Seraph

86

It was a Friday night, and Serafina and Rosalie sat comfortably in a basement under a bar in Seattle. Serafina wasn't entirely sure how they had gotten there. She followed the crowd and was lucky enough to find a secret illegal casino at the end of the street where she was escorting Rosalie down. She wouldn't complain. She was happy. She needed a little pick me up after the shitty month they had. Plus, the place wasn't that bad. It was surprisingly upscale for an illegal establishment.

Rosalie didn't mind the questionable nature of this casino either. She knew Serafina preferred to be more laid back in how she spent her time. But with what happened with the nomads, she was thrust into her protector role, and Serafina didn't like to do that unless it was of her own volition. But she was asked to help this time. The family was lucky she liked them; maybe she even loved them a bit. Rosalie couldn't help shaking her head at how lucky Chief Swan was to have Serafina find him tolerable. But she wanted Serafina to unwind now that all that drama was over, so they went for a weekend away from Forks.

Another reason they went away from Forks was because ever since the others had gotten back, everyone was overly happy, as though nothing bad had just happened. The human was visiting their home a lot. Edward picked the human up daily for school, pushing her around in her wheelchair or helping with her crutches. Everyone knew they were still together. The girl was also sitting at their lunch table at school, and Rosalie still wasn't okay with it. But it was as though their opinion didn't matter.

Rosalie would rather sit in her car with Serafina, just listening to music, talking, or making out during lunch. Rosalie was still the perfect student, only missing when Carlisle or Esme called her out of school, so she didn't like to drive around town during that time to make sure she wasn't late going to class.

Jasper or Emmett would sometimes join the two in the car during lunch. Jasper for an escape from the human that was too close for comfort and Emmett to ensure his sisters were alright. Emmett asked to go with them on their trip but was declined by his sisters. They needed to get away. Lately, all they had been hearing about was how Edward would take Bella to Prom. They didn't care.

At the casino, Serafina still kept her money close to her heart. Although she didn't need or even care for brassieres, she found them useful when wearing dresses without pockets like she was now. But it was a double standard. She would never accept money from a human's brassiere. Benefits of being a vampire- no sweat. She pulled out some cash from her brassiere for some chips, immediately drawing attention from the men nearby.

She was immediately invited to a table to play against a middle-aged gentleman who took a shine to her looks. He talked her and Rosalie up and made it a point to show off how good of a card player he was. He explained he was outstanding but not heartless. He told them that when the women didn't have enough to pay, he would sleep with them to clear their debt. He generously offered them that same scenario should they lose.

Serafina took his bet with a smile, and Rosalie attempted to sit next to her at the table but was immediately told by the dealer only players were allowed to sit. Rosalie frowned but was directly pulled onto Serafina's lap. Serafina expertly maneuvered her so she wouldn't hinder her playing. This move drew even more attention to the table.

Serafina and the gentleman played cards for nearly two hours. Serafina would win a bit, but the other gentleman had the upper hand and almost cleared her out. He really wanted her to owe him. And his potential success drew a small crowd of men and women. Men were cheering his soon-to-be heavenly night, and some women looked as though they wanted to rush up and stab him. Their hatred of him was evident. They may have been former losers.