Playing With Fire

Chapter 5: Father

"Are we not going to talk about it?" Avinalyn asks not long after they and Reela found themselves back at the punch table, Reela with a new glass of punch in one hand, and the desire to punch Avinalyn with the other.

Reela just takes a sip of punch without looking at them.

"Nope."

They pout and lean back on the table beside her. "Not even a little?" they push playfully and Reela completely blocks them from her mind.

"Nope," she takes another drink of her placebo wine. It's working. It has to be working.

She'll fucking scream if it's not working.

She just keeps watching Cree and Jules where they're on the opposite side of the ballroom still talking to Liaro and Evelina. Jules looks inquisitive, like she's trying to decipher every little thing the mages are saying. And Cree looks skeptical. Mistrusting. But only when he's looking at Liaro, not Evelina. Which Reela finds odd. Evelina is their primary suspect here, considering she's on the list of the world's most powerful Life Mars. But she guesses it could have been either of them. If Liaro is the one elicit in Regan's disappearance, that could explain Cree's accusatory glare on the Mind Mar.

She guesses it's going to be a while before they're done talking. She knows how much nobles love to talk. It's clear that Jules is carrying the conversation while Cree just listens and observes, only answering an occasional question directed at him. But Reela catches him sneaking drinks from his booze arm whenever no one else is looking, but she sees it. She knows his crimes.

Avinalyn shrugs and retrieves a glass of wine for themself. "Fine. We don't need to talk about it," they smile. "We can just call it even, now." They take a slow drink and Reela just blocks them from her literal everything. Her mind, her soul, her sight. She would say her heart, but they're already barred from there for life for too many bar brawls with her feelings.

No more feels for them.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Reela gets sick of standing and finds the nearest chair to drop in. And, much to the dismay of her growing headache, Avinalyn follows and stands next to her. But they say nothing, so at least there's that. It feels better to be off her feet for the moment, so that at the very least helps improve her mood, but only slightly.

But as they wait in silence, she suddenly has a question pop into her mind that she can't help but feel obligated to ask.

"So, mind telling me why you were such a bitch to Mog?" she asks and just slightly glares up at them.

Avinalyn glances down at her and tilts their head. "You've spoken to Mog? What has she been up to?" they ask and Reela scoffs spitefully before taking a drink.

"Like you care," she snaps. "She told me the things you said to her, and then that you hit her," she growls and looks up at them fully. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Avinalyn sighs and looks away to watch the crowd. "I admit, I lost my temper. She got on my last nerve and I overreacted. I do regret hitting her. But I don't regret cutting ties. It's better this way," they explain carefully.

Reela slumps in her chair and shakes her head, taking another drink of her punch. "Yeah. She's better off without you," she mutters. "You're an asshole."

"How kind of you to notice," Avinalyn side-eyes her with a cocky smirk.

And Reela goes back to ignoring them. And they stand in silence.

It's infuriating. They just wouldn't shut up earlier, and now they're hardly acknowledging her presence? What's their angle here? Do they want to annoy her or not? She glances over at them to see that they're still just watching the crowd, quietly sipping their wine. How are they still so unreadable? What are they after? Why are they even here?