”What's it like, being her sister?”

Adri paused, mid-bite, studying Persephone after she asked the question. What was it like? It was a strange question, to Adri. Yen had always been, well, Yen. Driven, relentless, more a force of nature than a person in some ways... yet someone who had always been for there Adri, in ways that Adri had to admit, deep down inside, that she really didn't deserve. Sure, Yen could be prickly, and a lot of people found her hard to get along with, but to Adri she was a pillar of strength that Adri couldn't do without. Yet it had always been that way; how did you describe something that was so intricately a part of life?

Adri was a screwed-up person in a lot of ways, and she loved tweaking Yen when she got the chance, but she loved her sister fiercely, and in many ways it was a point of pride that she could poke her sister and get away with it when so few others could. She would do anything for Yen. B*tch and complain, sure, but she'd do it. And while she'd walk as close to the line as she could possibly manage, she'd never do anything that would really hurt Yen or her work. How did you describe all that? How did you explain something so deeply intertwined into your life? Even in prison, Adri had felt Yen's protective shadow, felt it in cigarettes passed her way with a whispered, “The queen sends her regards.” Felt it that day in court when the prosecutor was giving his final address, intoning that, “Miss Evgeniya is an extremely dangerous and unstable young woman who must be removed from society”, and she had glanced over and seen Yen's face in the crowd and seen, just for a moment, that it was going to be okay. Or the time she'd been laid up in the prison hospital for a week, and the nurse who came by the check her IV had showed her a spade neck tattoo. Yen had been there. Yen had always been there. You couldn't sum that up in a few words.

But at the same time, she sensed an opportunity in the question, a chance to draw Persephone closer to her through an increased level of intimacy. Share something personal, and your relationship deepened. That was something Adri wanted, and could use. So.. she'd share something. Just a little bit. Not enough to matter, but enough to make Persephone feel she was being welcomed.

She leaned back on the couch, tilting her head back and smiling, more melancholy smile than before. “It's kind of funny, especially seeing her now,” she said. “I mean... she's Yen. She can do basically anything she wants, always has.” She shook her head, laughing a little. “She's the impossible achiever, I'm kind of the family screw-up, I guess.” Adri set her plate down. “She was my parent, basically. I owe everything to her. You know she was a super nerd in high school? Chess champ and everything. But even then she could do anything she wanted to. Now I see her, and everyone treats her like she's god, and I think... yeah, that's about right.” Adri shrugged. “For better or worse, we're stuck with each other, and I wouldn't want it any other way.”

That was a serious moment, and Adri was glad when the topic turned to tattoos again. Persephone didn't seem the type to jump up and down in excitement, but Adri thought she saw a look cross her face, like she might get the tattoo right now if she had the chance. Wow, this girl really was malleable. She'd barely had it two minutes and she was already ready to make it permanent? Well, Adri could work with that.

“Oh, whenever you're sure you want it,” said Adri cheerfully. “I mean, it's permanent, don't do anything you'll regret.” There, the reasonable option spoken. Now for a push outside of it. “That said...” she raised her eyebrows and smiled a little wider, a mysterious, testing smile, as if she was offering Persephone membership in an elite class that she wasn't sure the plant girl was ready for. She glanced at her watch. “His shop should be open for a little while still. If you wanted to drop by, talk to him, see what he can do, we can do that.”

Persephone Dean

Yennefer had probably warned her about this at some point. Something about not sharing secrets with people they couldn't trust completely...

Eh, whatever. Yen kept this girl around and Adri didn't have too many secrets left from her, so it was probably okay. Besides, needling Yen was fun. It couldn't hurt her, right?

"Wellllllll..." said Adri, leaning back in her chair and glancing at the ceiling. "Did you ever watch that movie Pet Semetary? The one where the cat died so they buried it and it came back all zombied and like a walking corpse? Yen had a cat that looked EXACTLY like that when we were kids. I think she literally found it in the trash." She took another bite of her muffin. "Named it Samus, after that video game. She was a super nerd in high school."

Sophia Blood

The woman's chuckle grew into a laugh, and Adri stared at her with a raised eyebrow. Maybe her last partner really had gone crazy. She was caught off guard when the other woman grabbed her and pulled her in for a kiss, not that she minded. It took her a minute to find her mental footing again and comprehend what was being said. "You know Yen?"

For a moment she felt fear- had she accidentally let in one of Yennefer's enemies? Then something else clicked into place and her eyes went wide. "Wait! You're that Sophia?" Now it was Adri's turn to throw back her head and laugh. "No way! What are the odds!" She laughed again. "You drive Yen crazy! She called you a pest of a woman. Oh my god,  she's gonna kill me for sleeping with you. Well, maybe kill you, anyway. Sorry about that if it happens." She took a bite out of her muffin.

She studied Sophia for a moment, trying to evaluate the request for information. Adri loved embarrassing Yen as much as anyone, but it was different when someone else was trying to elbow their way in. Her deep-set loyalty to Yen made her hesitate. But Sophia's smile was infectious, and Adri knew enough about her to know she almost drove Yen mad sometimes. Slowly, a smile spread across her face.

"What do you want to know?"

Sophia Blood

Tattoos were something that got Adrijana genuinely excited. She loved body art, loved talking about it, showing hers off, and especially loved helping other people pick out new designs. The fact that it would be Persephone's first only made it more exciting. She was fully vested in tattoo talk now, barely paying attention to what was on the television screen. When Seph pointed out the spot on her back she might want a tattoo, Adri nodded enthusiastically. “That's perfect! A lot of people start with one on the bicep or forearm but I don't think that's you at all. Hmm, vine or branches? So what if we did something like..”

She uncapped the marker and began drawing on Persephone's skin, brow furrowed in concentration. Years of experimenting in tattoos had made Adri a respectable artist. After a few minutes she examined her work with a critical eye. “Not bad, could use a little more flair maybe...” Her eyes lit up. “Wait! I've got it!” and without asking for permission she grabbed at the button on Persephone's jeans. A moment later they were down and Adri was drawing on Persephone's buttock. “Hold still, this is great.” The marker flew furiously over Persephone's skin. “Yessss.” She finished the roots, added the A's and the smaller spade symbols (thinking to herself that A could stand for Adrijana) and drew a rectangle around the whole design, marking it as a card. Done, she sat back and admired her work. “Oh my god, you've got to get that,” she said. “It's perfect.”

Persephone Dean

Adri's eyes glinted at the other woman's words, a wicked smile of her own parting her face. “Aww, if you're there, gorgeous? I think I could be convinced to enjoy quite a lot.” She saw Sophia checking her out and set her mug on the counter to strike a pose, one hand on her head, one hand on her hip. Her tongue flicked inside her upper lip and out, just slightly. Her voice became plaintive, an inferior imitation of Sophia's begging tone a few minutes earlier. “Oh, do educate me Miss Sophia! Anything you want hehhehhehhehheh,” she finished, the tone and words dissolving into a dark snicker.

“You want breakfast or anything? I got, like, oatmeal and English muffins an' sh!t,” said Adri, snagging a half empty pack of the latter from begin the toaster. She glanced over at Sophia. “Dunno if they're actually English or if it's like fortune cookies where they were invented by Americans.” She took one out of the bag, pulled it apart and dropped it in the toaster. Absentmindedly she scratched at her hip below her shirt where a small bandage covered part of her skin. She took a drag on her cigarette. “Don't have much going on this week, so any night a cute thing like you wants-” Adri raised her eyebrows suggestively. “-you can have me.”

The toaster dinged and Adri pulled a paper plate from the cabinet. If Sophia was paying attention, she might have seen that Adri did none of the things that usually accompany bringing something fresh out of the toaster: no licking of fingers, no muttered exclamations at how hot it was, no attempt to grasp it gingerly. She grabbed the muffin and dropped it on her plate exactly as if the heat bothered her not at all.

She had taken about two bites when a song from the Matilda musical began to play. Without turning, Adri grabbed her phone off the counter and glanced at it. “It's my sister,” she said to Sophia. “Gimme a minute.” She answered the phone, voice cheerful. “Hey Yennefer! Nah, just hanging out. What, tonight?” Adri glanced at Sophia again. “Yeah I can come over in a bit. Yennnnn! I told you not to worry about it.” Another glance Sophia's way. “No, she's cool. Yennnnn! I don't need a lecture.” Her voice was plaintive. “I can take care of myself. Can we talk later? Yes, I promise! Bye.” Adri hung up, letting out a long sigh.

“Older sisters,” she said. “Thinks she's my mom. Always trying to make sure I eat my vegetables, wash behind my ears and don't bring strange women home.” Adri laughed. “I bet you'd drive her crazy.”

Sophia Blood

Prison wasn't a topic that Adri enjoyed dwelling on. She thought of herself as a free spirit, someone who did what she wanted, and thinking about her time spent locked up really put a damper on that whole self-image. She grinned at Persephone's comment about parties for friends who got out, showing her white teeth. It was a cruel smile. “Yeah,” she said. “Party all the time.”

“Of course I'm gonna train you,” said Adri, reaching out and stroking Persephone's cheek affectionately. “It's a majorly important skill! There's cultivating the right ambiance, the right snacks, the right entertainment... don't worry, we'll cover it all.”

She waved a hand in dismissal at Persephone's warning about the strength of her plant. “Pffft, the day I can't handle this stuff is the day I go crying in shame.” She took another draw, a deep one. Wow, Persephone really wasn't lying. This stuff was strong. Better order the pizza soon, while she still could.

“Hey, I want two large pizzas, one all meat with pineapple, one cheese... yes, of course that includes anchovies! Yeah, have a good night, sweetheart!” Adri made a kissing sound and hung up, giggling. She glanced over at Persephone, raising an eyebrow as the other girl settled into a yoga position. “D@mn, girl!” Adri tried to imitate the position and found that she couldn't, flopping onto the couch in a heap with a giggle. “You gotta teach me how to do that!”

Grabbing the remote, she began flipping through the viewing options, grinning again when Persephone pulled her shirt off. “Now we're talking! Maaaannnn, you'd be fine if you had some ink on you,” she said offhandedly, jerking the edge of her shirt up to show off some of her own when one of the shows on the screen caught her eye.

“SAILOR MOON!” she almost screamed. “YES YES YES YES YES! SAILOR MOON SAILOR MOON!”

She clicked play, her eyes dreamy and enraptured, and began singing along with the opening theme.

Persephone Dean

“Oh, uh, thanks, I like to keep it clean… ”



Adri almost rolled her eyes. The woman was clearly high enough that she was having some trouble keeping up. That was all right, though. It wasn't as though Adri cared to be sober at that moment. Adri kept smiling. It only faltered slightly when the other woman asked where she'd gotten the idea of coming to her for a party.



“Well, you know,” said Adri airily. “I was kind of out of circulation for the last five years. Kind of lost track of most of my friends. Or they're still in prison.”



She didn't like to talk about it, but she had formed some semblance of relationships in prison, even stunted and unhealthy ones. It wasn't the sort of place where you found your best friend, but it was impossible for human beings to live together in close proximity without developing some kind of kinship. Her relationships outside had been broken. She had made new ones inside, and now those were broken too. She was alone, in a way she had rarely been before, and though she couldn't express it some part of her felt it. She laughed, a cruel sound, as always, as she took the bong Persephone offered her. “Hey, if you've got one of these and know how to use it you're already halfway to being a party yourself. Don't worry, we can get you trained in the rest.”



Taking the lighter she lit up and sucked in a long draft. Her eyes popped in surprise. “Holy crap, this is great!” she took another draft. “Real smooth, deep flavor... wow.” She closed her eyes and inhaled again. She could already feel it beginning to dig its hooks into her mind. She opened her eyes again and gave Persephone an admiring look. “This is your strain? You bred this?”



“Right,” she said, handing the bong back to Persephone. “You got another piece like this? Set me up while I order the pizza. Where's your remote-” She grabbed one off a side table and turned on the TV. “You got netflix? I'll find us something.” She paused, giving the other woman a appraising stare and looking her up and down again. She saw the conflict between wanting to be polite and wanting to entertain a guest writ in Persephone's features, even if she didn't understand what she was seeing.



“You look tense. You should try to relax and take your clothes off or something.”


Persephone Dean