Bitches Meet In Witches Brew (Riviera)

[ARIANNA "NIXIE" SYMPHONIA]

”I’m going out with Riv Marco. I doubt she’ll have her body guard there. If anyone wants to harm us, I’ll hear it and Riv will kill whoever it is before they even get close” [/color]Nixie told her body guard, negotiating for a girls night out alone. Unlike Riv, she couldn’t sneak out. She had to get around Marco. She was twenty eight floors up in the pent house, there was no way she could sneak out by climbing down. That was Riv’s job in this duo. Eventually Marco had sighed and agreed. ”But,” he had negotiated ”I drive you there. You’re not walking to Umbra.” She took what she could get.[/i]

And now here she was.

Nixie, whose birth name was Ariana Symphonia but no one called her that if they knew what was good for them or had even heard of one of the many temperamental Council Members. The whole world knew her as Nixie Symphonia, most people didn’t even know her birth name was Ariana. But anyway. Nixie was sitting in the back corner of the Witch’s Brew, waiting for Riv to show and having little moments of memory and nostalgia sitting here. This seat had been claimed as hers years ago.

Back when she had been on the streets, the woman who worked here took pity on here and would feed her out of her own paycheck and not let her pay. Nixie had huddled up here on many a cold winter’s night out of the chill and eating some of the most amazing baked goods and the most flavourful teas. She was waiting for Riv to order anything though. Instead she was sitting back on her chair and looking all around her with half lidded eyes. She was pretending not to care about a damn thing, being half asleep.

She was listening.

Thoughts could be so interesting sometimes. And sometimes they were stereotypical. Like that couple over there. The man was thinking about getting home to meet his whore later—not that it was really a whore, that was Nixie’s insertion—and the woman was wondering how many dates she should have before she said I love you. Meanwhile a woman over there was prepping to tell her husband she was pregnant, while he was thinking about how to tell her he wanted to have kids. That was a sweet one. It almost made her scoff. She was picking at thoughts to amuse herself really while she waited.

Oh, over there, that one was interesting. It seemed that lovely young woman over there was telling everyone she had broken her arm falling off of her bike like an idiot, while really someone had tried to mug her in an alley and had beaten her…and then she had killed him. That was a new one. As a council member, she figured she should do something, but she really did not care enough. Nixie was so not meant to be a council member, she couldn’t care enough about a lot of things.

As usual, it was mostly Shades in here, though a brave Angelli or half breed could be found here or there.

It didn’t bother Nixie. She wasn’t as bad as most Shades who hated the Angelli for trying to stuff them back in the box during the war. Like Nixie’s own mother who argued the world was better when the Shades were the only ones that were on it. Nixie didn’t care one way or the other about Angelli. They were all people in her eyes. All just trying to survive. She was on the lighter side of the council who often argued that they should try to merge in other ways then just living together.

That was where her and Riv differed. Riv hated Angelli as far as Nixie could tell. Somehow it didn’t effect their friendship, even though the pair of them argued opposite ideals often. Nixie didn’t care enough about politics to bring it up outside the Council Rooms. Plus, they had enough in common in other ways that Nixie didn’t worry about their friendship falling apart. Both women were strong, independent, and bold. And both had survived on their own fr a time in their life.

Though, this was exactly the point that Nixie was worrying about now, the part about Riv hating Angelli. She had called Riv for a girl’s night, claiming she was sick of feeling like a princess in a tower with Marco looking after her in the Penthouse. That was true. She also knew she had to talk to Riv. For more than one reason. She had to tell Riv about Justin. Fuck. Her match. She wondered how Riv would react. Being that Justin was an Angelli and all, but it wasn’t like she could control it! She wasn’t sure that the two would get along, but did it matter?

That was another thing she wanted to talk about. She had ran away from him.

Would she applaud the fact that Nixie ran away from an Angelli and avoided getting to know him, or call her a coward for running? Nixie wasn’t sure. It was usually another reason she liked being with Riviera. The two of them were unpredictable and it was fun. Nixie would be able to relax around her close friend without worrying about testing and playing her games. Riviera had passed her games enough times that Nixie had stopped testing her a long time ago.

The waitress asked if she was ready to order and Nix, playing the polite young woman, waved her off. She was being a good waitress but Nixie was busy thinking. And waiting. It was nice that the woman was just being a good waitress and not serving her just because of who she was. Nixie had, for the first time since getting her marks, covered them up. She was wearing one of her trademark loose draping black shirts, but this one had a back to cover up her marks, where she usually left her back bare. Her leather jacket was hanging on the back of her chair and she brushed back her mass of black hair lazily before leaning back in her seat again.

She wondered when Riv would decide to show.


Words: 1085
Muse: Okay
Comments: It's kinda odd? lol

[ASHE RIVIERA]

This was just getting pathetic, now.

Already, it had been more than a week since they had switched her bodyguards, but still, the fool hadn't learnt his lessons. And it wasn't as if she was even trying to be discreet, either. He was just stupid. Whatever points he had managed to gain from Riviera for not quitting after 2 days -- exceeding her meagre expectations -- was slowly slipping away. Well, at least he isn't an Angelli, she thought, half-breed, probably. You can't have everything.

It was a long walk to Umbra, but Riviera was used to hardship. Years of surviving on her own in the wild had made her fitter than the average Shade, and besides; technology wasn't something she trusted. Only after she found her marks was she introduced to cars and the like, and to be honest, Riviera preferred doing things the old fashioned way. It made her feel more secure. But still, those bastards in charge wanted her to be dependant on them, to give up her previous ways and succumb to the new. They still fought over the matter -- such was the life of an unwilling Council member.

Her feet had carried her to the place she grew up in.

The place, she could call home.

The sounds of the forest welcomed her, inviting her in. Bow and arrow in hand, she moved through the forest floor withought making any noise; the steps of a hunter. Weapon in place, she made her way to where she used to hunt, and she sat high on a boulder, keeping still, waiting.

As she sat, locks turned, and her memories wrestled free.

They attacked her all at once, as they always did. As they always will.

The warmth of a fire as she prepared the dinner for her brother. The snap of a twig as he attempted to move as silently as herself. The soft peals of laughter when she had made a joke. Those cerulean eyes, lifeless and vacant. The limp figure, hanging.

As long as he was dead -- as long as she was alive; those images would haunt her forever.

The flash of light brown darting towards a bush called for Riviera's attention, and just a little too late, she pointed her weapon, aimed, and shot. Her arrow flew through the air, before finding its target and sinking deeply into the flesh. The rabbit fell to the ground, before compulsing for a few seconds, and finally, laying still -- dead.

Riviera hopped up off the boulder, and walked to the rabbit, wrestling the arrow out, wiping the gore off on the blades of grass, before slipping it back into the sheath. She peered at the dead animal. Huh. Not her usual clean shot through the eye, but it had been along time since she had hunted. Usually she went for bigger game, but she wasn't in the mood. Plus, who wanted to drag a dead deer through the streets?

Hooking the animal to the tan belt wrapped around her waist, she strung her bow and arrows across her shoulder and headed back towards the city, making her way to the town's local market.

Usually, Riviera didn't bother with shoes. But today, she was crossing cities, so she had to make the effort. And Riviera wasn't one to do things half-assed. Adorning her signature simple white dress -- the same as her Goddess used to wear, in fact -- she had thrown on a pair of gladiator sandals with straps that braided up to her knees. Her hair had been let down in soft curls that reached her hips, with a gold headband across her forehead, and a similar one that entwined her right upperarm. Very Grecian. Very Riviera.

She sat down on a stool in front of Veronica Wilson's booth, the only stall which served the best food miles wide. The only stall, which had the a cook that had a skilled hand, with a wicked tongue to go with.

Dumping the rabbit on the counter, Riviera felt the edge of her lips tug up.

Veronica was one of the few people who had made it onto the very short list of which Riviera actually liked. Back when her brother had just died, and she had been too miserable to take care of herself, Veronica had struck a deal.

Game, for food.

It was that deal, that distraction, that had pulled Riviera through. Veronica had given her something to concentrate on, for her attention to divert onto something other than her brother. At least, until the marks on her wrists had made an appearance.

"Ron, get your ass over here." She smirked, watching as the dark haired owner made her way to Riviera, before placing a hand on the counter, leaning heavily on her right foot. "Shot fresh today, from yours truly." The sarcasm could only just be detected. Just.

Veronica took hold of the rabbit, turning it over in her hands, examining it under scrutinizng eyes. Finally, she slipped it onto the chopping board behind the counter. An ebony brow, rose. "Not your usual standards, Riviera. What happened, being part of the Council make ya lose your touch?" Riviera snorted, raising a brow of her own. "Careful, Wilson. Anger the Council, and my next arrow might find itself in your heart."

They continued to banter like that for a while, until Riviera glanced at the heavens, and cursed. Judging from the sun, it was nearly 4. She was late. The Shade rose to leave, grabbing her bow and arrow, stringing them across her shoulder.

Another eyebrow raise from her friend made her pause, wondering if she should explain.

But Riviera wasn't ever really the explaining type.

With a wicked grin on her lips, she carelessly waved her hand in a motion of goodbye, darting out of there before Veronica could demand an explanation.

Reaching a busier part of town, she made her way through the hurrying crowds, throwing a glare once or twice at the people who took the shoving a little too far. It was all she could do to not draw her bow and demand for the lot to dispense. The thing about cities, she thought, annoyed, is that there are too many fucking people. She snarled at a nearby Shade for pushing her out the way, tucking a dark strand of hair back behind her ear. Umbra is in need of a new disease, she added, harshly.

Clearly, Riviera was a peoples person.

Banging open the door to the Witches Brew, she glanced around before spotting her fellow Council member, Nix. Throwing a smirk in her direction, Riviera made her way to her friend, when some chick got in her way. The girl bumped into the Shade, and she stumbled back a step, her temper finally getting the better of her. One quick look at the girl -- blonde, blue eyed, pale skin -- had Riviera in a worse mood than before. Fucking. Angelli. Jesus christ, since when did Umbra let vermin crawl into the city?

She narrowed her eyes, lips baring back into a growl to show pointed teeth. "Why don't you fucking watch where you're going, love. Or better yet, go back to Chiaro like the scum you are." With one hand, she shoved the terrified -- ha, pathetic -- girl out the way, before dragging a chair to Nix's table, and plopping down on it with a sulking expression, which only infuriated the Shade more.

Her eyes flickered over at Nix, and then the space behind her, and back to Nix again. The edge of her lips tugged up, and she leant forward, resting her elbows on the table, one brow raising. "Oh? Marco isn't here? What'd you do, slip him a sleeping pill? Finally manage to sneak away?" The laughter was clear in her voice, and Riviera didn't bother to try and hide it.

Nix wouldn't be offended, and Riviera hadn't even said anything harsh to her. Well, compared to the usual.

And besides, this was how they interracted; how they got their fun.

They insulted each other, and no one took it seriously.

How else did you think they became friends? Through being nice?

Please.

Don't make me laugh.

[ARIANNA "NIXIE" SYMPHONIA]

Nixie casually fiddled with the loose thread on her chair as she waited. Riv was late, and she made a note to harass her about that when she finally showed up. It was just the way that the pair of them were, they tended to get on each other’s cases but neither ever seemed to bothered about the other’s bitching. It let them be themselves without worrying about offending someone. Not that Nixie ever worried that she was offending whoever she was with. She tended to do what she wanted and if they got offended by her words then they weren’t worth it.

If she had known Riv would have been late she wouldn’t have worked so hard to avoid Marco. At least then she would have had someone to talk to. She must have looked really lonely because the woman who used to treat her, the waitress who probably saved her life by feeding her when she couldn’t feed herself—she had been born to a pampered life after all, and had no idea how to even start caring for herself—came over to her. ”You seem awfully lonely here, sugar,” the kind woman named Sandra who had saved her life said as she stopped by the table.

Nixie smiled, a genuine smile. In some ways, Nixie preferred Sandra to her own mother. Her own mother had probably endangered her life, while this one had probably saved it. There really wasn’t much of a contest when it came to that comparison. She sat back on her chair and shook her head. ”That’s what happened when my company is late, I guess” she said. And then she smiled, leaning forward slightly. ”How have you been? How’re your kids?” she asked, curious. Nixie actually took interest sometimes, and when people got under her skin they stayed there and she did her best to keep in touch.

Sandra smiled at her much like Nixie always thought a mother should. She wouldn’t know, hers never had bothered. ”Doing well and thankful for your presents, from the last time you were here. You look well, sugar. Much better than a few years ago. the woman ruffled her hair affectionately and Nixie just shook it, putting her hair back in place. Like she said, Sandra was practically her mother. ”Alive and kicking thanks to you. You saved my life. And stop denying it…presents for your kids are the least I can do” she said, being genuinely greatful. It was something no one ever saw save for a select few. Sandra and her triplets were those few.

Her soft underbelly was not something she exposed often.

Sandra shook her head and waved off her praise, before excusing herself to take care of a table that was waving her over, with promises of letting her taste the new treats the cook had whipped up earlier that night and may be newly added to the menu soon. Oh the perks of being a favorite customer.

She shook her head and schooled her face towards being entirely blank again. She hated to show too much emotion besides for the sarcastic or the bold or the proud, it made her feel weak. She might be fond of Sandra, but that was her and Sandra’s little secret. It amused the woman to keep Nixie’s little “secret” almost like a mother who watched their child play games. Nixie shook her head. She should stop comparing Sandra to the mother figure she never had. She was busy trying to be entirely calm and impassionate.

And not wonder where the fuck Riv was. She was late. Probably went off into the forest to hunt and commune with nature or whatever the fuck that she did there—Nixie never asked because she couldn’t care enough to—and forgot to carry a watch or something. As far as Nixie knew, Riv didn’t do well with tech and didn’t have any as far as she knew. Nixie herself didn’t have a lot of tech, but she had enough to get by. Like a cell phone. Which would come in handy if Riv would have one. Oh well, what could she do.

She was debating ordering anyway as she waited.

And then Riv stormed in. And damn did she make her presence known. Like Nixie had made note of earlier, there were a few brave Angelli and Half Breeds in here. A bold move when it came to Umbra, which didn’t accept many Angelli easily. She said brave because there were people who would hurt them just for being here. Like Riv. Nixie sighed and shook her head, a slight smirk on her lips when Riv came in and started growling at an Angelli who got in her way. Calling her scum. Now that was one way to project an image as a council member.

She shook her head. Well, at the very least, she was glad that Riv had finally decided she wanted to show her face. Which was a good thing at least, because Nixie had been getting restless. But the appearance of her friend—ha friend, see, she did have some of those—plopping herself down at Nixie’s usual table settled her back down in her seat easily. She arched a brow at Riv, obviously amused by the other young woman’s display of temper, but she decided not to say anything, she figured that just her look should say enough about what she was thinking.

She rolled her eyes when Riv drew attention to the fact that Marco wasn’t with her for once. She noted that Riv didn’t have her body guard, but that didn’t surprise Nixie in the slightest. Riviera went through more body guards than Nixie could count. ”Well maybe I sent him to find out where you went, I got worried” she said with a fake sympathetic look and a fake worried voice…and then rolled her eyes, dropping the look. ”I think he’s immune to sleeping pills. I tried that once and it did nothing” She said with a little grin, absurdly proud of her body guard and “older brother” even if it had spoiled her plans.

It was then she noticed what Riv was wearing and arched a brow. She had gone for the opposite idea that Nixie had gone for. Where Nixie was hiding who and what she was, Riv seemed to be declaring it to the world. She smirked a little and leaned back on her chair. ”So….channeling your inner Artemis?” she asked with a cocky little grin. She then gestured for the waitress, ready to order and get some sweets in her before she braved telling Riv she was matched to an Angelli…and she had met him.

[ASHE RIVIERA]

She dumped her bow and arrows onto the chair next to her, arranging them neatly so that they wouldn't fall. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she looked up in time to see Nix arch a brow at her, causing Riviera to mirror the action. "What?" She asked, innocently. "Oh, come on," she laughed, "that bitch deserved that. She got in my way." She smirked, before shrugging. "You know how i feel about people getting in my way." She gave her friend another smirk, before settling into a comfier position in her chair, draping an arm across the back of it.

Riviera made a comment about the absence of Marco, suppressing a laugh as she did so. ”Well maybe I sent him to find out where you went, I got worried,” Nix replied, her voice a touch higher, brows pulled together slightly. Anyone that didn't know Nix would have thought that she was being serious; that she actually gave a big enough shit to do something like that. But Riviera did know Nix -- she wouldn't be fooled. And sure enough, she dropped the act with a roll of her eyes. ”I think he’s immune to sleeping pills. I tried that once and it did nothing.” She grinned, apparently happy about the fact that she couldn't manage to sneak past her bodyguard. Riviera snorted.

"Nix, i know you and Marco have some sort of weird fetish shit for each other and all, but seriously? You can't even get sneak past him yet?" She took on a look of disdain, a slight purr in her words as she took effort in enunciating her words to their fullest extent. She pulled a face, filled with apparent disgust. "Oh, Arianna. And i thought you were so much better than that; i'm afraid we simply musn't be seen together any longer!" She cried, her hand flying to her forehead which she tilted back dramatically. A second later, she dropped it, giving her friend a lazy grin, She arched a perfectly sculpted brow once more, as if the past dramatics hadn't occurred. "But seriously? Nix. Nix." She smirked. "Come on. It's me. I can't be seen with you unless you manage to get away at least once; come on, you're dragging around my reputation into shatters." She pouted pathetically, surprisingly in a playful mood, considering how bad it had been a few seconds ago.

But then again, Riviera never really was the stablest of all people.

”So….channeling your inner Artemis?” Her friend asked, grinning with a hint of a smirk. Nix caught the attention of a waitress and ushered her towards the two, whilst Riviera answered.

"You know what they say love; if you've got it, flaunt it." She gave her a wink, before laughing, and waved her hand in a nonchalant manner, as if swatting a fly. "Jokes aside, what's wrong with what i'm wearing? I always wear white dresses. It's what i do. I've just go a few extra accessories in today. And shoes. But the mayor made me. Apparently people outside don't approve of the patron of Artemis to go around barefoot." She rolled her eyes, obviously showing what she thought of the matter.

Shoes were just an inconvenience.

Horrible when hunting. Made more noise than necessary; scared all the fucking game away.

The waitress arrived, a bright smile fixed onto her face, but from the look of tiredness and a lot like impatience in her eyes, Riviera could tell that it was nearing the end of her shift, and she just couldn't wait to finish, get her pay check and leave. Huh. Idiot.

Shifting through her menu, she skipped all the way to the end, and began to scan the desserts menu, eyes flickering back and forth.

When she dined outside, Riviera never ate proper meals; it was always desserts. Back when she was younger, anything sweet was a rare delicacy for her. Now that she could actually afford to eat them, she went all out. Skip starters and the main meals. I guess you could say she was something of a sweet tooth.

"I'll have the plate of waffles in chocolate sauce, followed by the brownie sundae. Nothing else." She smirked, before handing the menu to the waitress, and picked up her fork, spinning it round her fingers in a bored fashion, as she waited for Nix to order.

[ARIANNA "NIXIE" SYMPHONIA]

Nixie had been waiting, in her opinion, far too long for Riv to decide she wanted to show up. It was late, she was late, Nixie was beginning to wonder why she thought Riv would actually show up on time. And it wasn’t like she could call the girl, cause last time she checked, Riv wouldn’t answer. SO now, here she was, debating to just order something for herself and if Riviera decided to show while she was eating, that was her own issue. What? Nixie could be a bitch too. She often was, just certain people often thought she was nice for reasons unknown.

She guessed that was just her own special gift. She acted like she gave a shit and for some reason people actually believed her. Nixie couldn’t figure it out, nor did she care. It worked for her advantage and her reputation, so that was all that mattered. And the people she gave a shit about could usually see through her bullshit pretty well. Usually being the key word here. Nixie had learned how to survive by pretending she was someone she wasn’t. Some skills just didn’t disappear too easily it seemed. Hey, use what you’ve got.

Either way, before she could decide whether or not she was really going to order whether or not Riv decided to show up, Riv actually decided to show up. She had shown up in all her glory too, growling at one of the rare Angelli that decided to brave coming to Umbra and causing Nixie to arch a brow in question at her. She knew the other girl’s stance on the Angelli, but still. Nixie rolled her eyes at what she said and laughed a little. ”Right, and the chick being an Angelli had nothing to do with it, right?” she teased lightly.

And as usual, she played at Riv, teasing and pretending to be concerned. Anyone else might have actually believed that the young shade actually cared, but Riviera knew her better and obviously saw through her act in a few seconds. And then she said that her and Marco had an odd fetish for each other which made Nixie arch a brow. ”Fetish?” she asked with the arched brow, before Riviera continued on her talking to say how she had to be able to sneak away from her body guard. ”Some of us talk our way out of things rather than using force” she teased, hinting at Riv’s way of acting.

And then Riviera called her Arianna. Nixie growled and settled back on her seat, not happy about being called that. She hadn’t told Riv her real first name so she could be called by it. She fucking hated when people called her Arianna. It was Nixie for a reason. She dropped the accent and the act, calling her Nix instead—something that only Riv ever really called her—and Nixie shook her head though her hackles were still up and she was still a little annoyed. ”Well, Ashe” she said, because two could play at the whole “watch me call you by your actual first name” game. ”Last time I checked you drag my rep down yourself with your whole virgin deal. SO I guess we’re even” she said, feeling better now that she had gotten her “revenge.”

Nixie was moody. It came with the job of being Poseidon’s chosen.

Nixie commented on Riviera’s outfit with an arched brow. Yeah she knew it was nearly one of her usual outfits anyway, but this one seemed a little bit extreme even for Riv. She rolled her eyes and commented on the same fact Nixie had just thought up, it was nearly her usual just added accessories and shoes. Nixie just shrugged. Riv obviously didn’t approve but what else was new. Nixie knew her friend would rather still be running around like the wild child she was in the woods. ”Yeah, yeah, got it flaunt it. Whatever. Just seems we had opposite ideas today, that’s all. I covered my back and all for this.” she said, teasing and hinting at her usual flair for showing off her back and the marks that sat along either side of her spine.

That was when Nixie gestured to the waitress, wishing that it was Sandra instead who was serving them but at the same time glad it wasn’t. If it was Sandra, that meant it would be hard to keep her cover about not giving a shit about people. If it wasn’t, that meant she didn’t get the special little treatment she had gotten used to here. Okay, so Nixie was a tad spoiled, what was the big deal? She didn’t act like a brat about it at least like some people did.

She waited while Riv ordered, letting the other girl go first because Nixie didn’t even have to look at the menu to know what she wanted, she had been here often enough. When the woman turned to her, Nixie gave her a kind, if slightly distracted smile, to keep up her appearance. Most of the public thought Nixie was kind and often just off in her own world. The opposite was true, being that Nixie was overly watchful of everything around her and couldn’t give a shit about most people. But the illusion had served her well and she intended to keep it up.

”I’ll have a large apple tea and more sugar if you don’t mind? Plus the giant chocolate chip cookie…the cook knows how I like it” she said, feeling a tad spoiled for adding that last bit but Nixie liked her chocolate how she liked it. She handed the woman the menu before sliding back in her seat when the woman left. The slightly cocky smile settled on her lips, she couldn’t help it, it was just how she played.

”So…I have something to share,” she said, the cocky smile still in place though she was worried about how Riv would possibly react to this odd news. Hell, Nixie herself wasn’t sure how to react. But it was now or never, right?

[ASHE RIVIERA]

”Right, and the chick being an Angelli had nothing to do with it, right?” Nix teased, causing Riviera to roll her eyes. She waved a hand, dismissing the idea. "Oh, Nix. You have so much to learn." She smirked, leaning forward just a touch, propping her elbow up onto the table and forming a fist under her chin. "Of course her being an Angelli has everything to do with it. Who do you think i am?" She laughed, enjoying their usual banter.

This was how the two worked; pretty much all their conversations revolved around teasing, insulting, or just joking. To anyone else, it may seem offensive, but to Riviera? It was her idea of a good conversation.

Riviera commented on Nix and her unusually attached bodyguard, Marco, sighing a little at the fact that Nix still hadn't managed to get away. ”Fetish?” Nix asked in a sceptical tone, to which Riviera just ignored, carrying on to finish her little speech. She tossed some of her hair back, shaking her curls in an imitation of those posher Pandorians she had seen prancing their way around the city. She preened as Nix answered, apparently rebutting with another tease. ”Some of us talk our way out of things rather than using force.”

She dropped the posh act, and waved her hand once more, dismissing the thought of talking your way out of situations. Yeah, it worked, but threatening with violence was just so much faster. Besides, it was better to be feared than respected. Better to be feared, than loved.

Nixie growled when Riviera called her Arianna, which made her smirk -- she liked getting on people's nerves, friend or not -- and she let herself chuckle a little at her friend's reaction. Just like herself, Nix preferred to be known as a different name to their first one. Riviera still didn't know why -- she'd never asked, and she didn't really care -- but she guessed that it was something personal. And, from Nix's reaction, it was something personal that she apparently didn't want to remember.

And then little old Riviera disrupted that. Oh well.

Wouldn't be the first time.

”Well, Ashe,” -- Riviera's eyes narrowed, hand automatically twitching towards her bow -- "last time I checked you drag my rep down yourself with your whole virgin deal. SO I guess we’re even." She had known that Nix would do something back in revenge, -- and she had considered the fact that Nix would call her Ashe, and had steeled herself for the moment -- but she had thought that maybe her friend would retaliate with something more original, not repeating what she had just done. It seemed that Nix had failed Riviera's test for the first time; she sat back in her chair, slightly disappointed.

"Oh, i'm sorry. I guess being the patron of a godess who is the virgin huntress, is entirely my choice. My bad." She spoke entirely monotonous. The edge of her lips tugged up, the smirk just reaching her eyes. "It's not my fault that i find everyone disgusting. Everyone that isn't a Shade is repulsive, and even if they are a Shade, they're still sickening." She grinned, before giving Nix an adoring look. "Oh, but of course, this doesn't include you, sweetheart." She fluttered her eyelashes, before giving a flirtatious wink.

Oh, the joys of being a-sexual.

The conversation switched to attire, with Nix commenting on Riviera's outfit choice for the day. ”Yeah, yeah, got it flaunt it. Whatever. Just seems we had opposite ideas today, that’s all. I covered my back and all for this.” Cerulean flickered to Nix's clothes, mentally noting the cloth on her back. She arched a brow. "Please don't tell me that Marco made you do this, in exchange for him not tagging along. Because that's just sad." She suppressed a laugh, her hand reaching up to flick a strand of hair away from her face.

The waitress then came, and Riviera gave her order, before waiting for Nix to do the same. a little smirk in her face as she saw Nix silently transform. Not in the physical sense, but, unlike herself, the girl for some reason decided to keep up an appearance for the public, and had created an illusion that she was nice for the people of Pandora. Riviera thought the whole thing was just a bunch of bullshit. But, it satisfied Nix; and of course, Riviera didn't care enough to comment.

”I’ll have a large apple tea and more sugar if you don’t mind? Plus the giant chocolate chip cookie…the cook knows how I like it.” Nix ordered, and before the waitress left, Riviera leant forward in her chair, voice slightly teetering to threatening. "And make it quick--" she glanced at the name tag pinned to the girl's chest "-- Beth. We don't have much time." She smirked, turning her wrist slyly, letting the girl see her Council marks for a few seconds. "Understood?" The waitress nodded and hastily made her reply, before dashing off to the kitchen.

She glanced at Nix, knowing that she'd be greeted with some sort of eye brow raise. She simply shrugged. This was just how the Shade was; cold, threatening and unpredictable. Just the way she liked it.

”So…I have something to share,” Nix said, and Riviera thought she detected a hint of worry in her voice. Intrigued, she arched a brow, urging for her friend to carry on. "Yeah? What is it?" She briefly considered the options, wondering if this something was big or small. From the way Nix held her self -- surprisingly anxious -- she guessed that it was something big.

Her eyes widened in mock surprise.

"Don't tell me." Her mouth gaped in horror, one hand flying to her throat. "You're pregnant!" Riviera teased, before pretending to faint, as if the shock was too much for her. She then recovered, laughing at the strange looks she had managed to attract from the tables nearby. She smirked.

"So? Girl or boy."

Oh, she was such a joker.

[ARIANNA "NIXIE" SYMPHONIA]

Though Riv had been late to meet her, she was glad she had arranged to meet one of her few good friends that she could be herself around. And herself was a total bitch, but that was okay because so was Riv’s self. It all worked out pretty damn well if you asked her. Not that she often appeared to be a bitch to most, she tended to keep it to limited sarcastic commentary to those she wasn’t comfortable around. It was safe to say, however, that she was completely comfortable around her good friend here.

Besides, the Witch’s Brew was just a fun place to be in her opinion, but maybe she was just a bit of a biased opinion when it came to that. Though, Riv’s entrance totally made her raise an eyebrow, literally. Though it was totally her, so it didn’t surprise Nixie at all, all the same she needed to make a sarcastic remark about it. Nixie rolled her eyes at Riv’s answer with a small laugh. ”The infamous Angelli hater?” she teased back lightly with an amused tone to it. That was the way they worked as friends, they bitched and they teased and no one took offense.

Nixie laughed when Riv just waved off the way that she talked her way out of things. She knew Riv didn’t approve but she didn’t much care, it was how Nixie worked because she wasn’t strong, she wasn’t physical, she couldn’t physically sneak away from Marco and she knew it. So she simply talked her way out of it and left Riv to that stuff. ”I’ll leave the violence to you and the smooth talking to me. Ya know, if we ever got our shit together, we could take over the world” she mused absently, amused to entertain this idea.

It would be a scary place if the two of them ever got their shit together. The problem was this was that they had entirely opposing political stand points, so chances were that they could take over the whole damn fragmented world and then fall apart because they wouldn’t be able to agree what to do next now that they had control of the damn place. It was still an amusing point to entertain all the same.

She lost the entertainment of this idea when Riv decided to call her Arianna. For reasons that Nixie kept to herself, she had decided to call herself Nixie. And hated to be called Arianna. She refused to be called Arianna, she also refused to tell anyone why she had chosen to go for this change. She didn’t share why it was Nixie. She didn’t want to, that was her own business.

She had gotten back at Riv by calling her Ashe, not the most creative way of getting back at her after calling herself smooth talking to be honest, but she was honestly aggravated, too aggravated to notice or care that she hadn’t been the most creative in her insults.

She also called Riv out on her virgin status. If Riv wanted to bring down her reputation for not being able to escape, Nixie would call her out for bringing down hers for being a virgin. Riv countered how Nixie thought she would, by commenting on being the chosen of Artemis who was a virgin goddess and a huntress, and honestly, Nixie could admit that Riv had a point because she was a lot like the goddess that she was the patron of. But still, Nixie didn’t count that as a good enough excuse, she didn’t like predictable excuses.

The next excuse she could live with however.

She rolled her eyes at the flirtatious little wink but laughed all the same, smirking a little bit. Well it better not include me or that would ruin my plans to take you back to my place later” she said, returning the weird fake adoring right on back before laughing a little bit more and actually answering. ”I’ll let you have the Artemis’s patron bit. But you can’t blame me either. I’m Poseidon’s chosen and have you heard how many kids had? That accounts for a lot of sex” she said with a little smirk, settling back in her seat. Not that she wanted kids, no, that mention of kids was just to mention the sex. Of course.

But on the subject of being Artemis’s council member, Nixie had teasingly pointed out Riv’s outfit which looked more Artemis like than it usually did, and also commented on the fact that her back was covered. She shook her head when Riv said that it would be sad if Marco made her and then rolled her eyes at the very idea of letting Marco pick out her outfit. ”Like I would ever let him near my wardrobe. Nah, I just wanted a break from the eyes on me. We’re not in Pandora after all” she said with a little shrug. She wanted a break from being in everyone’s eyes. But that was kind of hopeless really.

Nixie pulled on her usual public attitude when the waitress came over and pulled on her gentle smile as she ordered, pretending that she actually cared and didn’t want ot offend anyone. Really it just kept her from deal with people hating her more for her attitude like they already did for her view on how things should be.

Nixie shook her head at the way that Riv commented at the waitress telling her that they didn’t have much time and then smirked playfully. ”Oh, so we don’t have much time now?” she asked, teasing her friend with an amused laugh and the expected eyebrow raise. It was her typical face, and it was her typical face for a reason, half the time her face just naturally fell into that. Who was she to deny it?

She got a tad bit…nervous…however when it came to telling Riv about her match being an Angelli. Riviera was notorious for not liking them as she displayed when she first entered. She almost rolled her eyes when Riv went all don’t tell me…you’re pregnant, but instead decided to have her own bit of fun. Riv pretended to faint and then asked her boy or girl, and Nixie instead widened her eyes and froze a little like Riv had caught her. She bit her lip a little and answered. ”How…how did you know?”she asked all nervous like.

And then she dropped the act and flapped her hand at her friend with a smirk. ”Stop being all obnoxious for five seconds so I can tell you about finding my Match, bitch.” she finally just let that little bit slip, still nervous but she could hand it to Riv, her little bit of playing had made Nixie relax more in the familiarity of it.

[ASHE RIVIERA]

Riviera had sneered at the topic of the opposite sex. Ha! As if. Why would she want anything to do with such things such as men?

The two Council Members bantered, with Nix answering, "Well it better not include me or that would ruin my plans to take you back to my place later.” Riviera laughed, before giving a low wolf whistle. "Oh, Nixie." She smirked, giving her lips a seductive lick. "Very kinky." She smirked, giving her friend another wink in approval.

”I’ll let you have the Artemis’s patron bit," Nix said, "but you can’t blame me either. I’m Poseidon’s chosen and have you heard how many kids had? That accounts for a lot of sex.” The idea of Nix having children brought Riviera up in laughter, and she arched a brow, taking hold of a fork and pointing it accusingly at her friend. "You. Kids. Children." She paused, before letting out a short bark of laughter. "Yeah, ok. The day you have kids, will be the day i quit hunting," she joked, giving her friend a playful jab with the cutlery.

The conversation moved to a different topic, and Riviera had teased Nix about Marco, slyly commenting on their relationship.

What?

It was weird.

I swear, they had some sort of thing going on. Riviera had had plenty of bodyguards, and each one, she had felt nothing but a clear annoyance to them. They just weren't useful! Disposable. Riviera scowled, thinking of her own guard, at home. Well, he'd be fired, soon enough. Riviera had escaped without him knowing again, and the mayor wouldn't be too pleased. She smirked; the day the bodyguard actually caught Riviera sneaking out, would be the day she stopped bitching about the whole deal.

Because really, if you couldn't even catch the person you were supposed to be guarding, how the fuck were you going to catch the people that were going to be attacking?

Of course, there was the fact that Riviera was just simply too good to get caught, but still.

Pathetic.

”Like I would ever let him near my wardrobe. Nah, I just wanted a break from the eyes on me. We’re not in Pandora after all,” Nix replied, shrugging. Riviera paused for a moment, in thought. She hadn't really thought about that; the unwanted attention. So far, she wasn't too disturbed by it. In fact, most people seemed to not know who she was. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, she hadn't quite decided.

"Yeahyeah. Nix, you're a Council Member. You're gunna have to get used to it, love." She gave a shrug of her own. Like she said; Being part of the Council was a gift and a curse.

The waitress then came and took their order, and Riviera just couldn't help making a -- slightly. Very slightly -- threatening comment. ”Oh, so we don’t have much time now?” Nix smirked, which Riviera then offered one of her own. She waved a hand, as if hitting away the very idea that Riviera would have said something like that just for fun. "Oh, you know me." She smirked. "Busy busy."

The conversation moved once more, and Riviera found herself staring at Nix, brow arched, eyes demanding an explanation. ”How…how did you know?” Nix asked, and Riviera gaped a little, not quite sure whether she was telling the truth.

You see, they may be friends, but Nix was a damn good actress.

"Wait a minute," she began, "don't tell me that you're actua--"

”Stop being all obnoxious for five seconds so I can tell you about finding my Match, bitch.” Nix smirked once more, and Riviera narrowed her eyes, leaning forward to mock punch her friend in the arm.

"Oh, fuck off, you slut." She muttered, annoyed that she had actually even considered that Nix may have been pregnant. Jesus. She was losing her touch. "So? Stop being all fucking melodramatic and come out with it." She snapped, sounding harsher than she intended.

She played with a strand of her hair before freezing, only just understanding what her friend had just said.

A match?

What?

Nix had been matched?

All previous thoughts to do with matches ran through her brain, and she glanced at Nix, brow arching, eyes sharpening in question. "Wait. Wait." She paused once more, before asking, voice dripping with accusation.

"Are you matched to an Angelli?"

[ARIANNA "NIXIE" SYMPHONIA]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb= width, 470px, true][atrb= style, background-color: #ffffff; box-shadow: 0px 0px 6px #E3E3E3; width: 470px; height: 460px; border-radius: 100%;] [STYLE=background: url(http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn90/sydneyatthedisco/150x150/hanna%20beth/10.jpg); webkit-border-radius: 0%; moz-border-radius: 100%; webkit-border-radius: 0%; border-radius: 100%; border: 5px solid #E3E3E3; width: 150px; height: 150px; margin-top: -220px; margin-left: 20px; opacity: 0.8;] [/style] [STYLE=font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 45px; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #E0E0E0; letter-spacing: -2px; color: #000000; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: -90px; margin-left: 181px;]BUT I'M AFRAID[/style] [STYLE= font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 4px; color: #66B2D9; margin-top: -60px; margin-left: 186px; font-family: arial; opacity: 0.6;]넌 가 질 수 없 는[/style] [STYLE=font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: justify; line-height: 9px; width: 197px; margin-left: 230; margin-top: 33px; margin-left: 230px; color: #B3B3B3; padding: 1px; border-left: 4px solid #5C75AB;]THAT YOU ARE LIKE THE MONA LISA I CAN'T HAVE DON'T SAY GOODBYE TO ME DON'T TALK TO ME WITH THAT KIND OF LOOK[/style]

[/td][/tr][/table]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb= width, 450px, true] [STYLE= background-color: #f8f8f8; width: 350px; height: 150px; padding: 6px; font-family: arial; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; overflow: auto; margin-top: -310px; opacity: 0.9; color: #5C5C5C;] Nix and Riv played around a lot. That was what they did when they were together. And their playful banter was, thankfully, distracting Nixie from the fact that she had called this girl’s night in order to tell Riv about the whole “being matched” thing. She would rather play with her closest friend first and worry about that shit after. It made sense to her anyway. She playfully told Riv that she was going to take her back to her place later and Riv winked and called it kinky. Nix laughed a little and smirked right on back, most relaxed with her friend. ”Oh you know it” she said, winking back. They were slightly insane. It was all good. Nixie had brought up her own Patron when Riv brought Artemis into the argument, mentioning children only in relation to sex and the like and Riv had laughed and stabbed her with a fork, laughing at the idea of Nixie with kids. Nixie flapped a hand at her friend, dismissing the laughter but she was grinning too. The idea of Nixie with a kid to take care of was a scary one. Nixie was a solitary woman, she barely let her own sisters in on her life, her with a kid? That would be a disaster. No other life should ever depend on Nixie in order to live. That was like sentencing the poor kid to a death wish really. ”Well, I hope you like hunting. This womb of mine will remain empty, thank you” she said with a roll of her eyes. Fully believing it being that she was fully unaware that the seed of a child was already starting to grow in there. It hadn’t shown signs yet, and even when it would Poseidon knew that child would ignore it and dismiss it as other things until it was enevitable to accept that she was. But until then, she was blissfully unaware and happily telling her good friend she would never have a child. The conversation had turned towards the odd relationship that Nixie had with Marco. They were close. Nixie saw nothing wrong like that. She had chosen not to be like the other Council members that treated their body guards as disposable and constantly changed who watched over them. Instead she had gotten close to Marco, and she was perfectly fine with their relationship even if everyone else decided to call it out as weird. Nixie was happy with this relationship, thank you. Besides, if he liked her more he was more likely to make sure she didn’t, oh you know, die? She rolled her eyes at her own thought process. There was nothing wrong with wanting to live. Which was why she was putting off telling Riv, wasn’t it? She blew off Riv’s idea that Marco had picked out her outfit. She would never let him do that. She didn’t want to know what he would pick. Instead she just said it was because, for once, she didn’t want everyone’s eyes on her. They weren’t in Pandora. All the same, she knew that even without Riv declaring who they were with her outfit, it was easy to tell who she was. She didn’t try to hide often, when she did it was difficult because of how inoften she tried. Ugh. She shook her head when Riv told her to get used to it. She didn’t want to. She didn’t have to. She wouldn’t. That was all there was to it, Nixie was stubborn like that. And it was obvious from the look in her eyes that she was being stubborn. I’ll get used to it when I’m damn good and ready” she said, not caring that she sounded ever so slightly like a pouting child. Nixie had commented on the fact that Riv told the waitress that they had a time limit of some sort. She had a feeling that Riv was just messing around with the poor woman, and hell she wouldn’t doubt it if that was all she was doing, but she had commented all the same. Riv and Nixie were almost cut from the same cloth, except for the fact that Nixie was very careful with projecting a certain image in public. Riv waved it off, calling herself busy and Nixie rolled her eyes at her in answer to the other woman’s comment. She expected these things from the other woman by now to be honest. They had been friends for a while after all. Ah, but then they came to the important news. Riv had accused her of being pregnant, and Nixie had played with her, pretending that she really was mostly to see if she could get Riv to believe her, and from the looks of things, she had. She had actually bought it. That made Nixie smirk, just to let Riv know that she would happily hold that over her head and tease her with it later. Like Nix said, that was how their friendship worked. It seemed odd from an outsider’s point of view, but Nixie wouldn’t trade their friendship for anything honestly. But then she commented about being matched, and slipped it in so smoothly that it was obvious that Riv hadn’t caught it right away from her answering comment. Nixie didn’t answer, nervous, as Riv slowly realized she had been told what Nixie wanted to say. Riv froze and Nixie sat back, waiting for the explosion. And it came, as more of an accusation than Nixie had expected. Nixie was saved from answering by the waitress showing up. She smiled politely, putting on the act, as the woman set down everything that they ordered at the table. ”Excuse me, I hate to be a bother but I did ask for extra sugar” she said politely, again keeping with the act. All the same, even with Nixie’s fake kindness, the waitress blushed and stuttered. ”Of course, I-I’m so sorry. I’ll be right back with that” she said and then backed away before Nixie could answer. Nixie tore a piece off her cookie and then looked up at Riv, keeping her voice and face calm to avoid trying to feed into Riv’s temper. ”That is how these things usually work, Riv” she answered her friend simply, seeing no other way to go about it really. She was possibly screwed. Shit. [/style]

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TEMPLATE BY RAYAH! OF BTN!

[ASHE RIVIERA]

A Match.

A Match.

Nix was Matched.

To an Angelli.

Her mind reeled with the shock, eyes wide with disbelief. This was a joke, right? A joke? Just another one of Nix's banter, the kind that they so often shared?
Riviera frowned, eyeing up her closest friend with sharp eyes, trying to see if she was joking or not. Surely a lie. Surely.

But the nervousness in Nix's eyes; the way she tensed ever so slightly -- it all said otherwise. It was true; Nix was Matched. And to an Angelli.

The thought brought a scowl onto Riviera's lips, the harsh twists of the lips absentmindedly weaving themselves onto her skin. Already, dark thoughts were forming, cerulean seeing her friend in a new, pitiful light. How disgusting, to have to spend the rest of your life with an Angelli -- that was just.. pure horror. The look of loathing on her face was apparent, but the reason was not; she was repulsed by the idea of being Matched with the enemy, not Nix herself.

Riviera wasn't that much of a bitch.

Well, she was, but she happened to like Nix -- she wasn't about to ditch her because of this. It wasn't her fault she had the misfortune of becoming Matched.

Before she could further react, the waitress returned, much to Riviera's annoyance. Nix, of course, switched back to her facade, and politely talked to the girl; a somewhat forced smile fixed onto her face. "Excuse me, I hate to be a bother but I did ask for extra sugar." Riviera rolled her eyes, impatiently tapping the ground with her foot, shooting the waitress a harsh glare with a clear warning: hurry up and get the fuck out.

The girl, clearly noticing the rather pointed look, blushed and stuttered. "Of course, I-I'm so sorry. I'll be right back with that." And then, under the hostile glare of Riviera, she backed away hurriedly, only looking back once, before turning back around with a little jump. There. Finally.

Back to business.

Riviera opened her mouth to demand an explanation, before stopping herself just in time; from the way Nix avoided Riviera's gaze, it was obvious she was having a hard time coming out with it. As if she was anticipating something bad to happen. As if Riviera would react badly to the whole thing. Which she would have done, if she didn't find just a little part of it so amusing. It was one of those moments when you didn't know whether to laugh or kill, and fortunately for Nix, Riviera had chosen humor. For now.

Nix tore off a piece of her cookie, dept fingers gracefully playing with the dough, before murmuring, "That is how these things usually work, Riv," before continuing to avoid Riviera's eyes.

Well, that was annoying.

Riviera paused for a moment, digesting the information. She wasn't really sure how to take it. Laugh, or kill. Kill, or laugh.

"So you are. To an Angelli." She accused; the harshness of her tone surprising even herself. Did she not say that she found the situation amusing? So why the anger? Riviera paused, staring at Nix with a somewhat bemused, yet distasteful expression. Perhaps she felt more negatively about this deal than she thought.

Fingers tapping against the wooden surface, she cocked a brow, her posture somewhat rigid. It was slightly infuriating, that she was acting in such a way. Especially when she didn't mean it. Much. She would never have thought that her coldness would become an disadvantage to her in this way. She cleared her throat, before gently slamming her fingers down to a stop. "Have you met him yet? Have you seen him?"

She paused once more; this was Nix. Of course she had. She wasn't the type to not see someone as important -- well, somewhat important -- as her Match. A better question was needed. "Have you fucked him yet?" She sneered, twisting the words to make them sound foul and ugly; her revulsion of what she thought about the matter made clear.

Being Matched to an Angelli, she could forgive.

Having sex with one, she could not.