#rottedjudgement

Maddox should have known that Meg would ghost him after their last night together. For him, it was supposed to be his goodbye to her. His final hurrah to move forward. Instead, that night sent Maddox into a downward spiral back under Meg's spell-- as if he had ever really left it. He knew he had lost the game the first time he texted her and didn't respond. He tried again, then once more and the silence was killing him. There was a gnawing need to see her. Maddox was angry and he was hurt. They were both big talkers who were terrible for each other. He didn't know what possessed him to show up at her apartment that night. Maybe desire, maybe love. He stood outside, staring at her door for a few minutes before finally knocking. He could still leave. Run before she got to the door. Before the thought had passed the door opened and Maddox was face to face with her. He looked her dead in the eyes, not allowing himself to get lost in them. "I just wanted to tell you that you win. Whatever fucking game we've been playing you've won. So...I hope you're happy and are at peace with the fact that your cruel game is over."

When a few of Maddox's friends had begrudgingly got Maddox to agree to go to Wonderland he almost immediately regretted it. He couldn't step foot in the place without feeling uneasy. He'd spotted her, briefly, on stage. A flash of brunette hair styled in a familiar manner was all the confirmation he needed to know that she was working. For some reason, probably to make his life more of a living hell, they had booked a private room that would likely end up trashed. Not his problem, Maddox thought, because he wasn't paying. The night was going more smoothly than he had expected. Being in a VIP room meant the aforementioned brunette was out of sight, yet not out of mind. She lingered there, always in the back of Maddox's brain itching to have some of the worst and best memories let out. He hadn't known what number drink he was on after the fourth round of shots and a few too many drinks being handed to him by his friends. At one point they all left, which Maddox thought was suspicious. He was about to get up when someone entered the room. When she entered the room. "Is this some fucking joke?" he asked her. "Did they set this up?" Even stupidly drunk Maddox recognized the familiar feeling in his stomach. The time Maddox had spent with Meg had been some of the best since appearing in town. The sight of her alone was also a stab to the chest, knife twisting into his heart. Still, he was angry at his friends and his hands were shaking from that alone. He made no move to stand, unsure if he would be able to even hold his balance. "You can leave. I will even pay you to make up for your lost time. No need for either of us to waste each other's."

Dancing was a second nature to Catherine. Dancing at Wonderland was an art she'd mastered long ago that not all had the nerve to handle. She didn't take much seriously, she enjoyed her job and all because the atmosphere called to her, but that didn't mean it was her life. Her mind had been clouded lately and doing the routine that night was almost like a blur to her. She doesn't remember even going on stage just leaving to go sit in the dressing room. She had a robe on, sat in front of a vanity with a couple of photos and random decorations around the mirror, and looked at her reflection as she took pins out of her hair. When she saw another reflection appear in the mirror she simply smiled in a typical Cat fashion. Her smile was unsettling to most, but Meg was tough as bricks and she knew the other woman wasn't bothered as easily as most. Still, despite her smile she didn't turn to face the other, not really feeling like having much human interaction at all that moment. In fact, she just wanted to go have a few drinks at the bar then go home and finish her night off with a bottle of wine. Something was...off with Cat, but she wasn't going to let that be known. "What brings you over here?" she finally asked. "Do you...need something? No, that's not it." Cat pursed her lips as she thought for a moment, or at least tried to think clearly. "You wouldn't have approached me if you didn't have something to say. There's nothing I have that I can offer you, so you might as well just spit it out."