honest about, her little dalliance with Rebecca the night before River returned. At the time it didn’t seem like a necessary point to make. Why dredge up something that would only anger the Sioux all over again, especially when Rebecca herself seemed to believe that it was just something that “they needed to get out of their systems”. Oh that still bothered her a little but it wasn’t as if she could really talk to Rebecca about it. In the end they needed to have space, that was the only way that they were going to move forward.

True to her words, Agnes did not contact Rebecca in the weeks that followed. She dedicated her time to River and to her job. River moved back into their apartment and settled in quickly enough. The only change to the home that River didn’t all-together care for was the latest addition of Lilith to their lives. River had never been much of a cat person and Lilith all-together ignored River at every opportunity. Still, she was important to Agnes and she wasn’t about to give her up – she already had to let go of one thing that she loved; she’d be damned to give up another.

But that was how things went. It was a little tense at first, the mistrust still clear in River’s eyes whenever Agnes received a phone call or a text message (they tended to be from work) and River still had a passive aggressive comment or two. In all honesty they probably should have just given up but these tense days were chalked up to just getting used to their situations again. Finally the day came when the two of them actually felt comfortable again but it was still a slow and cautious path to tread.

The relationship would be put to the test again when Agnes had received the message on her phone – from Rebecca. Gina’s birthday (goddamn, how could she forget?) was during the week and a party was being put together – by Rebecca. Both she and River were invited, only if they had time, and while it wasn’t a personal request from Rebecca, it was something that would have been important for Gina; Agnes too since she hadn’t seen her gargoyle sister in years. As uncomfortable as it was going to be, she had to go. Nothing would go wrong; Rebecca said herself that their little tryst was merely a means of moving on, one last romp for old time’s sake, right? They were adults and they could do this.

---

Agnes sighed as she drove her little VW Bug. She was dressed, as per instructions, in a fairly nice black cocktail dress. The back was open to accommodate her iridescent wings, and the black fabric clung teasingly to her curves. The dress was short, the hem stopping just above her knees, and looked rather killer on her. With her dark, medium length hair up in a style that left in thick waves and curls cascading along the back of her neck, the rest was held up by an adorable gold honeycomb pin that she had bought precisely for the evening. Deep, earthy colored lips and light sparkle of gold across her eyelids completed her look. Some would wonder if she was “dressed to impress” but impress who?

Her hands on the steering wheel, she glanced over to River in the passenger seat. The Sioux was dressed just was beautifully in a dress of lacy burgundy that was intricately patterned on her shoulders and cut a little higher up the thigh. She looked just as amazing but she had always looked amazing. River caught Agnes staring and gave her a small smile as they locked eyes. Caught in the act, Agnes awkwardly cleared her throat as she turned back to the road.

”Y-You’re beautiful, you know?”

River stared for a second before she sighed and nodded. ”Thank you, Ags. You too.”

That had been the extent of their conversation as they continued on the way to the Ivory Keys. Conversation between the two of them was still just a bit awkward from time to time; that was especially true tonight considering where they were going and who they were spending time with. River had really only met Rebecca that one time and it had been a bit of an eye-opening experience. How she was going to hold herself together meeting her person? Well, that was the real question, wasn’t it?

Pulling up to the venue, Agnes found a parking spot fairly quick and climbed out of the car. Standing off to the side, the black-clad Agnes waited, clutching her hands behind her back as River climbed out as well. The two of them watched the other, just a bit awkward for a beat before they edged in close and shared a small kiss. There was a boost in their respective moods in that moment, each of them feeling just a tad bit better about the situation. Finally River offered her arm to the violinist. Carefully slipping her arm within and curling around her elbow, she shared a soft smile.

In silence they continued down the sidewalk, heels clicking on the sidewalk as they came into view of the front entrance. It was immediately clear that they were at the right place, judging by the gray skinned woman and the redhead waiting out front (both Gina and Rebecca). Nessa was visible too but Agnes eyes didn’t dare stray on her for too long. Rebecca always went on about honesty, did she tell her about their night together? She feared looking at her eyes out of some groundless terror that she would just know what had happened. It was best to keep her gazes to a glance.

As they edged closer, she could feel River tense up a little. Agnes looked over to her, leaned in, and kissed her shoulder tenderly and whispered. ”We can go…if you want…”

River pulled in her lips, considering the thought closely. Though Agnes didn’t want to leave without at least seeing her sister, she knew that if River wanted to leave that she would go with her. However, after only a few moments River gently shook her braided hair. ”No. It’s fine. Promise.”

A shaky breath and Agnes moved closer – there was no turning back now. As they came within sight, Agnes spied Rebecca first. Catching her eyes, Agnes sucked in a tense breath. Either one might have expected some words to be tossed to the other, but Agnes said nothing. Instead all she did was share a quiet smile with Rebecca when they caught each other’s eyes. She didn’t dare risk any more than that and instead turned to her sister who seemed busy in conversation with Nessa. Creeping up behind her, Agnes hid her tiny smile as she gently tapped her sister on the shoulder.

”Excuse me…” she spoke to the back of Gina’s mane of curled hair. ”I heard there was a birthday party happening here? And that you wanted the raunchiest strippers to attend?” She waited until Gina turned and looked her in the eyes and grinned wide. ”Hiya sis…”

>> ”Gina! Happy belated birthday!”

An aggressive clack of heels drew closer, and Gina turned, her expression absolutely luminous at the familiar cadence of Rebecca’s voice. Gina turned, her wings aflutter with the excitement of seeing her redheaded friend once again. Gina wrapped her friend in a spine-popping hug, all smiles.

“Thanks, hun,” Gina sang, burrowing into the hug, “It’s good to see you.”

>> ”Gina, thes is Nessa. Babe, thes is one ay mah best an’ oldest friends.”

>> ”Glad to finally meet you, Gina. And happy birthday!”

Gina met Nessa’s gaze warmly, her smile unwavering. Sometimes people were nervous about mutants, however short and plump, but Nessa was handling it like a champ. And she was even prettier than the pictures that Becca had shown. A sharp pretty, the kind of pretty that wore smoky eyeshadow and spoke with a silver tongue. Despite the seemingly innocent powder-blue dress, she bore that air about her.

“Thank you! It’s lovely to meet you, too,” Gina greeted cheerfully, exchanging the handshake with two warm, clasped hands, “Nessa, right? Gosh you’re gorgeous.”

“I’ll have you know, I’m a hugger,” she said in conspiring tones to Rebecca’s counterpart, “But I’ll let you off easy, this time.”

All of this was, of course, said in a good-natured, jovial tone. Gina caught Becca’s anxious sidelong glance, and Gina (ever the mis-interpreter) voiced the concern she thought she gleaned from Becca’s gaze, “I hope Aggie can make it. She’s got this whirlwind violin-ing gig with the Philharmonic-“ of course, they probably already knew that, “-Could you imagine!? I bet they perform like every night.”

But Agnes said that she’d be there, so Gina was holding her to it.

>> ”Excuse me… I heard there was a birthday party happening here? And that you wanted the raunchiest strippers to attend?”

Gina gasped, twirling to face her sister with the proclamation of, “It wouldn’t be worth it if they weren’t the raunchiest! Holy sh**!”

>> ”Hiya sis…”

“Oh my gosh, Agnes!” Gina all but threw herself at Agnes. She was still definitely “Agnes”, but much like Becca, she was a more evolved Agnes—a more adult Agnes. Gina embraced Agnes for a while, squeezing her tightly, “It’s been for-ever! How have you been? How’s the Philharmonic!?”

Gina politely waited her sister’s response, of course, but she didn’t want to ignore her date, either.

“I’m Gina, lovely to meet you,” she said placidly, “Thank you for coming tonight.”

She looked between the four young women, gears turning… she felt a little out of place, being the only one without a date. But did you need a date to your own birthday party? Nah. Maybe they all were her collective dates? Gina grinned. She had to be the luckiest gargoyle, to have four, gorgeous dates!

“Shall we?” the gargoyle asked, barely able to contain her excitement.

It was always stressful to bring a new girlfriend around established friends. It was important for a relationship, at least to Rebecca, for her girlfriend and her friends to like each other, or at least tolerate each other. Bringing Nessa out for the night felt like a big step, even if she was partially there because she felt uncomfortable leaving Rebecca and Agnes alone for the night.

Thankfully, Gina and Nessa were off to a great start, of course, because Gina was the perfect person to make anyone feel welcome. She complimented Nessa and reminded her that, next time, she would not be getting away with just a handshake. ”Good to know, cutie. I’ll hold you to that.” If Nessa was feeling shy, she was hiding it well. While the brunette was a good girlfriend who would never think of crossing the lines of fidelity, she was still receptive to compliments, particularly when they came from attractive women. Rebecca was in no position to fault he for a friendly compliment in return.

Things were feeling comfortable, but Gina caught Rebecca looking around, which prompted her to ponder on when her sister would show up. Rebecca felt guilty for secretly wishing Agnes might not make it, because it was clear in the excitable tone and ravings about Agnes’s musical success that reuniting would make her night.

Gina was so focused on building up her own enthusiasm, she missed seeing Agnes as she approached… arm-in-arm with River. Which was fine. They were both invited, after all. Their eyes met for the first time since Rebecca walked out of her apartment, bra in hand and breakfast uncooked. They decided to take space from each other, hoping it would create distance from the feelings they had been struggling with. The flutter in Rebecca’s stomach suggested the time might not have been altogether effective. They smiled at each other; it would be a long night.

It was important with Agnes taking a sneaky approach that Rebecca gave away nothing to spoil her surprise entrance, accompanied with a joke she had to laugh at. Hell, Nessa could not help but snort, even if she was watching Agnes cautiously.

The sisters were thrilled to be together once again, and it was heart-warming to see them finally reconnect for anyone who was watching. Rebecca was half-listening to their conversation, but she could not help but glance at River, knowing she was already in the Sioux’s sights. River already knew about the kiss, but there was still the possibility Agnes might have told her about their one-night stand, right? No. Rebecca was convinced if her ex-lover confessed about that night, either River would not be in New York or Agnes would not be within fifty yards of any redhead.

”Hello, River,” she greeted cautiously before the last member of their party was introduced to the birthday girl. Rebecca hoping to restart things on a positive note, even if a petty part of her was wondering if the kiss was enough for her to finally commit a three-syllable name to memory.

Gina led the girls into the bar, and Rebecca was happy to oblige, grabbing Nessa’s hand to follow the leader. The lighting on the Piano Bar floor was dim but warm, and at the moment, only one piano was in use by a brunette playing the opening chords to an upbeat, catchy pop song. The house was not packed, but it was clear the place would be full by the time the night got into full swing.

Looking over the composition of their group, Rebecca did feel bad for making Gina the odd-woman-out. Even if she was the epitome of a social butterfly, in an ideal world, she would have had at least one other single friend representing with her. ”Ah’m pure sorry, Ah hope thes isnae awkward fer ye,” she apologized quietly to Gina as they made their way to a table. ”We’ll find ye a hottie of yer own if ye loch.” She raised her voice so she could be heard by the others when she added, ”Til then, we can totally share Nessa.”

True to form, Nessa rolled her eyes and smirked, claiming ridiculous statements like, ”I am not a sharable thing, Becca!”

”Lies!” she replied with a giggle, leaving a kiss on the tattoo of a masked woman on Nessa’s exposed shoulder. And of course, the moment after that innocent bit of PDA, she ended up glancing over to Agnes. She was feeling guilty, and to save her life, she could not decide if she felt like she was betraying Agnes or Nessa.

She was going to need a little something extra to get through the night, and luckily for her, bars were establishments that would provide alcohol for a nominal fee, particularly when a patron was celebrating her twenty-first birthday. ”Birthday shots,” Rebecca said confidently when they made it to a circle table, as though the two words needed no verbs and adjectives to explain themselves. ”Ah've got th' first roon, if th' birthday lass woods loch tae pick whit we're drinkin?”

Gina hadn’t change. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, of course. She grew up, became an adult, but she was still the same, effervescent young woman that Agnes had grown to call her sister ever since she came to live at the mansion. The two of them had been inseparable when they shared a room together, often times talking into the night. It was with Gina’s help that Agnes was able to prepare for her first date with Jasmine. And it was Gina who had helped her gain the basics of flying when her powers continued to evolve. She was the kind of sister that Agnes had always wanted and was thankful to have.

However, if such was the case, if Gina really was the end-all-be-all sister for her, then why did they lose contact? It would seem that any two individuals who truly cared about one another so deeply would have been able to maintain connections. However, time, life, and so on all managed to have different plans. While Agnes talked to Gina as much as she could, they both had lives and paths that they needed to attend to. After her break-up with Rebecca, the year had been a tough one. Add to that the fact that she left to join the Little Traveling Orchestra, it was no small wonder that the two of them hadn’t stayed connected. Still, it was a regret that Agnes thought about often.

>> “Oh my gosh, Agnes! It’s been for-ever! How have you been? How’s the Philharmonic!?”

Feeling the arms wrap around her shoulders, the warm body of her young woman hugging her close, Agnes didn’t feel as bad anymore. The past didn’t matter, what did was that they now had time to make up for and Agnes was all the more willing to do it. Gina was such a sweet and uncomplicated girl that she was exactly the thing she needed in her life right now. This year was the year of finding forgotten souls and Agnes was going to find as many of them as she could.

Her eyes wanted to drift back to Becca, but she paused and kept her head focused on the birthday girl in her arms. She giggled loudly as she hugged her back, bouncing a little to match Gina’s excitement.

”I’ve been amazing. It has been forever,” she agreed. ”Philharmonic is great, keeping me busy.” She paused and glanced, feeling the looming shadow of her fiancée behind her. With a smile she turned and introduced the pair. ”Gina, this is my…fiancée…River Red Fish. River…this is my self-adopted sister, Gina.”

>> “I’m Gina, lovely to meet you…Thank you for coming tonight.”

River smiled sweet, genuinely, as she gave a little wave to Gina. ”Nice to meet you, Sweetie. Agnes has told me a lot about you.”

Agnes breathed a small sigh of relief. So far everything looked as if it was going well…yes? There was a still a lot of trepidation about coming out and there was clearly still some tension in the air. However, Gina was the focus tonight and that was all that matter. She was here for her sister and only her sister. Nothing else mattered to h—

>> ”Hello, River,”

Agnes froze. She ground her teeth a little before she glanced between the two of them. Of course Becca was trying to take the calm and friendly approach. Though Agnes feared that maybe somehow River was going to pick up on some hidden message in that greeting, such as ”Hello ‘i-totally-slept-with-your-fiancee-on-your-expensive-bedsheets-hurr-hurr-hurr’, River.” But maybe that was just her paranoia talking. Thankfully, when River finally spoke up, Agnes remembered to breathe…

River eyed the redhead for half-a-second longer than was probably appropriate before a small smile rescued her from seeming too rude. She gave Rebecca a curt (but could be interpreted for ‘shy’) nod as she responded in an even tone. ”Reggie,” Casually she slipped her arm into Agnes after greeting the young gargoyle who was enamored with her sister.

Agnes blanked for a second, eyeing River and tilting her head in a confused manner. Reggie? She was sure that she had spoken Rebecca’s name more than a few times throughout the night. Agnes would have pondered on this more but doing so would have put a damper on the entire evening. They were out to have fun and celebrate her sister’s birthday, that was all that matter.

>> “Shall we?”

Agnes nodded, momentarily pulled out of her paranoia and gave River’s arm a sweet squeeze. She was still trying to bury her fears for the evening, but it was a slow and tedious process. She feared that at any moment, either Rebecca or Nessa (because of course Rebecca would tell her girlfriend and everything would be amazing and hunky-dory) would blurt out the fact that Agnes and her ex had shared a bed together. Of course there was always the argument that she wasn’t really in the wrong since technically Agnes and River had been separated. River claimed that she hadn’t slept with anyone while she was gone and when the same question was turned to Agnes, well…

She jumped when she heard her ex exclaim with ”Lies!” and felt her heart race a bit. Seemingly Rebecca was having a conversation with both Nessa and Gina while Agnes and River had fallen back a few steps. Slowly she calmed herself down until she felt River whisper in a lowered voice and gesture towards Nessa.

”Who is that?”

”Oh. Nessa? That’s Rebecca’s girlfriend.”

A pause.

”Does she know?”

Internal sweating.

”About…?”

”The kiss.”

Small wave of relief. And a sigh.

”Yes. It was before they got serious.”

A snort.

”How…opportunistic…”

Gulp.

”River. Can we not right now? I just want to celebrate my sister’s birthday. Please?”

Only silence followed. But in that silence Agnes could feel the eye roll that River had in response to her. She was on her best behavior though because any other time River would have simply brought up the matter in a tone that pretty much shouted that she didn’t care who could hear her. Agnes was thankful she was at least being somewhat tamed but considering how early it was in the evening, she was seriously starting to stress out if this was how the entire night was going to be.

>> ”Birthday shots…Ah've got th' first roon, if th' birthday lass woods loch tae pick whit we're drinkin?”

Catching up to the trio, Agnes smiled sweetly to them and turned her attention to Gina. Alcohol and being around Rebecca proved in the past to be a bad decision, but at the moment she doubted she would make the entire night without at least one drink. She could handle just one…right? Shaking the thoughts from her head, she turned to her sister and gave her an encouraging smile and a nudge with her shoulder.

”Come on, birthday girl,” she grinned. ”Pick your posion.”

Becca seemed to have caught the gargoyle's surveying glance, and quickly reassured her.

>> "Ah’m pure sorry, Ah hope thes isnae awkward fer ye. We’ll find ye a hottie of yer own if ye loch. Til then, we can totally share Nessa.”

"I've got four hot dates right here," Gina reassured her, giving her a jaunty salute, "Don't even worry about it."

Over the threshold they crossed, and Gina's eyes sparkled as they drank in the sights. It was super classy. Like probably the swankiest club Gina had ever been in. (But then again, she'd only been in about three clubs so far, so the gargoyle didn't have a huge basis of comparison.) She was so absorbed in the sights, she didn't hear

"Hooooly crap," Gina gasped. She wasn't sure where to look. The baby-grand piano, the chic bars, the lighting, the decor. She was definitely dressed for the occasion, but something about this fancy-*ss club was bound to make anyone feel under-dressed.

>> ”Birthday shots! Ah've got th' first roon, if th' birthday lass woods loch tae pick whit we're drinkin?”

The gargoyle bounced excitedly, following the redhead to one of the small tables. She didn't know much about mixed drinks, so her usual process of elimination entailed getting what was "popular" or what was "prettiest". Choosing well was especially important for someone of her stature-- though she was curvaceous, that didn't change the fact that she was barely over five feet. She couldn't drink that much.

>> ”Come on, birthday girl, pick your posion.”

Gina perused the menu, and one name in particular grabbed her attention.

"What about this one?" Gina suggested.

It was called the "Jolly Rancher", and contained an even mix of Everclear, blue curaçao, and sour watermelon schanpps. She wasn't really sure what curaçao was, but anything named after a super sugary candy had to be worth a shot! And you were supposed to try the fun, fruity shots on your birthday, right? Leave it to Gina to choose the shot named after a candy...

Rebecca bit her tongue when River chose to greet her with the wrong name yet again. For the first time, she was sure this was not just some slip of the tongue. Rebecca nearly ruined this woman’s relationship, even if she had no clue about the fling that happened while she was away. Maybe Rebecca was looking for hints of malice or spite, but she was certain the woman’s short response was thinly disguising bitterness. Instead of questioning or replying, Rebecca forced a smile. This was Gina’s birthday, and she would not spoil it with a catfight, (if she could help it.)

On the way to the table, Rebecca and Nessa had their attention on joking around with the birthday girl, but the redhead was sure Agnes and River had a conversation of their own. When she looked up from her conversation, she caught the silence between the engaged women that could have only followed words she missed. Neither of them seemed particularly happy, which was a bad sign when they were out at a bar together with the purpose of having fun. Rebecca could feel her ears burning with the unescapable feeling that she was just being discussed.

They gathered at the round table with a golden candle casting a glow that mingled with the comfortable lighting of the area. Rebecca and Agnes encouraged Gina to pick her first legal drink (with them, which was all that really mattered,) and she selected the most Gina drink on the menu. A tasty candy-themed shot befitting a twenty-first birthday. ”Soonds delicious!” Rebecca replied in approval, standing from her seat. ”Ah’ll be reit back wi’ tasty treats!” And with that, she left her girlfriend to handle herself gracefully with two people she had never met and the woman she had an unescapable bad vibe about

”So, birthday girl,” Nessa started, folding her arms over each other and making eye contact with the gargoyle girl, ”Becca tells me you are working on clothing designs these days? Is this a Gina original?” she asked inquisitively, tugging lightly at the strap on her right shoulder. ”If not, I’d love to take a look at your stuff sometime.” Nessa was trying to be friendly, especially with the girl Becca spoke so highly of all the time. If her girlfriend was to be believed, Gina was a blessing to everyone who was fortunate enough to have her in their lives.

After Gina replied, Nessa turned her attention to the other stranger at the table, who Rebecca had significantly fewer nice things to say about. ”And River, I’m glad to hear you’re back.” It was true; River being back did provide Nessa a sense of comfort, even if it was only in the knowledge Agnes was more firmly off the market. She smiled at the harpist, doing her best to keep her tone friendly, which was atypical of her; she did not need to make an enemy of River. ”It must be such an awesome time living on the road. Classic bard-type stuff.”

Nessa turned her eyes to Agnes, still smiling, even if her tone seemed possibly mismatched to her flat tone. ”That must have been tough to give up, huh?” She was not oblivious to how much easier her mind would rest if Agnes returned to her nomadic musician lifestyle. ”At least the love of your life’s back in town, right?” She kept her eyes locked on Agnes’s, hoping the dark-haired woman did not shy from her gaze.

Before Agnes could have the time to respond to the last comment, Rebecca returned with a small tray carrying five bright blue and red shots. ”Drinks up, lassies!” she said cheerfully, handing out drinks to her friends, girlfriend, and River, unaware of anything that might have been said while she was away.

She didn’t want to be but, slowly, Agnes was beginning to feel more and more on edge. She didn’t want River to pull her into this state right now, especially since things between the two of them had been going so absolutely well. Sadly it seemed that she was quickly falling back into her old habits now that she was reunited with Rebecca. Really she couldn’t blame her, Rebecca as Agnes’ ex and the two of them had made out which had led to River’s exodus from the city. Now that she was back and willing to try again, the first thing that happens is that they have to go out with Rebecca? Agnes could only imagine was River was thinking, or imagining, but she hoped it wouldn’t touch anywhere near what actually happened.

She gulped. She was feeling a little sick to her stomach but she knew that she had to hold herself together. This was a party for Gina and she hadn’t seen her gray-skinned sister in forever. She wanted to be here. And, besides, she was sure that Rebecca wouldn’t say anything stupid, she was distracted by her own, affectionate girlfriend. In the back of her mind she wondered if Nessa knew about their tryst but if she did, would she still be so civil to her? She only met Nessa the one time so, really, she couldn’t tell.

Sigh. She kind of wished that she had just made plans with Gina on her own. That would have definitely alleviated some of the pressure.

Finding their table, Agnes put on her mask of ease as she nudged her sister to make the first selection of drinks that she would be having. When she had made her decision, Agnes had to chuckle a bit. The candy-sounding drink was exactly what she imagined her sister would have ordered for herself. She nodded her head in agreement and smirked to Rebecca when she vibrantly announced that it sounded delicious. When she slipped away to get them, Agnes settled into her seat with her sister at one side and River at the other; across the way, Nessa was sitting next to an empty seat and watching her.

The two of them had only locked eyes for a second before Agnes turned, shyly, and smiled at River who was checking her phone. When she caught the violinist staring, River put on a small smile as she leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her lips. It was only a microsecond, a moment, but it was a reminder of how much she had enjoyed River’s company and why she wanted to be Mrs. Red Fish.

She heard the sounds of Nessa and Gina talking, chatting about the dress that she wore. Agnes used this opportunity to turn back and nuzzle into River’s neck. She could feel the tension begin to slip away from the Sioux as she leaned against her. The two of them were clearly still very attracted to one another, but it was merely a façade, it was more forced than anything comparable to genuine attraction anymore. Still, they both hoped that by trying the old feelings will rekindle.

>> ”And River, I’m glad to hear you’re back…It must be such an awesome time living on the road. Classic bard-type stuff.”

Agnes looked up to Nessa who was now address her fiancée. River sat up to attention and gave Nessa a practiced smile. ”It’s a good experience,” she said gently. ”Clears the head. Though you kind of miss always know what your bathroom will look like.” she shrugged her shoulders. ”You should try. Maybe you and Bec-key can go for a long, cross country trip?”

That was subtle of her. For as calm and measured as her fiancée was, River could still find a way to jab a few thoughts in there whenever she could. It was a clever way to suggest that Rebecca be taken out of the picture for awhile, something that Agnes knew that River wanted desperately. But, she didn’t say anything and instead merely glanced to her sister who was watching the exchange with her ever-present smile. In some ways, she was lucky to be alone tonight…

>> ”…At least the love of your life’s back in town, right?”

Agnes suddenly snapped her attention back to Nessa. The young woman was addressing her, bringing up the point that it was a good thing that River was back in town. However, as soon as she said the “love of her life”, that corresponded with the reappearance of the redheaded Scot. Seeing her out of the corner of her eye, Agnes turned her gaze away from Nessa’s and smiled softly at the freckle-faced woman.

”Yeah…” Agnes said wistfully. ”…she is…” Shaking any thoughts from her head, she set her gaze upon the brightly colored drinks and waited for Gina to grab her’s before Agnes reached over to pluck one up. God, she was going to need this tonight.

>> ”Soonds delicious! Ah’ll be reit back wi’ tasty treats!”

Gina waved as Becca departed, giving a soft and teasing, "Don't talk to strangers," before returning her attention to the group.

>> ”So, birthday girl.”

Gina turned to face Becca's counterpart, inclining her head inquiringly.

>> ”Becca tells me you are working on clothing designs these days?”

One way to curry favor with the gargoyle was to ask her about her clothes-- a topic which she would eagerly divulge far too much information about with very little prompting. Her wings gave an eager little flutter.

"Oh yes, I alter most of my clothes!" Gina confirmed, "Been doing it since I was... hmm... twelve! I think! I'd really like to make a business out of it, so I'm going to school for it."

>> "Is this a Gina original? If not, I’d love to take a look at your stuff sometime."

Gina chuckled and shook her head, a small flush creeping into her cheeks, "No, would you believe it? I actually got this right off the rack! Which, like, never happens... it was super lucky. Fits my wings and everything."

"I'd be more than happy to show you my stuff," Gina said with a nod, crossing her arms at the wrists, still smiling. For a moment, she wondered if Nessa was genuinely interested-- she remembered once, when one of her three roommates had noncommitally expressed interest in a commission and soon found themselves at the mercy of an excitedly rambling Gina. An hour and a half later they'd excused themselves by saying that they hadn't expected such an effervescent sharing session and left a rather sheepish gargoyle in their wake.

Nessa turned to River and Agnes, thus the gargoyle did the same, nodding along as Nessa commented on the traveling lifestyle River had, bobbing her head. There was something so romantic about the traveling life. Gina would have to pry for more details later that night.

"Traveling is really good for the soul," Gina agreed absently with River, completely missing the point, "I've always wanted to go down the East Coast at Fall, see some autumn leaves. Or go into Canada!"

Then, Nessa addressed Agnes. The gargoyle listened curiously, unsure of what the "that" the short-haired woman addressed implied. "That" as in Becca? Or as in River? Either way it was an awkward statement, which caused Gina to roll her lips together. Ho-kay then. A cheerful Rebecca returned with drinks, and Gina gave an excited cheer.

"'ey, they're so cute!" she observed, leaning closer to inspect them, "That red-to-blue gradient is something else!"

The gargoyle carefully chose the one closest to her, pausing to survey it. For the sake of silliness, she extended a pinkie.

"Cheers, ladies," Gina said, raising the glass, "I'm really glad we could all come together tonight."

Gina had a really good feeling about the night ahead. They would have so much fun.

After sharing the toast, the gargoyle would slam the shot back. (One of her university friends had kindly shown her how it was done.) In one sip, it was down. The aftertaste of the sour watermelon brought her lips to a pucker. But ooo, it was so sweet too.

"Ten outta ten," the gargoyle said, "Tastes like a Jolly Rancher."

Gina kept plenty of eye contact while Nessa asked her about her clothes, and it was abundantly clear that the birthday girl had a genuine passion for her designs. There was something pure about the excitement and the way she lit up talking about her craft. It was easy for Nessa to see why Rebecca spoke so highly of her winged friend.

Likewise, it was easy to see why Rebecca rarely spoke of River, whose eye contact was also constant, but far less inviting. The thoughts that crossed her mind when mispronouncing Rebecca’s name were vivid and spiteful. She had in no way forgiven the redhead for the kiss, and was barely tolerating sharing the same space.

And then there was Agnes, whose eyes were less comfortable sitting in her gaze. It was not like Agnes knew enough to know better, so the brunette was curious. Maybe she had an excuse, but it was rather unfortunate that her eyes darted away to meet Becca’s return. ”Thanks babe,” Nessa said warmly, taking a shot glass from the tray.

”Ay coorse,” she replied, feeling a vibe at the table that did not sit well with her. It was the kind of feeling you might have walking into a house where a body was waiting; even if it was unexplainable, there was a sense that something bad had happened and she would be the one to stumble into it.

Shaking off the feeling of impending doom, Rebecca took her seat next to her girlfriend and took a shot of her own. It was fun to see the way Gina looked at her drink, because the younger woman had a zest for life that Rebecca often envied. She raised her glass and proposed a toast, glad they could all gather together. For all the awkwardness that might ensue, she was glad she could help make Gina happy. ”Tae old friends an’ new!” she added as a cheer before following the lead set by her friend and downing her shot.

She followed the drink with a refreshed “ah,” appreciating the sweet and sour elements for masking the bite of the naturally vicious tequila. Rebecca nodded in agreement that the shot deserved a ten out of ten score. She was all for a night of girly drinks and even some dancing, hoping to remain optimistic.

The songstress on the piano switched to a new song with a message that Rebecca cringed at. Surely not every song she played would be about spurned love and getting over old flames, right? At least if she tuned out the lyrics, it was a fun song, with any non-active members of the band clapping along, encouraging some of the women at nearby tables to clap along.

”Sae whit did Ah miss?” she asked, hoping that was not a questionable decision.

Nessa smiled innocently, which Rebecca immediately sensed was an act. ”River was suggesting we should take a trip.”

”Soonds fun,” she replied a little more flatly than intended. Of course River wanted her to take a trip.

Nessa smiled, well aware that Rebecca knew what that comment meant. ”Gina seems to have her heart set east to check out the changing of the leaves. I think she’s got the right idea; beautiful nature and ideal cuddling weather,” she teased, wondering if she could get her busybody of a girlfriend to take the time for a trip.

”Och, Ah bit that’s jist lovely. Soonds loch a fun idea. Romantic, e’en,” she admitted, looking to Nessa, followed quickly by a look to Agnes. She needed to stop that. Why was she so bad at stopping that.

Hoping to shy away from the comment she just made, Rebecca turned her attention to Gina. ”Actually, Ah bit that'd make a stoatin girls trip. We've ne'er gotten tae dae one ay those, an' Ah ne'er travel in th' States,” she lamented, feeling like she was tethered to New York almost all the time. ”Weel, missions, but those dornt coont.” If she was traveling with the X-Men, the chance she would find free time for fun was unlikely. Unless your idea of fun was flirting with a princess, ruining political dinners, and drunken hookups with teammates.

Okay, maybe she actually had fun being an X-Man, but that was not the same thing as a vacation.

With her drink in hand, Agnes took the shot back and twitch slightly at the overly sweet and sour taste as it threatened to lock up her jaw. Even so, she vastly enjoyed the flavor as it rolled across her tongue, slipped into her throat, and coursed like a river down to her stomach. Agnes wasn’t the biggest drinker in the world but she did know what she liked when she had it – and this wasn’t bad at all. She would have to watch herself, though. It was sweet and it was one of those things that her more insect-side absolutely loved to taste. She shuddered as she set the glass upside down back on the table.

She giggled and sighed, shaking her head as she momentarily felt her eyes swim. It wasn’t a lingering effect, just a hint of what was to come if she didn’t watch herself. Shaking her head, she pushed the upside glass a bit further away from her as she looked at the rest of the girls at the table. Her wings gave an involuntary flutter of excitement as the taste off the sugar now in her system and immediately her craving for more began to edge itself into the back of her head; she would ignore it for the time being.

”Wow…” she said with a chuckle. ”…remind me not to have any of those the next time I’m molting.” she shudder. ”I’ll emerge with the worst hangover, I’m sure.”

River turned and gave Agnes a sweet, saccharine smile. ”Oh sure thing,” River said. ”Especially since you never know what you could do in such a drunken stupor.”

It was the harshest barb and one that immediately made the violinist hang her head a little bit. It was the worst feeling to know that River still hadn’t forgiven her for that, especially considering the things that she had done while her fiancée was gone. It was a digging reminder in her ribs that she had screwed up. Agnes shared the smallest, flash of a forced smile at River’s “joke” and tried to breathe the sadness out from between her lips. This was already getting exhausting.

Thankfully the conversation was moving on and no one really seemed to pick up on any of River’s backhanded words ( that she knew). Nessa had revealed to Rebecca what River had said about going on a traveling journey. Deep down Agnes knew that it was just a ploy to get the redhead out of the city for a while, to put miles between them so it can fill her with some sense of relief that the ex-girlfriend was gone. Both Nessa and Rebecca seemed enamored by the idea, while Gina wistfully stared away, enjoying the idea of traveling for the sake of the soul. For Agnes, it was different…

”When I did it, it was…okay…” she said with a nod of her head. ”I mean, I used to be homeless. I know what it’s like to be without a bed and all those little things you call home. But there’s something calming about knowing you have a set place to be.” she shrugged her shoulders. ”I like being grounded to one place, I guess.”

River tilted her head. ”You seemed fine when you were with the Traveling company.”

Agnes snorted. ”I mean, it was a job. I got to play. But different motel rooms every few days, sometimes several in one day…” she sighed. ”Nothing ever really homecooked, nothing but greasy roadside stuff,” she paused to chew on her lip. ”And so many different people, never knowing if the place we’re stopping will actually appreciate what we did? It had it’s fun moments but…” she shrugged again as she reached over another shot, she would sip this one slowly. ”…I like having a home.”

A pregnant pause filled the air. River was staring down ahead, looking at no one in particular as her thoughts began to bombard her mind. Agnes herself seemed to be almost ashamed of what she had said out loud and took a sip from her drink to calm her twitchy nerves. After a few seconds of this, River just snorted, almost soundlessly, as she grabbed another shot and downed it just as quickly as she did the last one she just had.

”Funny…” she said softly. ”…I always figured that the sense of ‘home’ came with whoever you were with.”

Agnes’ jaw tightened. It was another barb. River was the queen of passive aggressive commentary. She tried to shake it off as she focused on the sickeningly sweet flavor of the drink that she continued to nurse. They needed to get off topic, which at this point was anything concerning herself and River. As the upbeat song courted her ears, Agnes deemed herself willing to listen before she turned her gaze to Gina and gave her a sweet smile. The girl had always been a ray of sunlight in her life – well, her an another individual sitting at this table whom she was struggling to not look at.

”Gina, how is school going?” she said gently. ”Getting a lot done? I do hope when you become a famous fashion designer that you’ll still remember me?”

”Yeah,” River quietly jumped in. ”Success gets to your head…so I hear…”

Agnes’ jaw tightened again…and it wasn’t because of the sour drink she sipped.

Gina could feel the flush in her cheeks that usually came immediately after alcohol entered her system. A small stitch pulled at Gina's brow at the underhanded comment River made about drunken decisions. Huh. Salt-y. The conversation was hastily charging forward, however, when Rebecca asked what she'd missed. Nessa brought her up to speed.

Gina gave an affirming nod, when the short-haired woman mentioned Gina's own suggestions. Though Gina had crossed the states to come to school, her sightseeing repertoire was relatively small. That might have been a byproduct of flying everywhere for travel. If you didn't drive (and didn't easily fit in a car), it was difficult to go on roadtrips.

>> ”Actually, Ah bit that'd make a stoatin girls trip. We've ne'er gotten tae dae one ay those, an' Ah ne'er travel in th' States. Weel, missions, but those dornt coont.”

Then, Agnes mentioned her reservations about traveling, about her time "living outside", as it were. Gina listened intently, continuing to nod. That was a good point. Having to travel because you had nowhere to settle had to put a damper on traveling for fun. River murmured something about home being about "whoever you were with", and the gargoyle felt the stitch pulling at her brow. What... a...

"You guys should come to Cali with me some time," Gina heard herself saying, "Mom loves having company, and Mendocino is go-o-o-o-orgeous. Not a whole lot of autumn leaves, though-- mostly Coastal Redwoods."

Which were beautiful in their own right. But, Gina was stuck on seeing autumn leaves. Where would the best place to go to see those be? Massachusetts? Or was it Maine? The gargoyle pondered.

"It'd be different than just traveling because then we'd have a place to go back to," Gina assured her sister, "We could go during abalone season. And we could get some avocado. And go to the beach!"

Ohhh, avocado. For some reason, there was a serious dearth of avocado in New York. And when there was avocado, it wasn't nearly as good as avocado's from California. And beaches... Gina missed the cold, rugged Northern California coast. The sea in New York felt less like home.

>> ”Gina, how is school going? Getting a lot done? I do hope when you become a famous fashion designer that you’ll still remember me?”

>> ”Yeah, success gets to your head…so I hear…”

A smile tugged at the gargoyle's mouth, but there was a certain edge to it. Perhaps the canid teeth were slightly more clenched than usual, or perhaps the casually twitching tail betrayed some smacking of annoyance. Why was River being so butt-hurt? To her sister, no less? On Gina's birthday??? She was probably being too paranoid. No need to be a diva about. Maybe that's just how River talked.

"I don't think I'm on the road to fame or anything," Gina said humbly, casually resting her elbows upon the table, "Classes are going very well, all around. I feel like the ante's really starting to get upped though, since I just started my first few upper division courses. Double-majoring means everything takes a little longer."

Gina smiled at her sister. Of course, there were struggles too-- though she enjoyed the social work aspect, her heart wasn't necessarily there. And fashion was more about aesthetics and less about the pragmatic notions that Gina had. Her eyes slid towards Nessa, briefly. She was happy, despite the struggles she faced. But this wasn't necessarily the space to be bringing the challenges of school up. Her eyes slid back towards Agnes.

"I could never forget you, Aggie," the gargoyle assured her, before her tone grew more teasing, "Heck, maybe you could even be one of my clients. I might even cut you a deal."

The offer was genuine, despite her jovial tone. Agnes sported her own pair of wings, and there were only so many open-backed tops in the world.

Sometimes it was hard to determine if something was just a product of Rebecca’s imagination. People were not always easy to read, and the preconceived notions established from past interactions could tint the impression from otherwise innocent moments. Jumping to assumptions and seeing problems that only existed in her head were total possibilities.

Rather, they were total possibilities most of the time; in this particular instance, River being a bitch was in no way a figment of her imagination.

Everything Agnes’s fiancée added to the conversation was a passive-aggressive shot, and each comment was making things more uncomfortable for the four other women at the table. The jab about drunken decisions was one thing that Rebecca could almost understand, but then things got worse. Agnes was opening up about her time on the streets, which was brave of her. Even Nessa was listening with genuine surprise, not realizing the kind of life Agnes had led.

It was River that was conflicted by her fiancée’s opinions on the traveler’s lifestyle, since their relationship came from nomadic beginnings. Rebecca wondered to herself whether the challenge they were dealing with originated from River being a wandering soul and Agnes looking for a place of her own.

And then River called Agnes out, and the table went cold again. Even Gina seemed stunned by the accusation, even if she knew none of the backstory. Rebecca wanted to say something in the defense of Agnes, but it was not her place to save her from her betrothed. She gave Agnes a sympathetic look, but felt the grasp of Nessa’s hand on her knee. There was a girl who wanted Rebecca to be her home at the table, and it was not Agnes.

Of all the people at the table, Rebecca was most thankful for Gina, who found a way to transition the group out of the silence left in River’s wake. Putting the East Coast on hold for the moment, she instead proposed a trip to her hometown on the West Coast. ”That soonds loch sae much fun! It’s a real experience sharin’ ‘at wi’ th’ people in yer life. Loch when Ah went back tae Paisley wi’ Aggie, Ah…”

Rebecca paused, realizing stories of her past travels with Agnes might not be the most appreciated by all parties at the table. She could feel her girlfriend’s eyes drilling through the side of her head, and she could only imagine how River looked. ”Well, Ah jist highly recommend it. Ah’d loove tae see Mendocino if it’s anything loch the photos in yer apartment.” Boy, it certainly felt like a good time for a second drink…

Agnes was the merciful one now, asking about Gina’s time at school, and yet again, River had to chime in. This one left Rebecca feeling particularly offended because she was making Gina a casualty of her crusade against Agnes. It was lucky for everyone Gina was able to roll with it and ignore River, because Rebecca was feeling the urge to call the Sioux woman out, and everything would only escalate from there.

Gina was a hard worker, but ever the humble one. Nessa saw it in her eyes; school was not her passion, but she was still cautious about her future in fashion, dismissing ideas of fame at their first mention. At the mention of making Agnes a preferred client, Nessa seized her opening. ”Well, I’m sure you’re being modest. Becca chirped out your designs, right? I rechirped it, too. I’m sure you have a fanbase of your own that’ll just keep growing,” she assured her new friend.

”Exactly,” Becca promised, agreeing with her girlfriend. After seeing what Gina had already started, she had plenty of faith in the girl. ”An’ th’ offer still stands if ye want tae come on th’ channel fur a video.”

Nessa nodded at the idea, shrugging her shoulders. ”Sounds like a great idea. I mean, the video she made with Agnes came out great,” she admitted casually. ”I bet we could do great things putting you on camera, too.”

Rebecca tensed up. She was sure Nessa was just being helpful, but she doubted River was even aware that Agnes had made a guest appearance on her ex-girlfriend’s channel. ”Yeah…” Rebecca replied quietly, looking anxiously to River before changing the subject. ”Ye know, we shoods really check it th’ dance fluir upstairs, suin.”

”Really?” Nessa asked flatly, knowing Rebecca was not the most avid dancer.

Rebecca shrugged, weighing the loud dance club area against a quiet table across from River. ”Jist wanted tae throw it out thaur. Ah dunnae know whit e’rybody wants tonecht, but Ah’m cool wi' whatever.” Beyond knowing Gina wanted a fun night with her friends, Rebecca was genuinely clueless what any of the other women wanted, herself included.

Agnes, deep down, really did love River. When the two of them had met while on the road, it had been an instant attraction but it was something that Agnes was scared to commit to. After losing Rebecca and after the short tryst she had with Winnie, meeting and making a connection with River scared Agnes. For a while part of her was scared that she had only liked River because the woman had been nice to her while they were traveling, she was pretty, and she wanted her. But in the end, she knew that those were only excuses because she was scared to get close to anyone again. The loss of Rebecca had put a dagger in her heart that she wasn’t sure she would ever remove; opening her heart again like that was risky but River’s persistence and sweet yet take charge disposition was enough for Agnes to take a chance.

Now look where they were. In a way she guessed she couldn’t play River for her obnoxious attitude. After all, she was sitting at a table with the same woman whom Agnes had drunkenly made out with and never told her about, and now here they were, around alcohol again. She couldn’t blame River for being a bit guarded and cautious, but at this point it was just starting to get cruel. Agnes knew that she didn’t deserve to be called out on so frequently, but what else could she do? The last thing she wanted as to cause an argument when she was supposed to be celebrating her sister’s birthday, but a glance around the table showed that there was an increasing heaviness in the air.

Things were only going to get worse if they couldn’t work through these problems. The battle was harsh inside her head but Agnes decided that she wouldn’t engage in River’s behavior – at least not in front of everyone.

As everyone seemed to enjoy the idea of a trip out of state, Agnes had to smile a bit when her sister suggested that they go out to California to see her hometown. Truth be told, the way Gina spoke about it always made it sound like such a magical and sweet place. She had always wanted to go but had never found the time before. Now that she was earning a living and it was in a field that she loved, surely she could get a few days off to make a trip like that sometime in the future,

”Mendocino sounds great,” Agnes added with a nod of her head. Rebecca seconded the motion and, unfortunately, that led to another subject that would only dig the hole she was in deeper…

>> ”That soonds loch sae much fun! It’s a real experience sharin’ ‘at wi’ th’ people in yer life. Loch when Ah went back tae Paisley wi’ Aggie, Ah…”

She blushed. She didn’t dare lift her head up to look at either Rebecca, Nessa, or even the hot gaze that she knew was emanating from the busty Sioux at her side. She remembered that trip to Scotland very well – meeting Rebecca’s family, planning for the future, it was one of the greatest experiences of her life. Even after the two of them broke up, Agnes still held on to it, thinking about it on those cold, lonely nights when she questioned whether or not she made the right decision in letting her go. Clearly, right now, wasn’t the best time to be bringing that up.

Before anything could be said, Rebecca attempted to change topics, veering back towards Gina and the celebration they were supposed to be partaking in right now.

>> ”Yeah…” Rebecca replied quietly, looking anxiously to River before changing the subject. ”Ye know, we shoods really check it th’ dance fluir upstairs, suin.”

>> ”Really?”

”Really?”

Had Ness and Agnes been better acquainted (and one not recently seduced the other’s girlfriend), it might have been a funny moment. It seemed that the both of them knew of Rebecca’s dance ability, or better yet, the reluctance to do so.

Agnes glanced at Nessa briefly, feeling a little more relaxed. She still felt like crap for what she had done but seeing that Rebecca was with someone who cared about her so deeply wasn’t all that bad of a feeling. Of course it tore her up a little because, deep down, she wanted to be the one that Rebecca was madly in love with, but time and distance had changed that.

Knowing that she was the superior dancer (though River was a bit more skilled in the more risqué maneuvers), Agnes figured that this was a good way to get the ball rolling on a good time. So, taking another sip of her drink, she stood up and firmly nodded her head, beaming at Gina.

”Come on, sis! Let’s go dance a little. You have enough energy for ten dancers.” She turned and smiled, a little less enthusiastically to River. ”Want to dance, hun?”

River, still eyeing Rebecca, tightened her jaw as she took a few calming breaths and shook her head. ”Not right now. Maybe in a little bit. I should check my email first.” As she said this, she pulled her phone from her clutch and pulled out her phone. She was very much back in that space where she was actively looking for work again.

Agnes hung her head a little before she turned back to Nessa and Rebecca with a smile. ”Dance?”