#inbedlam

oh, but why wouldn't she?

mess can't help the smile as it creeps onto her face, instead leans into it and laughs to herself. oh, betrayal / the turmoil that serpent is currently experiencing won't go to waste! no, never that! not when she's generating so much malice that mess can't take her eyes off of her supposed sister. " good, " mess coos, leaning into her precious hammer. " gooood, you're upset. "

such a revelation causes mess to reach out for serpent, hand resting atop the woman's head as she's still on the floor. all this malice because mess tripped her? ( nevermind the way serpent dropped the tray of food / how it's splattered down the aisle and the way mess burst out into a fit of laughter as she watched it happen. it felt like something straight out of the movies! ) should she be worried? this much malice for something so minor is just wrong. she knows serpent and knows that she doesn't become so upset over little things.

it's not the fact that she's been complimented, per say, that has cinnabar standing there with a slowly growing blush on her face, red creeping up her neck to stretch to her ears as she stares at bai yi completely stunned. it's not the compliment, but the choice of words. she's used to being called handsome, or even something more vague, but flattering like attractive. but beautiful? no, she can't recall a single time that word was used for her.

and if she does nothing, she'll lose everything anyway. besides, there's no point in staying here anyway, not when ninety-nine's nowhere to be found and she lost track of the chief after the entire black ring incident with zoya. the entire world had been turned against chief, news reports flooding in one after another saying tons of nasty things that didn't happen. she was there. she knows what actually happened.

hella had only made it this far because she managed to escape, leaving hecate — as if she doesn't feel some way about that already — but a difference of opinion lead them to go their seperate ways. ( hecate said that escaping wouldn't be what the chief would want; hella said that if she was going to be kept in custody, it would be with people she actually knew of. )

bumping into serpent was completely by chance, and now she's also trying to tell her the same thing as hecate. how irritating.

It was unusual to see Eirene Campbell dressed in anything less but the most refined gowns that DisCity's tailors had to offer, but that night's endeavors required more suitable attire. The Quinn president and CEO had opted to keep a low profile, wearing a simpler black dress with her long hair braided and tossed over a shoulder, trademark eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses.

That way, the Sinner looked just like another eccentric guest of the shabby circus arena that one of the bodyguards had directed her towards; they had parked three blocks away to avoid being seen in a luxurious car too close to the entertainment venue, and at least other two men were mixed in the crowd, disguised as members of the curious audience. According to the reports she had received - there was a fascinating performer participating in their routines, unlike anything else DisCity had ever seen: a snake charmer.

Whispers were now growing to be numerous, the advertisement based on word of mouth becoming impressive; from a business perspective, it was precisely this type of innovation, allure and mystery that Eirene was looking for. Something to give the opening of her most recent entrepreneurial project (the Midsummer's Night Club) that necessary spark that would make thousands flock and fight over a reservation.

But a seasoned business person such as the Sinner did not believe in hearsay or indirect testimony - Eirene needed to see for herself that this lady offered the right appeal and would suit the ambience projected for her new place. That served as the background for her presence there, although a concealed one - there was no need to make the local owners aware that their employee had attracted the interest of someone wealthy and powerful; that would drive bargaining prices up.

And while Quinn lacked no funds to make the most incredible offers, Eirene never acted in a manner which would be unsavory for business. Why cut into her profit margins without necessity, after all? Any improvement to her financials was worthy in the eyes of Quinn's shareholders, and she would never turn down praise for management acumen and leadership qualities.

As Eirene well knew, there was no other way to measure a queen's valor but for the respect she commanded as such.

The blonde took a seat close to the first rows - the arena was not too big, and the infrastructure was unimpressive at best. However, with such limited seating space, it was easier to see whatever was presented on stage, even if the first three attractions bored the woman out of her mind; Eirene was glad for the sunglasses keeping most of the traces of irritation away of her visage.

But as soon as the woman she had been told about took over - the Quinn CEO knew it; there was a different feeling going around, almost as if the very air carried something unique. Her look was a splash of color, her voice sickeningly sweet like honey, the danger of what she was proposing to do with a poisonous viper not lost on Eirene.

Perfection - that was the sort of natural talent the blonde had been looking for; by the time her performance had ended, Eirene had removed her glasses and found herself at the edge of the seat. What a marvelous little thing - such potential! She deserved a better home than that nondescript circus farce away from the city center and hidden away; the girl was made for bigger and more glamorous stages.

Some discoins found their way into the local employee's pockets and soon enough the black-clad figure was granted access to the dressing room of the green-haired girl and her snake. Eirene did not bother to hide her eyes upon entering - she no longer wished to keep her identity concealed; in fact... The right move appeared to be the very opposite: to state her objective plainly and clearly.