#interaction .

From  within  her  cage,  she  could  see  another─  a  young  man  in  the  cage  adjacent  to  hers.  At  first,  she's  hesitant  to  speak.  but  she's  oh  so  curious  as  to  why  the  other  was  locked  up  as  well─  seeing  as  he  was  one  of  their  own.

Se había apoyado contra una de las columnas cercanas al restaurante, con un vaso de agua en una mano y el cabello aún desordenado por la práctica de natación. La camisa, aunque aún formal, estaba remangada hasta los codos y dejaba ver el leve enrojecimiento de sus antebrazos por el sol. Al escuchar la pregunta, desvió la mirada hacia Aria con una sonrisa ladeada que, como de costumbre, no prometía nada bueno. "¿este torneo? Claro que sí, princesa" respondió con una ironía suave, casi perezosa, como si la frase le hubiera nacido sin esfuerzo "no podríamos dejar pasar la oportunidad de demostrar que también sudamos con estilo." le dio un sorbo a su vaso y luego bajó la mirada hacia las canchas, donde ya había algunos preparativos montados y un par de figuras intentando tomarse fotos "espontáneas" con raquetas. Un suspiro sutil escapó de sus labios, seguido de un gesto que no terminaba de ser burla ni resignación. "aunque hay algo... fascinante en ver a esta gente intentar hacer deporte sin arruinarse el peinado." la miró de reojo, con un destello más honesto en la mirada, como si, entre todo el sarcasmo, le importara su opinión más de lo que admitiría en voz alta "¿tú también vas a fingir que viniste por el espíritu deportivo? ¿O solo estás aquí porque alguien te obligó?" dejó que el silencio se acomodara un momento antes de añadir, como si no fuera gran cosa: "yo me apunté a tenis, golf y natación. Dos me los tomo en serio. El tercero es para ver si alguien colapsa con tal de no perder. ¿y tú?"

     the party’s not actually that big, considering how large the apartment is--she’d estimated fifteen or twenty people in the living area, maybe another dozen in the kitchen, and perhaps five or six outside on the balcony. a few of the latter she would have bet quite a lot of money were holding and while she does trust herself not to fuck up, it’s still not an ideal situation in which to put herself. the only reason she’d come was the fact that she knows logan’s friends with the dude who’d thrown the party, and if there’s even a slight chance of her being here, sage can’t really help herself. the irony of the whole thing is that she’s pretty sure--ninety percent, at least--that logan hates her. but maybe that’s why she can’t just let it go.

     even as niko walks inside gus’s apartment--which had been unlocked, no big surprise there--he’s not one hundred percent sure he can go through with this. he knows it’s the right thing to do, that in terms of their mental health it’s what they both need, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult. the thing is, over the last three years he’s managed only to become further infatuated, except unlike before there are actual feelings involved now. feelings he’s cultivated and let fester and grow every time they’d slept together, every time he’d let gus kiss him and allowed himself to believe it was mutual. it isn’t, though; he has to constantly remind himself of that. even when it feels real, like it had at the lake, it isn’t. and that’s why niko had finally decided, impossible as the prospect feels, to stop doing this to himself. 

     at first, damon had merely thought the cute girl bringing coffee into his third meeting for the day had been familiar only because she looked like one of the many women in this city he’d bedded, likely while he was high on something or other in a seedy club outside of town. but as the meeting had worn on--and his employees were used to carrying thing along even when damon stopped paying attention--he’d realized that wasn’t the case. he knows her, and not because he’s slept with her. she’s the girl he’d run into at some gala or another several years ago, the petite, charming brunette whom he’d watched being whisked aggressively away by a boyfriend who very clearly didn’t realize how far out of his league she was. but he’d had pressing business to which he needed to attend, and damon had let her slip away and bury herself in his memories as an arbitrary encounter that occurred to him from time to time, but not much more. and now, apparently, somebody had hired her as an administrative assistant.