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She met her stare with an icy one of her own and said nothing, a confirmation in of itself, the corners of her mouth twitching up in a smirk. When Saskia averted her gaze she watched her just a moment longer, both in amusement and unwavering assertion. It was Nadine’s game they were playing, no matter what else she thought, or the kind of master manipulator she saw herself as, and she’d always have the upper hand. “True,” she gave in and shrugged, attention shifting to the fresh cocktail in front of her. Her demeanor didn’t change, despite knowing they had an audience now, but she did find it cute, how Saskia seemed to put her game face on. “Buttered you up, didn’t I,” she said over her glass, brow raised, and paused for a sip. “I’ll be nice.” As much as she didn’t feel like entertaining this guy, whoever he was, she was curious to see her like this, and how far she’d go to crack a case. If she’d humiliate herself.

When it came to mind games Saskia was no match for Nadine, that had become clear going back and forth every time they crossed paths. Saskia had never claimed that she could outsmart her on that front but she certainly felt that she was better, older, and wiser than to give into her bouts. Which was specifically why she had gone out of her way to avoid these encounters, to save her own peace. But it seemed no matter how much she tried to pull away from her old friends they still gravitated towards each other like magnets, with just about the same push and pull. "Yes. When I was under the impression that we were equals. You know, something like partners. I will say, you're a better actress than you're given credit." Downing the rest of her drink in one shot. Drinking on the job wasn't usually one of her no gos, since she didn't want her judgement clouded, but as the situation developed she couldn't help herself.

Bryson turned his head to the side and raised his glass to his temple, hoping the chill would do something to help his headache when he noticed of all the people he could've sat next to at the bar somehow he'd ended up to someone he knew. Or at least he knew of her by association. "Hey. Podcast girl, right?" The corner of his mouth curved up. "I think we met a few months ago at a party. You think I can pick your brain for a few minutes?" @saskiabishop

"Detective." Saskia corrected him. If she was a more paranoid person she would wonder just how much information on her he had obtained from Nadine that made him feel confident enough to call out to her. And if he was talking her up now to gather more. "I was on one episode of that Walsh kid's podcast and never again. The guy talks like a walking reddit conspiracy board. I at least like to go collect my own evidence before making accusations." She huffed, pursing her lips as she really took a look at him before deciding she could chat for a moment. "Sure. What could you possibly want my thoughts on? You get your shit rocked or something?" She gestured to the glass held against his head.

There were two prominent elephants in their relationship they’d never addressed: Saskia’s family, for one. That it’d been Nadine who finally tracked them down when the detective failed. Or maybe she wasn’t looking that hard, scared of disappointment, or rejection, of losing them yet again. Of course she’d be a Lisbon too, a name with more mythological weight to it than even Nadine’s. Then there was the less recent, things they never acknowledged even as they were happening, how despite having separate rooms in Nadine’s old apartment they sometimes ended up in the same bed. It was part of her game, she told herself, another way she could get into Saskia’s head. If that were true maybe they could talk about it. Instead she shoved it down like an embarrassing thing she’d said at a party once, a bad haircut she wanted to forget. It didn’t mean anything and therefore it wasn’t repressed — they were teenagers, doing as teenage girls did. 

Perhaps keeping Nadine specifically, more so than the others, at an arm's length had less to do with the control she seemed to hold over them and more with how the girls mere presence exposed her own shortcomings. Something that in turn always left Saskia in the more vulnerable position. With Beckett and Reed she could take up the role of protector, as someone they could potentially go to when they needed help. Deep down she always had this innate desire to be needed, being needed meant you weren't disposable, an assurance she had never been privileged with. It was a pathetic, shameful feeling she carried and she hated that Nadine knew how much of a weakness that was for her. But she supposed there wasn't anything she could really hide from the person who picked her up from rock bottom. At first she believed it was a good thing, that it made their bond stronger, emotionally and physically. People joked about how they acted almost like they were in a relationship not knowing just how close to the truth they actually were. Not that that was ever gonna become anything because they both preferred to not talk about it, just brush it off as girls nights that had gone a little too far. They were both lonely and just wanted to be close to someone else without doing the work of getting to know new people. That was all.

The breaking point of their relationship was different than the others, not really a single point at all but an accumulation of festering grudges and every thing they refused to talk about. They were friends, maybe more than friends, too stubborn to admit they even liked one another. She tolerated Saskia, who'd insist the feeling was mutual. Nadine loathed her too, how she managed to get under her skin in a way nobody else could. It wasn't so much that they were alike, which they were, like perfect narrative foils except there was no hero, no good guy, all morally ambiguous gray— but they understood each other. So she convinced herself she didn't care, when Saskia decided she didn't need her anymore.

Her falling out of their crew had been weird for Saskia to process; having already lost two families by that point, choosing to make these people her new found family had already felt like a big enough gamble from the very beginning. Its dissolution only serving as a harsh reminder as to why she was better off on her own. She had a very strict moral code, things made more sense when she could sort them out between black and white, nothing in between. And these people she had aligned herself with and had even grown to care for fell exactly in that gray spot that shook her core values. When it came down to it she knew deep down that if she let herself be blind to it, if she let the need to belong with someone outweigh her stubborn pride then she would lose herself in the end. So she cut herself off. Namely from Nadine. Who had both been the best and worst thing to come into her life. But even then it seemed they would always end up in each other's orbit eventually; whether as friends, enemies, or some secret unspoken third thing — the way they connected ran deeper than anyone else.

"I shuffle my music sometimes." Nadine smirked, fully owning how she hungered for control. Her whole life revolved around it after all, how she could exhibit power: power over others, her image, the kind of men her mother brought home. When she didn't get her way was when all hell broke loose, except she wasn't just a girl throwing a temper tantrum anymore, she was cruel and calculated. The others witnessed her cruelty firsthand, were right to be wary of her. It didn't soften the blow of their betrayal, that those closest to her, some she might even consider friends, could accuse her of murder. "Right. Thank god that's over," she huffed back, never one to mince words around her. Obviously she didn't want Laurel dead, at least it would've been easier on her if she turned up alive, but she couldn't pretend to be all that torn up about it either. Sad and unfortunate as it was, thoughts and prayers to the family etcetera— Laurel being dead didn't change the fact that she was a racist bitch and none of them liked her. Deciding to play with fire a bit, she looked back at Saskia curiously, deviously even. "Still think I killed her?" Just her bringing it up meant she hadn't ruled it out, even if it'd been ages since they buried her, case closed. Typical Saskia, refusing to let them move on. "Tell me, detective, what motive do I have? I wouldn't risk prison orange for just anyone."

"Officially, sure it's over. Seems a bit convenient to me how quick and neat Rosewood PD wrapped up that investigation." She stated, alluding that she hadn't fully stopped her own inquest. Something she knew would bother Nadine, largely because last they discussed the case she had been at the top of the list of suspects. Did Saskia think Nadine had it in her to murder someone? Absolutely. And she never once doubted that she would even take out one of her own so called friends if it meant saving her own ass. But deep deep down she had an inkling that this particular crime had nothing to do with her ex best friend. While she herself hadn't had any personal run ins with Laurel she knew that she had fucked with her friends, not the full scope of just how bad things had been but enough to not like her. It seemed that she had a knack for making enemies. So why was she still pressing the case? Her formal answer would be that her sense of justice wouldn't let her conscience rest until she figured out the truth even if the girl wasn't deserving. But a small part of her needed to prove to herself that her friends had nothing to do with Laurel's murder. That she hadn't surrounded herself with, and had even come to like, people capable of taking a life. Because if one of them had done it what was she supposed to follow? Her loyalty to her friends or to the truth? "When did I accuse you of anything? Though you haven't exactly given me any reason to believe you didn't do it. Especially when you start condescending my work. Feels like misdirection." Admittedly it felt good to have something to check Nadine with. To have something to hold over her that made her feel better as a person because at least she wasn't the one whose friends thought her capable of homicide. The detective shrugged, waving off the disdain in the others tone as she knew she had struck a chord by bringing up an issue she was probably long past. "You're the one that just admitted to the control problem. She had just as big a personality as you. Had her own sway over people. Some of them your people. Maybe there just wasn't enough room in this town for the two of you. A boring motive, but definitely not uncommon." Saskia threw out a random motive to get her talking, knowing that suggesting she would risk her freedom for such a dull reason would be more insulting than the accusation itself.

It wasn't that Penn had been startled by Saskia, he'd noticed her sit down at an adjacent table when she'd arrived if only because living in Rosewood had taught him to remain vigilant. He'd had one too many bags thrown over his head for his liking. He just hadn't expected a response to his own mumblings. A mistake on Saskia's part she'd surely come to realise because if Penn was anything it was friendly... or annoyingly chatty, depending on the person. "For real, no one's finding life skills in the square root of pi. And they say social media is bad for us... those satisfying cleaning videos taught me how not to make mustard gas which is top tier because I am so not trying to go out scrubbing the toilet." While she was hardly sparing him any attention he'd so easily given up on his emails, "What is this, a reverse job interview? I'd say working for me would be less greasy, for one. And I get to travel a lot so you'd get to come on tons of dope trips. Working holiday, you know? Total tax write off type shit. So, you in? I mean," he laughed, "in like... ten years give or take."

Despite whatever demeanor her body language gave off, Saskia wasn't completely opposed to human interaction. If that was the case than she wouldn't ever step out of her apartment unless it was completely necessary. She was just a no bullshit kind of person so she wasn't really interested in keeping conversations that weren't going anywhere. "That would be a shitty way to go." Saskia said with a smirk at her own joke, playing along for only a moment. She finally paused what she was doing to look up at him and shrug. "Just curious if you had an actual business model other than just being rich and famous. But I guess that's the point isn't it? Once you're rich enough you can just hire people to do everything for you." Saskia rolled her eyes but her amusement was clear in her face at his attempt to hire her. "Why not? If the whole private investigator thing doesn't work out for me after ten years I may as well pack it up. I need some good health and dental insurance before I sign or shake on anything though."

"Why is so much of adulthood just... emails," Penn was looking at his laptop but his eyes were unfocused, his attention having lapsed somewhere along the line. "Fuck dreaming of a private jet, the second I make enough money I'm hiring a secretary."

"And bills. And taxes. And just so much paperwork. Like why the hell were they teaching algebra in school and not hot to make a proper budget? Or like a couponing class? I really would have appreciated that in retrospect." Saskia responded from nearby, barely giving him a glance as she focused on the work she was doing from her own laptop. "So are there any benefits to doing your dirty work as opposed to flipping burgers for minimum wage?"

She smirked back at Saskia, counter quip at the tip of her tongue. Who says I like you. They both saw the flaws of that argument though, that Nadine would never waste her time with someone she didn't like. At the very least she tolerated her, and that was more than she could say for most people. "I have a saying for you. How's this one go again, opinions are like assholes and everybody's got one?" Of being superstitious she said, "Well I'm not." She didn't believe in fate or any higher power because it wasn't fate that'd brought them all together, it was her. She wondered if she even recognized how alike they were, if she was lying to herself, in some self-righteous stage of denial, or if she truly didn't see it. She turned around, away from the crowd, and started back in the direction they'd came from. "Work keeping you busy?," she asked as Saskia caught up with her, curious as to what sort of gossip she was keeping these days.

"Right. How could I ever imply that you aren't in complete control of every aspect of your own life?" In most aspects Saskia had a realist mindset. Most often people just used a higher power to not take responsability for their own misdeeds or mistakes. But she could understand why people believed in fate because as a kid it was one of the few ideas that got her through her time in the system, to believe that she was going through all the things she did because of a predetermined path. Until she had decided that none of that was fate either but the consequences of bad choices of everyone around her. Perhaps that was what still motivated her at her job, to bring some sense of accountability and justice to others. At least when it came to dealing with Nadine she could say that the other girl never denied the things she had done or would do, no matter how unsavory Saskia found them. She shrugged. "Mostly trying to keep a low profile so the sheriff gets off my back for getting in his way. Though it is a lot less hectic when you're not sidetracked looking for a missing girl." Did Saskia have to throw in that snide remark? Probably not. But it made herself feel better to disturb Nadine's peace a little with a reminder of their past. Sure, their crew seemingly had notions of moving forward with their lives but had any of them actually made any amends on the way there?

"Here she goes," she sighed playfully, because Saskia seemed to have a saying for everything. The complete contempt she once held her in had subsided, now it was just the lingering mutual distrust between the two of them, just like old times. "Is it the world telling me that or you?" She glanced back at the sight in front of them. "If it's not this it's a picnic or music festival. Guess even people with vacant lives need something to fill it with. You want to cut back the other way?

"You wouldn't like me as much if I didn't have something to say." The idea that Nadine liked her was probably a stretch but she knew the girl well enough to know that if she didn't want her around she would have said as much. It wasn't like they had ever held back with each other through their short lived friendship. If anything maybe that was why despite the animosity between them all this time they could even manage to carry a conversation. Perhaps there was some kind of mutual respect there? "Who's to say it's not one and the same? Guess it depends on how superstitious you are." She replied in her usual flat, aloof way of speaking but allowed a smirk to slip through. Talking to Nadine never bored her, that was for sure. "How else would they convince people on social media that their lives are less empty and uninteresting than everyone else?" Saskia shrugged. "Lead the way. At this rate this is probably gonna go on for hours."

Nadine's afternoon came to an irritating pause as she found herself on a barricaded street, some kind of local 5k. She wasn't in any real hurry but still couldn't stand to be inconvenienced on principle, especially by people who paid to run. "Can't they go any faster? That guy's walking."

"There's a saying for this exact situation, you know. Goes something like patience being a virtue." Saskia teased her, sarcasm oozing from her tone, still getting used to existing around Nadine again without the need to put her defenses all the way up. "Maybe the world's giving you this as a sign to slow down." Though she couldn't deny that looking at the spectacle in front of them soured her mood as well, and she was no better at masking that. "This town's getting too touristy. There's always something going on."

"That's funny. I actually said the opposite before the night started. I figured this would all go a lot smoother if I didn't drink. Good call prepping for the worst though. I expected a few fireworks too, but if they pop off I think I'm obligated to stay." He shook his head and set the tray down on the counter, grabbing the coke for himself. "Probably not, but I don't base everyone I talk to on whether or not Nadine would care. I was just trying to be nice, and doing this is a way better option than the alternative."

"That's because you're not the elephant in the room. You don't have to worry about being burned at the stake if things go downhill. Figuratively, of course. I mean, if anything you should look forward to it because then you don't have to worry about throwing one of these get togethers for the holidays to come." Saskia nodded in acknowledgement, quirking a brow when he kept the conversation going even after she'd already given him an out. "And you must feel cool trying to maintain being your own person outside of a relationship, but anyone who knows Nadine well enough has to be at least somewhat mindful of how much she values loyalty. Still gotta keep some boundaries." She warned, not in a demeaning way like he didn't know what his own girlfriend was like at this point, but more so because she had crossed that line herself and served as the cautionary tale of the results. "What's the alternative?"

"Pick your poison." Bryson motioned towards the tray of drinks he'd pulled out specifically for Saskia. He had no idea what she liked or if she was even thirsty but he was doing his best to be a decent co-host, even if the role did make him feel a little more fake than he cared for. "Or if you're hungry there's a good amount of food still left. Other than that, you haven't missed much aside from Tallulah and Beckett swooning over each other." @saskiabishop

As hard as Saskia tried not to come too standoffish she couldn't help the way she silently eyed him up and down, almost as if she was sizing Bryson up. It was a habit from her line of work, to get a read on someone from their mannerisms. And it was generally just in her nature to be wary of people. Especially people that had worked their way into the good graces of her friends — or former friends. "Thanks. I think i'll pass for now. I'm sure the night would go by with much less tension with a couple of drinks in me. But i'd rather be sober in case shit hits the fan and I need to make a quick escape." She shrugged before looking back at the other guests from her spot at the wall, since he didn't really pique her interest. "You don't have to do the whole gracious host thing with me, by the way. I doubt your girlfriend would care all that much what I think of you at the end of the day."

Poor blissfully unaware Beckett had no idea what he'd caused, when he'd walked in and quietly told Nadine he didn't expect this many people. Everything considered it was going well, even with the bit of awkward tension Reed had going in all directions, from Beckett and his new not-but-almost girlfriend to Bryson outright avoiding her. It was just Saskia who'd declined her invitation, as if she had anything else going on. It was just to embarrass her she was sure, feel like she'd gotten one up on her, but whatever, they were better off.

Beckett had been surprised to see what Christmas had turned into at Nadine's house. He had originally thought i'd just be him and maybe Tallulah but this was...different. Another change to add to the column for processing later. It wasn't bad though, he was having fun and had a great time talking with Tally and Mariela, even if he could feel Reed's eyes on him every few seconds. Seeing her there had thrown him off but he was doing his best. "I like her too," Beckett joked but his smile showed how much it meant to hear Nadine say that.

When Saskia had rejected Nadine's invitation she truthfully had no plans of showing up. Their group had gone their separate ways a while ago and they had done their fair share of growing as their own people, independent from the enigma that was their former friendship. Was there any sense in rehashing old drama for the sake of nostalgia? If she let herself fall back into that old cycle would she just become a pawn in some game again? Was that really worth disrupting her own peace?

"Then you need a better imagination. This may be pretty up there though, as far as shattering images though." Stefan said, a look that was a perfect mixture of confusion and repulsion on his face at the scene, "This is why I don't go to the mall anymore." He spoke out loud, but mostly to himself. He was brought out of the scene by the stranger's follow up question, "Yeah, I guess my dad. I was four when he told me, 'Santa isn't real. Just like everything else, my money buys you your Christmas gifts'. " He wasn't sure why he'd answered as conversations with strangers weren't really his cup of tea, but Christmas did have a way of making him feel lonelier like an orphan even though he technically wasn't one, and as of late he had been on his own more than usual outside of work so he'd chalk it up to that. "Your turn. Or was this the thing that shattered your image?"

"Well, I did have someone admit they almost went full Home Alone mode because they caught their mom kissing Santa and thought she was having an affair. So it's at the very least a close second. Either way goes to show no one really forgets their first traumatic event." Saskia crossed her arms as the scene started dying down, her focus more on the conversation since she had somehow caught the attention of one of Rosewood's affluent. "Seems you don't have it much better than the rest of us peasants, do you?" She teased, a smirk on her face to keep the mood light. "More money, more problems I guess. Like sure I might only have a couple hundred to my name at a time but hey, at least I never had to deal with some bitter old man gaslighting me into being thankful for allowing him to be a bully in exchange for his money." She tsked and shook her head when he questioned her in return. As much as she appreciated that he had offered conversation and saved her from potential boredom there was certain information she had to keep close to the chest. Most especially, anything having to do with her childhood or her life in general before she had started over. "Sorry hun, but that's not how this works. Asking questions is kinda my thing. But if I just gave info out freely i'd be pretty awful at my line of work. If it helps though you can be assured your secrets are safe with me."