Waiting In The Wings

TW: Alcohol abuse

With an amused hum, the smirk on her face grew at the compliment. This wasn’t the first time she’s had Cassandra flirt with her before, in fact, the two flirted up quite the storm back at the ball when they went together. “….Maybe I should start monitoring your drink intake— it might be messing with your eyes a little.” Violet then said with a teasing tone. “You look pretty hot tonight too. Especially dig the jacket.” As her friend leaned in closer, Violet raised a brow at her, interested to see how far her friend would go with this. “Is that so? …..And if I say you can?”·

“I think no. It’s more fun when you don’t know how much I’ve had. It’s like a game that way. You have to guess.” Cassandra giggled a bit. “Nothing wrong with my eyes though. I have twenty-twenty vision.” Cass couldn’t help but feel flattered at being called hot. It wasn’t something she heard often unless she was battling off useless, drunk men in a bar. Things like hey hottie, or c’mere, hot stuff. Those thoughts were the last thing on her mind though. Right now all she was focused on were Violet’s lips. Her eyes went to the other woman’s then back to her lips before leaning forward and lightly brushing her lips against Violet’s. “I would take you up on that offer.”

Closed Starter for ( @waitinginthcwings​ )

“ do you taste as good as you smell ? “

“….Do I? What?!” Violet almost repeated before shooting Cassandra a look that was mixed of both confusion yet amused. Was she really being asked that by Cassandra of all people? It would have been one thing if some random guy was the one who said it to her because that way, all Violet had to do was reject the ridiculous attempt of a pick-up like and be on with the rest of her night. But it was Cassandra who had said it, and while it being her is what have the ravenette a bit confused—that, and the fact that never would she expect for her friend to even want to say a pick up line like that one— she also found the comment amusing. With her brow raised, Violet stared at the other. “…..How much did you have to drink?” Is what she ended up asking, shifting her gaze towards the glass Cassandra held against the counter. “Think you might need to stop before you say something else that you may not mean,….. besides,” The corner of her lips curved upwards “I think you would know the answer to that by now.”

Cassandra may have had a bit too much to drink. She was just having fun though. For once she wasn’t drowning in her sorrows. She was with Violet, after all. A grin came to Cass’ face. “I don’t know. Maybe a few. Maybe five. I lost count. I just know you’re looking awful pretty tonight.” By morning Cass would be kicking herself for acting so foolish, but in the moment she was just trying to flirt and have fun. She leaned closer to Violet, her grin only widening. “I mean, I do. That may just have been my way of asking for a second taste.” 

“Violet is just like...so pretty. And she’s a great kisser.” Cassandra can’t help but giggle a little bit. Normally she was a brooding, angry drunk. She felt so...full of life in that moment though. Thinking about Violet truly made her smile. “I think she’s fuckin’ bad ass too. I mean, look at her boss. That bitch doesn’t know she has the best damn worker life could throw at her! I would personally take Drizella Tremaine in a fight and win. Just because I care about Violet a lot and I think she deserves a lot better than that dumb bitch as a boss.” Cass shrugs and throws back another shot like it’s nothing. “I just hope she knows I care about her. And I suck at texting people back. And that I really did have a great night on new year’s. And that she’s super pretty and smart and a good person.”

@inviiscviiclet

It hadn’t escaped Violet that Cassandra has too been staring back at where Flynn and Rapunzel were. If it wasn’t the bartender himself who was doing so, than it was her own date, and if she had been anyone else, she may have found her date’s lack of complete focus on her as insulting. But Violet didn’t, and in fact understood why Cassandra was constantly looking back at the two. Besides, she couldn’t exactly say that she herself wasn’t doing the same, only difference was that it wasn’t at Flynn and Rapunzel who Violet had been eyeing, but rather Randy and Wendy. She wasn’t so thrilled at her best friend coming here with him, so whenever she caught sight of the two, Violet’s eyes would be directed towards them. So no, she wouldn’t complain that Cassandra was doing something similar, but at the same time the ravenette was also making sure to keep enough focus towards her as well. “It’s cool.” She dismissed, waving a hand as she did so. Violet then snorted and rolled her eyes once more. “Probably, but even if he were to have asked me, I still would’ve chosen you instead.” She stated, though they both were aware that wasn’t the reason for why he had been staring at them. She and Cassandra hadn’t done much dancing since they got here, so with the older accepting her suggestion, Violet grinned and took her hand. “We shall.” And in a lower tone, she added. “And let’s make it a good one, yeah?”·

Cassandra was sure that Violet had noticed her eyes straying towards the other couple. It wasn’t difficult to miss that detail. She felt a bit bad for it, but was going to move forward and enjoy the rest of the night with her date. Cass couldn’t help but feel humbled and a little embarrassed when Violet said she would have still picked Cass over the bartender. “Well, that’s awfully kind of you to say. I would have chose you too.” Cass gives her a playful smirk before going to her feet. She gives the other girl’s hand a light squeeze before tugging on her softly towards the dance floor. “Oh, yeah. It’s definitely going to be a good one.” And with that being said she walked with her to the dance floor. It had been a long time since Cass had went out dancing. She was thankful she wasn’t wearing heels at the moment because she was not the best dancer to begin with. Still, she placed a hand on Violet’s waist and a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll warn you now, I’m not the best dancer. One would think I would be a little better with all the instruction I do at the gym, but it’s still a different type of coordination.” She laughed softly and couldn’t help but blush the tiniest bit as she began swaying with Violet to the music.

Closed Starter for ( @waitinginthcwings )

Violet had to admit, the first thought she had about the winter wonderland ball was to not attend it. But she knew if she didn’t go, both her best friends and her parents would start to nag her until she did go. She already had been convinced once to attend the bash thanks to Wendy and her big blue eyes that Violet couldn’t say ‘no’ to and she wasn’t in the mood in wanting to deal with that again and instead, opted in just going to the ball before any of that could happen. But then Violet found herself with a second hiccup— getting a date. In no way had she planned on signing herself up to be paired with a blind date for it, and while Violet knew she didn’t need one to attend, she also didn’t want to deal with being asked if she had one again. The rave was enough of a reminder of the lack of people she had lined up who wanted to date her, not that she wanted many people interested in her anyways, but that also didn’t mean she was completely out of options. There was one person Violet thought of who she could ask. Granted, she wasn’t so sure if Cassandra wanted to go to the ball herself but when Violet had asked her if she wanted to go together, the older agreed and now here they were. “Oh look, he’s looking over here again.” The ravenettte commented, having noticed a certain bartender was looking at where she and Cass were sitting— again. Resting her chin against the palm of her hand Violet directed her gaze back at Cassandra. “It’s almost as if he’s jealous that we came here together and not with him.” She rolled her eyes yet smirked. “Want to aggravate him even further by showing off how much fun we’re already having and go dance?”

Cassandra hadn’t initially planned on going to the Winter Wonderland Ball, but when she heard Rapunzel (with none other than Flynn) she knew she would likely have to go as well. That wasn’t a big push to get her to go though. She didn’t really want to watch her best friend waltz around the dance floor with that good for nothing con artist. When Violet unexpectedly asked Cassandra to accompany her to the ball though she was in no place to decline. Perhaps going wouldn’t be so bad if she had a date. Cass had kept her eye on Raps and Flynn but hadn’t made a huge deal out of it. She was eyeing them for a moment when Violet started talking. “Sorry,” she said as she was snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at her. “He’s probably jealous he’s not with you out of the two of us. Or he’s just pissed that he has to work.” She chuckled a bit. “For sure. Let’s go.” Cass had enough drinks in her where she could confidently dance but not enough where she was blasted. It was a fun middle ground. She jumps to her feet and holds a hand out. “Shall we?”

closed starter for @waitinginthcwings​ location: winter wonderland ball

no alcohol was required for flynn to find an excuse to bother cassandra - but when a few drinks were already in his system he was certainly more inclinded to actively seek her out. which was exactly what he was doing right now. rum and coke in hand, he walked around the outskirts of the ballroom in search of his best friend’s other best friend. flynn felt fairly confident in the assumption that cass likely wasn’t out on the actual dance floor and figured his best bet of finding her would be either at the bar, the buffet, or sitting at a table alone. the last one behind exactly where he did finally spot her and he had no hesitation in dropping down into the open seat besides the girl. “sup,” he greets with a nod, a cocky grin on his lips as he looks cassandra over. “how many drinks is it going to take to get you to actually go out there and dance with me?”

The moment Cassandra saw Flynn approached her it took every ounce of self control in her body not to audibly groan or visibly roll her eyes. Her nostrils did flare though as she exhaled hard. “Don’t look at me like that,” she muttered. She already wasn’t a huge fan of being in a dress. “Sixteen minimum. You’ll likely see me dead before that happens.” There was no way in hell that she was going to dance with Flynn. Just the thought of it made her blood boil. “You don’t have anyone else better to bother tonight?”

@waitinginthcwings​ location: cass’s apartment

rapunzel couldn’t figure out why cass was still avoiding her. she thought they had moved past whatever was bothering her the last time she had tried to shut her out and there they were again. she wanted to help her friend, she wanted to be there for her and make her feel warm and safe like she made her feel, but she seemed to always take one step forward and three steps back. it was maddening but rapunzel was not going to give up on cass. she just couldn’t. if it wasn’t for cass, punz would be lost on her own. she was just as important to her as flynn and anthony and anyone else was. surely she knew that, right?

she knocked softly on her friends door while juggling the tin of christmas cookies she had in her hands. sweets were the way to happiness, right? they made her happy. they made flynn happy. so they had to make everyone happy! “cass?” she said softly once she thought she heard someone going to the door. “hey..umm…it’s me! rapunzel! i wanted to see if you were okay….i really hope you’re okay! i brought cookies!”

Cassandra was majorly freaking out. She still didn’t understand these stupid black rocks that formed around her house. She didn’t understand why her mother abandoned her. She didn’t understand why it had to be for Rapunzel. Raps was her best friend. Cass would die for the girl, but as more and more time passed by the voice in her head grew stronger. Telling her that Rapunzel would always be better than her. That she should betray her best friend. Cass knew better than that though. At least, she thought she did.

When she heard the knocking on the door Cass didn’t move. She had been up for days. She’d slept here or there but couldn’t rest properly. She took the week off work and instead focused on those damned rocks. She was getting better at controlling them, but only when she was angry. Which, seemed to be all the time now. “Go away,” she said. She was sober, but clearly upset. When it was evident that Rapunzel was not going to leave she held her hand out and the rocks that were getting closer and closer to her, that were now appearing inside her house disappeared. She went to the door and cracked it slightly. “What do you need?”

Cassandra hated this question. More than anything in that moment she fucking hated it. She scoffed and chugged the rest of her drink. She was going to need another. Or three. “How does it feel?” she retorted. “How does it fucking feel knowing that I’m always going to be picked last? No matter what? Feels fucking fantastic.” Her lips curl into a scowl. As much as she wanted to say she hated Flynn, she couldn’t. He mad Raps happy and that alone was enough for Cassandra. Still, she had so many mixed feelings. Especially since finding out the truth about her mother. “Fucking Rider, though. It’s always him, isn’t it? I don’t get it. What do people see in that prick? He’s a no good, lying thief that is never going to amount to anything in his life. She deserves better. I deserve better than to watch her get her heart broken by someone who will always put themselves first.” Her anger is rising and she knows something strange will happen soon enough. “How do you think it feels?!” She’s drunk and her voice raises. “It fucking sucks, that’s what!” She throws her now empty glass against the wall. A typical move when she’s angry and drunk. “I just don’t get it, I guess. I’ve done nothing but try my entire life. And I’ve always been in second place. I was always second to my father. I always will be to Rapunzel. Even my own fucking mother put me second to Raps. Does she know that? No. Will I ever tell her? Who fucking cares at this point. What do I have to lose?” Cass’ breath is shaky and she started to cry. It only took one small question to trigger this response in Cassandra. One that she clearly had a lot of pent up feelings about. She goes to the window and she knows what she’s going to see. Strange, black rocks with pointed edges. They always seemed to appear when she was angry or upset. Maybe she’s cursed. Maybe Flynn Rider was a curse. No, maybe Rapunzel was a curse. How could she be though? She was nothing but sunshine and smiles. Cass loved the girl. “Fuck Flynn Rider,” she finally said. “I’ve been there for her and then suddenly he waltzes in and it’s ‘fuck Cassandra’ I guess.” She started to laugh. In all her anger and misery she began to laugh. “Whatever. If she wants to pick him over me why should I be surprised? Everyone always picks me second. Always.”

closed starter for @waitinginthcwings​ location: snuggly duckling

from his spot at the end of the bar, flynn instantly noticed when cassandra walked in. maybe it was a criminal thing or maybe it was an neglected orphan thing, he wasn’t sure - but what he did know was it was damn near impossible to sneak up on the thief. even in the middle of a busy shift, he was fairly aware of every thing and every person around him. especially those that he cared about. and whether he’d admit it out loud or not… cassandra was on that list. maybe not super high up on it, but her name held a secure spot down towards the bottom regardless. handing over the drink he’d just poured for the patron he was helping, flynn made his way down towards the spot cass had claimed as her own. “well, well, well - look what the cat dragged in,” he greeted with a smirk, very obviously eyeing his somewhat friend up and down. “damn, cass, you look hot tonight.” the statement was made with dramatics and was quickly followed by a raise of his hand, hopefully stopping the girl from responding. “now don’t go ruining that by talking.”

Cassandra had just gotten off of a ten hour shift at work. It was a long day and she’d barely gotten a break because she was so booked with clients. People were booking extra sessions at the gym to try and look fit for the holidays. Cass knew this time of year was busy and would be going into the first month or two of the next year with all the holiday classes the gym had as a promotion. After work Cass knew the first thing she would do was go to the Snuggly Duckling to eat bad bar food and have a few drinks to destress. It’s what she often did after work, and she knew she always risked seeing Flynn there as well. Her suspicion that he would be there was correct when he ‘greeted’ her. Rolling her eyes, she leaned against the bar and sighed. “Shut the fuck up,” she said. She tried to hide the smirk growing on her face but couldn’t help it. “Looks like I just ruined it. Hopefully it spoiled you’re entire night.” She glanced over at the beer taps, debating what she wanted. “Just give me a bottle of one of the seasonal beers. I’m sick of the cheap shit you have on tap.”

“No bar.” Violet right away said, shaking her head. Though there were many bars around town they could choose from besides the Snuggly Duckling, it was common knowledge that was where she liked to go to the most, so she was that would be where she and Cassandra would head to if she accepted. And what Violet wanted right now was not to be seeing Anthony at the moment. Besides, she was sure she shouldn’t be drinking at the moment anyways, even if it was the first thing she found herself doing. So with the other offers for them to head out to the archery range instead, the raven haired girl considered it before nodding her head. “….I could do the archery range.” She stated, liking that idea. “….Let me guess, it’s that Flynn guy, isn’t it? I don’t specifically have anyone I dislike at the moment but— maybe it won’t be so hard to come up with one so, yeah, let’s go there.”

“Alright, no bar,” Cassandra agreed. It was probably best that neither of them drank that night. Cass wasn’t really in the mood to sit at the Snuggly Duckling anyway. Or go to some dance club, which sounded infinitely worse. “You sure you’re up for it? Archery takes a strong arm,” Cass teased though there were truth to her words. Nodding, she continued speaking. “Definitely that Flynn guy. Ugh, he just really pisses me off. I can’t stand him sometimes!” Cass’ hands balled up into fists and her brows furrowed. “Something about him just really gives me the wrong vibe.”

“….Hey, can we go do something?” She suddenly asked her friend. Whenever Violet was feeling especially moody about something, there was always one person she knew she could go to that could help. Cassandra. Yeah, it might come off as a surprise because she knew that Cassandra wasn’t exactly known for being the most positive person around. But that was the thing. Violet wasn’t looking for positivity at the moment; instead, what she was looking for was a distraction, and Cassandra was one of the best people she knows who could help her with that without asking her questions about it. “Anything.” Violet added, strands of her raven hair falling over her shoulders. “….I just want……need to go and blow off some steam and all.” ( @waitinginthcwings )

Cassandra enjoyed Violet’s company. Sometimes the two could sit in total silence and it wouldn’t be awkward or strange. Others they could be venting and yelling about what was bothering them. Cass looks up from her magazine and looks at Violet. “Sure,” she said before setting the magazine down on the table beside her. “You want to go to the bar or something like that? Or, we could take a more productive approach and go for a run. Oh, I know! Let’s go to the archery range. We can shoot some arrows and pretend the bullseye is the head of someone we don’t like. I already know who mine is.”

“It’s not that hard. Not really.” Cassandra was currently balancing a spoon on her nose and it only fell once she started laughing. “Now, if you want me to do that drunk...well, that’s another story.” She picks the spoon back up and twirls it in her hand. “I’ve only had two drinks though so it’s still fair game. Here, you try.”

“Well, it wasn’t good enough.” Maybe Cass was too hard on her clients. She just saw it as aggressive encouragement. “Try again. Ten pushups, let’s go. I don’t have all day for you.” She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “If you want to keep up with me you have to push yourself harder.”