♡

Engaged. Something twisted in Mikaela’s stomach at that word. She didn’t think about the string of naive babbling that fell from her mouth next. The words were more a chance to regain her composure than anything else. “Nonsense! When you fall for someone you don’t stop falling until your heart is broken. So you see, there’s always more love to profess and you’ve gotta remember to share it or she might forget you love her at all!” The warning was touched with a bit of desperation, like she could care about a silly man’s silly engagement. Engagements were stupid. Marriage was stupid. It was a formality she’d never bother with even if she had the option.

The man went on talking and Mikaela went on barely paying attention. Conversation with a boring man always turned out to be boring. She could see the path he was on with his life, and some temporary conversation with a foolish girl wouldn’t change anything. She’d already dug deep enough into her own act that she couldn’t make it any more fun.

‘Maggie would be furious with me if I didn’t bring you to meet her. ‘ The words tore through her thoughts, setting Mikaela fully on guard. Images of a past she’d rather forget flashed through her mind. She’d walked into a similar trap before and she could still feel the cool steel of the gun pressed to her head, a stark contrast to the heat of the blood pushing it’s way faster and faster through her veins, forced on by her rapidly beating heart. Back then she’d been a stupid girl who thought she could actually be killed in Italy without her father’s permission. She’d been blind to the safety nets that swarmed around her, invisible yet binding as any of the other chains tying her to that messed up life. But in this world everything was different. That was a faked kill or be killed situation for the sake of publicity and there was nothing to signal that this was anywhere close to that.

Mikaela smiled serenely and followed when the man started walking, feeling very much like a lamb being led by a wolf. Words floated over her and her mind rushed to interpret them only to find that it couldn’t. Flapper? There wasn’t enough context to figure it out. Instead of trying too hard, she let her lips curve in a gracious smile. “Thank you, sir. I’ll pass on the compliment to the friend I’m borrowing this from. I’m actually here with friends tonight, or I was, so my hunt for a prince of my own is on hold.”

Finally breaking from the trap of her own mind, Mikaela let her eyes dance as casually as possible around the room, not lingering on any one thing for long enough that he’d notice. A person dressed as a green man with a santa costume. The chandeliers sparkling above, catching light flickering from a fire fighting against its cage in the corner. A snake decoration crawling down a wall like a vine. None of them were what she really cared about, but she didn’t want to be called out for her real target. Turning her head to take in the sights of the other side of the room, her gaze naturally trailed over his hands. No ring. He was lying then. He must be. And this must be a trap. This Maggie girl, if she was a real person at all, and her supposed fiance were both too dangerous for Mikaela to let her guard down around.

Before she could call him out on it, her eyes landed on a slender man in the crowd who looked as though he hadn’t slept in a couple of days. She would have ignored him if it weren’t for the familiarity of his face sending chills down her spine. Most of her old friends spelled trouble for her, and she was willing to bet this interaction would be no different if it was allowed to happen.

Mikaela stopped walking and tugged on the sleeve of the man’s policeman costume, far too aware of the cheap feel of the fabric beneath her touch. ”Hold up! I, um...” Her voice trailed off and for once she wasn’t sure how to proceed. How could she do this without losing the innocence she’d been trying so hard to radiate? She wasn’t sure. With every second that ticked on she could feel time closing in around her. Her heartbeat quickened until she felt she had no choice but to abandon the act.

”Play along for a sec, would you?” she asked. She just needed to hide her face for a moment until the crowd swept her ‘friend’ away. With a silent prayer he wouldn’t end up drawing more attention to her, she closed the space between them and looped an arm behind his head, firmly pulling it down so when she stood on her toes she had absolutely no trouble reaching up to kiss him.

♡

Quite rudely, someone slid up next to Mikaela on the couch and broke her thoughts. Her only sign of irritation was a twitch of her jaw. Maybe if she ignored him he would go away. She focused her attention on making it look like she was thinking, but she was all too aware of his arm draped behind her. She was trapped and if he was an enemy she needed to catch him off guard.

Unfortunately it seemed he was still the one catching her off guard as he cupped her face in his hand. Her eyes flew open and she did her best not to look like a deer in headlights as he began speaking in an artificially sweet voice. Just her luck that she would catch the eye of an overconfident idiot on a night like this.

The words themselves barely processed as she debated how to react. She could guess what they’d be without hearing them. Her hand hovered casually over her thigh, over the knife she knew she could grab so easily, but she hesitated. She may be looking for a reason to leave this party but she was pretty sure her getting dragged to jail wouldn’t sit well with Libby. Besides, she wanted to test this man’s commitment to whatever game he was initiating.

As he finished speaking, she let her eyes dart between his cheesy police uniform and the hand on her cheek before elbowing him in the gut and pushing herself off of the couch.

“Oh my god are you ok?” she asked, letting shakey hands rise to her face in feigned shock. Years of practice told her exactly how to furrow her brow and widen her eyes to get the most out of the shocked expression. Unfortunately, the flush that crawled up her cheeks wasn’t the type that could be faked.

She let words tumble frantically from her mouth in a display that would embarrass anyone who truly understood the harsh realities to the world. “Mi dispiace!* That was an accident I just... I don’t know I- You got too close and I just reacted and I’m pretty sure you thought I was someone else because obviously you thought I was someone you knew and please forgive me! I’m s-sorry!”

She stumbled over the last word, trying to stop her accent from twisting it into something it wasn’t. Sorry. No matter how it was pronounced, it was a stupid word. In what world could a single word cover every possible type of apology? In Italian there was a variety of ways to apologize depending on why you were saying sorry and who you were saying it too. With those option, acting innocent enough to pull pity was much easier. Surely she’d said enough to get the point across, though.

She held her breath for a moment, her eyes wide and hopeful for the forgiveness any naïve child would expect to come next. Concern slipped through her facade. She was already half way to unbelieveable, she might as well seal it all together. The breath she held popped, making way for another string of apologetic inquiry. “Are you alright? I didn’t hurt you, did I? Oh, please tell me I didn’t hurt you!”

The words were as empty as she hoped they were annoying. If he had a drop of sense in him this would be enough to prove she wasn’t worth his time. Then again, some people did need an extra push. She’d save that for if it was really needed, though.

*Mi Dispiace — basically “I feel bad so I’m sorry”

♡

Mikaela didn’t know why she’d expected Cali to shut the door behind them, but the girl seemed instantly distracted by Thief. Mikaela wandered back to the door to close it before placing the fox on the ground. It ran up to sniff at Cali before darting away, beginning his loud yapping as he did so. Cali was asking something about where stuff went but she paid it no mind. She didn’t exactly have any sort of organization system. It was a miracle enough her apartment wasn’t a complete mess for once.

“Thiefling. Basta.*” she warned italian. The fox’s mad dash around the apartment came to a reluctant end and he eyed her disdainfully. She simply waved a hand in an italian gesture that meant shut up about it and turned her attention back to Cali in time for a question. Of course she’d be desperate to pet the yappy animal. Thief was probably the only creature in this world that could match her energy levels. Not that he did around strangers much. He liked to save his real energy for waking her up in the middle of the night. Or… in the morning for people with a regular sleep schedule.

“Thief is a fox. He’s pretty shy of people but if you can catch him when he’s calmer you can pet him.” she shrugged, moving to help Cali out the groceries away. She hadn’t actually expected the girl to agree to help so willingly. Maybe it made up for her boundless stream of words.

She listened passively as Cali went on another montage - this one about pizza toppings.

Pepperoni. Bell peppers. Her mind jumped to that translation, ignorant of the language difference. “Are peppers on pizza any better than fruit?” she asked, wrinkling her nose. She wouldn’t like either on her pizza. ”I’m not a big meat fan either. Back home I would have had a Quattro Stagioni - basically a pizza that’s split into four with different toppings on each quarter. Artichoke, tomato, mushroom, and olives. I don’t get that here though. It’s not as good.” She frowned, sticking a bag of chips in a random cupboard before shutting them and shoving the empty bags in the trashan.

*Basta (Bah-stah) - Stop/Enough

♡

Mikaela bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling as she let him dig his hole a bit deeper. He was dripping indignant energy. It was kind of adorable.

Her gaze tracked him as he came around the bar. He grabbed a bowl and filled it with a liquid. It didn't take her long to distinguish the scent of cheap beer. So he had been holding back. If she was taking him seriously, she would have been offended. The fact that he was actually trying now, of all times, didn't support his point.

"You're overcompensating, cucciolino*" she mused in a sing-song voice, gazing up at him. Her amusement faded, replaced with a far more serious front. If she seemed like she was joking her point might not stick as well. "And you misunderstand. My question about your heroics was the one that's not part of the game. It's still my turn."

She looked him over, knowing full well that she was about to make a stupid decision. The way he loomed over her he should have seemed like a threat. Then again, how could such an adorable wanna-be seem threatening? "The thing is, empty gestures like this meant to scare me away just confirm my theory. So, if you want me to believe you're so big and scary..." She flicked a knife out of it's hiding spot, happening to grab her own rather than the one she'd taken from him. She leaned toward him, placing it next to his hand. "Prove it."

She gave the two words a moment to sink in, letting her muscles tense. She wasn't sure how he'd respond, but on the off chance that he was being honest with himself she should be ready to get out of the way. Not that there was much space for her to move with them both behind the bar. "That's your dare. Prove it or admit you care far more than you should."

*Cucciolino (coo-chee-oh-lee-no) - Little puppy (it’s worth noting this could be used as a romantic nickname)

♡

"Hey! Taste in music is very important!" Mikaela claimed, slightly offended at the question. Not only was it important, but it was easy to answer. And here he was pouring himself a drink like it was something he hated to recall. She was starting to think he was even more dramatic than her.

Finally, he answered and slid the kit back towards her. Before she could decide whether she could connect him with classical music, he asked a distracting question. One she'd been trying to avoid for a while.

"I-I don't know." she admitted. "Under this name, none." She wasn't sure that meant much, though. She wasn't piling on sins anymore, but didn't make up for what she'd done in the past. Following his lead, Mikaela grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels and filled her glass. It was barely a step above the grappa, but it left more of a burn. She wasn’t sure lighter drinks would be able to get her through this evening. Any warmth in her dissipated as she tried to recall the facts. The cool exterior wasn't meant to be threatening; it was just her only defense against the dark thoughts she knew would follow.

"I've killed three people. Of those, two were mercy kills - if you believe in such a thing - and one was an accident. Five good men have died under my protection or following my commands. I'm not an assassin, but I used to work with some, and they have killed four on my orders." She took a long sip of her drink, debating who else was worth adding to the list. "Two have died in my place and my failures have condemned a good seven people to unknown fates." She winced as she began adding up the numbers. That was more than she'd thought. She'd always tried to avoid death, but for a long time it had been required to keep living. It had been more justifiable back then.

"You can do the math for that on your own." She finished off the drink in one long drag and poured herself another. Those were details she probably shouldn't have given out. She'd made sure it was extremely difficult to connect her to her old life, but those numbers may line up enough to give her away. But she doubted Touri knew anything about the criminal underworld of Italy.

"I know, I know, those stats are pretty low but believe me, I've made plenty more wish they were dead." she smirked, attempting to brush away the heavy weight that now bore down on her conscious.

She studied him, trying to decide whether she wanted to know the same about him. The answer was no, she did not, but leaving herself completely in the dark about what type of monster he was seemed dangerous. Potential tests began forming in her mind, but she didn’t put words to any of them. Instead, her attention caught on his arms. "What do your tattoos mean?"

She only had one tattoo around her wrist, but getting that hadn't been her decision. She wasn't sure she'd ever choose to decorate her skin like that, but tattoos on others always interested her. "To you! I don't care what their cheesy store-bought meaning is." she hurried to add.

♡

Mikaela shrugged off his commentary on her lie. In her experience, a transparent lie was always kinder than the direct truth. To herself and the people she spoke to.

"Ruby's fine, but kitten is pushing it. That's my sister." she made her grin teasing, but the nickname did bother her. She wasn't half as pure as Libby. It felt wrong having a similar nickname.

Her distracted thoughts were broken when he agreed to play. With rules. He was scared, wasn't he? He was probably too scared to admit it too. She smirked. "What type of game doesn't have rules?" she asked. Clear rules would make it more fun. It was really hard to find loopholes when there were no limitations to begin with.

She continued in a practiced tone, as though she were explaining a game she'd played hundreds of times. "Questions must be answered truthfully and dares cannot be illegal. I suppose that applies to questions too... For confidential information, you'll get a slide. The modified part comes in where you don't get to choose truth or dare, that's up to the person asking." She paused for a moment, gauging his reaction to the main rules before laying down her final lines.

"Since I made 3 rules, you can make 3 too. You can make them now or save them for during the game." A safety net in case he found himself drowning. He seemed like the type that could handle himself, but sometimes it was so hard to tell. "And since I set the game you get to go first. Assuming you're alright with the rules I chose." That was another safety net, but it was meant more for her than for him. Within these rules, the game could still be relatively safe. Letting him set the tone gave her an excuse to shift the blame if things went too far downhill.

♡

If you asked anyone that knew her, they'd say an art museum would be the last place Mikaela Lye wanted to hang out. Then again, there were only a select few people that understood how different she was around others. She reveled in bringing chaos into people's lives, but she had an undying need for calm too.

On a day like this, no one else would want to waste their time on a museum. She could be left to her thoughts without the need for interruption. She'd been required to learn about art as a child, but all those lessons on techniques and meanings rolled away now. Each piece was unique in its own way, but analyzing those differences was just exhausting.

When it came down to it, every piece in this museum had one thing in common: someone thought they were among the better. There were plenty of paintings just as good, but there was a system to make it into a museum like this and it wasn't a fair one. Sometimes making the cut was based on a roll of the dice more than actual merit. Just like life.

Her heels clicked against the floor of the otherwise silent museum. She had assumed there was no one else here, but she was wrong. A man sat on one of the benches. She entered this room more cautiously than she had the others. She would have ignored him, but he asked a question. She hesitated, debating ignoring the question and moving on, but she ended up answering.

"I think it means somewhere out there, there's an artist out there that wants others to make fools of themselves jumping through hoops to find meaning where there is none." She took a seat next to him, not bothering waiting for an invitation of any sort. He was so fixated on the painting. His level of interest in something he didn't understand was fascinating.

And for what? She finally looked at the painting. It was simple. The type of thing that had to have some sort of meaning to get so far. "Tell me why you find that one in particular so interesting and I'll be the fool for you."