[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/XiUHyUc.png[/img]     [img]https://i.imgur.com/K7gWNb1.png[/img][/center]
[right]Interactions: Sloane [@Atrophy], Jack (Brief Smile) [@Blizz]
[code]The Halloween Festival[/code][/right][hr]

Anya didn’t have to wait long to get a response from Sloane. As efficient as always, sending a direct location pin. She was surprisingly close - perhaps she’d looped around and ended up nearby after walking off her irritation. Anya could only hope she would be in a better mood. Though, Anya was in a very good mood herself, so she could handle Sloane however she was. 

It didn’t take her long to reach Sloane’s location… but she paused behind the tent flaps that separated Sloane’s private spot and the main festival when she heard Sloane talking.

There was a hint of… guilt when she heard Sloane called her and Jade being her best friends. Of  course, Sloane was Anya’s best friend too, by virtue of being her only friend, but it wasn’t quite the same. Sloane’s friendship was selfless and genuine, hers not so much. Of course, the feeling didn’t last long. It was probably just the alcohol she’d consumed, anyway. Thankfully the rest of what Sloane said about her was nonsense. Anya didn’t spend time with her out of pity. She wasn’t the pitying sort. It was a shame Sloane didn’t see her own value. 

She silently listened. Some of it she already knew. Sloane told her practically everything in her life. What she didn’t know must be recent discoveries - Jinhai being in a shoebox in Linqian’s linen closet being one of them. Was that what Sloane and Linqian had discussed at the start of the night? No wonder she’d been so upset. It was an unpleasant surprise. After Sloane, Jinhai had been the closest to being her friend too. While he wasn’t allowed to keep contact with her traditionally thanks to his failure of her sister, they spoke in his dreams often. She had been sad that he’d died, and disappointed but unsurprised that she wasn’t invited to his funeral.

But his ashes being stuck in a cupboard was much worse.

Anya exhaled softly, waiting for Sloane to stop talking before stepping through the tent flap separating them. She stood out of the way as Jack talked, and smiled at him as he went past. Perhaps she’d have to mend what had been broken tonight, but now wasn’t the time. 

[color=9966CC]”You know, I’d likely be hated by the majority of the coven even if we weren’t friends,”[/color] Anya finally said, approaching Sloane. She very carefully lowered herself down to be at eye level with her - making sure not to sit on the ground, instead perfectly crouching with her legs pressed together. She shrugged one shoulder. [color=9966CC]”I heard the end of what you were saying. I’ve [i]never[/i] been bothered by how they view me. It’s not our fault they don’t understand what we do for them. It would be rather lonely to both be hated alone, wouldn’t it?”[/color] 

They weren’t just empty words, Anya knew her position in the group very well, Sloane aside. While Anya was much better at playing the game of pretend now, adjusting herself to be exactly what was needed, she hadn’t been quite so good at seventeen. It was harder to hide her ego as a child and unfortunately what she’d let slip had solidified poor opinions with a fair amount of the coven. There were some who disliked her more than they did Sloane - Lynn and Linqian, for one. Sloane probably didn’t realise that. 

She carefully considered what to say next. It was difficult to tell when Sloane was drunk like this - it wasn’t a Sloane she’d dealt with before. Best to leave things open. Don’t push her to open up about everything she’d dumped on Jack, but don’t cut it off as if it didn’t matter in case she did want to open up. A careful balancing act. 

[color=9966CC]”Ah.”[/color] Anya smiled apologetically. The rain was beginning to wash away the spiders painted on her face, black lines running down her cheeks as if they were crying. [color=9966CC]”Sorry for not immediately following you. I wanted to make sure you weren’t going to suffer for ignoring Ezra Vanburen, but it seemed I worried unnecessarily. He was quite reasonable. I also thought perhaps you needed to talk to Jack alone, so that he could make amends, so I sent him after you… a miscalculation, I admit. Even I make those occasionally.”[/color] 

It was a nice excuse, of course, and one she was sure Sloane would believe. With her business well and truly taken care of, she was quite happy to spend the rest of the night concentrating on whatever Sloane needed to feel better. [color=9966CC]”We can talk about all of... that, if you’d like. Or not. There’s still plenty of time to enjoy Halloween. Perhaps we could have another drink, or go back to mine and watch some halloween movies. Whatever you want.”[/color] 

She stood back up, holding out a hand to Sloane. 

[color=9966CC]”But first, should we get out of this rain?”[/color]