[color=#ffffff][COLOR=GRAY][CENTER][COLOR=tan][sup]_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sup][/COLOR][url=https://open.spotify.com/track/052vSBPxqdmYRDlkSPiavc][img]https://i.imgur.com/jtw2VGJ.jpeg[/img][/url][/CENTER][indent][sub][COLOR=tan][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR][I] The Augmented Reality Center[/I] - [I]Pacific Royal Campus[/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=tan][b]Dance Monkey #4.068:[/b][/COLOR][I] The Catbird Seat[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][COLOR=tan][SUP][sub]___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sub][/SUP][/COLOR][indent][sub][color=tan][B]Interaction(s):[/B][/COLOR][I] Sierra [@Qia][/I][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][COLOR=tan][b]Previously:[/b][/COLOR][COLOR=GRAY][I] A Cat and Bird Game[/I][/color][/right][/SUP][/indent][/color][/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Her lesser coverts began to ruffle as Sierra continued to invade her space, but she wasn’t the type to back down. That sickly sweet Southern drawl made her ears burn with irritation, and yet she maintained a flat expression. She looked over Sierra’s own expression and she didn’t like what she saw, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. What frustrated her more than her feathers revealing her true feelings was the fact that nothing Sierra said was making sense. This was no longer the taunts and insults Haven had expected from the redhead, but a game in which she felt trapped.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Almost like she was back in the home again. The older girls always found it funny to confuse the little ones. She used to unknowingly play into their games too, and she never won until she found her backbone.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]She shouldn’t be playing into this anyways. How could what was between Harper and this [/color][i][color=#a9a9a9]friend[/color][/i][color=#a9a9a9] have anything to do with herself? What would Harper possibly have to lie to Haven for? Why did this [/color][i][color=#a9a9a9]friend[/color][/i][color=#a9a9a9] think it would be fun sport to spill the secret herself?[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]She didn’t like word games, anyways.[/color]

[color=#d2b48c]“What are you getting at, Sierra?” [/color][color=#a9a9a9]She snapped suddenly. It was better to cut straight to the point. 

[/color][color=#d2b48c]“You’re wasting my time.”[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Sierra’s lips curled into a knowing smirk, the gleam in her eyes betraying how much she had expected Haven’s reaction. Everything was playing out exactly how she wanted, like an intricate game where she was always several steps ahead. Haven, feathers metaphorically—and perhaps soon literally—ruffled, was inching closer to the trap Sierra had so delicately set.[/color]

[color=#fb0207]“Am I?” [/color][color=#a9a9a9]the redhead tilted her head, feigning innocence, though her voice carried an undercurrent of smug satisfaction.[/color][color=#fb0207] “Wasting your time, huh? Funny, that's what people usually say before they find out the truth. You’ll care, Haven. Probably more than you’d like to admit.”[/color]

[color=#fb0207]“But I’m not here for a public spectacle,” [/color][color=#a9a9a9]Sierra added, her gaze sweeping the room as if to remind Haven of their audience. The wings, twitching ever so slightly, were like a beacon, drawing more attention than either of them needed right now. Folding her arms across her chest, Sierra leaned back to finally give the other some breathing room. [/color][color=#fb0207]“Tell you what—let’s take this somewhere private. You’ve got questions, I’m sure. I’ve got answers. No games. Just you and me.”[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Haven huffed an incredulous breath through her nose in response and turned her head to look into the crowd below. She couldn’t give a single feather what the students nearby would think of their tense conversation. She also couldn’t stand the thought of being alone in a room with this woman. How tempting it would be to wipe that smug look off of her face with no one there to misunderstand her intentions behind it. Sierra, on the other hand, would probably call it a reason for [/color][i][color=#a9a9a9]her kind[/color][/i][color=#a9a9a9] to stay away from her. No, she shouldn’t hit the redhead, no matter how much she wanted to.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Her eyes moved over the crowd, searching for Rory among them but finding no sign of him. If he’d been asking for her down below, she hadn’t heard his voice among the music and chatter with her attention so focused on Sierra. She should look for him. Maybe ask Harper what Sierra was up to instead…[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Would Harper really tell her, or would she lie again? She had to admit that Sierra’s words were getting to her. That her absolute trust in Harper’s decisions had started to crack the moment she let her [/color][i][color=#a9a9a9]friend[/color][/i][color=#a9a9a9] act so cruelly. Was it worth breaking Harper’s trust by going along with this? If she learned the truth, whatever it could be, would their friendship recover?[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]The edges of her lips curved into a small frown as she made her decision. She looked over the centre one more time, once more to find her boyfriend, and when she didn’t see him she thought of the perfect place for Sierra to make her final move. Her gaze was firm as she looked back at those waiting eyes, her shoulders tense as she straightened them. [/color][color=#d2b48c]“I’ll move somewhere private with you, but we aren’t leaving the ARC. I’m on a date, after all.”[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]A date she wanted to get back to as soon as possible.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]With that said, Haven drew her wings in closely to her back and moved past Sierra. She strode with purpose, half a mind to leave the redhead behind and fade into the crowd below. If Sierra didn’t keep up, she wouldn’t care. Her gaze continued to search for Rory among the crowd below as she began to descend the stairs. She could only hope that he would forgive her for being gone from him for so long.[/color]

[i][color=#fb0207]So predictable,[/color][/i][color=#a9a9a9] Sierra thought, trailing behind at a measured pace. She was content to let Haven lead, her eyes following the brunette’s every movement. Sierra wasn’t in a rush, savouring the anticipation like a cat toying with its prey. She’d already set the stage. Now, all that was left was to see how far Haven was willing to go before the inevitable truth dropped. [/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]As they wove through the crowd, the redhead’s gaze flicked briefly over the faceless bodies surrounding them, dismissing each one in turn. None of these people mattered, and Sierra wouldn’t waste energy committing their features to memory. They were just background noise to her, a forgettable blur of irrelevant distractions. Haven, though—Haven had her full attention. She was the only person in this room worth Sierra’s time, as far as she was concerned.  [/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]The adjacent lounge they walked to was dimly lit, cozy but deserted. Sierra followed Haven through the doorway and let the door click shut behind them. The faint hum of the event outside still trickled in, but it was muffled, distant—almost irrelevant now. Her gaze swept over the room before landing squarely back on Haven. [/color]

[color=#fb0207]“See? No one to interrupt now.”[/color][color=#a9a9a9] Sierra’s voice was velvet-smooth as she sauntered a few steps deeper into the room, her tone laced with a subtle challenge. [/color][color=#fb0207]“We can talk, just the two of us.”[/color][color=#a9a9a9] She stopped, leaning back against a sleek table in the corner, her arms folding across her chest once more as she gave Haven the space to speak first, but not before adding,[/color][color=#fb0207] “Of course, what I have to say might change a few things.”[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]The winged woman wasn’t sure if privacy was a great idea, really. There was no one here to keep Haven from losing her composure. No one would hold her back if she saw red flash across her vision, a red as bright as Sierra’s hair. She’d been reminded of that wild rage too many times over the last few weeks. The kind that truly surpassed logic and followed only what her heart desired.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]She stood rigid in the room, across from a social predator, wary of how she was going to start this [/color][color=#a9a9a9][i]talk[/i][/color][color=#a9a9a9]. Her remiges had already relaxed, yet she was sure it wouldn’t last long. Not with the way those piercing brown eyes held all of their focus on her. It dawned on her then, standing alone with this stranger, that it seemed like she was the only reason Sierra had come to the dance in the first place.[/color]

[color=#d2b48c]“Whatever involves me in your [/color][i][color=#d2b48c]history[/color][/i][color=#d2b48c] must really be ruffling your feathers.”[/color][color=#a9a9a9] She began slowly, regarding Sierra with a curious expression now. [/color][color=#d2b48c]“I can’t say I recognize you, if we’ve met before today. Though your hair isn’t natural, so maybe that’s what is throwing me off.”[/color]

[color=#d2b48c]“Have we met before?”[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Sierra let out a low, humourless chuckle at Haven's words, the sound filling the quiet space between them. [/color][color=#fb0207]“Met before?”[/color][color=#a9a9a9] she repeated, her voice lilting with mock surprise. She watched Haven closely without saying more, the silence between them thickening like a dense fog. She didn’t rush, didn’t feel the need to. Instead, she let the quiet stretch, her eyes never leaving the winged woman’s face. There was something almost intoxicating about this kind of power, this level of command over a situation. She knew exactly where this conversation was going, but Haven was still in the dark, and that made it all the more satisfying.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Slowly, purposefully, Sierra pushed herself away from the table and began to take a leisurely stroll around the room, her boots clicking against the floor. She let her fingers graze the back of a nearby chair, her movements fluid, almost lazy, as though she had all the time in the world. There was no hurry here. [/color][color=#fb0207]“You know,”[/color][color=#a9a9a9] she said, her tone almost conversational, [/color][color=#fb0207]“I could see why you might be confused. After all, you wouldn’t have any reason to connect the dots, would you?”[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]She shrugged, a nonchalant gesture that was as much for her own amusement as it was for Haven’s growing unease.[/color][color=#fb0207] “I mean, Harper’s been good at keeping things close to the chest, hasn’t she?” [/color][color=#a9a9a9]she continued, her voice softening just a touch, like a slow flame licking at the edges of paper before it catches fire. [/color][color=#fb0207]“She’s always been the type to bury things when they get too messy. And family… well, family can get [/color][color=#fb0207][i]very[/i][/color][color=#fb0207] messy.” [/color][color=#a9a9a9]Sierra came to a stop, her stance relaxed, though her expression shifted into that same mock concern she’d worn before, a carefully constructed mask of empathy.[/color]

[color=#fb0207]“Oh, but wait…you never really had that, did you? Being stuck in that sad, sad orphanage of yours….”[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]She’d been watching Sierra with a stare that was both irritated and cautious, but now it transformed entirely. Her face fell, brows lowering as her eyes glinted with the burning anger she felt in her stomach. Her normally bright disposition now something else entirely.[/color]

[color=#d2b48c]“Now you’ve really killed my mood.”[/color][color=#a9a9a9] She uttered in a low tone. Her wings shifted behind her back, not yet ruffled, but certainly growing tense. She could feel the effects of the alcohol wearing off, the dull ache returning to her healing joints. She’d definitely need another drink after this. She couldn’t piece the puzzle together, and it was obvious that Sierra knew the completed picture already. It was frustrating to realize that Sierra also knew Haven wasn’t even close to figuring it out. This was all in good fun for her, this power she held above Haven’s head like a toy that the younger woman couldn’t reach. It pissed Haven off.[/color]

[color=#d2b48c]“Who are you, really, to think you have the privilege of mocking my life? What’s made you so cruel?”[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]For a moment, Sierra just allowed the question to hang, enjoying the sight of Haven’s growing irritation, the way her wings tensed behind her like the manifestation of her fraying composure. It was like watching a bird trapped in a cage it didn’t even know existed. She kept her expression neutral, letting silence do its work before speaking again.  [/color]

[color=#fb0207]“You want to know what makes me cruel?” [/color][color=#a9a9a9]Sierra mused as she began to pace slowly around the room again. 

[/color][color=#fb0207]“Cruelty isn’t hard, you know- it comes naturally when you’ve seen how easily people fall apart under pressure. You push the right buttons, watch them crumble, and then you remind them of their place.” [/color][color=#a9a9a9]She tilted her head, as if contemplating something deeper. [/color][color=#fb0207]“It’s not personal. It’s just…fun.” [/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]There was a beat of stillness before Sierra continued, her voice taking on a more serious tone now. [/color][color=#fb0207]“But this?” [/color][color=#a9a9a9]Her eyes locked onto Haven’s hazel ones, the playfulness completely evaporating from her face like a mask being pulled off. [/color][color=#fb0207]“Oh, Haven dear, this is personal.” [/color][color=#a9a9a9]She stopped pacing, turning to face the other fully now, her expression darker, devoid of the light banter she had used to toy with before. [/color][color=#fb0207] “I’m not mocking your life because really… what’s there to mock when it had no purpose to begin with?” [/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]She took another step forward, this time closing the space between them, her boots reminiscent of death drums as they tapped on the floor. [/color][color=#fb0207]“For someone so bright, you’ve missed the most glaring truth of all.” [/color][color=#a9a9a9]She paused just before reaching Haven, her voice dropping with venom. [/color][color=#fb0207]“There’s a reason you were left behind. A reason why, despite everything- despite the affair- you were never part of the picture.” [/color][color=#a9a9a9]When the other’s lips parted, as if to protest, Sierra cut her off with a short laugh.[/color]

[color=#fb0207]“Oh come on, Haven. Don’t tell me it hasn’t crossed your mind.” [/color][color=#a9a9a9]She leaned in just enough, the next word slow, each one punctuated with an intended beat.  [/color][color=#fb0207]“If our [/color][color=#fb0207][i]dad-[/i][/color][color=#a9a9a9]she paused for emphasis, letting that word sink in, watching as it hit Haven with a slap, [/color][color=#fb0207]“-really wanted you, don’t you think he would’ve taken you when he had the chance? Don’t you think he would have done more instead of leaving you to rot in that place?” [/color][color=#a9a9a9]Sierra sighed then, a long, drawn-out exhale, as if she’d been genuinely disappointed by her own child who would never quite live up to expectations.[/color]

[color=#fb0207]“You weren’t wanted,” [/color][color=#a9a9a9]she said, barely above a whisper, her voice distant, as though she was speaking to some long-forgotten memory rather than the person standing in front of her. [/color][color=#fb0207]“Not then, and not now. Harper may have tried to keep you close, but even she couldn’t bring herself to tell you the truth. Because deep down, she knows what I do- [/color][i][color=#fb0207]you were a mistake.”[/color][/i]

[color=#a9a9a9]Every barb, vane, and pin feather adorned upon Haven’s back and wings bristled, the appendages stretching out beside her to appear larger and imposing. Her hands were curled into fists at her side, shaking with the effort of keeping still while her nails dug into the small marks left behind from the day before last. Each toned muscle in her arms was tense, poised and ready to act on her wildest impulses. She was hot with rage, aching with the hurt in her heart, and utterly speechless for the first time in her life.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]The movement was swift. Her arm swung behind her head before those brown eyes could blink. Each fibre in her body willing her to let it loose, like an arrow knocked against a bow, and to find its target. She almost allowed the impulse to guide her fist, her face twisting into something hurt and angry.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]But there was a spark in Sierra’s brown eyes that made her hesitate. The first genuine and human emotion that the redhead displayed all evening. It satiated something within her, that wild temperament finding the display of fear equivalent to drawing blood.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Her arm lowered slowly, letting the threat linger a moment longer, before it went slack at her side. Her fist remained, if only to provide a distraction from the utter defeat Haven felt in the moment. It felt like her heart had a tiny crack in it. She didn’t want to believe what Sierra told her, and yet the puzzle pieces finally connected. The completed piece laid as bare as the emotions on her face and feathers.[/color]

[color=#d2b48c][b]“Get. Out.”[/b][/color][color=#a9a9a9] She bit out, her voice maintaining strength despite its quiet volume. Her eyes cast themselves to the side, the threat of tears pricking at her eyes. She never imagined that she’d cry over someone she’d never met. Of a man that was absent for all of her life, even in the womb. Perhaps it was the way Sierra broke the news to her. How it felt like Harper’s father, Sierra’s dad, [/color][color=#a9a9a9][i]their[/i][/color][color=#a9a9a9] dad, [/color][color=#a9a9a9][i]her father[/i][/color][color=#a9a9a9]… He’d known she existed, and he left her to be lost within the system when her mother couldn’t care for her.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]She didn’t want to cry over a man like that. He didn’t deserve her tears.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Sierra flinched. [/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]It wasn’t the raised fist or the looming threat of physical harm that rattled her, but rather the force of a memory so vivid that it shattered her self-control in an instant. The sight of Haven’s wings flaring, her clenched fist trembling with fury, dragged Sierra back to that day. The day her father had struck her. The slap hadn’t been just an act of anger; it was a jarring realization, a moment that split open her world and forced her to see a side of him she hadn't wanted to face.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Haven’s raised fist hovered between them, shaking slightly as the fire in her eyes blazed with hurt and disbelief. It mirrored the rage Sierra had once seen in herself, the raw fury she felt in the aftermath of her father’s betrayal. [/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]But this time, Sierra wasn’t angry. [/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]She wasn’t defiant. [/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]She was afraid—afraid of the past she had so desperately buried and the storm of emotions coming back to the surface now. It was like staring into a mirror, but instead of her reflection, she saw a girl still burning with the same unanswered questions she’d once asked.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]For a fleeting moment, Sierra’s hardened exterior cracked, and something vulnerable passed behind her eyes. She hadn’t expected this—hadn’t expected to feel so exposed, so shaken by the memory of her father’s hand striking her face. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she quickly stifled that weakness, steeling herself once more. She couldn’t allow herself to go back to that girl—the one who was powerless, broken, and desperate for answers. She had to be stronger, for Harper’s sake, for her own. There was no room for uncertainty anymore.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]When Haven’s fist finally lowered, the air between them still hummed with tension, thick enough to choke on. Sierra exhaled softly, the small release of breath the only sign of her relief. Haven’s cold command to [/color][color=#d2b48c]“Get. Out.”[/color][color=#a9a9a9] rang through the space like a final strike, but the redhead didn’t flinch this time. She had done what she came to do, planted the seeds of doubt, and shattered the fragile peace. As the weight of what she’d revealed settled into Haven’s mind, Sierra could see the cracks forming in the girl’s armour, mirroring her own years ago.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]It was because of this understanding alone that she allowed herself one final moment of hesitation, her back turned to Haven now by the doorway. She almost said something—something to soften the blow or offer some kind of understanding—but no words came. She knew all too well that there was no comfort for this kind of wound. [/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]The truth was out, and once exposed, it had to fester and heal on its own.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]So, saying nothing, she walked out, leaving Haven with the shattered pieces of a truth neither of them had honestly been prepared for.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Haven didn’t breathe until the door clicked shut. She gasped for air, and swallowed against the lump in her throat. Her eyes searched the room, vision blurry at the edges by tears that had not yet fully formed. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for. Some reason why she’d allowed herself to be spoken to like that, maybe. Something that would settle the storm raging within her. Answers to the million questions that thundered in her mind.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Something to release her frustration into.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]She brought her right fist to her chest and began to rub circles above her heart. A trick she’d been taught in therapy freshman year, but had forgotten until now. It was meant to calm her racing pulse, to soothe her soul, but she could only feel her breathing becoming heavy. The weight on her chest was not lifting. The action merely left a red bloom where she dug her knuckles in deeper.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Her frustration boiled over and she flung the closest table to her across the room. It knocked into the tables in its path, loud thuds filling the room where they fell to the ground. Discarded drinks shattered around them. Her palms stung as she flexed them at her sides. With furrowed brows she looked down at them and saw pinpricks of blood where her nails had reopened the crescent shaped wounds.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9][i]Fuck. Fuck this.[/i][/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Life had never been fair for Haven Barnes. So why did this hurt so much?[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Her hands rose to her face, pressing the heels of her palms to her temples as she closed her eyes and tried to take deep breaths. Her fingers carefully bent backwards to keep her palms from getting even the smallest amount of blood in her hair.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Her heart had been settled regarding her father a long time ago. She’d come to terms with the fact that he had never been there for her. That he didn’t want her in his life. She was okay with that.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]But this… knowing he was aware of her situation. He’d known she was in that orphanage, and he never once thought to save her from it. It hurt knowing that the pain she endured there could have been prevented. That first year alone, the hunger, the fear, resorting to crime just for something to eat or a place to sleep and stay dry– it would have been completely different.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]It all hurt so… fucking… much.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]She didn’t want to feel this, right now. The night had been going so well. She [/color][i][color=#a9a9a9]deserved[/color][/i][color=#a9a9a9] a night without feeling the weight of the world on her heart. She was wearing such a beautiful dress, and Amma and Aurora had done so well on her makeup and hair. [/color][i][color=#a9a9a9]Rory[/color][/i][color=#a9a9a9] was out there waiting for her, probably worried sick by now, and he looked so handsome and charming. This was their first date, and here she was alone in a room having a crisis.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]She should find Rory and explain. She should shove all of this down into her stomach, and try to forget she’d even heard it.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]She couldn’t go out there like this, with her plumage the tallest it had been in years. Her fractured resolve on display for everyone to see. No, she needed them to rest before she left the room.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]With nothing to clean the blood from her palms, she resorted to licking them before she got to work. A method she had used plenty of times before, when she lived as a rogue. She put her frustration into her wings. Slowing her breath to calm her heart and soothe her still tense muscles as she began to preen and force her feathers down.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]While her emotions still fluttered wildly within her chest, she eventually managed to calm her body down. Her joints protested as she stretched her wings out behind her once more. Her expression turned sour for a moment. If she could fly later tonight, or even tomorrow morning, she could leave this weight behind for just a few, precious moments. She already would have been feeling better knowing that the freedom of flight was just hours away.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]Yet she knew it would still be days before she could unburden herself from the ground again.[/color]
[color=#a9a9a9]Carefully surveying her palms once more, all she could hope was that Rory wouldn’t notice them until later. She had decided that once she left this room, she wouldn’t speak of the painful truth revealed that night until they were alone together. Somewhere she’d be safe to pour her hurting heart out of her chest and let it lay open and raw between them. Rory would know what to do with it. He’d know how to help her handle it, and if he didn’t he would know just how to hold her to make her feel a little lighter.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]She turned towards the door, towards the dance that continued on beyond it, and took a deep breath. The night could still go on. She could still have a great time, despite the crack in her heart. It had never held her back before.[/color]

[color=#a9a9a9]She left the room as casually as she’d entered it, swiping a tall glass of champagne from a waiter as they passed. It was down her throat and bubbling in her stomach before she found her date in the crowd. Her heart had already begun to feel lighter as she found herself beside him.[/color]

[color=#d2b48c]“There you are, handsome.”[/color][color=#a9a9a9] She said with a smile that hardly reached her eyes. [/color][color=#d2b48c]“Sorry if I scared you, being gone so long.”[/color]
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