Over the years, Marisol had gotten alarmingly good at behaving out of character for the sake of an act. She could be timid and awkward in real life, but her characters could be confident, forward, and flat-out sexy. She made it work as Heather Chandler, and the Marisol who was Alice’s fiancée had some spice to her without being sultry. She was just a woman mad about her lover, which was a surprisingly easy role to play.

Almost too easy.

Warmth flushed Marisol’s cheeks when Alice pushed the suggestiveness. It was playful, but the heat surprised her. Her stomach tightened. How long had it been since that kind of feeling? Since… well, Skye. That was why this was easy. Marisol always expected to apartment hunt with someone, and she expected to flirt her way through the whole thing. She was playing the Marisol who still had a girlfriend.

Marisol buried that realization in her head. Stay in character where this was safe and Alice was… frankly, overacting. Whatever, it was just a game, right? She placed a hand on Alice’s back and chuckled. ”Rustic would look good on you! Could you imagine your daddy dearest seeing you living like us common folk,” she teased, thinking nothing of it. No harm in hamming it up for an audience of one confused guy, right?

It had been going very well, they been laughing, they'd been flirting and while Mari was very close to the truth by either luck or some other kind of knowledge it was still a whole lot of fun. Sure her brain was fighting agaisnt itself between the horny and logical parts and one part was very clearly winning but she was at least giving as good as she got.

So of course, it had to go to s**t.

Mari knew. She f**king knew and she'd been laughing at her, to her face for god knows how long. Alice just couldn't believe she could find on her her worst buttons to push, by accident, while playing a game she had suggested. No one got that on the mark by accident and she never would have believed that sweet and frankly shy at times girl had an evil streak.

In almost a fuge state, she managed to excuse herself politely and leave the apartment in some semblance of order. After that it she didn't actually remember leaving the apartment just leaning up agaisnt a wall trying to to be sick from pure anger with the occasional white flashes in her vision. She was kind of surprised at the visceral level of her reaction. That, had never happened before. Not from thinking about the waste of skin who abandoned her, or even in the arguments with her grandmother but something about that coming from someone who was probably her best friend in the city hurt.

Worse than anything else, which was saying a lot.

Marisol noticed a shift in the air. It was a silly joke about cliché rich girls, but the mood shifted. Almost immediately, Alice excused herself. Marisol tried to meet her eyes to make sure everything was okay, but Alice did not look at her.

The guy tried to keep talking about the apartment that seemed much less interesting without Alice around. It could not be helped; Marisol had a nagging feeling in her gut. Was this Zaid all over again? Did she misstep, completely oblivious to what she did?

It was bugging her too much; she had to excuse herself to go check on Alice. When he asked if she was still interested in the place, and how he had another showing later, she apologized and said it might not be a right fit. It could have been, if necessary, but right now she had a higher priority on her mind, so losing out on one mediocre apartment was a necessary sacrifice.

Marisol left and looked around until he found Alice against a wall. She looked… off. With concern in her eyes, she asked, ”Are you okay, Alice? Did I do something wrong?”

She couldn't process everything all at once and her brain couldn't focus on one emotion long enough for her to start shutting them down and doing some good old fashioned repression. Repression she might have been able to manage if what had basically caused her current meltdown wanted to check on her. Like a 'friend' would.

"How f**king long have you known Mari? About my family? or did you want to continue some kind of sick puppetry for a little longer?" It came out pretty damn venomous, which was certainly a side of her she'd not exactly shown off to Marisol but it was certainly lurking close to the surface then and there.

Looking at Marisol hurt way more than it ever should have. Christ, she was even crying! Like a child. "I thought you were my friend! I........I thought I trusted you." Having a friend as close as Mari had backfired. Again. Because of course it would, Alice was apparently incapable of having a normal relationship with anyone, at any time, ever.

Because she was a Rivers, and that family screwed up everyone it touched.

Finding Alice was just step one of the challenge, because the moment she did, Alice went off on her. The tone was vicious and aggressive. If the tour guy could hear them, he might have assumed they were having a premarital spat.

Apparently everything Marisol said hit closer to home than she intended. The way Alice spoke to her hurt, but she had to view this from the eyes of a woman who thought her friend was teasing and toying with her.

Instead of interrupting, Marisol let Alice let everything out, including tears that twisted Marisol’s insides. Finally, she quietly answered, ”Alice… I didn’t know. I just thought, with the way you were playing up the accent, I’d play up your poshness. I meant it as a joke—I didn’t realize I was hitting you where it hurt because you never told me about any of that.”

If anything, Marisol felt bad for playing Alice’s high-society life as a joke, not realizing she was actually hitting the mark. She placed a hand on Alice’s shoulder. ”I didn’t realize the kind of world you came from because it’s not you to me, Alice. Sure, I tease you a little, but I never pegged you as an old money rich girl and only brought it up in there because it sounded so not like you.. You’re just Alice.”

Her rant was over with and she was so certain there would be smugness or joy over her misery or something that seeing Marisol so confused, so hurt by everything she was saying just made absolutely no sense. Because no one who did that on purpose would act like that. And all of that had been on purpose. It wasn't just a horrific and terrible over reaction that had just threatened their friendship because she was awful at human interaction.

F**k f**k f**kity f**k f**k.

"I.......just it.......why....." most of what she was saying didn't come out in any real order or sense really but Alice wasn't really capable of making much sense and just kind of descended into some really ugly sobbing. Because it was even worse now. She'd basically just accused a friend of being some kind of pure evil beast who was toying with her entire life.

Taking some deep breaths to give her some modicum of control over her ability to think."I just, you managed to hit the worst possible panic button apparently. I," pausing, she realised the only way for this to really make any sense was to tell Mari what was wrong, "I never had a 'daddy dearest' or a dad. He wasn't around, and by not around I mean he didn't even acknowledge I existed. At all." Which was putting it mildly.

"I am so sorry. I, wasn't thinking clearly to put it mildly and you just managed top be right on the money twice on the worst parts that I kind of maybe had a panic attack." Which was new. That was a fun thing to look forward to.

Giving Mari a weak grin, "I guess that means you won though."

Marisol needed to get better at not putting her foot in her mouth. Typically, she at least expected to be confident and in control when she acted, but even that failed her this time. She missed having a script. It was just her luck she might be a divining rod, hitting all the most vulnerable points on her friend by accident.

Not sure how to keep herself from doing so, Marisol wrapped her arms tightly around her sobbing friend. ”Well, anyone who’d choose to ignore you is dumb. First of all, you have blue hair, which is really hard not to acknowledge,” she said lightly, feeling the sting in her own eyes thanks to her friend’s pain. ”And more importantly, you’re smart and funny and wonderful. So there, I’ll acknowledge you more to make up for it.”

Creating enough distance so she could see Alice’s face while keeping a hold of her friend, Marisol smiled. She spared one hand so she could brush the dampness from Alice’s cheeks with her thumb. ”I don't consider making my best friend miserable to be winning. Maybe we go to the next place and I don’t give you a panic attack? I think we could do with ending things on a good note. Just two girls—not a broadway star and a lavishly rich girl this time. Two normal girls in New York. Still engaged though; I was kinda having fun with that,” she added, winking to hopefully offer up some levity in this trying time.

Alice returned the hug pretty tight, just kind of accepting the reassuring from a friend who really should have been a lot more angry with her accusations and unreasonable attitude. But apparently Marisol was kind of awesome and willing to put it with sudden and unexplained abuse form someone having a little bit of a breakdown. And she was making some very good points, anyone who could ignore her was definitely not worth it and had completely lost their chance. "Why are you being so reasonable with me right now?" To be fair, Alice hadn't quite grasped some of the intricacies of people yet so when someone acted different than she would, she got a little confused.

A laugh burst through the tears, couple with the comforting hand on her cheek she was starting to feel a little more human again. "That was fun, I'll admit. Must having given that guy whiplash with the difference in characters there." And it's not like Alice would have been upset to be engaged to a girl like Mari. She was pretty awesome.

Sexy too, with the way she had been talking before. Which bothered Alice she'd never seen that before. Seems pretty obvious now. In the way that it was all she could think of when her mind was starting to clear.

"Why don't you lead the way and we can see a nice place in the village. Minor panic attacks aside I am starting to get into finding a place." Maybe they'd even find one nearby she could look in too. Might even be more in her price range than the ludicrous places she had been looking at.

Marisol pushed away an important person in her life, and she had to come to terms with that. Apartment hunting without Skye had hurt, reminding her of the empty space she chose to create in her life. This was the first trip she was enjoying, even with subpar apartments and a misunderstanding. It felt important not to do that again, even by accident.

”I’m being reasonable because we all have our sore spots, right? I just want to know I’m not making you upset.” She let the hug linger until it felt done, which was notably longer than most hugs. For someone so rail-thin, Alice offered a very nice hug.

After that messy appointment, Marisol would not have blamed Alice for calling it a day. That meant she was almost giddy when Alice was still on board to visit the village. ”Perfect! We can work on the characters. Maybe we were both a little much this time,” she joked. Returning Marisol to that character was fun, but it was a reminder that she had grown into a more affectionate person with Skye. She had to not let that go too overboard playing with Alice.

Now that things were settling down, Marisol led the way toward the nearest subway station. There was no way they were walking from Harlem to the Village. ”So I guess you were familiar with the estate life? There’s nothing wrong with that; it’s kinda cool, honestly. I can’t even imagine. Well, I guess visiting Tío Jorge, the Mansion might be something like that?” She had no clue how the Mansion and its grounds might compare to Alice’s history.

She chuckled at herself. ”Meanwhile I’m excited to check out this next apartment because it’s just slightly out of my price range. Honestly, I don’t know why I saved the listing; I think I just liked the kitchen and needed to tempt myself.” There was a way she could afford it, but she would have to fall for the face before committing to Craigslist hunting for a roommate.

"Yeah I think we might have found a new sore spot to say the least," she replied wryly as if her reaction hadn't betrayed just how much of an issue was apparently hidden away. "But I'm good, or getting there and the distraction will probably get me back to something resembling rational." Alice didn't really do emotion and suddenly having it kind of explode was more than a little embarrassing for her. Thankfully Marisol was actually there and not one of the brats at the mansion or she would have never been able to live it down.

Pondering a character she couldn't really come up with anything that would be interesting or different enough to what had just happened that she kind of just had to fall back on being herself. A sarcastic, nerdy lesbian with the added benefit of having a fiance like Marisol, which was awesome. "I think I'll stick to something a little simpler. Maybe a girl who hasn't recently had a freak out. That sounds fun." Self depreciation was a go to coping mechanism and her defenses had gone up a little. Not hugely, but a bit.

The subway, an introverts worst enemy. Cramped with a bunch of people in a small place with no fresh air. But it helped her think of other things, and to focus to apartment hunting. Which was the main reason she was actually here, for her friend. Not to have personal freak outs or to imagine things with people she shouldn't be.

"A little," she admitted quietly, "and yeah the mansion is kind of similar." Smaller, she had to admit although in fairness it wasn't by much. "Although I can say the danger room alone kick the ass of any country estate, no questions asked. They have a holodeck Marisol, that just can't be beaten."

Pondering the statement she could almost here the longing in Mari's voice and given the state of the apartments in her price range, she could absolutely not blame her for wanting to take a place even if it would be too much. She'd been doing that herself in what now seemed a callously selfish way, but maybe there would be wiggle room on the price or some kind of deals could be made? "It's really hard to argue with a good kitchen, just being able to have room to move makes it so much more enjoyable," Alice sighed, remember estates ones she'd been able to use and the sheer amount of stuff she could play with.

Marisol would not harp on Alice’s past experiences with wealth and luxury, even if she was curious. The world was foreign to her, and it did not add up that Alice of all people would be a product of that environment. Evidently, upbringing did not dictate who you became; Marisol supposed her own humble beginnings were evidence of that, too.

The pair got onto the subway and, because it was New York, it filled up quick. The fit was tight, so Marisol clung to a pole and pulled Alice in by the waist so they could consolidate space. Being a dancer made her comfortable with others in her personal space as long as she trusted them and they were there for a reason. ”We gotta squeeze in. I guess we’re just getting an early start as fiancées again,” she joked.

The train kicked into movement with a jerk and Alice talked about the Mansion. Evidently, she liked it more than her old home, and Marisol guessed it was not ust about the Danger Room.

Though Alice clearly loved the Danger Room and who could blame her. ”Yeah, a decent kitchen is nice, though this one doesn’t have a holodeck, sadly. My Uncle never talked much about the Danger Room, actually.” Maybe the years made the experience less notable. Performing on stage became routine after a while, after all. ”But whenever Skye talked about it, she clearly… um…”

Marisol just spoke without thinking, and when she caught herself, her features fell a little. Talking about Skye had that effect these days. ”Sorry,” she muttered. ”It does sound cool, though.”

Marisol was not kidding when she said they had to squeeze in. Very close. Together. Again. Which made thoughts happen again that should't happen for a friend. It also didn't help that Alice was position in a way that she could only hold onto the bar above her, which she hated because she could balance properly. So she had to lean into her friend, for balance. Totally no other reasons. Nope.

None at all.

The danger room was far and away the best thing Alice had ever seen and she was aching to get a look at the kit behind it. She wanted one, but it's cost was mind blowing with just the basic details she'd seen. Even then if she, or more importantly a game designer, could get a peek at how it worked it could could huge changes in gaming tech. "It's weird how intense it can be, how real. You kind of know logically it's not but.....it is. When you're in there."

Ah, of course she would get brought up at some point, even if it was unintentional. Alice hadn't pried much into the circumstances or reasons for the break up but it had thrown Mari for a while from what she saw. "Not as cool as a gay, definite, couple wandering the village and looking at places to live," she replied lightly, slipping her own arm around her friend comfortingly, "or said totally legitimate couple going for a movie or something after to de-stress. My treat."

Alice reckoned they could both do with some mindless fun after the roller-coaster the day had been.

To some degree, it felt wrong for Marisol to feel broken-up about her and Skye not being together, apartment hunting and acting lovey-dovey all the while. Marisol ended things, so what right did she have to get mopey now? It was like having her cake and eating it to. Or… sending her cake away then getting sad about her lack of cake?

Before she could get lost in her feelings or janky metaphors, Alice pulled her out of it. Yes, it may have stung to be pretending to do all the things she almost did with Skye, but Alice made it easier. They were not girlfriends or anything, of course, but spending this time with her was nice. She had a way of making the hurt less noticeable.

And gosh, was the subway just warm today?

”I think a movie sounds like a good idea,” she agreed, then giggled at her following thought. ”Careful though, because apparently fiancée Marisol is surprisingly handsy.”

They made it down to The Village after one line change and some snug commuting. Marisol was glad she made an effort to prepare for the day, with the subtle scent of peach and vanilla still lingering from her morning application of perfume. She would have hated forcing Alice to stick so close if she was going to feel gross.

They made it to the next apartment and a young woman a few years their senior was waiting. “Hey there! I’m guessing one of you is the Marisol I’m waiting for?”

”Yep!” Marisol chimed cheerfully. ”Thanks for taking the time to show me the place. I hope you don’t mind that I brought my girlfriend along to keep me company.” She turned back, smiling warmly at Alice before the thought ‘occurred to her’ and she corrected herself. ”Fiancée. Sorry, it’s still new and exciting.”

“I bet! Congratulations!” The woman’s reply was genuine and supportive. Marisol liked this one. “You girls ready to head up?”

Laughing a touch too loud at the comment she had certainly gotten a little bit of experience how *handsy* this character was. "Just don't go grabbing my arse, unless you want to deal with horny Alice. I'm not responsible for horny Alice, that girl is a f**king idiot." What did or didn't happen when horny Alice was around was not under her control.

Admittedly the journey wasn't terrible and, while she would have been completely lost without her map in normal circumstances, Mari knew which stops were theirs and when to transfer trains.The Village though, that was pretty cool. The atmosphere was a lot nicer than the other areas they'd been looking and some of the shops and cafe's seemed pretty cool.

Also, it was The Village. It kind of had a reputation for being more welcoming to people like them, which might have been affecting her view of it. Whatever it was they had a much better experience with the woman waiting for them, who took the fiancée line in stride. Barely even blinked actually.

"Thank you, we've been together a while so I figured it was time," she grinned, glancing at her friend, "and it means we have more of an excuse to look at places we might be able to spend more time in." A bit more of her normal accent was coming through this time which, sure it was still posh, but not as comically so as her character before. "After you, please. We're excited to see what you've got here."

It was in a very nice place and Alice couldn't see any bars or clubs too close by so it might not be too loud at night. She would definitely need to look for a place nearby, if there were any more available, or just spend more time visiting Mari if she got the place.

Marisol never understood the appeal of flirting before Skye. She knew some people found it a fun activity, but it always struck her as forward and assumptive. Then she found someone she liked and suddenly, the flirting was playful. With a better understanding of it, flirting with Alice was easy. Alice helped make it easy.

Walking through the neighborhood, there was something about The Village that felt right. There was a history of acceptance and creativity. Marisol loved that. She also realized it could make the neighborhood more expensive, but she pushed aside that thought for now.

Now that they were a new version of engaged Allice and Marisol, they were more realistic. A couple dating for a while; years, maybe? Marisol liked that. She was not over-the-top with Alice, but she did keep close to appreciate the proximity to someone she loved.

Leading the couple forward, the guide smiled. “Well, that’s fantastic! No place better to deepen that relationship than The Village. Congratulations on taking the plunge.”

Marisol smiled as numbers ticked away on the elevator. ”Thanks. Honestly, I don’t know how I held out as long as I did. It’s just so easy to fall head over heels for a friend you care about so much, right?”

“I know that all too well,” she agreed warmly. After running through the basics of the apartment and the lease, she turned the key of an apartment and added a stipulation. “So I know you initially mentioned looking for the one-bedroom, but someone signed a lease on the last one we had. The two bedroom is not much more, so it’s honestly a steal. I hope you’re still interested in checking it out?”

Marisol winced; this place was already at the upper limit of her price limit. A two-bedroom would be nice, but impractical. It was unfortunate, but it was not like she seriously expected to get the place anyway. ”Yeah, we can still check it out.”

“Aces. Well then, follow me.”

The door to the apartment opened and it. Was. Perfect. It was not the largest apartment, but the living room was at least comparable with the last place in size. There was no furniture, but there were gorgeous hardwood floors, large windows set in gorgeous brick walls and—

”Alice, honey!” Genuinely excited, she ran over to the kitchen. It was not large, but it was well designed and even had a little island in the center. ”Now this is a kitchen I can picture you cooking in.”