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[indent][indent][color=#ffffff]Sylas didn’t look away, even leaning forward to rest his elbows heavily on the table between them. His gaze remained fixed and uncomfortably intense on her. [/color]

[color=#0a6d6b]“I can’t tell,” [/color][color=#ffffff]he stated slowly, [/color][color=#0a6d6b]“if you’re trying to convince me or yourself.”[/color][color=#ffffff] He cocked his head to the side, studying Anissa’s face and the shift in her facial expressions. [/color][color=#0a6d6b]"Whichever it is, there is a part of you that feels the need to paint him in the appropriate light… as a good man.” [/color][color=#ffffff]A knowing lift touched his brow.[/color][color=#0a6d6b] “That’s high praise after a single conversation.” [/color]

[color=#ffffff]Anissa already had her answer to his summation, but it came slower than she liked, slowed by the unwelcome turn his words had taken.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Maybe,” [/color][color=#ffffff]she managed at last, forcing herself to hold his stare. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“But you don’t have to know someone for years to recognize when they feel… honest.” [/color][color=#ffffff]Her eyes drifted for half a second, unbidden, replaying the walk in her mind. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“River is exactly what he appeared to be during that time,” [/color][color=#ffffff]Anissa continued, her voice gaining a little strength as she met Sylas’s gaze again.[/color][color=#5a3e85] “That kind of thing… it has to mean [/color][i][color=#5a3e85]something[/color][/i][color=#5a3e85].” [/color]

[color=#0a6d6b]“I’ve met a lot of people and I don’t know if I’d consider a single one of them good,” [/color][color=#ffffff]Sylas replied, his tone chillingly flat [/color][i][color=#ffffff]and[/color][/i][color=#ffffff] sincere, the sudden coldness of it surprising her.[/color][color=#0a6d6b] “I doubt water-boy over there would change my mind.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]The absolute certainty in Sylas's voice felt like a physical draft. What could he possibly have lived through to leave him so utterly convinced of such a [/color][i][color=#ffffff]bleak[/color][/i][color=#ffffff] belief? An instinctive recoil surged within her, wanting to pull back from his deep cynicism. But the feeling dissolved instantly after this, washed away by a sadder thought: perhaps he wasn’t entirely wrong. Perhaps he was just deeply damaged, carrying wounds that warped his sight,  maybe not so different from the scars she carried herself. With that quick analysis, his certainty felt less like an attack and more like a symptom of something. Still, the thought nagged at her because if Sylas truly believed no one was good, why did she trust him so easily? Why did she keep reading truth in the curve of his mouth as if he were somehow the exception? [/color]

[color=#ffffff]If that wasn’t hypocrisy, Anissa didn’t know what was.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Before she could even begin to form a reply, though, the sound of approaching footsteps snapped Anissa’s attention sideways. A stunningly beautiful girl was walking towards them, the party lights seeming to ignite the thousands of tiny, glittering facets woven into her barely-there gold outfit. The shimmering mesh draped daringly low at the front and featured slits cut dangerously high on both sides, catching every flicker of light. Anissa’s gaze snagged on the bold display, lingering a fraction too long. The slight buzz humming beneath her skin from the bourbon wrestled with itself – part instinctive judgment, part pure, startled appreciation for the sheer visual impact. She settled the internal conflict with a blink and a small, almost guilty tug at the corner of her mouth, hoping her stare hadn't been obvious.[/color]

[color=#c9bef3]"You think you’re hilarious, don’t you?" [/color][color=#ffffff]the glittering girl demanded. Anissa immediately heard Sylas exhale a long-suffering sigh beside her.[/color]

[color=#0a6d6b]“On occasion,”[/color][color=#ffffff] he replied, his voice returning to its usual flat tone, yet Anissa could detect a thread of amusement underneath it. [/color]

[color=#ffffff]The girl’s face scrunched up in a perfect imitation of mockery as she gave a slow, exaggerated nod. She rolled her expressive eyes dramatically towards Sylas before her gaze snapped to Anissa, the annoyance melting away surprisingly fast. A warm, genuine smile spread across her face.[/color]

[color=#c9bef3]“Hey, cutie,”[/color][color=#ffffff] she greeted Anissa directly, her tone suddenly bright and friendly. [/color][color=#c9bef3]“Is this stick in the mud holding you hostage?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Anissa blinked, startled by the lightning-fast change in the girl’s mood. One instant, she’d been rolling her eyes at Sylas in annoyance; the very next, she was smiling at Anissa as if they were old pals. The switch was so abrupt and complete that Anissa felt momentarily off-balance. Was this sudden friendliness a genuine offer, or was there some hidden motive behind it? Should she think it suspicious… or allow herself to be strangely flattered by the attention?[/color]

[color=#ffffff]She went for the middle option. [/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“I… wouldn’t say hostage,”[/color][color=#ffffff] Anissa replied honestly, finding her voice. True, Sylas had a way of judging everyone around him, but sitting with him hadn’t felt like a trap at all. She knew she could have stood up and walked away at any point if she’d wanted to leave. The simple fact was, she’d actively chosen to stay and talk… just like she’d chosen to extend her walk with River.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Regardless of Anissa’s answer, the other girl’s gaze shifted back to Sylas with a mischievous smirk. [/color][color=#c9bef3]"It’s a party, Sylas. Let the girl have fun, don’t bombard her with twenty questions."[/color]

[color=#0a6d6b]"Guess my invitation to the bar orgy got lost in the mail,"[/color][color=#ffffff] Sylas shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Anissa’s eyebrows lifted at that. Having missed whatever incident had happened earlier at the bar, his reference meant absolutely nothing to her.[/color]

[color=#c9bef3]"Come on. Let’s go have some real fun," [/color][color=#ffffff]Blair stated, taking Anissa’s hand and lightly pulling her from her chair. Blair’s hand was warm even through her glove, Anissa noted. She could also tell this was likely to be the sort of “real fun” that she could lean into with the mild hum still thrumming in her veins.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Alright,”[/color][color=#ffffff] Anissa agreed, rising smoothly from her seat and letting Blair’s momentum guide her forward. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“But only because it [/color][color=#5a3e85][i]is [/i][/color][color=#5a3e85]a party.” [/color][color=#ffffff]The words were light, but she didn’t bother hiding the half-teasing, sidelong look she sent Sylas with a small wave goodbye before letting herself be led into the crowd.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]The girl immediately linked her right arm through Anissa’s left, steering them purposefully towards the crowded bar area. [/color][color=#c9bef3]"So, first, I’m thinking a three-shot minimum to get us loosened up and in the partying mood," [/color][color=#ffffff]she said while wiggling her shoulders playfully. [/color][color=#c9bef3]"Then we can do whatever sounds the most fun to you… Dancing, torturing men, or if you're feeling adventurous, there’s ice skating and sledding." [/color][color=#ffffff]Her head leaned in slightly so that only Anissa could hear. [/color][color=#c9bef3]"Although I’m no longer wearing underwear, so it might cause a second round of rumors.[/color][color=#c9bef3]C’est la vie,"[/color][color=#ffffff] she said with a casual indifference.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Anissa found Blair’s list of options to be… eclectic, to say the least. Three shots, dancing, and torturing men she could process; sledding and ice skating with a woman who’d just announced she was going commando was a mental image she wasn’t sure she’d recover from (that might explain the orgy reference somewhat...). 

Still, the French rolled off Blair’s tongue like she’d been born to say it, and the shameless introduction that followed it made Anissa laugh.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Well,”[/color][color=#ffffff] Anissa replied, matching Blair’s sideways look with one of her own.[/color][color=#5a3e85] “I’m Anissa…and….” [/color][color=#ffffff]Her words trailed off as a spark of recognition lit up in her mind. She narrowed her eyes, mentally connecting the dots. [/color][i][color=#ffffff]Blair.[/color][/i]

[color=#5a3e85]“Wait, [/color][color=#5a3e85]Blair[/color][color=#5a3e85]?” [/color][color=#ffffff]she asked directly, curiosity overriding hesitation.[/color][color=#5a3e85] “Were you actually able to find Heath?” [/color][color=#ffffff]She wasn’t sure if it was the same Blair Sylas had mentioned or just a coincidence, but the name was too distinct not to ask.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]By the time they reached the bar, Anissa was thinking back to what she had said to Sylas—about knowing you could trust someone even if you didn’t know them well. She didn’t like admitting it, but she felt that here, too, with Blair. It wasn't a deep understanding, more like a gut-level read that the girl, for all her wild energy, wasn't actively harmful. That was likely the real reason, she acknowledged inwardly, why she wasn’t resisting Blair’s enthusiastic “three shot minimum” plan. The buzz already present made the idea seem less daunting, and Blair’s chaotic charm felt… manageable, somehow.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Leaning slightly towards Blair to be heard over the music, Anissa gestured vaguely towards the rows of bottles behind the bar. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“Hey, so… question,” [/color][color=#ffffff]she started, a hint of sheepishness in her voice.[/color][color=#5a3e85] “Is bourbon… the kind of thing people actually take as a shot?” [/color][color=#ffffff]She offered a small shrug. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“I really liked how it tasted earlier, but…I totally forgot to ask Sylas what the actual name of the bottle was.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]The truth was, Anissa’s entire experience with alcohol felt incredibly limited, almost shallow. It mostly consisted of a few presently blurry, underage experiments, the only truly significant thing she’d learned about drinking coming later in the form of a harsh and personal lesson. Alcohol acted like a blanket thrown over the fire of her abilities, and she’d first discovered this at sixteen after a night where the relentless whispers of the dead had finally, blessedly, faded into a profound silence. That silence had been pure, blissful relief, but the morning after brought a brutal awakening. The peaceful quiet had been shattered violently, and the flood of voices crashed back with overwhelming force. That was the cruel trap hidden within her discovery; the relief was undeniably real, but it was painfully temporary. And deep down, a small, frightened part of her had emerged from that experience terrified – terrified by just how desperately she had craved that silence, and how easily she might chase it again.[/color]

[/indent][/indent][hr] 
Location: Table near the bonfire  
Interactions: Sylas, Blair ([@Mjolnir])
Mentions: River, Heath