Sharp as A Knife

   being in a room surrounded by a bunch of people that could possibly kill you, during a big event like this? sofia felt completely in her element. she's been in much worse situations before, & knew she'd be the one to attack first; if the situation called for it. keeping a watchful eye and studying her surroundings, she only scoffed a bit at the mention of staying home.

"I love you, but sometimes we both have different variations of what we find 'comfortable'." she explained with a smile, before taking a sip of her drink. "well. security is good as security gets. they suck at watching the uninvited guests who broke in, which means there's bigger plans for tonight." she stated observantly, as she turned to face her. she knew how difficult it must be for jade, but she also knew what she alone was capable of.

"Like stalking? Breaking in?." She teased, thinking back to how they met, before her focus changed, shifted into everything her wife was listing, letting her run around away from her, taking in the faces of everyone around them. She figured that out too, given how easy they were able to sneak in, so it was either poorly planned or they were hoping to make a statement.

"Anchor Light? Yeah, I've seen it around, it's not bad." She hums, flicking ashes off into the night. "I'm still doing shit out of my camper, but -" She shakes her head, waves her hand around as if that shit doesn't matter. And really, it doesn't. "I don't think any of us is gonna get a chance to do anything tonight. They've got us fucking target locked."

"Yeah, that's the one... she's taking over it now, so we've just mostly been around the shop and home... if you want a spot at the shop, I could talk to her." She shrugs, looks at Althea to let her know she means it, but there's no obligation to accept. She scoffs, shaking her head as she looks down, shaking off the ashes of her cigarette. "I didn't think we'd be doing anything tonight anyway, this is fucking supernatural ground, we're already pushing it by being here."

"You know." Althea starts, rummaging through every single pocket she has for her crumbled box of smokes. Outside, things feel a little better. Not as oppressive. Not as.. terrifying. She finds the package, shakes one out and flips it up to her lips - the offers the last one to Jade, if she wants it.

Then more rummaging for her Zippo. Old fuckin' thing. Flips it open. Click. Click. Light. Deep as hell inhale, eyes closing as the warm smoke filters down the back of her throat. She speaks again, exhaling smoke as she does. "Figured you might have stayed home. Not like we can do much."

She shrugs, bringing the cigarette to her lips, reaching for the lighter Althea just used. One click and it's enough after the first use, inhaling slowly to feel the warm smoke burning her throat. "Sofía was born here... and her father has a tattoo shop she wanted to take over, now that he can't... so, you know... it was kind of an inevitable move, and if we can help now that we're here..."

“You’re here.”

The words leave her mouth as flat fact, no name attached, no invitation offered. And oh, how easily Jade says her name - with such casual ease - as if that intimacy cost her nothing. It still rankles. Jade walked away once without looking back, and somehow that hurts as much as the accusations she dragged with her: witch blood for hunter’s grief, blame sharpened into a weapon. Selene can nearly taste the metallic echo of it on her tongue.

Across the polished floor Jade stands tall, green-flame eyes still precise enough to map Selene’s soul—or carve it out. Distrust buried so deep it’s practically fossilized sparks again to restless life. Selene forces her spine straighter, dancer-poised, even as rage prowls behind her ribs. Emotions blur every future path she reads, but she swims through them anyway: one branch ends in bitter silence, another in blood-bright ruin, and a third—most dangerous—in the old, aching tenderness that terrifies her more than any blade.

She shakes her head, amused, exasperated -angry, frustrated- because Selene's still the same she knew, the same she loved. Full of assumptions through her visions, like she had all the answers because she knew every second of your life before you did.

And yet so blind.

"Finished what I couldn't?." She asks mockingly. Incredulous, because of everything she's seen, of all the images her magic has to offer her, couldn't she had seen that killing her had never been a choice?.