One Foot on the Ledge (Evony)

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Anger was a blinding drug, forced against her lips by some twisted turn of fate. Lucy's potent strain was uncomfortable for most, to say the least. She was used to it. She often chose to succumb to it - but it was never really a choice. When she was swallowed up by the feeling, it encompassed her. And she became destructive.

So she was destructive. And she had been for over a day now.

Evony was a master of avoidance. Lucy used to find it funny; useful. Now it was just annoying. Frustratingly so. Because she was impossible to pin down, and any attempt to do so left her with nothing but empty hands and a weighted amount of pressure on her shoulders. It was beginning to be something she couldn't handle on her own, but who was she going to turn to for help when it came to something like this? If she had a little more tact in her steps, she might have been able to settle her down and approach things with a cool head. But Evony likely knew she was angry. And so she was running.

Which in turn made everything worse. Time rarely healed aggression.

But this time she got word of Evony's presence in her own room - from Lyra, no less. The younger girl's tactile ability solidified Lucy's reasoning for leaving her room - leaving the blaring repeated Janelle Monae mix and the hours of online shooters - and venturing out to room four-oh-three. With the common room door unlocked, she launched herself into it without so much as a second to snicker at the paint trails left around the room.

Anger; a blinding drug.

"Hey!" She shouted, hitting her fist against the door a few times; "I know you're in there. Don't you fucking run from me!"

[Evony Vasiliev]

There were nights alone, where the creeping shadows would engulf the feeble threads of silvery moonlight and drown all notions of safety and contentment in an eerie silence. The obsidian blanket of paranoia had taken full advantage of this and plunged its skeletal talons into the core of a very conflicted and vulnerable Blue bird. It seemed all of the girl's subdued nervousness had culminated over the past few days and spiralled into a vicious labyrinth of bitter guilt and terrified heartache. Evy knew exactly what she had done wrong, but a nagging stubbornness resisted, berating her for wallowing in the internal conundrum.

With guilt came the overwhelming sense of paranoia, who had her back now? The girl had not waited to answer her own question and decided to take matters into her own hands. Choosing to escape the obstacles which could damage what was left of her pride. Evy had become a spectre, barely existing within the bounds of Hammel as she flitted in and out of the reflective world. Avoiding her friends but above all avoiding the girl who had spurred the recklessness to arise deep in her heart.

The troubled thief made the tragic decision to avoid Lucy. Not stepping a foot in the tattooed girl's room ever since the incident. The place that was once a bubble of solace and contentment shared with the terrifying tattooed beauty had become a quarantined zone. She could not bring herself to crawl back to Lucy, all she could do was run away, hide from the feelings that desperately tugged for intimacy.

Prolonged days and sleepless nights filled with every conceivable distraction became a chore, a painful routine which still did not shake the gnawing trepidation. Did Lucy hate her now? Were all those nights together for nothing? The girl couldn't bring herself to answer them. The overwhelming silence of her room however, seemed to enhance her paranoia even further.

But alas! Fate was a cruel master, thrusting the girl back into the line of fire. The heavy knocking on her door was enough to make her jump, dropping several pieces of jewellery she had been fiddling with prior to the interruption. A voice called out from the other side. An angry voice. A beautiful voice. Evy froze from the demand, her heart thumping against her chest in the futile bid to escape her terror. Why was she here? Evy remained silent, flickering her eyes to the trio of mirrors located around her room. She could escape, get away from Lucy and return when all this was forgotten.

"Don't you fucking run from me!"

The voice reverberated through the room, smacking Evy right in the chest like a freight train. Lucy knew she was here, damn...the girl was good. Evy opened her mouth, only to shut it just as quickly, cringing from the confrontation that was just on the other side of the door.

With trembling hands and weak knees the porcelain skinned girl slid off the dull warmth of the stolen bean bag and tentatively slinked over to her door. Every step forced her breathing to become more shallow. Ba-dump Ba-dump!. Her heart protested. Escape now! her mind screeched, panicking till it was a shrill blaring roar in the back of her mind.

Without a word, and eyes firmly plastered onto the ground beneath her feet the girl slowly turned the door knob, pulling it even slower. A small crevice was all that seperated them, two girls with a paint stained reminder of their first meeting together. Evy had no will to look Lucy in the eye, all she could offer was the weakest shadow of a smile. A 'I know I'm in trouble' simper. There was no turning back now. No escaping from this blazing beauty and she let out a strained breath. What could she say?

Nothing.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy knew in the back of her mind that a verbal command was relatively useless - what good were words now if they weren't useful days ago? It hadn't served her well in the last few days. And rightly, she had to assume it wouldn't now. All the more reason to be positively seething; spitting venom in the form of a righteously angered tone of voice. To be completely denied something was the most frustrating thing in the world. Because nothing could be done about it.

Every measure taken, nothing ever gained.

But colour her surprised - a little, clouded amidst the frustration - when slow footsteps breached the silence and the door knob turned. Lucy took a half step back, refraining the urge to push the barrier out of her way while she had the chance. But the denial practically made her fingers twitch with anticipation. She could barely see anything with the sliver of space offered. The door barely opened. It burned to be denied eye contact. She was in the right here. Evony was in the wrong. And she was denying the right party to her rightful demands.

Lucy curled her fingers through the break in the door, determined to stop it from closing even if it meant harm to herself. But she doubted the other girl would be daring enough to try jamming her fingers. "Enough of your bullshit running!" She shot out, anger simmering under an unstable surface tension; "You're gonna fucking talk to me."

[Evony Vasiliev]

Evy's porcelain skin was awash with a scarlet blush, simply cowering behind the crack in the door was enough to warrant some shame. Lucy was angry, maybe even more so than the girl initially thought. The petite swindler found herself physically trembling, the last thing she wanted was a confrontation with this girl. Years of angry shop owners, furious motorcyclists and pissed off teenagers were beginner's challenges, petty things that warranted little attention from the self ascribed troublemaker. But this hurt. Lucy was the last person the girl wanted angry with her, and yet there was no denying that the emotional juggernaut was about to rear it's ugly head in her direction.

Her hands were limp against the paint stained door knob, she didn't struggle nor did she resist when Lucy edged her way in. What was the point in making the situation any worse? Lucy deserved free access into the Blue bird's shimmering nest of prized objects and stolen memorabilia, it was expected actually. If Evy could manage to invade the tattooed girl's space then she was granted full entry as well.

Evy's flat gaze flickered to Lucy's face, hoping that there was some sliver of compassion on her crush's visage. But she found none. Lucy's beautiful features were twisted into a fierce facade, the sight itself so intimidating that the thief tore her gaze away back to her feet.

The girl kept a safe distance from Lucy, something which hurt a lot more than she thought. She was so accustomed to cuddling up with the girl during their nights together, drinking in the warmth and comfort of her tight embrace. But now, things forced the blue bird to remain wary. It was hopeless, so fucking hopeless.

"What do you want to know...?", she murmured, not bothering with eye contact or a proper greeting. This was not their standard conversation, there was no joy or coy wordplay, just the hollow words that tumbled out of her mouth. Her heart was demanding she fall on her knees and beg for forgiveness but her mind was adamant, there was no way she was going to submit to such a pitiful display. Lucy was less than likely to appreciate that anyways.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Compassion was a difficult feeling to muster. It was difficult to offer anything over or under anger; it didn't blend like most emotions did. Most might look hurt, allowing a deep rooted pain to coincide with the fire in their eyes. It was just... Anger. And all the intimidating essence that came with the vividly unchained emotion.

Lucy pushed the door back when she took a few steps, walking into the space she had no hold over and closing the door behind her. It wasn't unfamiliar territory, per se. It just wasn't her own. The concept usually made things more awkward for the invading party, but she didn't care. Not enough to feel awkward about the situation, or the way she carried herself as she stood there. Her arms folded before her chest, her fingers curling around her arm tightly and gripping it like a lifeline.

She thought long on the question posed to her, her eyes narrowing on the other girl as if a sliver of her wondered; what else would she want to know? Lucy posed a singular shrug, as if she were stupid and had no answer to offer. Because it was a stupid question. Should she play dumb in this volley? Would that somehow make her feel better?

"Why?" Lucy felt the word fall from her mouth sharply; as if it would cut like glass.

[Evony Vasiliev]

The static thrum of her heartbeat provided a heavy rhythm in her ear, pulsating quicker and quicker with every increase in stress. Evy had no actual plan for this, how was she to know that Lucy was going to storm into her room and demand an interrogation? Whilst such a brusque display seemed fitting for Lucy it only made matters worse for the frozen thief, a girl so out of her comfort zone even if she was in the safety of her bedroom.

Her father was the only other person who could manage this potent level of disappointment in herself, his discipline was often justified and with the hard love of a father. But this was so much more different. Lucy was the girl Evy swooned over, yes actually swoon and here she was trembling with terror and frustration. There was no turning back from now on. Had the French douche actually won?

Shaking her head lightly and keeping her teeth firmly clamped on her lower lip the girl kept a vicegrip on the hem of her skirt, scrunching her fingers into the soft fabric to keep the sensation as a distraction.

Why?

The word hit her like a blistering wind. A cold and merciless question that penetrated any false hope of comfort. A sharp breath escaped her lips, eyes blinking wildly as she attempted to conceive a possible reply. Was it worth arguing with Lucy? It was bound to make things worser than they already were but a nagging part of her soul demanded that she fight for herself, fight for her affection.

"I...I don't know...", she whispered into the ground, her mind attempting to regain control of her breathing. In through the nose and out through the mouth. Lucy was angry, and it was understandable...but Evy hated that her actions had caused this, resulted in the flared temper of a very frightening figure.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy felt her shoulders tighten underneath the silence. It was mind numbing, to stand there for what felt like hours waiting for an answer. But it was such an intense question, given the size of it. A singular word. She knew she'd practically handed her a loaded gun, and she didn't seem to care. Lucy didn't seem to care about other people's feelings at the best of times, so why start the facade now?


What she got was...


"I don't." She paused, very briefly, "Know."


"I don't know?" Now posed as a question.

She pressed her lips into a hardened line for a moment, before her gaze was dragged to the floor and a small laugh - yes, a laugh - escaped the vice grip of her mouth. I don't know. "I don't know isn't enough for me." Lucy retorted, her voice keeping quiet as she tried, perhaps for the last time to simmer down and act like something of an adult. But no. Why should she? No one else around her had enough sense to act like they could handle their problems; "That is not a fucking answer." And she wouldn't accept it. The seemingly laid back Australian wasn't settling on a bullshit answer.


"Don't treat me like I'm stupid. You know why." She gripped her own arm tighter, hoping the pain from her nails would serve as a distraction; "So just fucking say so."

[Evony Vasiliev]

Evy cringed when the girl let out the dark laugh, shuddering at the thought of just how bad this was all becoming. It was no lie, Evy was horrified with this turn of events and would have preferred to have simply jumped right into the mirror behind her. But Lucy would only hate her even more she did. Her tongue felt numb against the roof of her mouth, her throat clenched up so that let only a sparse amount of oxygen through. She was not going to risk crying in front of Lucy. No way. Not now.

The Blue bird swayed lightly, the trembling knees little more than fragile twigs underneath the freight train of emotions boiling in the pit of her soul. Run away! Her mind demanded, better to hide and lick her wounds than face the wrath of Lucy. Being an escape artist had its perks but here she was forced into a static position, rigid underneath the venomous glare of the only person she had ever fallen for. A tense breath passed by her lips, a weak sigh soon following as she fumbled with the bracelets on her wrist. They offered little comfort, they weren't even hers.

"I...."

No, her voice croaked and she was left mute for a second. It was like some ghastly entity had torn her tongue right out of her mouth.

"I can't..." There was no way she was talking about her reasoning, something that was more spur of the moment than anything else. She was foolish to act out on it and now the bitter realisation of the consequences weighed heavily on her mind. What did Lucy even want to know? Evy knew she was angry but why? The Australian rarely gave hints into her thought process and this abrupt and righteous wrath had taken the Blue bird off guard. Wasn't it obvious why she did it? In hindsight, probably not but her mutilated rose tinted glasses provided little help with explaining herself.

"I can't do this!" Evy struck back weakly, lifting up her head to glance out the window, subduing the ball in her throat by biting down hard on her tongue. "Lucy...I can't, I don't want to...", she whispered, her voice wavering for a moment before she furrowed her brow. Couldn't Lucy just end it all here rather than prolong both their suffering? "I know why...but...I can't tell you. It's not going to help..." The thief fumbled, straining her excuses together with a rusted chain of painful words and battered truths. She couldn't confess to Lucy, it was too a big a risk to take, especially in this condition.

"You don't want to know why." She whispered, a painful admission that stung her mouth with every syllable. Of course Lucy wouldn't want to know, she wasn't going to reciprocate anything.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy felt the last of her attempt at restraint fleeting at her simple words. She said she wouldn't. Her voice had trailed away to silence with nothing in the form of an answer. But she needed an answer. Even if it was as stupid as the question Evony had posed initially, she needed something to help her make sense of it all. There was a piece missing in all this. Without it, nothing could be put to rest and everything would remain up in the air.

Her eyebrows raised when Evony called back to her finally, showing some ounce of strength before looking back to the window. Lucy found herself determined to push forward and stop her if she dared to touch the reflection she saw. No way. No fucking way was she getting out of this without having to explain herself. Who was she even looking at now? Subdued by anger, Evony had lost whatever fire she'd seemed to have and all but fallen to the feet of the older girl. And Lucy found herself unable to believe it. It felt so painfully jarring that it had to be fake. And if this were fake, what else had been?

She knew, but she couldn't say? She withheld the answer from its rightful owner? Lucy closed her eyes and breathed in slowly. But she felt her breath catch in her throat.

She didn't want to know why.

Well wasn't that just... Everything wrong with the situation.

"Fine. I'll tell you why you did it." Lucy started, unfurling her arms and briefly dropping them to her sides. She tugged at the sleeves of her shirt, rolling them up above her elbow. "You've got this thing, don't you. About ownership. You have to have what you want. I mean, look at what you do. You take a bunch of shit because you want it." She stated the fact as if it were, evidence or no.

"Except you can't take a person."

She paused again, briefly as she clenched her teeth. In a lighter moment, she might have wished she'd stopped there; "So you - what, get a little jealous and a little freaked out and you go punch my friend in the face? Do you even know him? Do you know anything about him?" Lucy idly waved her hand in the other girl's direction. That was a question that didn't need answering. "Do you know anything about the people you take all that shit from? No... No, because you don't care. But you... You what, think you can't take me from him. I don't even fucking belong to him!" No, no that wasn't right. She shook her head.

"I don't belong to anyone." She made the motion to run her hand along her tattooed arm; anything to subdue the way her anger spilled into their expressions and movements.

[Evony Vasiliev]

The colour had receded from Evy's face as the blistering chill of Lucy's cold gaze seeped into the very core of her body. Her tongue felt limp in her mouth, any possible rebuttal or explanation was made naught by the excruciating agony her heart was experiencing. The girl's legs shuddered with pins and needles, it would come as no surprise if she collapsed right then and there into a pitiful lump of regret and self loathing. Lucy had trapped the blue bird in her own nest, looking over her like a merciless predator demanding she submit.

But Evy could not, she wouldn't allow the tattooed beauty to see her lose the brittle calm she clung to. Or so she thought.

Lucy's words stung, they were bony daggers cutting deep into Evy's heart and ruthlessly dicing every defence she had. A low whimper escaped her lips, her eyes flickering from the floor, to the mirrors and everywhere Lucy was not. Her throat ached, as if someone had jammed gravel into her mouth and forced her to swallow. Who knew that Lucy could be so cruel. But didn't Evy deserve this? Wasn't this retribution for her stupidity not long ago. Her guilt intensified with every cutting syllable that sliced into the tense atmosphere but something swelled up in the pit of her stomach. Something which immediately lashed out when the brown eyed beauty continued her tirade.

Trembling lips curled into a vicious snarl, a deep wrathful throb pulsating through the girl's core.

"Don't you dare fucking take the moral high ground! You know nothing about me! You don't know anything about what I've been through! You and your smug fucking face can go fuck itself!", she shot back, her mouth a pistol and her dainty little fists shaking with rage. It wasn't the frenchie she was angry about, it was Lucy judging her; something Evy didn't think possible. Fuck this! Fuck her! Jabbing her finger in the girl's direction Evy felt the scalding anger sweep into her limbs, flaring up her glistening eyes with rage...and a very deep pain. "If...if you knew that then why are you here? If you know everything about the girl who doesn't care then why do you need me to explain myself? Do...do you want to torment me? Well go on! Fucking dish it all out because you clearly...you clearly..." Evy choked, her lashing words wavering as she felt the bitter tears begin to stream down her cheeks.

I'm Sorry. I'm Sorry. I'm Sorry. I'm Sorry. Her mind pleaded, over and over.

Shit. She couldn't lose like this.

"I didn't...I didn't fucking plan this okay...", she sniffled, her trembling palm wiping the moisture off her flushed cheek. Being angry sucked, especially when it was at yourself. "I didn't mean to...I..I just..." The girl let out a pitiful croak, gripping her belly like scorching hot had been placed there. Her eyes were now glazed with hot tears, the lump in her throat swelling inside her throat as a horrible realisation began to struck her.

This was probably the end. The end of it all and it hurt like nothing she had ever experienced before.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy couldn't offer an explanation as to what she thought would happen next. No description would be fitting, even if she had some idea of the proceedings. She wasn't sure what would come of everything she said, but regret was something she didn't take to lightly. It was something she was unfamiliar with. Everything she said was said because it seemed to carry an air of truth to it. So why regret what she wanted to say, whether it be right or wrong? Evony had given her no indication either way, and so she'd been left to search for an answer to her loaded question on her own.

And there they were.

She took it all in, opting not to combat every second sentence with the deconstructing notions she was usually proud of. Raising a hand, she ran her fingers over the line of her jaw as if searching for the smug expression mentioned. No sign of it. Just anger and a somewhat twisted morality complex. Everything was done for a reason, and the reason was missing. Lucy felt the beginning inklings of a headache forming in her temples. No, she just couldn't let it go. Not while there was something missing. It didn't sit right with her and that notion didn't just go away with time. She would tear her apart if she had to; "I don't give a fuck what you've been through, lady. That doesn't mean shit here and now."

And she was crying. As if the situation couldn't get worse. As if something like that would readily deter Lucy now.

Her eyes narrowed on the figure in front of her; going from bitter anger to painfully pathetic in such a fast move didn't sit right with her either. It felt fake. Much of this felt fake. And it was beginning to drive her crazy. "You don't get to tell me what I do and don't want to know." No, that just piled evidence against her. "This sad girl act is bullshit, and you know it. So if I'm wrong, just fucking say so." Given her inability to comment on all that Lucy had said, she had to assume the former was right. She shook her head slightly, feeling the overwhelming sense of failure fall on her shoulders. What was the point in asking questions she wasn't getting answers to?

[Evony Vasiliev]

Short sharp breaths were shot from Evy's lungs, one after the other like a chain link of strained air and pent up frustration. She wasn't even consciously crying, the tears sprung forth out of nowhere, her body's natural response to the sheer horror of the situation. She hated screaming, disliked confrontation and above all else loathed how her recklessness seemed to always catch up with her. Lucy seemed unaffected, a glass statue conveying no warmth or sympathy. Had she always been like this? Had the Blue bird been blind to the painful truths about the girl she'd fallen for.

She shuddered with from the girl's response, physically taken aback by how seemingly relentless Lucy was actually being. She was pushing forth, battering down every little defence the thief could muster and Evy was left clinging onto the gnawing stubbornness which demanded she stand up to the tattooed beauty. But what was the point? From the looks of it Lucy had already made up her mind and Evy was left trembling from the thought.

"No...", she whimpered, completely unprepared for the girl's lack of sympathy. These tears were as real as anything Evy could manage, but Lucy did not care. Wiping the moisture away from her eyes and and taking in several deep breaths Evy stared up at the ceiling, as if the plain white facade would give her solace. But there was nothing. There was just the low ringing noise in the back of her mind and the nagging sense of dread in the pit of her stomach, a sickly feeling which only got worse the longer she stood there.

Just tell her and be done with it.

The internal battle had culminated to that one statement, something which immediately made the girl cringe at the mere mention of it. What would Lucy care? Admitting to those feelings was probably the most stupid thing she could do at that moment.

"I just...I take things because I have to, because I can't help it.", she uttered, almost too pitifully with the sniffling and the whimpering, glancing at the pile of jewellery on the table near her. They often have her comfort but now in the heat of the moment the stolen treasures were nothing but ugly stains, emphasising just how bad of a person she was. With a wary gaze and deep exhale she brought her head up to stare at the girl, right in the eyes. "I never wanted to own you. It's...oh fuck", she sniffed, absolutely thrown by the maelstrom of feelings battling in her soul. "I didn't want to lose the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on...and now, everything is just fucked up." Evy breathed, a dark laugh escaping her trembling lips and mocking the very situation she was in.

What was the point in saying all this? Evy wasn't quite sure. But if this was her last moment with Lucy then she somehow wanted to express the most stubborn feeling in the pit of her heart. Maybe this had all been a passing game for Lucy, a devious ploy to finding another silly victim to torment. It was the girl's greatest prank if such a thing were true.

"I...I didn't want all those nights to be in vain. Maybe to you it was nothing but...I actually." Evy dug her nails deeper into her palms as she cleared her throat. "I actually fell for you." And that was the most honest thing the Blue bird had ever said to anyone in her entire life. It was nothing more than an angry whisper, a futile utterance at explaining her stupidity. But what more could she say?

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Sympathy was as it was given. Lucy rarely used it unless the moment called for it in its entirety. She would sympathise with Dom - despite his attitude in almost all situations, he didn't deserve the cards he'd been dealt. He didn't deserve the treatment given. He was an asshole, and a bastard, but that didn't warrant a hit to the face over nothing. She drummed her fingers against her arm, the melodic taps working to soothe the anger that burned under her skin and inflated the reactions of her tattoos.

Her pitiful nature was starting to crawl to the forefront of Lucy's mind. That it was all so pathetically driven. Inclined to make most people feel sorry for her and press on the break. But Lucy couldn't. She couldn't risk being dragged in by tears and hopeless words. She had something important to find out. Finally graced with eye contact, Lucy allowed her features to soften slightly - no longer were her eyes narrowed on a target. She would listen, so long as there was a point in mind.

Being called beautiful was suddenly so... Jarring. Almost unsettling.

So it took everything she had not to feel the physical blow of being told she'd fallen for her. Confusion settled quickly in her dark eyes; that had to be a joke. Despite the intention and the honesty that seemed to echo in her statement, Lucy knew it wasn't true. It couldn't be.

"No you didn't." She retorted, quietly this time. As if the relentless anger had been sucked dry and all that was left were the shallow remains. Lucy briefly shook her head, raising a hand to run it through the line of her hair; "Stop it. Just... Stop." She took a few steps, breaching the comfortable distance she'd settled on and resting her hands on Evony's shoulders. This was too important to waste.

"Stop lying to me. I don't believe it." Lucy reasoned, feeling her better judgement flare despite where she stood; "Why can't you just tell me why?" Because if it wasn't an act of possession, she didn't understand any of it.

[Evony Vasiliev]

There was always a first for everything. Defining chapters in life which flared bright in the wistful conundrum of Evy's memory. The first time she climbed a tree, the first time she performed for an audience, the first time she stole something and her first kiss were all moments in her life which Evy replayed over and over to bring on the nostalgia. It was here, in the little dorm room strewn with jewellery, mirrors and lingerie did the Blue bird admit to her feelings to another, for the first time. Romantic novels seems to brush over the jarring awkwardness and painful retaliation of rejection and during that moment Evy simply wanted to sink into the floor and never return.

The girl stood alone, facing the person of her dreams only to have it rudely skewed into a nightmare. Her eyes tentatively glazed over Lucy's form, taking in the body that held her tight during the cold nights and kept her warm. Lucy was a revelation, a stunning figure whose terrifying beauty sent the acrobat into a dazed sense of vertigo. Lucy was too good for her, too raw and real for a simple circus performer. The agony of such an overwhelming attraction plunged its talons deep into Evy's core, shredding her hopes and filling them with doubt. Lucy could never like someone like her, she'd been lying to herself the entire time.

Lucy seemed to confirm this paranoia, uttering words which felt like a rusty hook had been struck into the foundations of her heart. She knew she had fallen for the girl! But why was she so scared to admit it? Lucy was simply too aloof, too mysterious to confirm any reciprocated feelings and Evy was left shuddering with the possible realisation that all of this had been for nothing.

The thief instinctively recoiled when Lucy took the steps forward, flinching when the hand was placed on her shoulder. For a moment she thought Lucy was going to strike her, much like the blue bird had foolishly done to the French boy. It felt strange, being this close after forcing a severe distance between them over the past few days. Evy missed her warm touch and those swirling pools of chocolate that stared right into the very pit of her soul. She missed the scent of caffeine, lemongrass and the lingering touches of paint that clung to her sense like a drug. She needed Lucy but at the same time, was so terrified as to why.

"I'm not lying!", she pleaded, frustrated with how hard it was to emphasise the nagging feeling deep in her stomach. She sniffled, looking at her reflection for a moment. All she saw was a lonely little blue bird with tear stained eyes and the shadow of a dream staring right into her soul. "Please Lucy, I can't...I don't know what to say...", she uttered, bringing her hands up to her head and clenching her dainty fingers around the trickling strands of blue. What could she say? What could make Lucy genuinely believe the painful truths that had escaped her mouth only a moment ago.

"I do, I really really do and...and well fuck you if you don't believe it!" Evy stammered, frustrated that she couldn't put what she wanted to say into words. It was supposed to be simple, admitting to your feelings and yet Lucy had completely shut her down. "I got scared, and it was stupid and I'm sorry but...but I didn't want all that shit that happened under that fucking cone of silence to be for nothing." She shot out, desperate to communicate her feelings without letting her emotions spray everywhere. "I kept my word Lucy...you asked for the real me and that's what you got...", Evy whispered, staring down at her feet, not daring to look the girl in the eye.

"Are you happy now? Maybe this whole thing...whatever the fuck it was, was just a some little activity for you...", her voice trailed off bitterly, the girl forcing herself to clamp her teeth shut on he flower lip to stop it from trembling. "I'm sorry okay. I'm sorry I fell for you and embarrassed you and hurt your friend so if that's it...just leave. You've won." She uttered quietly, feeling the bile in the back of her throat build up at the thought of defeat. She couldn't drag this on any further if it risked ruining whatever pride she had left. Lucy was too complex for this, so perfectly frustrating and distant that the thief wanted nothing more than to become the victim of her own obsession.

To have her own heart stolen by Lucy.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

It was difficult to believe her - not entirely because it was Evony she was holding onto. It was simply the case with people. Trust was a painfully complex prize to strive for, much less from the paranoid Australian. When she said she didn't know what to say, Lucy felt the overwhelming urge to leave the situation completely - to dissipate from the room. To walk out in every sense of the phrase.

She had to know what to say. She had to know how to be honest for at least one moment.

"Why would I believe that?" Lucy replied simply, shrugging her shoulders as her eyebrows furrowed. This was stupid. This whole conversation was overbearingly idiotic and she was beginning to turn inward because she'd started it. But the sense of it all remained; what reason did she have to believe anything she was hearing? She couldn't even get an answer to a question.

Frustrated by what she said, Lucy let her go again and had her hands fall back to her sides. "Yeah, sleeping with people is something I make a habit out of." She retorted with sarcasm, feeling her aggression flare up again. "No I'm not fucking happy now! Why would I believe you if you can't even answer a single fucking question. You punched my friend and you can't even tell me why, so what am I supposed to believe?" She rolled her shoulders back idly, feeling tension build. Her headache flared as the lion on her arm bared its teeth. This was getting to new levels of ridiculous.

"You think you can throw this shit on me and distract me, is that it? Is it because you don't know how to articulate a bloody answer, or because you don't want to?" She felt the sense that things were turning out; that she was right about everything. If she couldn't answer a question, how could she be honest? "Why did you hit Dom? Tell me or I fucking will walk out. And I won't look back."